The afterlife of Holly Chase by Cynthia Hand

Harper Collins Publishers, 2017. ISBN 9781460754283
(Ages: 12+) Highly recommended. A heart-warming and emotional tale of the importance of generosity, family, love and compassion. When Holly Chase is visited on Christmas Eve by three spirits warning her of the imminent consequences of her selfish actions, she elects to ignore their advice, doing nothing to mend her ways. Six days later, she dies. Awakening in an office, Holly learns that she will be working for a top-secret company called 'Project Scrooge' to help other 'Scrooges' like her change their behaviour before it's too late. She is appointed to the position of the Ghost of Christmas Past and accepts this as her fate; forced to redeem herself through encouraging others to do what she could not - change for the better. Five years after her death, however, she is faced with a Scrooge that she feels a connection to: Ethan Winters III, a seventeen-year-old who is similarly spoilt, materialistic and grieving the loss of a parent. For the first time since her death, Holly finds that she has something to be hopeful for.
Through her authentic and genuine characters, beautiful writing style and valuable moral, New York Times bestselling author Cynthia Hand provides a sweet, unforgettable and thought-provoking novel that will touch the heart of its reader, and fill them with hope, happiness and gratitude. A book that is impossible to put down, and even harder to stop thinking about, "The Afterlife of Holly Chase" is not a novel to miss and is a wonderful read all year round.
Daniella Chiarolli (university student)