Book Review: Here Lies Bridget by Paige Harbison

Details:  Paperback, 208 pages

Published February 1, 2011 by Harlequin

ISBN

0373210280 (ISBN13: 9780373210282)

Reading Level:  Young Adult

Received from:  NetGalley (Thanks to Harlequin)

 

Synopsis (from Goodreads): 

Heroine, Bridget Duke, rules her high school, but when she crashes her car and ends up in limbo, she must confront the people she has wronged, all of whom want her to go to hell. The outcome of these meetings will decide her final destination.

 

My thoughts:  This was a cute book that reminded me a lot of A Christmas Carol.  While there were no ghosts of the past, present or future per se, Bridget did have to step into 5 other peoples' shoes (literally step into their shoes) and see how she made them feel. 

 

Bridget was mean, inconsiderate, selfish and I could go on and on with all her faults.  I really hated this character through most of the book.  She was awful!  However, this is the point of the story.  I loved the other characters like her step-mom, her friends and her ex-boyfriend and even her teacher.  I didn't care for the fact that her dad was pretty much non-existent in the story, although, again, I suppose that is part of the story. 

 

I thought the background part of the book dragged a little.  The prologue starts out with Bridget recklessly driving her car and then the story takes you back so you know why she is feeling the way she is feeling.  However, this is only a 208 page book and by the time I got to page 100, I was wondering if we were going to see how Bridget changes.  As it was, the ending felt a little rushed to me and while I felt that Bridget did really feel remorse for her actions, the story didn't portray it so well.  I would have liked to have seen her work a little harder for the forgiveness she received.  I also would have liked to have learned more about Anna.  Where did she come from?  How was she going to explain her appearance and disappearance to the students at the school? 

 

So, I did like this book.  It was cute and fun but a little rushed at the end.  I would recommend it to teen readers because I think it would make them stop and think of how they treat people and how their words and actions can hurt others even if they don't mean it too. 

 

Oh yeah, by the end of the book I really did like Bridget after all!