Review of "Paper Valentine"

“I am not the kind of person who gets haunted by anything.”

     So claims the heroine of Brenna Yovanoff’s Paper Valentine, a YA standalone in which visiting ghosts aren’t the most important event in town. What does matter is the heat, and the virus killing off the birds, and the psychopath who has started picking girls off and littering his crime scenes with cheap plastic toys. When Hannah, guided by her best friend’s morbidly curious ghost, sneaks a peek at the police photos, she is thrown into a world where no one can be trusted. After all, the Valentine Killer could be anyone—even Finny Boone, the neighborhood delinquent who has suddenly caught Hannah’s eye. Torn between caution, her growing feelings for Finny, and an insatiable desire to catch the killer, Hannah must face her own problems before she can save the day. Because while her best friend isn’t the only ghost in town, she’s the only one who can lead her to the closure she so desperately needs.

     The sleepy city of Ludlow provides the perfect backdrop for Hannah’s quest. From a gas station convenience store to the front steps of the school—closed for summer—and the enormous park where the Valentine Killer leaves his victims, every setting is exquisitely tailored to the needs of the story. Add in a dash of record-breaking heat to soak the locals through with lethargy, and the sudden panic that springs up when the bodies begin multiplying becomes nearly comedic. At the same time, though, the dark undercurrent which permeates this tale refuses to fade into the background. The girls who meet their fates are not random strangers to Hannah, nor is her determination to find their killer lacking for motivation. Sensitive to the spirit world thanks to her connection to the six-months-dead Lillian, she begins to see the victims wherever she goes. They want her to avenge them, but seeing their pain only makes her wonder: if ghosts miss the world of the living so much, why did Lillian let herself die?

     Hannah isn’t the only character asking questions. Ariel, her sister, wants to know why Big Sis is so interested in Finny Boone, the boy who spends more time in detention than in a classroom and whose spare time is generally taken up by petty theft. Finny, meanwhile, is dying to find out what a good girl like Hannah could possibly see in him. And Hannah’s group of friends, the coolest of the cool, are asking themselves who they want to be now that Lillian, their ringleader, has passed away. These complex characters lend themselves naturally to dynamic relationships, which easily earn them sympathy and respect as people in their own right.

     Despite the subject matter, there’s surprisingly little questionable content within Yovanoff’s ghost story. For one thing, the romance is clean—although there’s some kissing, the emphasis is on Finny’s reputation as a social outcast rather than his attractiveness, or his helpfulness in pushing the plot forward. This has the unfortunate effect of making him into more of a plot device than a lovable character, thereby lessening the impact he has on the narrative. Only one F-bomb is dropped, along with assorted minor swearing. Readers and pre-readers alike should note that the main characters make use of an Ouija board multiple times during their investigation, and that Lillian suffered from an eating disorder. Crime scene photos are viewed without permission, and described in detail. The final confrontation with the Valentine Killer is somewhat violent, though it doesn’t quite pack the anticipated punch.

     I would recommend this book to teens and tweens looking for a multi-layered tale about ghosts, killers, and the heartbreaking fact that we can’t save everyone. While the final act isn’t all it might have been, the premise and intriguing characters carry this one through to the end. The novel itself takes a look at troubles that plague people from all walks in life, from shaky social standings to poor life choices and dead friends who stick around to make life difficult.  There’s romance, a large array of strong themes, and more than one red herring, making Brenna Yovanoff’s Paper Valentine a good read for anyone in need of a change in pace. All these things work together to weave a strong story worth four stars.