The November Cephalopod Coffeehouse Blog Hop!

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It's the last Friday of the month - time for The Cephalopod Coffeehouse blog hop! Each month, participating blogs post reviews of the best book they've read during that month. Readers can hop between the blogs and find a host of interesting books to add to their TBR piles, and visit some fun blogs in the process.

As today is the day after Thanksgiving, I'm not sure how many people will be hopping around the blogosphere looking for book reviews - but then again, there are some great Black Friday sales going on at Amazon and Barnes and Noble... so if you're taking a break from your cyber-shopping, maybe this will give you some new ideas and inspiration!

Book Review: ETERNAL MERCURY by Elaine Pinter

ETERNAL MERCURY By Elaine Pinter

Published 2013

About the Book (from Goodreads):

Can true love survive the boundaries of death?

Eighteen-year-old Chelsee Taylor has been in love with her boyfriend, Max, since they started kindergarten together. She has no idea that high school graduation will be the last perfect day of her life. After a deadly car accident, Chelsee refuses to accept Max's death because she can still feel his presence. No one believes her and she is completely alone. Until Blake Andersen shows up. It's not just that he believes her . . . or even just that he's so understanding . . . . But why is Max's presence so strong when she's with Blake?

Eternal Mercury is two books in one. Book 1, Chelsee's Story, is bittersweet and moving, while Book 2, Blake's Story, is gritty and inspirational.

My Take:

*I won a copy of this book in an online giveaway.*

This is a YA romance with a unique twist to it, and just a dash of paranormal. I’ve read several contemporary YA books lately that begin with kind of dark premises. Like teens dying from cancer, as in THE FAULT IN OUR STARS by John Green, and A TAYLOR-MADE LIFE, by Kary Rader. This is the first YA book I’ve read that deals with car accidents, death, and what survives after death. I’ve never read a YA that deals in detail with hospitals and organ transplants that isn’t totally dystopian.

The Reviewer running the contest loved the book, so despite a slow start I kept going. And I’m glad that I did. So if you decide to pick up a copy, don’t give up after the first chapter or two. It gets way better. Tears and ripping at your heartstrings and smiling-through-the-tears-at-the-end better.

The book is broken into two parts, Part One being from Chelsee’s POV and Part Two being from Blake’s POV. There’s no head-hopping; you need to read all of her perspective and then basically start the story over from his perspective, which is totally interesting as their stories don’t even intersect much until the middle of each section – which sounds like it makes no sense, but it does. Trust me.

Chelsee’s story starts with her high school graduation and her sweet perfect life and true love with her long-time boyfriend, Max, who is also (dare I say?) perfect. He’s an athlete and all-around great guy, a track star headed to University on scholarship. Sounds a little boring to me, but I don’t read a lot of contemporary YA romance. I stick with mostly books that have paranormal twists. (Which this one does, a little bit, but in a grounded sort of way.)

A deadly car accident erases all of the perfect from Chelsee’s life, including taking Max, and leaves her feeling like an empty shell. But lying in her hospital bed, she can still feel Max’s presence. And it gets strongest when she meets Blake. Their romance progresses through the first part and ties up so nicely at the end that you can really stop there and be satisfied, but then there’s the second part and it’s almost like a whole second book that twines together with what you already know from reading the first part, which was such a cool concept that I have to applaud the author.

In Blake’s section of the book, the writing is even stronger than the first, but he starts as such an unredeeming character that I probably would’ve punted the book if I hadn’t read the first part. I really loved the second section, and the character’s attitude and arc.

If you’re looking for a tear-jerker for catharsis during the hectic holidays, I would totally recommend this book. It’s an engaging and sweet love story, a fairly fast read, and has some good messages and thought provoking parts without being preachy. All in all, a satisfying read.

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This is a blog hop! Don't forget to visit some of the other great blogs participating in today's coffeehouse!