Chasing Brooklyn by Lisa Schroeder

Brooklyn can’t sleep. Her boyfriend, Lucca died a year ago, and now their friend Gabe has died of an overdose. Every time she closes her eyes, Gabe's ghost is there, waiting for her. She has no idea what he wants or why it isn't Lucca chasing her through her dreams.

Nico can’t stop. He’s always running, trying so hard not to feel the pain of missing Lucca. But when he begins receiving messages from his dead brother, telling him to help Brooklyn, emotions come crashing to the surface.

As the nightmares escalate and the messages become relentless, Nico reaches out to Brooklyn. But neither of them can admit that they're being haunted. Until they learn to let each other in, not one soul will be able to rest. [via GoodReads]

The first time I saw Chasing Brooklyn at my bookstore I scanned through its pages saw that it was written in verse with its very short chapters and its few sentences per page and put it right back where I found it. At the time all I could think was why waste money on something that when actually put together amounts to maybe 150 full pages of writing not to mention what matter of character definition can you get out of a story written so sparsely. All I can say now is... (and I'm not ashamed to say it) boy was I wrong.

This is the first book I've read that is written in verse and I can't even begin to tell you how fascinating and beautiful and just enthralling I found this story to be. Lisa Schroeder definitely has a way with words! She may not use many of them but the one's she does use, she makes you feel them in your heart and you can't help but want to savor them. I've never read anything like this before so please bear with me while I gush over how awesome this book is.

For starters, this is a fast-paced novel that can be read in a few hours tops. But I personally would not recommend that. This is a story to be savored, enjoyed, even to dwell upon for a little just to fully capture all the emotions and feelings that the main characters go through. What I most enjoyed about it is that it is told through alternating points-of-view between Brooklyn and Nico giving the reader a very in depth look into at all sides of the story. You can't help but go on this journey with them and feel their sorrow, loss, self-discovery and ultimately their healing. There were many things that I loved about this novel and those include, not just the characters, but the hauntings (which I found really creepy) and the training for the race.

I am still awed by how much emotion and depth Ms. Schroeder conveyed in just a few short sentences. I actually liked it so much that I went out and bought everything else she's ever written, yes, sorry, the OCD kicked in.

All in all, Chasing Brooklyn is haunting, riveting and one that I think everyone should read. And to those of you who don't read books written in this style, don't knock it 'till you try it, you won't be disappointed.