The Afterlife of Holly Chase

Synopsis

On Christmas Eve five years ago, Holly was visited by three Ghosts who showed her how selfish and spoiled she'd become. They tried to convince her to mend her ways. She didn't.

Now she's stuck working for the top-secret company Project Scrooge- as the latest Ghost of Christmas past. So far, Holly's afterlife has been miserable. But this year's Scrooge is about to change everything . . . 

Loved

• Project Scrooge. At first I was a little iffy about how the whole contemporary/magic/Charles Dickens combination would work out. But I really enjoyed this setting for a retelling of A Christmas Carol. Project Scrooge is a high-tech company that chooses one "Scrooge" each year to visit in the night with three "ghosts" and try to help them reform their lives. The technology, paperwork, research, system, and employees of this company are all very well-thought out and believable. It didn't feel like a fantasy, dystopian, or sci-fi novel- it just felt contemporary, save two elements: technology to go back in time, and the fact that some of the characters are dead. I felt like the setting was realistic enough that it wasn't cheesy, and I found myself completely enthralled with the idea of Project Scrooge and its employees' mission.

• The character development. Obviously, since this is a retelling of A Christmas Carol, we can expect some serious character development. Holly Chase does make a formidable Scrooge character- a bratty, spoiled and entitled diva from Hollywood who is forced to work with regular people at Project Scrooge during her afterlife as payment for treating others poorly during her life. Holly was a very well-written character because we as readers don't like her for how entitled, selfish and cruel she is, but she is so witty and sarcastic that it's hard not to like her at times. I found myself liking her more and more as the story progressed, and by the end I loved her for the person she had become.

• Project Scrooge Employees. The people at Project Scrooge are just regular people trying to help make the world better through choosing a mission and giving everything to it for a year. These people are very believable- many of them struggling college students or classic office characters- and I loved them all. I loved their banter, wit, hard work, and sense of family. These people are all so good to Holly even though she doesn't deserve it and they really feel like dear friends to the reader throughout the story.

• Stephanie. While Stephanie is annoying at times (especially on the audiobook since the narrator squeaks everything she says), she is at the heart of Holly's character transformation. Being the "Bob Cratchit" of the story, she is constantly being manipulated, lied to, and hurt by Holly. However, Stephanie sees Holly for what she could become and is patient and kind to her throughout the story, teaching Holly the joy and meaning of true friendship.

• The ending. I was very shocked at the ending- it was not at all what I expected. At first I was mad and disappointed, but after thinking about it, I was moved. I realized the ending was the perfect completion of the transformation of Holly's character and had it ended any other way it wouldn't have pushed her to become truly selfish and sacrificing. This ending was so moving that the story has stuck with me and I've thought about it all year since I read it last Christmas.

Didn't Love

• Holly was a little hard to swallow at times because she is so entitled and bratty, but that's part of the story so I can't complain too much ;)

Content

• Language: 
• Few uses of "damn," "hell," "a**," and taking the Lord's name in vain.

• Sexual content: 
• A makeout scene in a movie theater, not much described.
• Other kisses, not a lot described.
• Lots of flirting, a couple lines of innuendo.

• Violence:
• No violence, but talk of death as main characters experience death themselves and in others around them.

Overall Thoughts

I was very pleasantly surprised by this gem and I'm so glad I picked it up! I became interested in this story when I realized it was written by Cynthia Hand- one of the Lady Janies, who I adore. I had heard it was witty and funny, but I didn't realize it would be so moving. Holly's change throughout the story and her journey are deep, thought-provoking, and straight from the heart. The writing is clever, funny and engaging, and I found myself riveted to find out what happened next while laughing and snorting at Holly's wit and sarcasm. The ending of the story left me inspired and moved as Holly learns what selflessness and love look like in her life. The story leaves us questioning what really is important in our lives and examining the way we treat others and view those around us. I highly recommend this poignant, beautiful story- especially around Christmastime :)