The Afterlife of Holly Chase by Cynthia Hand

Pages: 385

Intended Audience: Teens

Genre: Supernatural

Notes for Parents: Contains some mature scenes

The Back Cover

On Christmas Eve five years ago, Holly was visited by three Ghosts who showed her how selfish and spoiled she’d become. They tried to convince her to mend her ways.

She didn’t.

And then she died.

Now she’s stuck working for the top-secret company Project Scrooge—as the latest Ghost of Christmas Past.

Every year, they save another miserly grouch. Every year, Holly stays frozen at seventeen while her family and friends go on living without her. So far, Holly’s afterlife has been miserable.

But this year, everything is about to change…

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

This is based on Charles Dicken’s A Christmas Carol.

What’s good?

Holly is a failed Scrooge that has spent the last six years trying to convince other Scrooges to change their ways. With sarcasm and dry humor, Holly, with the rest of the Project Scrooge team, investigate their new target, a handsome teenaged boy. It’s a compelling premise that is both comical and engaging. The characters are likeable, especially Stephanie, and even Holly and Ethan who are both self-absorbed but also battling grief and trust issues. While a lot of the story is predictable, the conclusion was completely unexpected. The ending is well-crafted.

Best Part: No Scrooges in Canada! Also, I loved Marty’s explanation of why his generation (teens today) doesn’t believe in magic and the supernatural. (page 243-244)

What isn’t good?

For at least the first half, the story moves slowly. We learn about Holly’s past and her present routine, and a little about the new Scrooge, but nothing terribly exciting happens. It does pick up in the second half, and eventually I felt invested enough in Holly and the other characters to want to know how everything turns out. The romance is light and predictable. The story itself stays fairly superficial despite hitting on tough topics like grief and loneliness. There are some cheesy moments and quite a few stereotypes.

Worst part: Nothing was terrible.

Recommendation ☺☺☺ (3.5/5)

This could have been a 4 out of 5, but the start was slow. I considered stopping a few times, but I’m happy I didn’t because the last half of the book was well worth it. Ultimately, this was a fun read, and considering I read it over Christmas it was very apropos. The story was light and easy, with the feel of a Hallmark movie. It may be a bit awkward for those who don’t know Dicken’s A Christmas Carol, but otherwise it was entertaining with a great twist at the end.

Hand, Cynthia. The Afterlife of Holly Chase. New York: Scholastic, 2017.