Book Review: Body & Soul

Body & Soul

by Stacey Kade
Series: The Ghost and the Goth #3
Release date: 1st May, 2012
Publisher: Hyperion
Pages: 320 (hardback copy bought by me)

Summary from Goodreads:

The Ghost
I’ve been trapped in the body of Lily “Ally” Turner for a month now. Talk about a fashion crisis on an epic scale. What worries me more, though, is sometimes I catch Will looking at me like he thinks I’m Lily...or that he wishes I were. Without the good looks of my former self, I don’t know who I am, or if who that is is good enough. I need out of this mess. Now.

Will and I have been looking for a solution, one that would separate me from Lily without killing her. But it’s not going well. Then, when it seems like things couldn’t get any worse, we run into Misty, my former best friend and boyfriend-stealer extraordinaire, who claims she’s being haunted...by me. Seriously?

I’m determined to get to the bottom of who’s pretending to be the spirit of Alona Dare (while I’m pretending to be someone else) and then get the heck out of this body. Or die trying...

The Goth
I’ll admit it. It’s really weird to look at Alona but see Lily. I do know the difference, though, contrary to what Alona might be saying. And Alona is more than a pretty face to me, not that she would believe that.

Our one lead for some help in this messed up situation might be a page torn from the yellow pages-—the “Psychics” section-—I found in my dad’s stuff. One of the “fakes” seems a bit more real-—and odd-—than the others. Before I can investigate further, though, Alona is off and chasing a ghost that’s probably nothing more than a figment of Misty’s guilty imagination. Now Lily’s family is freaking out because she didn’t come home, my mom is ordering me to stay out of it, and something is definitely wrong with the person formerly known as Lily “Ally” Turner...

Review By Alaiel Kreuz:

When Alona finds herself trapped inside Lily Turner she doesn't know what to think: Happy for being able to have a body, to feel things through fingers that are actually not hers, to eat using a mouth that is not hers... And OMG why on earth did she have to end up inside this body?! There is no justice, let me tell you.
Not only was Lily's body in no shape but also she had been Will's crush once. Not very long ago, actually. And she knew that every time he looked at her Will could only see her body. But she wasn't Lily nor was she willing to become her in order to keep her family happy.

And don't get me wrong here, she did care for Lily's family. In some sort of way she envied her for having such a loving family while hers had been broken for a long time. That's why she decided to become Ally (a mix of Alona and Lily) to try to make everyone happy until she could get out of there.

But when her ex-bestfriend, Misty (not knowing who is inside Ally's body) tells her that Alona' spirit is haunting her she is just too shocked to talk. Who the heck is pretending to be her?!

It's time for Will and Alona to resolve another mystery, to find the answers they are seeking and try to figure out a way to be together despite the fact that she is dead and he is not.

Personal opinion:
Finally the last book of The Ghost and the Goth series is here and I couldn't be... Well, I'm not sure. Mixed feelings again.

I did like the book and how Stacey developed the whole plot answering all the last questions, tying all the knots and creating a last problem for Alona and Will to resolve.
My husband was tired of seeing me with this big O in my face or saying things like "OMG... no, this can't be happening" or "Please, please..." the whole time, but what can I say? I was caught up and glad to be there.

Then again we are talking about the last book, you know? Which means there's no going back, no more Will with his compelling darkness, no more Alona with that cruel sincerity of hers.

Talking about that, I have to say that so far Alona is the one and only bad girl I like. She is an idiot, she just doesn't undertand that above looks people have feelings but in the end she shows some... well, some sort of love for the people she cares about. There's a good heart inside her, it doesn't matter how much she tries to hide it, you will be able to see it become bigger and bigger with each book.
And Will... well, he's completely different from her (which is very obvious). Maybe not the kind of guy I would fall for but then again, he has something that makes him special. His loyalty is maybe one of the things I like most. And then the fact that he cares for everybody.

I like it when they fight during days, barely speak to each other or acknowledge the presence of the other in the same room and then, say trouble out loud and despite their differences they just forget everything and fight together. It's actually very funny (and sweet too, yes).

Alaiel's Rating:

If you really liked it, you can order it here: