The Uninvited -- Book Review

Ivy Rowan is still recovering from influenza when her father and brother, revenging her other brother's death in the Great War, murder the young German immigrant that owns the furniture store in town. Upset by her family and reeling from the effects of the flu, Ivy leaves home and finds a world remarkably changed.

Set in 1918, the small midwest town of Buchanan is reeling from the Great War and the Great Influenza Epidemic. Weighed down by the association of guilt, Ivy forms a friendship with the murdered German's brother and finds a new and exciting world of jazz music. But Ivy also has the burden or gift of seeing ghosts. Deceased loved ones come to warn her of impending death and as the epidemic takes more lives, Ivy is overwhelmed by her uninvited visitors.

I love a good ghost story and since The Uninvited by Cat Winters had a spooky cover (I totally judge books by their covers) and plenty of amazing reviews, I was anxious to read it this fall. Unfortunately, I did not connect with this novel at all.

Ivy was an odd character--once a recluse, she was suddenly so outgoing that her change did not feel believable. She behaved so irrationally and impulsively that I had a difficult time reconciling her with the character she once was. There were times where I thought the novel would show promise but overall, I found it dull. The ghost sightings were actually rare and though there was the otherworldly atmosphere it wasn't really spooky in the way I was hoping. There is a surprise twist at ending that makes the rest of the book make more sense but by then I was already so bored by the story that I didn't really care.

I recognize, however, that I am in the minority. Most readers were enraptured by The Uninvited.

The Uninvited by Cat Winters was published by William Morrow in August 2015.

**I received a complimentary copy of The Uninvited. No other compensation was received.  All opinions are my own.**