Title: Here Lies Bridget
Author: Paige Harbison [website]  [twitter] [facebook]
Genre: Contemporary
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Format: eBook
Source: Publisher (via NetGalley)
Parental Advisory: language, references to sex, drugs, alcohol
Teachable Moments: bullying

“Maybe it wasn’t that I wanted to die; maybe I just wanted to scare them.  I wanted them all to realize what could have happened and to feel awful for how they’d acted.  I wanted them to try to apologize and beg for a chance to make up for everything they’d done.”

Describing Venus (from publisher):
Bridge Duke is the uncontested ruler of her school.  The meanest girl with the biggest secret insecurities.  And when new girl Anna Judge arrives, things start to fall apart for Bridget: friends don’t worship as attentively, teachers don’t fall for her wide-eyed “who me?” look, expulsion looms ahead and the one boy she’s always loved — Liam Ward — can barely even look at her anymore.

When a desperate Bridget drives too fast an crashes her car, she ends up in limbo, facing everyone she’s wronged and walking a few uncomfortable miles in their shoes.  Now she has only one chance to make a last impression.  Though she might end up dead, she has one last shot at redemption and the chance to right the wrongs she’s inflicted on the people who mean the most to her.

And Bridget’s about to learn that, sometimes, saying you’re sorry just isn’t enough….

How Mars and Venus Don’t Meet:
I knew going in that Here Lies Bridget was going to be a take on A Christmas Carol.  Sam, in an effort to punish the people in her life, gets into a semi-suicidal accident and ends up wandering ghostlike through various parts of their lives to bear witness to their true thoughts and feelings. This I was ok with, good concept….loads of potential for plot and character development.  It’s the latter that fell flat for me.

Main character Sam was one of the more unloveable characters I’ve encountered in fiction.  I was hoping she’d be one of those girls I’d love to hate but really I just didn’t like her.  There wasn’t any part of the story where I found her sympathetic and while I didn’t want her unhappy I couldn’t really root for her.  My interpretation of the intent of the plot was to show how Sam was a bully and through her ghostly wanderings she would come to the realization that she needed to be a better person.  So, that did actually happen but I struggled with the execution because I personally didn’t feel like she honestly felt remorse for much.  Her inner monologue and some actions indicated a tendency towards remorseful but I didn’t really feel it.

The best parts of the story that were the most interesting for me were those that involved Liam.  I did feel a bit of a love connection between he and Sam and I think she was most genuine when around him or remembering time spent with him.  He was endearing and caring and had he played a much larger role in the story he may have humanized her enough to allow me to enjoy it more.

Maybe Your Mars and Venus Align:
My inability to get into this book should not be the only thing you hear.  I’d much prefer you end on a positive note.  Please visit these reviews to get more information and make a more informed choice:

Lauren’s Crammed Bookshelf
Fiktshun