NetGalley Review: Holding Smoke by Elle Cosimano

Title: Holding Smoke
Author: Ellie Cosimano
Published: May 3, 2016
Publisher: Disney Book Group
Pages: 336
Genre: YA
Review: ebook provided by NetGalley and publisher
Buy Links: Amazon, Amazon.uk

John "Smoke" Conlan is serving time for two murders but he wasn't the one who murdered his English teacher, and he never intended to kill the only other witness to the crime. A dangerous juvenile rehabilitation center in Denver, Colorado, known as the Y, is Smoke's new home and the only one he believes he deserves.
But, unlike his fellow inmates, Smoke is not in constant imprisonment. After a near death experience leaves him with the ability to shed his physical body at will, Smoke is able to travel freely outside the concrete walls of the Y, gathering information for himself and his fellow inmates while they're asleep in their beds. Convinced his future is only as bright as the fluorescent lights in his cell, Smoke doesn't care that the "threads" that bind his soul to his body are wearing thin-that one day he may not make it back in time. That is, until he meets Pink, a tough, resourceful girl who is sees him for who he truly is and wants to help him clear his name.

Now Smoke is on a journey to redemption he never thought possible. With Pink's help, Smoke may be able to reveal the true killer, but the closer they get to the truth, the more deadly their search becomes. The web of lies, deceit, and corruption that put Smoke behind bars is more tangled than they could have ever imagined. With both of their lives on the line, Smoke will have to decide how much he's willing to risk, and if he can envision a future worth fighting for.

I received this book via NetGalley to give an honest review.

I was very impressed with this book a lot more than I thought I would be. Especially from the beginning, the story started off pulling me in and I wanted to see where it was going to end. John "Smoke" is in a juvenile rehabilitation center he was accused of murdering his teacher and another person even though he says he only killed one.

Now when you see the nickname Smoke it makes you wonder why is that his nickname? Well the boy can leave his body how cool is that though no one can see him until one day it is Pink that sees him. You see Smoke died by the hands of his father (which you get that story as we progress) and was brought back to life. Now he can astral project even though this threads break a little each time he leaves. 

Pink is a different kind of character she is a bit mysterious and the only insight we have of her is when Smoke enters her home and she is taking care of her mother. I think the fact that Pink can see ghost is pretty cool and it seems that she has learned to kind of ignore them which is good I guess. 

Smoke does pretty good being in the Y by doing favors for his inmates though there is one person who has it out for him. I liked how the author incorporated how jobs for Smoke to do were given to him by the library. 

With the help of Pink his new friend that he met while doing a "job" he goes on a mission to prove his innocent but who is behind it all? It seems that the person I thought was considered the "bad guy" wasn't just a bit of a meany. Who will survive once the truth is out there? 

I think the author did a good job with the whole juvenile scenes we get a bit of insight on how they worked and I have to say with the paranormal thrown in there (which is just seeing ghosts and astral projection) it was a great mix. Especially as we are solving what really happened the day that Smoke's teacher and the random boy died. The characters felt really developed even the side characters like Ben. 

I highly recommend this YA. 

Author of NEARLY GONE, NEARLY FOUND, HOLDING SMOKE, and THE SUFFERING TREE (Disney*Hyperion, 2017). Represented by Sarah Davies of The Greenhouse Literary Agency.