| Title | : | You Had Me at Halo |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0451221354 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780451221353 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 288 |
| Publication | : | First published August 7, 2007 |
You Had Me at Halo Reviews
-
1 TO 1.5 Dissapointed stars...
THIS BOOK HAD SOOO MUCH OF POTENTIAL ! WHY DIDNT U USE IT Amanda ? Why !?!
This book had an amazing storyline,great secondary leads ,an amazingly sensitive hero who falls in love with AN ABSOLUTLY RIDICULOUS FEMALE LEAD !! If I have to read about her whining over non-GUCCI burial dress while swooning over how perfect her live boyfriend,Todd one more time...I'll probably end up killing myself so could go haunt this book's unsuspecting author about how the heroine's attitude killed me. :P
I mean seriously girl !! I think its time u let go of such silly things ! Your dead ! for god sake !!
The only thing i really loved abt this whole book ,was Vince,the male lead...being a sweet guy in his reality seems thoroughly difficult but I love him the same for actually trying..
Though considering the fact that HOLLY invaded VINCE's body....there was hardly any Vince in the book except a bit here or there...which doesn't even seem to fit into the author's concept of souls to be honest....
Would I recommend this book ?
Sorry but no....I got fooled by the cover.Think twice before u do. -
Holly: I guess I was having a flashback. But don't worry. I won't ruin your manly image by crying.
Vince: The good thing about being a loner is that I don't have a manly image to worry about. Cry away.
This is just the kind of book that makes you go AWWW and also a well written book. It's been such a long time since I've read a fun "girlie" story. I actually didn't expect the romance between Holly and Vince because of the synopsis. The thing that caught me was how interesting things could be for two souls living in one body. And how one dead girl was hitching a ride inside a geeky guy's body to settle her earthly issues within two days. I liked the way how they accommodate each other within such a short period of time. The fact that Holly noticed (it took her ages actually) that Vince was "perfect" in all ways made it a such sweet story. And the ending...gosh! yes, it was predictable but hey, who doesn't like a happy ending to such sweet story to begin with.
So yeah, I'll admit it: this chick lit book made me smile, it got me. Now satisfied? -
I thought this was going to be quirky and funny but it turned out completely stupid and very silly. So the main character comes back from the dead in a man's body and she keeps acting like she's herself? (Trying to put on lipstick, hugging her best friend, etc.) I haven't cracked ONE smile so I don't find any of the situations very funny.
DNF -
I found out about newly published author Amanda Ashby through the amazing website/blog called Free Book Friday, that is founded by author Jessica Brody. I'm so glad that I read and even heard the wonderful podcast interview of Jessica and Amanda about her first novel You Had me at Halo. Listening to the podcast about how Amanda came to write her first novel was so wonderful to listen to and understand how the concept come to be. I had to find out more about this novel and to get it immediately so I can read it. I also recommend that you all listen to it also so you can decide for yourselves if you agree with me about this book and Amanda Ashby's inspiration for writing it. I'm glad that I bought this book because it didn't disappoint and now I'm a fan of Amanda Ashby's work and I look forward to any of her future novels. Especially since I found on her website that she will have a Young Adult novel called Zombie Queen of Newbury High, about high school kids and zombies, which is a wonderful combination in my opinion.
Now for the book I thought that Holly Evans is such a wonderful character that needed a reality check and her dying and then coming back in a man's body is a BIG reality check. Holly seemed like a self-involved person with only her own personal gain on the top of her list and she doesn't seem to notice anyone who isn't of her status level. So here comes in Vince Murphy the computer geek who use to be friends with Holly when they were children until he moved away. They also work for the same company but don't hang with one another because they are both in totally different status levels at the company.
Read rest of Review... -
You Had Me at Halo failed to impress me on many levels. After reading her other novel, The Queen of Newbury High, I went expecting something more than what I got. Her humor in Newbury High did not appear in Halo; the character attachment I felt in Newbury High did not appear in Halo; the overall enjoyment was not in Halo as it was in Newbury High.
The plot was very original; it’s something I have yet to be seen done before or even after. Ashby’s representation of heaven is comical yet interesting. A word of advice: study psychology, it seems as though heaven needs a few shrinks. However, the positives almost end there.
I found Holly Evans annoying many time throughout the novel. Her single-minded thinking and her ability to never stay quiet or listen to directions irked me. I found Vincent Murphy to be perfect, and by perfect I mean a Gary Sue. He had no flaws: handsome, intelligent, pretty good dresser, and kind. The fact that his co-workers in the company dislike/avoid him because of his job—a technician—did not merit as a type of flaw, it just symbolizes the narrow-mindedness of his colleges. I honestly couldn’t fathom as to why he was so infatuated by Holly.
The ending leaves a lot to be desired. Everything rushes in the end.
Overall: I would definitely call this book a chick-lit novel. It was fast paced, charming during the rare times, but oh so very predictable. -
I'm only 10 pags into this book but so far it is pretty funny. There have been two parts that I've found particularly funny.
"That was the problem with an open casket. It meant everyone's last memories of her would be with a puffy white face, the wrong color lipstick and a dreadful polyester dress. They always said the camera added five pounds, but no one ever talked about how fattening embalming fluid was." Page 1
"Holly had been through a lot of strange experiences in the last two weeks - dying, find out that heaven wasn't full of M&M's and Friends repeats." Page 8
I finished this book and overall, I really liked it! This is one I could really see myself rereading again if I needed something light and funny. What I liked about this book was that it seemed so original, very different from the typical chick lit story. It was also pretty funny in places. I wasn't really sure how it was going to end but I'm pretty pleased with the ending. It was maybe a little bit cheesy but I liked it! -
Out of all Amanda Ashby's books I have read this is perhaps my least favorite. It wasn't thatcit was bad, it just didn't make it amongst my favorite books. I found the main character a bit boring and somewhat repetitive (although she did have her good moments). But I think what made me like it less was the ending, it kind of felt like it went back to the begining. But if you ignore those problems its a more or less enjoyable book and its well written.
-
Sentí que estaba viendo un capítulo de una serie en vez de estar leyendo un libro.
¡Super rápido de leer y con una historia que te engancha! (aunque parezca historias de adolescentes)
La verdad nunca hubiera sospechado del culpable...
El final me gustó, muy tierno y dulce ♥ -
leído en Julio 2015
Me pareció una lectura muy entretenida, fue divertida... con una trama un poco extraña pero que fue ligera al momento de leer.... y bueno eso, fácil de leer, con dos protagonistas muy bien escritos!!SINOPSIS:
Holly Evans acaba de ver a su propio cuerpo enterrado. Ahora le gustaría pasar a la otra vida. Pero al parecer primero tiene que descargar algo de equipaje mortal, empezando por la cuestión de cómo murió. Su loquero celestial no se cree que no se matara a ella misma; y dice que debe regresar a la tierra para enderezar las cosas.
La cosa es que para hacerlo tiene que pedir prestado el cuerpo de Vince Murphy el friki de los ordenadores.
Ah, y aunque se suponía que Vince había desocupado el local, al parecer nunca le llegó el mensaje.
Ahora, Holly tiene cuarenta y ocho horas para resolver sus asuntos mientras comparte brazos, piernas y… otras cosas… con un chico en el que apenas se fijó mientras estaba viva. Pero la verdadera sorpresa es lo que la vida tiene para ofrecer cuando solo tienes dos días para vivir. -
This book was funny, light-hearted and I literally could not put it down. I read it in 3 days. It's always nice to read something that isn't so serious and Amanda Ashby didn't disappoint. I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for a little humor in their day.
-
Light humor, easy read, entertaining, romance, interesting concepts
-
Light and fun.
-
3.5 stars. Enjoyable read though a bit predictable.
-
Bella historia, la leí hace años y aún la recuerdo
-
*2.5
-
First time reading this author and liked the premise of the life after death / reincarnation theme. Holly is a likeable character who at first comes across as a little self-centered and shallow. I had to forgive her, however, because how is one supposed to act when they are viewing their own funeral and finding out that everyone thinks they committed suicide? Holly doesn’t seem to adjust to Heaven very well and has brought all of her “earthly” baggage with her. One of the things that I liked about her was that even during the bleakest of times, she manages to weather it with determination to continue forward. She doesn’t let all of the rules of Heaven drag her down and sets her mind to doing what she has to do so she can advance out of Level 1 and catch up to her parents. In order to do that, she has to return to Earth and occupy the body of a living human and resolve all of the issues she is holding on to. She doesn’t count on being put into Vince Murphy’s body and that she would have to share his body with him. Apparently, he was supposed to die and she was going to take his place. I really enjoyed how they try to adjust to one another and though Vince’s acceptance of the situation seemed to be a little fast (I don’t think I would accept it so easily), they become a good team working together.
Vince was a great character. The saying “don’t judge a book by its cover” came to mind many times while reading. On the outside, he appears to be a computer geek and maybe a little anti-social. Before Holly died, she barely noticed his existence and even turned him down when he asked her out a while back. I enjoyed getting to know Vince and discovering more to his personality with each turn of the page. Once Holly gets past the fact that he works with computers and works with other geeks, she begins to see Vince for his true nature and it doesn’t take long before Holly realizes what a great guy he truly is. There were several humorous scenes. One of my favorites is Holly in Vince’s body trying to talk to her best friend, Gemma, but Gemma doesn’t realize it’s really Holly and she freaks out a little thinking he’s stalking her.
Overall, this story was entertaining and enjoyable with a few surprises thrown in. If you like lighthearted romance with a paranormal theme, give this one a try. -
I always try to give a book a chance if the main character shares my name. For some reason, my name is rare outside Christmas movies and books. I understand that usage, but it's not a bad name. Oh, I'm straying from the point. Anyway, I think what caught my attention first was that it was about angels (which are pretty hot right now, trend wise and angel wise) and the deal was sealed when I saw her name was Holly.
It was actually a really cute read. I've been watching Psych a lot recently and this sort of reminded me of it, in the way that they're trying to figure out how Holly died. I thought this was a YA read, but it wasn't. Read exactly like one, except that Holly is 22 and has a steady job. I wouldn't let that stop someone from reading it.
Holly Evans died. That totally sucks and ruins what would have been an amazing life. In Heaven, she's being told it was suicide, but she knows it wasn't. She had just about everything she wanted. When these issues interfere with her "moving on", she's sent back to Earth in the body of Vince, a man she works with, to solve what happened. Things don't exactly go as she planned and she learns things she wishes she hadn't.
It really was a great story with a great lesson. I thought it was really cute and I wanted to help Holly find the evidence she needed. And Vince, wow. I'll leave it at that. -
With the release of Zombie Queen of Newbury High which I really wanted to read, I thought it best to get Amanda Ashly's debut novel, You Had Me at Halo and read them in order. I'm glad I did.
Holly Evans had everything going for her: a great job, a fiancé and an upcoming wedding. Except now she's attending her own funeral and she's stuck having to follow a whole bunch of rules before she get into Heaven. When she breaks one rule too many she ends up back on earth to come to terms with her own death. She has only twenty-four hours to prove she was murdered and she has to do it from inside the body of a man. Worse yet, he's a geeky developer!
You Had Me at Halo is a paranormal mystery, screwball romance with nods to The Thirty-Nine Steps. Holly and Vince (the geek) need to work together and take turns sharing his body if Holly is to get into Heaven.
Holly starts off the book as a young, naive and somewhat shallow character but just as Dr. Alan Hill requires of her, she grows and matures. It's refreshing in a chick lit to see the protagonist change while still keeping the book humorous.
I am now Zombie Queen of Newbury High. Amanda Ashby is currently living in New Zealand. She has announced a third book, Fairy Bad Day due out in spring 2011. I can't wait! -
I was actually attracted by the title of the book first and after reading the synopsis I thought of giving it a try and loved it. However I concede that the starting could have been better but all's well that ends well.
The book opens with Holly Evans watching over her funeral ceremony from heaven. She is quite peeved because of her untimely death and also because everyone thinks she actually committed suicide. So she is sent back to Earth,into the body of Vince Murphy for forty eight hours to solve the mystery of her death. Thus begins a series of hilarious episodes as the two souls learn to share the same body.
There are times when Holly came out as insensitive and selfish but it was clear that she was good at heart. I really admired how Vince seemed to understand her problems and helped her even at his own risk. I liked how both of them developed a friendship in such a short time even before they accepted their own feelings for each other. I loved the part where Holly uses Vince’s body to punch a douchebag who really deserved it. The new advanced look of the heaven complete with all sorts of modernised technologies was also interesting.
All in all it was a fun,romantic and sugary read with a sweet ending that left me smiling. -
I confess..I'm in love with this book. It had me hooked from the first page itself which rarely happens. The book is about a recently died 22 yr old Holly Evans. She is not at all pleased about being in heaven, so the heavenly officials send her back to resolve her issues. They are 1)That everyone thinks she killed herself & 2)That she had just had a fight with her boyfriend. They send her into the body of Vince Murphy,(whom I completely adore) one of the corporate geeks, who supposedly had died at her funeral. However, he wakes up a few hours later, resulting in delightful confusion.
Of course, the two of them are meant to be together. Halfway through this book, I thought, this book ought to be made into a movie. It would make a great chick flick. It turned out that the issues that Holly had to straighten out where not what she expected. I cheered when she used Vince's surprisingly buff body to clock someone who really needed punching.
Overall as I've already said I love this book, there's no reason you shouldn't give it a try. -
The heroine of Amanda Ashby's You Had Me at Halo appears, in the opening pages of the novel, to have lost her chance at grasping the meaning of life. She is dead; in fact, sitting in heaven watching her own funeral. But Holly Evans is not about to give up. When granted the chance to return to earth for forty-eight hours to make peace with her life, she doesn't ask questions, nor waste time studying the rule book. Even when she finds herself in someone else's body, and quickly discovers that the dear departed has not yet departed, she doesn't balk. She enlists the aid of computer geek Vince Murphy, whom she barely noticed while alive, and begins to see the world and people through his eyes.
Readers will laugh themselves silly as the geek and the dead chick battle for control of his body, their lives, and their relationship.
A funny, engaging and refreshing first novel. -
I absolutely LOVED this book! It has been a long time since I have read such a well written fun loving "girlie" book! Holly Evans is a lovely woman who works at a meaningless position at a big company where no one even knows her name except for her best friend Gemma and her boyfriend Todd. I won't ruin the great twists in the fun to read romance comedy, but as a little description: Holly finds herself dead, kicked out of Heaven, and needs to find the person who killed her within 48 hours, all while coping with being in a mans body, trying to convince her boyfriend, Todd, that she didn't commit suicide. I would defiantly recommend this book to any female. Amanda Ashby does a terrific job of writing, she uses a plot I have never read or heard of anyone using. So for a casual book to uplift your spirits this is a must.
-
When Holly Evans wakes up in Heaven, and discovers that she is dead at the age of 22, she is pretty sure things can't get any worse, especially when she is sure that her boyfriend was about to propose to her, But Holly finds out she has some earthy emotional baggage to get rid of first, before she can get to the 3rd level of Heaven where her parents are, so she is sent back down to earth to sort things out.
She lands in the body of recently deceased computer geek Vince Murphy (who worked for the same company as Holly, but someone she hardly paid attention to.) Problem is, it turns out Vince isn't really dead, and isn't impressed with having to share his body with a dead girl. So now Holly has to try to sort out her unresolved baggage while stuck inside Vince's body.
This was a light read, kind of a "Bridget Jones meets the afterlife", but it was a sweet story and I enjoyed it. -
Adorable story with a nice, satisfying ending.
Several parts had me laughing out loud. This is about several 20-something single people working for the same company. Holly is dating Todd, a top saleman. Vince is a computer nerd who has had a crush on Holly for a long time. Someone poisons Holly with motion sickness pills. Holly dies, but is allowed to return to earth for a short time, inhabiting Vince's body with him. The powers that be made a mistake and thought Vince was dead, but he wasn't. During this temporary visit, Holly learns things about many different people that she had not known before.
Data:
Sexual language: none. Number of sex scenes: none. Setting: present day U.S. Copyright: 2007. Genre: fantasy romance. -
This was a really sweet, cute and funny, if somewhat predictable story.
It is equal parts paranormal "whodunit"and chicklit romance with a protagonist who is refreshingly aware of her shortcomings and willing to grow...even if she is dead and temporarily inhabiting someone else's body.
I found Holly to be likeable, even in the beginning when she was a but shallow, but mostly just clueless. Vince is the sort of male lead good stories are made of, and the assorted cast of characters were all entertaining. As I said, the story was a bit predictable a was the end result (to me anyway), but I still found it a lot of fun to travel the path and see how we would get there. I really enjoyed this book. -
Okey this is mess up story, lol
It's quite fun to read but i dont understand why the hell she life again? i want know bout the job now, hehehe
Reading this, i can imagine some hollywood movie.
it's quite funny and at some points i kept thinking, who's the culprit, when vince came out, i know where the story will head up, but one thing that i never seen it coming. that's the culprit, Amy Jerkins.
I know at some point that Todd isnt good guy, and i kind of thinking the culprit was him, and i think gemma was the culprit too and she's cheat with Todd, but man, it's not that complecated at all, it's comedy, romance, and drama, but not thriller at all. hehehe
thought it's like any other story, but the twist is good. b^-^d -
This book was so boring. So boring in fact, that at page 61 I found a book mark and realised that I was actually rereading the first part of the book.
Holly is a hugely unlikable character. So, in fact are her best friend and boyfriend, and virtually all the characters in the book except for Vince and her step-mother.
I found certain aspects of the book quite strange. For a start, I couldn't for the life of me tell where it was meant to be set, or who the target audience was. I felt it was pitched awkwardly, a little too old for young adult, and a little too young for general fiction. The language and structure were altogether very bland.
There were really no redeeming features to this book. I really disliked it. -
This is a light and fun book even though it's not really original theme I guess. The main character died but she does not rememebr how she actually died ( she died drowning in bathub). People assumed she committed suicide and that rankles her. Due to many personal baggages, heaven deem her inadequate to go to the next level instead she has to go back and solve her personal issue in two days. However due to some mishap, she was trapped in her colleague's body who is a man with the guy soul still in it also. It's funny and sad also as she finds out the people who cares and not cares about her. Rather convenient ending though but after all I expected happy ending so it's ok.
