They’d kill each other…if they weren’t already dead.
Tessa Sinclair is a winner. Winner of spelling bees, science fairs, and scholarships. So when she finds herself unexpectedly dead after a graduation party in an abandoned mansion, she’s none too pleased. What’s worse, her Harvard-bound, Mr. Perfect academic rival, Reed Walker, is there too―deceased, smug, and annoying as hell.
Being a ghost is hard enough, but it’s a thousand times worse having to haunt the same house as your nemesis. But as Tessa and Reed retreat to RIP in their respective corners of the mansion, a mystery unfurls about the exact cause of their deaths.
Though they’d rather die (again) than work together, they’ll need to overcome their differences to hunt down a murderer on the loose. And should they happen to fall for each other along the way…Who ever said you can’t find love after death?
This book immediately grabbed my attention because it has two narrators I really enjoy, Abigail Reno and Peter Cross, and the awesome cover and intriguing title caught my eye. This is my first read from Gwenyth Reitz, and I enjoy YA books from time to time. The blurb marketed this as a paranormal rom-com, & I thought it would be a great late summer read. But after reading it, I have to say it’s marketed incorrectly—there’s romance and a few funny moments, but this is MUCH more of a paranormal mystery/thriller with emotional threads throughout. The story explores themes of grief, acceptance, letting go, and unfinished business. There are several twists and turns, and the story ended up being much more thought-provoking than I anticipated.
The story is told through dual first-person POVs of teens Tessa and Reed, and I enjoyed getting both perspectives, as they have a LOT of history. The story starts out like a typical YA story, with Tessa and Reed having had a hostile, competitive teen dynamic. Tessa’s dealing with her father’s financial struggles, & she’s counting on her scholarship to help pay for college. Meanwhile, Reed’s a Harvard-bound valedictorian who seems to have it all, although we soon discover that his life is not nearly as perfect as it appears. After a heated argument, Tessa accidentally punches an elderly woman instead of Reed & gets herself into more trouble by claiming she organized the graduation party at an old mansion. All of this happens VERY early on and is a setup for what’s to come.
The real story begins when Tessa and Reed wake up inside the mansion surrounded by police and discover they’re dead. No one can see or hear them, and they have no idea what happened. I’ll admit, as this happened so early in the book, I was wondering how the author could make an entire story out of what comes next. Well, rest assured, it gets interesting very fast. Not only do Tessa and Reed discover that they’ve been murdered, but they also start learning about the in-between ghost world they’re in and the rules governing what happens after death—and they’re literally racing against a clock to pass on to the afterlife.
As they start investigating their own deaths, revisit past events, and see their friends and family coping with losing them, I enjoyed how the story balances the murder mystery with the emotional threads. Tessa and Reed are forced to confront the realization that they’ll never get to experience their dreams and the lives they planned—and it’s heartbreaking to hear them at times. Tessa has an especially tough time, as her identity was tied to achievements and making sure her dad was okay, while Reed has unresolved grief surrounding his father and guilt about their murders. There’s a bit of comedy woven in, but as the story progresses, their conversations get increasingly emotional as they realize how little time they have left. The enemies-to-lovers romance is there, but it’s a subplot of a bigger story of loss, grief, friendship, family, and letting go.
The chapters are fairly short, which makes this an easy read/listen to get through, and there’s a lot of shifting back and forth between Tessa and Reed’s POVs to keep you engaged. The climax has some thrilling, confrontational scenes and heartbreaking moments—I literally gasped “OH NO!” at one point. 😭 Definitely have your tissues ready for a few jolting scenes. There are some interesting twists that follow, along with a satisfying resolution to the murder mystery. How the story ends startled me a bit, and I had to rewind because I thought I missed something. Afterwards, I was thinking about the characters and everything they went through. I love it when that happens!
Overall, this book was a pleasant surprise for me. I went in expecting a straightforward YA rom-com with paranormal elements, and I got a murder mystery/thriller with ghosts, friendship, grief, family drama, and a LOT more emotion than I expected. I won’t be forgetting this one anytime soon, and if any of this sounds intriguing, I highly recommend picking up a copy! Especially on audio, as both narrators do a phenomenal job portraying their characters with such emotional range and deliver very immersive performances!
Narrator Performance
You’re Dead to Me, Reed Walker is narrated by seasoned narrators Abigail Reno and Pete Cross, who are the perfect duo for this book and really bring protagonists Tessa and Reed to life.
Reno gives Tessa an authentic teenage voice, and early in the story, her delivery really conveys how much Tessa has going on in her head. Between her father losing his job, figuring out her plans for college, questioning her relationship with Brandon, and dealing with her hostile relationship with Reed, Reno captures all of Tessa’s frustration, uncertainty, and emotional intensity right away. During early confrontational scenes between Tessa and Reed at school that lead to Tessa accidentally punching Miss Fairchild, you can hear the hostility between them but also hear an underlying chemistry.
Once Tessa arrives at the mansion party with friends, Reno does a great job capturing how much she’s second-guessing her decision to be there. Then, when she wakes up in the mansion and realizes she’s dead, you can hear the panic, fear, and devastation in her voice, and I was gripped by Reno’s performance. As Tessa and Reed slowly realize they need each other, Reno gradually adds more warmth and understanding into Tessa’s voice, and their shifting dynamic feels organic. You can hear her becoming more comfortable with Reed and slowly developing feelings for him.
One of my favorite parts of Reno’s performance is when Tessa returns home and sees her father and sister but can’t communicate with them. These scenes are heartbreaking, but there’s also a sense of acceptance as Tessa watches her family move forward while still honoring her memory—and Reno handles those scenes beautifully. And during the more intense scenes with the villain, especially when Tessa and Reed confront him, her performance becomes SO intense. I was on edge, and when something heartbreaking happened, I literally gasped. The emotional reactions of the characters that follow are one of the strongest parts of Reno’s performance.
And without giving anything away, the final chapter is a major highlight. Reno’s portrayal of Tessa has so much warmth and acceptance, and the final scene had me holding my breath. The way this audiobook ends will leave you thinking about these characters afterward!😭❤️
Cross gives Reed a very different energy, and I thought the contrast between their performances worked REALLY well. Early on, he does a fantastic job conveying how conflicted Reed is beneath his sarcastic exterior. You can hear that he’s had feelings for Tessa for years but doesn’t know how to communicate them while also dealing with family pressure. Honestly, if I had only been reading Reed’s thoughts on the page, I wouldn’t have liked him nearly as much!
After Tessa and Reed realize they’re dead, Cross really conveys Reed’s calmer and levelheaded personality compared to Tessa. He’s often trying to keep Tessa from making risky decisions, and you can hear the concern in his voice when she does things without telling him. I especially enjoyed Cross’s narration during the scenes where Reed literally has to jump into the bodies of the living for clues, particularly Carl. The exhaustion, disorientation, and physical discomfort Reed experiences afterward are so well conveyed, and I felt like I was right there experiencing it with him. Cross also does an excellent job with Reed’s more emotional moments, especially those involving his memories of his dad and his guilt of their murders. By the end, Cross shifts his performance of Reed to make him sound much more accepting of everything, and his character arc felt complete, which made the ending even more bittersweet for me! 😭 ❤️
Overall, both narrators do a fantastic job bringing their characters to life, with lots of emotional range, expression, and excellent pacing. If you enjoy emotionally layered mysteries with paranormal elements and thought-provoking themes, even if you don’t normally read YA, I HIGHLY recommend the audiobook. Trust me, you’ll thank me afterward, as this is one you won’t forget anytime soon!
Narrator Performance
You’re Dead to Me, Reed Walker is narrated by seasoned narrators Abigail Reno and Pete Cross, who are the perfect duo for this book and really bring protagonists Tessa and Reed to life.
Reno gives Tessa an authentic teenage voice, and early in the story, her delivery really conveys how much Tessa has going on in her head. Between her father losing his job, figuring out her plans for college, questioning her relationship with Brandon, and dealing with her hostile relationship with Reed, Reno captures all of Tessa’s frustration, uncertainty, and emotional intensity right away. During early confrontational scenes between Tessa and Reed at school that lead to Tessa accidentally punching Miss Fairchild, you can hear the hostility between them but also hear an underlying chemistry.
Once Tessa arrives at the mansion party with friends, Reno does a great job capturing how much she’s second-guessing her decision to be there. Then, when she wakes up in the mansion and realizes she’s dead, you can hear the panic, fear, and devastation in her voice, and I was gripped by Reno’s performance. As Tessa and Reed slowly realize they need each other, Reno gradually adds more warmth and understanding into Tessa’s voice, and their shifting dynamic feels organic. You can hear her becoming more comfortable with Reed and slowly developing feelings for him.
One of my favorite parts of Reno’s performance is when Tessa returns home and sees her father and sister but can’t communicate with them. These scenes are heartbreaking, but there’s also a sense of acceptance as Tessa watches her family move forward while still honoring her memory—and Reno handles those scenes beautifully. And during the more intense scenes with the villain, especially when Tessa and Reed confront him, her performance becomes SO intense. I was on edge, and when something heartbreaking happened, I literally gasped. The emotional reactions of the characters that follow are one of the strongest parts of Reno’s performance.
And without giving anything away, the final chapter is a major highlight. Reno’s portrayal of Tessa has so much warmth and acceptance, and the final scene had me holding my breath. The way this audiobook ends will leave you thinking about these characters afterward!😭❤️
Cross gives Reed a very different energy, and I thought the contrast between their performances worked REALLY well. Early on, he does a fantastic job conveying how conflicted Reed is beneath his sarcastic exterior. You can hear that he’s had feelings for Tessa for years but doesn’t know how to communicate them while also dealing with family pressure. Honestly, if I had only been reading Reed’s thoughts on the page, I wouldn’t have liked him nearly as much!
After Tessa and Reed realize they’re dead, Cross really conveys Reed’s calmer and levelheaded personality compared to Tessa. He’s often trying to keep Tessa from making risky decisions, and you can hear the concern in his voice when she does things without telling him. I especially enjoyed Cross’s narration during the scenes where Reed literally has to jump into the bodies of the living for clues, particularly Carl. The exhaustion, disorientation, and physical discomfort Reed experiences afterward are so well conveyed, and I felt like I was right there experiencing it with him. Cross also does an excellent job with Reed’s more emotional moments, especially those involving his memories of his dad and his guilt of their murders. By the end, Cross shifts his performance of Reed to make him sound much more accepting of everything, and his character arc felt complete, which made the ending even more bittersweet for me! 😭 ❤️
Overall, both narrators do a fantastic job bringing their characters to life, with lots of emotional range, expression, and excellent pacing. If you enjoy emotionally layered mysteries with paranormal elements and thought-provoking themes, even if you don’t normally read YA, I HIGHLY recommend the audiobook. Trust me, you’ll thank me afterward, as this is one you won’t forget anytime soon!
You’re Dead to Me, Reed Walker is narrated by seasoned narrators Abigail Reno and Pete Cross, who are the perfect duo for this book and really bring protagonists Tessa and Reed to life.
Reno gives Tessa an authentic teenage voice, and early in the story, her delivery really conveys how much Tessa has going on in her head. Between her father losing his job, figuring out her plans for college, questioning her relationship with Brandon, and dealing with her hostile relationship with Reed, Reno captures all of Tessa’s frustration, uncertainty, and emotional intensity right away. During early confrontational scenes between Tessa and Reed at school that lead to Tessa accidentally punching Miss Fairchild, you can hear the hostility between them but also hear an underlying chemistry.
Once Tessa arrives at the mansion party with friends, Reno does a great job capturing how much she’s second-guessing her decision to be there. Then, when she wakes up in the mansion and realizes she’s dead, you can hear the panic, fear, and devastation in her voice, and I was gripped by Reno’s performance. As Tessa and Reed slowly realize they need each other, Reno gradually adds more warmth and understanding into Tessa’s voice, and their shifting dynamic feels organic. You can hear her becoming more comfortable with Reed and slowly developing feelings for him.
One of my favorite parts of Reno’s performance is when Tessa returns home and sees her father and sister but can’t communicate with them. These scenes are heartbreaking, but there’s also a sense of acceptance as Tessa watches her family move forward while still honoring her memory—and Reno handles those scenes beautifully. And during the more intense scenes with the villain, especially when Tessa and Reed confront him, her performance becomes SO intense. I was on edge, and when something heartbreaking happened, I literally gasped. The emotional reactions of the characters that follow are one of the strongest parts of Reno’s performance.
And without giving anything away, the final chapter is a major highlight. Reno’s portrayal of Tessa has so much warmth and acceptance, and the final scene had me holding my breath. The way this audiobook ends will leave you thinking about these characters afterward!😭❤️
Cross gives Reed a very different energy, and I thought the contrast between their performances worked REALLY well. Early on, he does a fantastic job conveying how conflicted Reed is beneath his sarcastic exterior. You can hear that he’s had feelings for Tessa for years but doesn’t know how to communicate them while also dealing with family pressure. Honestly, if I had only been reading Reed’s thoughts on the page, I wouldn’t have liked him nearly as much!
After Tessa and Reed realize they’re dead, Cross really conveys Reed’s calmer and levelheaded personality compared to Tessa. He’s often trying to keep Tessa from making risky decisions, and you can hear the concern in his voice when she does things without telling him. I especially enjoyed Cross’s narration during the scenes where Reed literally has to jump into the bodies of the living for clues, particularly Carl. The exhaustion, disorientation, and physical discomfort Reed experiences afterward are so well conveyed, and I felt like I was right there experiencing it with him. Cross also does an excellent job with Reed’s more emotional moments, especially those involving his memories of his dad and his guilt of their murders. By the end, Cross shifts his performance of Reed to make him sound much more accepting of everything, and his character arc felt complete, which made the ending even more bittersweet for me! 😭 ❤️
Overall, both narrators do a fantastic job bringing their characters to life, with lots of emotional range, expression, and excellent pacing. If you enjoy emotionally layered mysteries with paranormal elements and thought-provoking themes, even if you don’t normally read YA, I HIGHLY recommend the audiobook. Trust me, you’ll thank me afterward, as this is one you won’t forget anytime soon!
