Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Review: Angelina’s Secret by Lisa Rogers

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Angelina’s Secret
Lisa Rogers
Release date: February 1st, 2012
by Spencer Hill Press

Goodreads / Purchase

As a child, Angelina spent years in counseling learning that Josie, her imaginary friend, wasn’t real, but it turns out her childhood friend wasn’t imaginary after all.

Now Angelina has to accept she’s either (A) crazy or (B) able to see ghosts. Wanting to believe in her sanity, she chooses (B) and welcomes Josie back into her life. But even Josie can’t help her deal with Shelly, the spirit of a confused teenager, and things go very, very wrong.

When Angelina finds herself in a psychiatric hospital, she faces a choice: she can spend the rest of her life pretending to be someone she isn’t, or she can embrace who she is and take a chance that she may never get to go home.

*A copy was provided by Spencer Hill Press for review purposes*
Angelina’s Secret is not so secret: she can see ghosts, which puts her in a mental health facility. It’s an original plot for this type of story. Angelina is faced with the challenge of having to convince her incredibly skeptic mother that she can, in fact, see ghosts – or can she? One of these ghosts is even her mom’s best friend who died in high school. As you guess, this does not bode well with her mother.

For a ghost book, it’s not creepy at all. The plot is very mild and light-hearted. Angelina is trying to accept who she is when it seems like the whole world is against her. She’s an interesting character; understanding and mature, easy to like, but her reactions seem a bit exaggerated at times. Like you’d see on a bad TV movie. This was the same for the ghosts. Having been dead for a while, they try to talk in modern slang but always end up saying it wrong. It comes off as very cheesy. I still enjoyed the personalities of these ghosts however. They’re a fun bunch that bring life to the otherwise dreary tone of the story. This is also true for the supporting characters that come into Angelina’s life throughout the book. As for her mother, the pure skeptic- is she ever irritating. She doesn’t even try to listen to what her daughter has to say. As soon as Angelina starts talking about her ability, her mother completely shuts down and insists they leave. I understand it’s easier, even expected, to think your daughter is simply schizophrenic, but she could have been a bit more supportive regardless.

With a psychological twist, Angelina’s Secret is a unique sort of paranormal story. We get a more realistic feel of what it would be like to admit you’re seeing ghosts. In the same thought, it’s even a mystery to us until the very end if these ghost are actually real, or if this is all in her head. It’s a charming little story that fits neatly in its 186 pages, which -surprisingly- doesn’t feel too short.  

3 Hot Espressos
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Giselle

Canadian blogger, wife, mother, coffee lover, and sarcastic at heart! She has had a love for all things bookish since before Amazon and eReaders existed *le gasp*. You can also find her organizing tours and other fun things at Xpresso Book Tours.

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22 Responses to “Review: Angelina’s Secret by Lisa Rogers”

  1. Shirley

    Okayyy so I just finished reading a ghost-related book, and LOVED it, so ANYTHING ghost-related, I’m adding to my list! But Angelina’s secret does sound intriguing, although its a pity it’s not a creepy read! Hmm…I think I’ll try it when it comes out! Awesome review Giselle!

  5. Ashley Prince

    I want to read this. I have heard that it’s not scary, which I guess works for some people. However, I wish it would be scary. But I love psychological twists. 😀

  6. Alison Can Read

    This sounds cute. It would be so frustrating to not be crazy and be stuck in a mental institution. I like that there’s a varied cast of characters. Always lightens up a book.

  9. Jac

    I hadn’t heard of this one before, so thanks for both introducing it to me and the review.

    The idea of seeing ghosts is an interesting one to me. I am still not sure if I believe in ghosts, but I sure love reading about them.

    I love a good psychological mystery, so I may have to look for this one.

  14. JP

    I’m bummed this book isn’t very creepy–I think I’d like it better if it were! Still, I’m interested in giving it a try… I want to know if the ghosts are real! 😉

  17. Rebecca

    Great review! I’ve been super curious about this one lately. I want to read it, since I love the sound of the plot, but at the same time I kind of wish for it to be more scary? If that makes any sense. Lol! I’ll probably pick it up sometime in the future anyway though! Maybe when I’m not looking for creepy reads. 😉 But I do love psychological twists!

  18. Jaskirat@SeeitORreadit

    Well the fact that it is ghost related is a bit of a bummer for me cause I’m a real scaredy cat lol! But I’m glad to hear it wasn’t scary. However it seems like something that wouldn’t really interest me. Maybe from the library?!?! Great review 🙂

  21. Candace

    I’m actually glad it’s not creepy and it sounds like her mother would bring out the anger in me (which isn’t bad cause feeling strong emotions while reading is almost always good). I’m not sure if this is one I’d read or not. I’ll have to hold off until I read more reviews. I really appreciate your honesty because by the description it sounds really good, but I think I may be a little bit disappointed in it.