The Afterlife of Holly Chase

 I really had no idea what to expect in this retelling of A Christmas Carol by Cynthia Hand.  I was pleasantly surprised by how engaging and unique it was.  It had all the elements of a Scrooge finding their way to reform but it also had some fun twists and turns.   The book had some science fiction elements to it including the explanations for how the ghosts travel with Scrooge.  There are elements of time paradoxes and alternate realities in the story as well.  It seems to be common in many of the books I have selected this year and is not a norm for my go to reading.   I have not read many retellings and found this enjoyable.  

The book definitely had its moments that caused the reader to stop and reflect on life and priorities.  As a parent there were moments when you realize it would be better to stop and slow down rather than get caught up in life- be in the moment.  There is a romance piece to the story as is often found in YA books but it was relevant to the story.  The ending definitely leaves you thinking about who knew what and when.  Also, there is definitely a bit of a chicken and the egg as well.   

It's funny because as I read it at times I kept finding myself visualizing the movie Scrooged with Bill Murray.  There are very few similarities but for some reason the production aspect of the story made me keep thinking of it and specifically Bill Murray.  I guess it's my year to read books that remind me of movies Murray stars in -  Groundhog day (In a Holidaze) 

The book is both enjoyable and thought provoking and I am glad I spotted it and checked it out from the library.

The Afterlife of Holly Chase by Cynthia Hand
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A book about chances

This was a wonderful surprise. I really had no idea about this book when I borrowed it from the library. I found myself cheering for Holly and Ethan to find their respective happiness. The book has some intrigue and a wonderful sense of what if that keeps the reader engaged. Anyone looking to lose themselves in a fantastic retelling of A Christmas Carol or just read a book about the potential to find one’s better self should read this book

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Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:  

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge  Book #19
2. AtoZ   #2021AtoZReadingChallenge  #AlphabetSoupChallenge
3. Color Coded #6 Black
4. Beat the Backlist #BTB2021  #37 non-fairytale re-telling 
5. Virtual Mount TBR #VirtualMountTBR2021   Book #27
6. Back List Reader  #Backlistreader  Book #30
7. Around the Year in 52 Books #20  3 books related to "Past, Present, Future" - Book 3
8. 52 Book Club  #the52bookclub2021  #34 A Book You'd Rate 5 Stars
9. The Unofficial Magnus Archives Challenge  #TMARC21  #18. Mr. Pitch: with an immortal character
10. BooklistQueen   # 40. Fantasy
11. A Pretty Mess Challenge # 15. Genre you don't usually read
12. Nerd Daily  #NERDREADING2021 #43. A RETELLING
13. Bookworm  #33.) Read a book where the main character is a magic user
14. Magic in the Books  Book 7 #4 A Retelling
15. Pick your Poison #25-2 A fairytale or myth retelling in a modern setting
16. Bloggers Bookshelf   #bloggersbookshelf #4 story about witches or magic 
17. 52 books in 52 weeks  #4 illusion
18. Unruly Reader Bingo  #17 restoration