Review of "Friendship Cemetery" by Adele Elliot

This was definitely my favorite book I read so far this year. I was lucky enough to win this from goodreads.com and it came with a post-it with a message from the author and a Friendship Cemetery bookmark which I thought was awesome.

It is about Emma Grace, an 18 year old girl who has no friends, but is really nice and very funny. She has a mom who is a little weird and always asking Emma to pull a brush through her hair, or ask her "Are you going out like that?" Her mother has no real job, so she does tons of volunteer work and is always worried about what everyone in town thinks. Emma's father is dead. But Emma is not sure if this is really true but cannot prove it. She misses him dearly.

Emma wants to be a ghost hunter. She got a break from college so right now, she is free to do as she pleases. She spends time at Friendship Cemetery when she can. She wants a message from her father if he is in fact dead. She sees something one day that she thinks is most certainly an illusion. A very small girl.

But it is no illusion. The girl is Pea, or Princess Kamara as her mom calls her. And Pea lost her father as well and has seen him in the cemetery. Although Emma was nervous, she talked to Pea one day and they became very good friends. Pea looks different because she has dwarfism. But she is so creative and good hearted, the two become instant friends.

Also someone hanging around in the cemetery is Tyrone. He is always asking for change and his mother, Althee, is the town healer. People go to her because they believe she can heal with her potions and words. Emma also becomes friends with Althee one day when she falls off of her bike and Althee helps her to clean the wound.

We also have Beau who Emma has a crush on. And Pea too.

This is about their lives in Columbus, Mississippi. You go on a journey with Emma as she starts to meet more people and finds out all the towns hidden secrets. Not to mention secrets that her mother has been keeping from her for years.

The writing was superb. You become so invested in the characters. They all have their own lovable quirks that make them memorable and special. Adele Elliot can sure tell a story.

The ending was a total shock. What a twist! I was left dumbfounded. But it was so worth the read.

I loved the Epilogue also. It helped to tie up some loose ends.

I can give you some more facts but the reality is this is one of those books that you just have to read. There is so much emotion. Love, humor, sadness, rejection, anger, etc. You just have to step into Emma's shoes and take the journey with her.

I highly recommend this book to any book lover.