Hey folks! I’m back with another post, and it’s not months later. A miracle, right? This is the first of what I hope to be a series, but we’ll see. I decided to try and read as many of my fellow shortlisters as I could. And then, I decided I would try and do short reviews on each. I make no promises that I keep this up. I do have a full-time job and two side jobs that take up a lot of my time - on top of writing my own books. But for now, I’m going to take it a book at a time.
The first book on the Wattys Shortlist that I read was “Death’s Temporary Home for Lost Souls” by Cammie Conn (or @BookNrd on Wattpad). And whoa, this one had me hooked from the very beginning. I read the entire thing in about 24 hours.
The concept drew me to read it first. As someone who has dealt with a lot of death in my adult life, it’s a topic that I think about often. “Death’s Temporary Home for Lost Souls” is all about death. Our protagonist Cara is in the midst of her own grief and finds herself renovating an old home that is inhabited by Death, himself, and the lost souls that he is helping to cross over.
Throughout the story, we watch as Cara confronts death in many ways, and while it is a love story between Cara and Death, it’s so much more than that. Cara goes through her own personal journey discovering what her own unfinished business is and how to approach it, even though she isn’t dead like the other lost souls.
It was a beautiful story that had me ugly crying by the end of it. You become close to each of the characters, who are all relatable in their own ways - even the Immortals. Reading it, I was both in the story and also thinking about the bigger picture at the same time. I loved how Cammie crafted Death - he’s a hot dad type who wears funny t-shirts and sweatpants while getting up every morning to make sure breakfast is on the table for all his residents. The atmosphere of the home is one of warmth and acceptance.
The story lingers long after you finish it. I’m still thinking about my own unfinished business and approach to death. I highly recommend this book, though I do warn you. If death is a topic you can’t handle right now, keep that in mind. Though, still, as someone who knows death all too well, I found this novel comforting. Kind of like a big, all-encompassing hug from my grandmother.
Go give it a read! Just make sure you have the tissues handy.
Link to book here.
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