Aspen Paperback – Illustrated, March 3, 2014

In the Charley Davidson series *reverential bow* Charley's surrounded by the dead; it is an inseparable part of her life. Aspen, main character and title of book by Rebekah Crane *new, fab discovery*, sees (tries to avoid) only one: Katelyn Ryan...the girl she killed. A restless spirit usually indicates unfinished business and Aspen's downcast eyes give life to suspicion."I know why you're doing this, but what's the point?" I say to Katelyn, my voice frantic. "I can't change anything." Even as I say the words, I know I'm lying. I had my chances to tell the truth. Two, to be exact... "I don't remember anything," I lied for the second time.Truth is, that's only one of several disturbing subplots. Wow, wow, WOW. Author recommendations have yet to steer me wrong. Jessica Park, amazing author in her own right (reviews available here), tweeted about her adoration of Aspen and the steal of a deal. I jumped to Amazon, as I'm wont to do, and One-Clicked without pause. Why then did it take me 2 months to read it?! What's of more significance here is that it only took me 24 hours to inhale its brilliance. Aspen is a memorable, character-driven story that redefines the adage picking up the pieces.The attention thrust upon Aspen following the car accident is overwhelming. Normally a third of an incorruptible, fiercely loyal trio, classmates are suddenly flocking to Aspen for having survived with only a broken leg and bruises. People are nominating Aspen for homecoming queen. Katelyn's BF and BFFs are gravitating towards Aspen. But in the midst of their supportive, encouraging comments, recollections by a select few (a key few), slip past and cast Katelyn in not so flattering light. Add to the strain of scrutiny she's already under, senior year no less, Aspen is being stalked by Katelyn's ghost and there were pulse-pounding moments of interaction! I'm used to associating "cold spots" when a spirit's around, paranormal activity shows are a guilty pleasure, but the image of Katelyn hovering with her gaping mouth, mid-scream...scare the F out of me! Katelyn determines to disrupt Aspen's momentary reveries.When Katelyn's former BF, Ben (previously alluded to as key) begins to form a friendship with Aspen, things get messy. But this is where Rebekah Crane makes messy magical. Not in a supernatural way, but with expressions of emotion. Guilty, plaintive thoughts take root in the aftermath and Aspen must take survey of what really matters. SHE matters, SHE has a right to defy Katelyn's incriminating presence. A chaotic journey to say the least.Aspen's quirky name and hippie lifestyle centers around her notoriously flaky mom, Ninny. Her reckless love life is in constant flux and it's not at all what we're used to seeing in the mother/daughter dynamic -- that precious, protective force that's supposed to be above reproach. Ms. Crane bravely reveals a darker side, exposes rotten elements. Prepare to be impressed by the cringe-worthy.I was in a constant state of suspicion. Were these kids genuine or were they collaboratively going to revoke Aspen's unexpected cool crowd membership?! The unfolding was evocative and edgy. High school climate and peer pressure are challenging enough. Turning the other cheek is still a healthy survival tool, but ignoring a situation isn't always safer; you can miss the life lesson and that disservice can be stifling.Ms. Crane empowers Aspen with intelligence and pluck. When she feels an attraction to Ben, her thoughts are unfiltered and precise.I close my eyes and the people and music melt away. At this moment, if Ben asked me to clip his toenails, I would. Or give him a calf rub while he's wearing his sweaty shin guards.Aspen's energy is just contagious and I loved her! You will admire the secondary characters in search of their own resolutions and appreciate how Ms. Crane weaves their sympathetic features into richer outcomes. So well done!I've said too much and not nearly enough. Aspen is an unconventional, but powerful look into grief through a courageous heart. Who knew a tragedy could result in such hope?

ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.Anyone who reads my reviews knows that I am a super critical reader/reviewer. I usually call out any annoyance I encounter in my reviews regardless of how minuscule it is. It goes without saying that I don't give out many 5 star ratings. As a general rule, any books that I give 5 star ratings to must meet 2 of the 3 following criteria:1. Go on my favorites shelf. check2. Make me feel the need to purchase a physical copy (I read on Kindle 98% of the time.) check3. I know I'm going to re-read the book. checkThat being said: I don't have anything bad to say about Aspen. I know... That's really shocking coming from me, but Aspen is phenomenal.The best thing about this book is the overall message that it's okay to be yourself. All of the main characters in this book are apologetically true to themselves. Great example: Ninny."Ninny" is what Aspen calls her mother. Ninny was very young and didn't even know she was pregnant when Aspen was born. Her parents immediately disowned her and she has raised Aspen on her own ever since. Ninny is not what you would consider a traditional parental figure. She smokes a lot of weed, sleeps around, can't hold down a job, doesn't clean up after herself, encourages Aspen to have sex, and is just generally irresponsible. BUT Ninny is not painted as a villain in this novel. Aspen and her friends adore her anyway because she's a good person and she loves them.I thought this was so unique. A lot novels use the "terrible parent" trope as an excuse to bring their characters conflict and create angst. It's lazy. My least favorite is the rich, works too much, and doesn't give a crap that his daughter is different dad. Awful. Ninny is a crappy mom, but she's a a wonderful, if strange, person. For example:"My mom taught me how to braid. We used to practice on my dolls. She would say every respectable girl knows how to braid.""You never taught me.""I couldn't care less if you're respectable." Ninny ties a rubber band around the end of one braid. "I care that you're you."Ninny and her relationships with the other characters is truly my favorite thing about this novel. I love the way the author made it okay for Ninny to be different. She made it okay for Aspen to unconditionally love (and like) her mother even if she didn't act like a mother most of the time.The rest of the book was lovely too. It's never made clear whether or not Aspen is actually beautiful or if Ninny just thinks she is because she's her mother. But it is made clear that Aspen has out of control blonde hair, she wears bell bottoms, tie dye, and Birkenstocks, and usually has charcoal smeared on her face. I thought this was nice. Aspen is unequivocally herself and she still has great friendships and a love interest despite walking to the beat of her own drum. The author didn't paint her as the beautiful girl who wears black and too much makeup in order to hide her beauty because she's soooooooo different and superior. Gag.I don't want to get too far into the accident and resulting events part of the book, but I will say that this is very well done. Aspen's reactions to them and the events that tale place afterwards struck me as very realistic.Overall, this book was wonderful and I very much recommend that you read it. Now.