Oh Great, Now I Can Hear Dead People by Deborah Durbin

3/5

by Deborah Durbin (link to Amazon.com)

Genre: Chick lit

The title and cover pulled me in to this book straight away, and I couldn't wait to get reading.

Samantha Ball is a university graduate with a degree in psychology. She's broke, in debt and has no job. It was an interesting story and the pages kept me reading, and had it not been for poor editing and obvious fillers I'd have given this a 4/5.

Skint and desperate, Samantha calls Mystic Answers to find out where her future lays, and the psychic tells her she too has the ability, and offers her a job on the spot. Yeah, I was sceptical too. It just seemed all too easy. Anyhow, Samantha takes the job and finds she is indeed VERY psychic and even hears dead people passing on their wisdom to their loved ones. Strangely, she isn't scared or amazed and this annoyed me. When she heard her dead dad speaking to her for the first time I felt it was very underplayed.

I know this is chick lit but some of the jokes and flippancy were inappropriate I felt. Samantha's best friend is Jack, and it seemed that their relationship (which was predictable that they'd get it together) was second to the story - no bad thing but I'd have liked Jack to be with her on her journey to stardom.

The story wrapped up very quickly with Samantha and Jack admitting their love for one another, Samantha's mum also finding love, her best friend being ousted, and Jack hitting the big time with his band. The ending was all a little too neat and tidy.

All that being said I LIKED Samantha Ball and Jack, and I wanted them to succeed. I felt the book was well researched in the part where Samantha was doing her radio and TV shows, and I will keep my eye on more from Durbin because I think she can only grow as a writer.

Blurb - Oh Great, Now I Can Hear Dead People (link to Amazon.UK)

Samantha Ball is not only broke, she's £22'000 in debt and soon to be homeless if she can't get the money together for her rent, so when she's offered the chance to earn some money for a hotline to the heavens by giving tarot readings, she jumps at the chance, despite the fact that she doesn't have a psychic bone in her body - or does she?

When Sam starts to hear voices of real dead people her psychic career really takes off and she soon becomes a psychic to the stars with her own slot on a prime time TV show.

Someone however doesn't share Sam's joy and it's only when they set out to destroy her reputation does Sam really need help from the other side...

'I knew I would love this book from the title, but even so, it still had me giggling out loud. You'll love this book. It's laugh out loud funny, yet warm and touching and very modern. Well done Deborah, can't wait until the next one.'

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