Wherever you go

By Heather Davis

Rob is killed when he runs off the road with Holly, his girlfriend, in his car. Unfortunately for him, he is earthbound. He watches Holly from his ghostly state for six months even though Holly cannot see him. Holly, who nearly died during the crash is devastated by Rob's death. The only friend she seems to have in the book, Marisa, doesn't understand what she is going through. On top of all this Holly's grandfather is diagnosed with a late stage of Alzheimer's disease and has to live with Holly and her family. Holly has to take care of her grandfather, Aldo, and her sister, Lena, by herself because her Mom has to work almost constantly to make any money.

Aldo makes a list of all the things he wants to remember, memories of his diseased wife and things he did as a child in Italy. Jason, Rob's best friend, decides to help Holly help Aldo relive these experiences. Rob watches over this and sees as is girlfriend and best friend begin to fall in love and begin to get over him. To Rob's surprise Aldo can see him. Aldo talks to Rob which causes Holly to think that Aldo is having hallucinations, a sign that his Alzheimer's is progressing. Rob also watches over his own family and sees the pain he has caused them. While watching his parent's therapy session he begins to remember the uncomfortable truths about the day he died and the actual cause.

Throughout the book Rob tries to understand why he is stuck on Earth and how he can help all the people he loves. He tries to sort out how to help Holly, Jason, and Aldo without being able to talk to them. Aldo's time is limited and he isn't always willing to help.

It's like a badly made chocolate cookie. You decide to eat the cookie even though it is burnt on the bottom. You hope it tastes good but it actually tastes bad. The more you eat of the cookie the better it gets until you eat the edge, where it is burned black -- the end. I give this book a 1.5 because I thought it was written badly. The character's would almost be developed but then a twist in the plot would bring out a new view of the character that differed from before. Although I did like the way the book was split up. (This part earned the 1.5 points it got) It was from the point of view of Holly (in first person), Rob (in second person), and Jason (in third person).