Review: 4/5 for Hereafter by Tara Hudson

Hereafter by Tara Hudson

Hardcover, 404 pages

Published June 7th 2011 by HarperCollins
Source: Gift from my good friend, Marla @ Starting the Next Chapter
Buy the Book: Amazon : B&N : Goodreads

From Goodreads:

Can there truly be love after death?
Drifting in the dark waters of a mysterious river, the only thing Amelia knows for sure is that she's dead. With no recollection of her past life—or her actual death—she's trapped alone in a nightmarish existence. All of this changes when she tries to rescue a boy, Joshua, from drowning in her river. As a ghost, she can do nothing but will him to live. Yet in an unforgettable moment of connection, she helps him survive.
Amelia and Joshua grow ever closer as they begin to uncover the strange circumstances of her death and the secrets of the dark river that held her captive for so long. But even while they struggle to keep their bond hidden from the living world, a frightening spirit named Eli is doing everything in his power to destroy their newfound happiness and drag Amelia back into the ghost world . . . forever.

Loved, loved the idea behind this book. I was so happy to read it from Ameilia's POV, the ghost's side. It seems like there's not many written in that direction or I just don't get my hands on them often enough. This is a great ghost story with a side of attraction and intrigue.
You can't help but love these characters. Amelia grows throughout the book and it's an interesting journey to watch. She only stumbles a few times because she'll get meek and a little timid. Joshua I adored. He's an all-around good guy that lets little phase him. I'm sure he'll win more than a few hearts more. Eli. Eli is a snot bag. I didn't care for him from the beginning and the rest of the book only confirmed it. He does help the story along, but that is his only redeemable trait. Believe it or not, I like that in character. So annoying or aggravating, but makes the book flow well.
The plot flows like a roller coaster. Slow in spots, twists and little turns, then flies trough at the end. It has just enough to keep you caught up in it. I do have some issues with the idea of Amelia and Joshua's relationship. Without going into too much detail, it's too unrealistic in too many ways. I like the way it's written, just not so fond of the idea of it. The last few chapters are absolutely addictive. So much is wrapped up in a short amount of time. When you hit the end, you sit back and just stare at it...I know this won't be appealing to everyone, but I think in this case it works out pretty well.