Title: Wherever You Go
Author: Heather Davis
Release date: November 14, 2011
Publisher: Harcourt Children’s Books
Pages: 320
Source: Publisher

Seventeen-year-old Holly Mullen has felt lost and lonely ever since her boyfriend, Rob, died in a tragic accident. The fact that she has to spend most of her free time caring for her little sister and Alzheimer’s-stricken grandfather doesn’t help. But Holly has no idea that as she goes about her days, Rob’s ghost is watching over her. He isn’t happy when he sees his best friend, Jason, reach out to help Holly with her grandfather—but as a ghost, he can do nothing to stop it. Is his best friend really falling for his girlfriend?

As Holly wonders whether to open her heart to Jason, the past comes back to haunt her. Her grandfather claims to be communicating with the ghost of Rob. Could the messages he has for Holly be real? And if so, how can the loved ones Rob left behind help his tortured soul make it to the other side?

Wherever You Go was not at all what I expected.  It was part ghost story, part contemporary romance, and 100% amazing.  Heather Davis is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors.

Holly still loves Rob but he is gone.  She knows she needs to move on but she can’t.  Then Jason gets involved and things start to look up.  He’s willing to help her with her grandfather Aldo who has Alzheimer’s and he even puts up with her little sister.  Too bad Rob’s ghost isn’t so happy about Holly moving on.

Holly was a strong main character who had very bad luck.  Her boyfriend died, her mom was always working, her little sister had to be taken care of, and so did her grandpa Aldo.  Holly was the one taking care of the whole family but she never whined and she just did what she had to do.  She was a very grown up teenager.  Her mother, on the other hand, was pretty much worthless.  Holly took care of her grandpa Aldo and it wasn’t easy but she loved him. Aldo was actually a very complex character and I loved him for so many reasons.  Jason was also great.  He truly liked Holly and was willing to help her with her crazy situation. I really did like Rob too.  He was very hard to understand but he loved Holly.

The plot was a bit slow at first.  I didn’t get how everything was going to tie together.  Rob’s ghost was the most confusing thing for me at first but it actually worked out really well.  There were some very funny moments throughout the book and some tearjerker moments as well.  In the end, everything tied together perfectly and the story really picked up.

Overall, Wherever You Go is a heartbreaking story but one that has a hopeful ending.  It is a story of love, loss, and finding the strength to move on.  Heather Davis tackled multiple tough subjects but she did it with tact and it ended up being a wonderful story.  This one has earned my recommendation.

Rating: A-