Of all the things Anya expected to find at the bottom of an old well, a new friend was not one of them. Especially not a new friend who’s been dead for a century.

Falling down a well is bad enough, but Anya’s normal life might actually be worse. She’s embarrassed by her family, self-conscious about her body, and she’s pretty much given up on fitting in at school. A new friend—even a ghost—is just what she needs.

2.5 stars

I really don’t understand all the hype for this graphic novel. This book really turned me off from the first few pages, but I thought I would give it a chance to get better… it didn’t. I really didn’t care for the way the characters spoke. I’m not sure if that’s truly how teenagers talk, but it felt really forced, stereotypical, and annoying. Very cringey. Also, the behavior of the kids is not something that should be highlighted in a kids’ book, like cheating, both in the relationship sense and cheating on school work. There was a lot of mature content that I did not find appropriate for kids. 

I also didn’t like the main character, Anya. I understand she’s supposed to be this rebellious, angsty teenager, but she’s not likable at all. She’s quite obnoxious and not a good role for kids. She smokes throughout the story, and I don’t find that appropriate to include in a kids or YA graphic novel. There is also quite a bit of crude language and cursing. I can see how Anya could be relatable as a teenager, especially since she has body image issues, but I was hoping for some kind of redemption arc, which there is a bit of, but it didn’t save her for me. I felt like Anya didn’t have many redeeming qualities at all. Plus, her best friend is very toxic, rude, and judgmental. She was not a good influence for Anya to be around. 

The story with the ghost girl was interesting at first, until it turned kinda sinister and dark, which I didn’t care for. I liked it when Anya tried to figure out the mystery behind the ghost’s death, but it was still kinda of boring and not very creative, in my opinion. Then, the ghost became a terrible influence on Anya. I didn’t like her at all. 

Overall, I think the author tried to tackle some compelling messages, but the execution was just terrible. 

The artwork was nice, but there was no color, and like the story, it was just bland and boring. Honestly, I’ve forgotten most of this story. It’s not memorable at all. I do not recommend this book.