7 Souls by Barnabas Miller & Jordan Orlando

Title: 7 Souls

Author: Barnabas Miller and Jordan Orlando

Genre: Young Adult

Publisher:  Penguin

Publication Date: 28th March 2011

ISBN: 9780143206255

Stand alone or series: Stand Alone

Pages: 384 pages

Book Received from: Penguin

First Lines:  There was the pain, first and last, that booming drumbeat of agony in her head - the kind of pain that made her want to curl up and die.

Synopsis:
Mary expected her seventeenth birthday to be a blowout to remember, courtesy of her best friends, fellow New York City prepsters Amy and Joon, and her doting boyfriend, Trick.

Instead, the day starts badly and gets worse. After waking up in a mortifying place with a massive, unexplainable hangover, Mary soon discovers that nobody at school is even aware that it's her birthday. As evening approaches, paranoia sets in. Mary just can't shake the feeling that someone is out to get her—and, as it turns out, she's right. Before the night is over, she's been killed in cold blood.

But murder is just the beginning of Mary's ordeal. Her soul gets trapped in a strange limbo, and she must relive the day of her death through the eyes of seven people—each of whom, she finds, had plenty of reasons to hate her. As Mary explores the mysteries of her world, discovering secrets that were hidden in plain sight while she was alive, she clings desperately to the hope that she can solve her own murder, change the past, and—just maybe—save her own life.

My Thoughts:
When I received this book I hadn't heard much in the blogosphere about it.  So I jumped onto Good Reads and did my best to skim through a few spoiler free reviews to find out what I was in for.  I will try my best to steer clear of the story itself as it's better to go in not knowing too much.

The first chapter hooked me in.  I was at work when I started reading and I didn't want to put it down when I got to the part where she woke up, realising she is in a bedroom display window.  Naked!

I'm actually in two minds about how I feel about this book though.  I really liked the story but I disliked the characters.  Mary was the exception, BUT at the beginning it doesn't take too long to work out that she is one of the popular girls, always in the spotlight and using everybody to get what she wants.  That being said, I did really warm up to her and by the end of the book I actually felt sorry for her.  I liked Dylan out of the other characters that populate the book but that would have to be it.

I hate to compare some books to others but 7 Souls is alot like Before I fall.  There were characters I disliked in both novels but I really enjoyed both stories.

I don't think this book is for everyone though.  I've seen the reviews on Goodreads and it is a toss up between loved it and hated it.  I'm in the middle. 

See for yourself.  If you've read this tell me what you think?  Why you liked it or disliked it.  I'd love to hear your opinions. Just remember to be careful with spoilers for those who haven't read this yet.