Cold

Mariko Tamaki — 2022

A boy, a body, a girl, a secret. From award-winning author Mariko Tamaki, Cold is a haunting YA novel about a shocking murder in a quiet town and four students who knew too much and said too little. This is the story of a boy who died—and a girl who wants to know why. Todd Mayer is dead. Now he's some sort of ghost, hovering over his body, which has just been found in the town park, naked and frozen in the snow. As detectives investigate Todd's homicide, talking to the very people who are responsible for how he died, Todd replays the events that lead him to his end in the park. Georgia didn't know Todd. But she can’t stop thinking about him. Maybe because they’re both outcasts at their school, or because they’re both queer. It might also be because Georgia has a feeling she’s seen Todd somewhere before, somewhere he wasn’t supposed to be. In the vein of The Lovely Bones, this dual narrative is told through the voices of Todd in his afterlife and Georgia as she uncovers the truth behind his death, resulting in an immersive, emotional, and provocative read.

Reviews

Latitude Tamarind@geographreads

Aug 17, 2022

Dual-POV YA murder mystery partly from the perspective of the victim? Yes! Are the characters well-rounded? Not really! Is that okay? Yeah, pretty much! This book is not good because of the characters, but because of the twisty plot and the layers that this story uncovers. I enjoyed this book more than I enjoyed The Taking of Jake Livingston, a similar book that I read last year. Content warnings for homophobia and some intense toxic masculinity. Four stars.

Zoe Smolen@booksatlunch

Feb 17, 2022

This is a beautiful book about betrayal, but I'm worried how it's been marketed will hinder it's success. There is a mystery to the story, but this is much more of a character study than a mystery or thriller. I really enjoyed the dueling perspectives of Georgia and Todd (one living, and one a ghost) as we follow this town trying to figure out what happened to Todd. There were some scenes I think we a little gratuitous at first, but upon deciding that this book was ultimately about betrayal I decided that they made sense to be included. There is some resolution in this book but it comes quickly at the end, and I don't think all readers will be satisfied with it. Overall, this book was for me, but I can see how it is not for everyone.