Review: The Dead and Buried by Kim Harrington

From the Back Cover:

A haunted house, a buried mystery, and a very angry ghost make this one unforgettable thriller.

Jade loves the house she's just moved into with her family. She doesn't even mind being the new girl at the high school: It's a fresh start, and there's that one guy with the dreamy blue eyes. . . . But then things begin happening. Strange, otherworldly things. Jade's little brother claims to see a glimmering girl in his room. Jade's jewelry gets moved around, as if by an invisible hand. Kids at school whisper behind her back like they know something she doesn't.

Soon, Jade must face an impossible fact: that her perfect house is haunted. Haunted by a ghost who's seeking not just vengeance, but the truth. The ghost of a girl who ruled Jade's school — until her untimely death last year. It's up to Jade to put the pieces together before her own life is at stake. As Jade investigates the mystery, she discovers that her new friends in town have more than a few deep, dark secrets. But is one of them a murderer?

My Thoughts:

So originally I read the first two pages of this and set it aside, thinking it was actually a mean girls high school clique book instead of the creepy ghost story I'd been expecting. But I was in the mood for some teen angst, so I picked it back up a few days later and pretty quickly became absorbed in it. In a nutshell: Jade's family moves into their dream house in a new town, but it turns out Kayla, the meanest and most popular girl in school, died there under suspicious circumstances, and her malicious spirit is now haunting the house and won't leave until Jade finds out who killed her. So now Jade, the new girl in school, infiltrates Kayla's old clique and discovers many people had motives for killing Kayla, including both of her ex-boyfriends, who now both want to be Jade's boyfriend. But are they attracted to her for who she is or because she's a link to Kayla?

There is some clique-y stuff in the story, but it doesn't overwhelm it, and I was pretty intrigued by Jade's love interests. Jade is a good character too: smart, sensible, natural, and gutsy--although prone to whining--and her gemology hobby and its presence in the story was a nice touch. At times the ghost story is a tad creepy, but it's nothing too serious or spine-tingling. I figured out halfway through who did it, but there was some doubt in my mind right up till the end with secrets coming out all over the place and casting serious suspicion on other characters. There was a sweet surprise at the end that brought tears to my eyes, and though the ending comes about very quickly, it was very satisfying. I ended up enjoying The Dead and Buried, but I can't say that it really has anything going for it that makes it memorable or able to stand out from the crowd.

My Rating:  3.5 Stars out of 5

**Please Note: This review references an advance digital copy received from the publisher via NetGalley, and therefore the final published copy may differ. Though I received this book from the publisher, these are my honest and unbiased thoughts, and I was not compensated in any other way for reviewing this book.