Life After Theft by Aprilynne Pike

Aprilynne Pike, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Wings series, shines in this stand-alone novel that offers a humorous twist on ghosts and is perfect for fans of Ally Carter, Rachel Hawkins, and Kiersten White.

Kimberlee Schaffer may be drop-dead gorgeous . . . but she also dropped dead last year. Now she needs Jeff's help with her unfinished business, and she's not taking no for an answer. When she was alive, Kimberlee wasn't just a mean girl; she was also a complete kleptomaniac. So if Jeff wants to avoid being haunted until graduation, he'll have to help her return all of the stolen items. But Jeff soon discovers that it's much easier to steal something than it is to bring it back.

Paying for your mistakes takes on a whole new meaning in this hauntingly clever twist on The Scarlet Pimpernel.

I'm not really a fan of ghost stories, but I enjoyed Aprilynne Pike's Wings series so I figured I would give this one a try. I wasn't disappointed.

It's rare, in my opinion, to find a good YA in a contemporary setting (such as a school) that has a twist, like a ghost. Most are dry, or don't represent the characters or twist very well. But this is a pretty good one.

The relationship between Kimberlee and Jeff is absolutely hilarious, but more importantly, it's real. Their banter is real, and so are their fights. They argue over simple and difficult things, just like normal friends. The only difference in this case is that no one else can see Kimberlee.

I recommend this to fans of Rachel Hawkins' Hex Hall series. It doesn't have the magic aspect, but the characters seem similar to me.

Life Drawing for Beginners by Roisin Meaney

From the author of Semi-Sweet comes a delightful new novel about the art of friendship, love, and (still) life.

When Audrey Matthews offers an evening class in life drawing, all she's looking for is a little extra pocket money and something to fill her Tuesday nights. So she hires a model and recruits five students - each of whom have their own reason for being there.

For Zarek, a Polish immigrant, the class is a welcome distraction and a place to escape his dull cafe job and noisy roommate.

Then there's the handsome, mysterious James who has moved to the small town of Carrickbawn looking for a new start for himself and his daughter. He's vowed to keep to himself, but then his interest in Jackie, the class model and single mom, takes a more personal turn.

While Audrey has just fallen in love -- with the adorable puppy in the window of the local pet shop. Will she be put off by the store's brusque owner or does she find out that his bark is worse than his bite?

As the weeks pass, it becomes clear to the members of the drawing class that their fellow students aren't exactly who they seem...

This was a very confusing book. The constant change in characters and complex plotline was intriguing, yet disappointing at the same time. I enjoyed the story as a whole but I wouldn't read a similar book if the opportunity presented itself.

It took me over a month to read this because the complexity drove me to read other books and put this one on the back burner.

I originally got this as an ARC through one of GoodReads' giveaways.