The Worst Kind¹ (book 2 in A Dear Celeste series) by J.R. Erickson, eBook, 364 pages
Synopsis from GoodReads: What began as an innocuous advice column for Celeste Cleary has transformed into an all-consuming obsession, and her former existence as a scientist now feels like a distant memory. As she immerses herself in the troubles of others—at times solving their dilemmas with messages from beyond the grave—an ability that has invaded her life since the hit-and-run accident that nearly killed her months before, Celeste grapples with the news that the accident may have been attempted murder.
One afternoon, a disturbing letter arrives at her advice column. A young woman haunted by the ghostly absence of her birth mother begs for help in tracing her mysterious past. Celeste steps into the labyrinth of secrets, unaware that she is traveling down a treacherous road that might lead her into the clutches of a remorseless killer.
BOOK REVIEW: Sometimes the second book in a series can flop or it can be absolutely amazing. This one is the latter! The author knocked this book out of the park. It gave me all the feels that I had from book one (I've tagged it related to this post) and then some! Celeste is still trying to figure out what she is doing after her near-death experience and all that comes with it. I did not have a NDE but I do know what it is like to feel lost and not know what the heck is going on or where my life is going!
Trying to connect dots here is very hard. You think oh it has to be this person who is A and this person is B and the bad guy is X only to keep going and be wrong...or maybe it's just me. The twists and turns the end takes is amazing. It isn't one of those endings that feels rushed. You do get the back and forth between what Celeste is doing and what River is doing (the woman who reached out for help) but the narrative flows so well that even if the POV switches in the middle of the chapter it doesn't feel weird or off putting.
In case you couldn't tell this was a 5 star for me. The author has done an amazing job giving us more of some of the characters from book 1, gave us a little more insight into some of them, introduced us to several more characters that I hope we get to know more of in book 3 (which I started immediately after I finished this one). The imagery and smell descriptions are on point and make me so glad to have whatever that thing is called that allows me to visualize like a movie in my head as I read. I did find myself wrinkling my nose at some of the descriptions. Highly recommend!
5/5 Stars
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