@CuriosityQuills #Review of 18 Things (My So Called Afterlife #1) by Jamie Ayres

Olga Gay Worontzoff thinks her biggest problems are an awful name and not attending prom with Conner, her best friend and secret crush since kindergarten.

Then, Conner is killed in a freak boating accident and Olga feels responsible for his death.

When she downs an entire bottle of pills to deal with the emotional pain, her parents force her into counseling. There, her therapist writes a prescription in the form of a life list titled “18 Things”: eighteen quests to complete the year of her eighteenth birthday.

But there’s more to Olga’s quests than meets the eye and when her therapist reveals a terrifying secret, her world is shaken.

There’s only one thing she knows for certain: her choices won’t just affect her future, but all eternity.

About the Author

                               ›Amazon | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Website

Jamie Ayres writes young adult paranormal love stories by night and teaches young adults as a Language Arts middle school teacher by day. When not at home on her laptop or at school, she can often be found at a local book store grabbing random children and reading to them. So far, she has not been arrested for this. Although she spent her youthful summers around Lake Michigan, she now lives in Florida with her prince charming, two children (sometimes three based on how Mr. Ayres is acting), and a basset hound. She really does have grandmothers named Olga and Gay but unlike her heroine, she's thankfully not named after either one of them. She loves lazy pajama days, the first page of a good book, stupid funny movies, and sharing stories with fantastic people like you. Her books include the first two installments of her trilogy, 18 Things and 18 Truths. Visit her online via Twitter, Facebook, or at www.jamieayres.com.

This one started out very strong.  I laughed, I cried, and it was awesome.  Then a little more than half way through it started to get stale.  I figured out the ending long before getting there, as things just seemed to convenient. 

 I really wanted to fall in love with this story but found myself wondering where the author was going to take it, when all of the Christian, religious references started. I didn't know if I even wanted to finish it.  They were a really big turn off.

I think the reason why was for the fact that they seemed to just pop up all of a sudden. 

And were not constant.

  I loved all the quotes and questions at the end of each chapter as they make you think about what you have read and I wish more authors would do the same.  

I loved Olga and really thing that Jamie did a wonderful job with most of the characters.  I think the ending was a little to quickly wrapped up it felt very out of place with the rest of the story.  

I didn't like what happened with Nate as (can't go to much into it without being a spoiler) But, with their situation, if they were in this place for this reason of guilt why wasn't he dealing with his to?  

I really wish that the author would have taken out the religious aspects or made them more constant,   played more on the paranormal,  or takes out the paranormal all together. It would have been much better   

I think this one could have been a great book about picking up and starting over after loss. 

I did love all of the Star Wars terms etc. and I think it worked out well.  I LOVED Olga's Graduation speech!!  I wouldn't have changed any of that EVER!!  I was like this!

"All opinions are 100% honest and my own."

From the Back Cover 

Can eighteen things save a life?

Olga Gay Worontzoff thinks her biggest problems are an awful name and not attending prom with Conner, her best friend and secret crush since kindergarten.

Then, Conner is killed in a freak boating accident and Olga feels responsible for his death. When she downs an entire bottle of pills to deal with the emotional pain, her parents force her into counseling. There, her therapist writes a prescription in the form of a life list titled "18 Things": eighteen quests to complete the year of her eighteenth birthday.

But there's more to Olga's quests than meets the eye and when her therapist reveals a terrifying secret, her world is shaken.

There's only one thing she knows for certain: her choices won't just affect her future, but all eternity.

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Posted in: 3 Stars, Curiosity Quills Press, Review, Young Adult