With her mother off on another nutty ghost-hunting mission, sixteen-year-old Penny reluctantly spends Christmas in a Maine inn. Her resentment toward her neglectful mother is tempered by her growing attraction to the inn owner's son and some paranormal experiences of her own. The narrative is a bit over-stuffed (romance, mysterious ghost sightings, near-death episodes), but the likable characters make it all intriguing.

The dead of winter in a Maine inn, a hunky guy who's interesting and interested, a pair of young ghosts and a 16-year-old girl on her own—the perfect ingredients for a creepy paranormal romance. Abandoned once again by her irresponsible mother, who is off hunting ghosts in the Pacific Northwest, Penny is sent to spend the Christmas holiday with her mother's old friend who runs an inn and is helped out by her handsome, college-age adoptive son, George. Penny's mother has never had much success with ghost hunting, but Penny immediately spots a pair of them: benevolent and good-looking young Blue, who teaches Penny how to "dream journey"—travel into the past by spirit—and angry, vengeful Starla. As George and Penny's evolving relationship gets physical, jealous Starla exacts near-lethal revenge, although her ire appears out of proportion to any particular justification beyond death-addled suspicions. Penny's evidently attracted to Blue as well as George, but the paranormal relationship seems oddly attenuated, suggested but never sufficiently developed. After Penny's mother lets her down yet again, the teen realistically has to find ways to cope, all revealed in her believable, mildly snarky first-person narration. Though not as suspenseful as the ingredients would suggest, it's still an amusing and engaging romance with the added spice only a pair of specters can add. (Paranormal romance. 11-18)

Gr 9 Up-Penny has put up with a lot of bad behavior from her mother in the past, though being dropped off at a haunted hotel off the coast of Maine for Christmas is a new low. Confronted with two ghosts as well as a burgeoning love interest, her holiday seems to get more complicated, and more life-threatening as the days go by. Can she bring peace to the inn's residents, human and spectral alike? Vernick's variety of likable characters makes this a solid read for young adults. For a book that involves a ghost in a love triangle, the thoughts and actions of the protagonist are relatable and realistic. The book successfully sells both Penny's fragility as well as her grudging, growing love for the inhabitants of the hotel. The descriptions of everything from the culture of the island in the off-season to the lavish meals prepared by the inn's French chef enhance readers' experience. While the action seems to stall occasionally, the overall writing style and plot development make up for these minor flaws. Fans of Adele Griffin's Tighter (Knopf, 2011) will appreciate this slightly lighter take on a girl's experience with the ghosts of Maine. Erinn Black Salge, Saint Peter's Prep, Jersey City, NJ

Penny's mom is off on another ghost-hunting trip, sending Penny to spend Christmas with an old, previously unmentioned friend in a swanky old hotel on a small, wintry island. Miserable, Penny prepares for a rotten holiday but instead finds new friends and, astonishingly, a love interest. Ironically, she also finds the hotel is haunted and re-evaluates her mother's life while trying to keep her own safe from a mysteriously angry and jealous ghost.Penny as narrator is understandably grumpy, sometimes humorously snarky, and peppers the book with interesting quotes (which she collects). She is a wonder-filled gateway into the quirky hotel, Black Butterfly, and the sumptuous, lavishly described cooking of chef Rita. Unfortunately, she is also another teen who finds self-worth and validation in the love of a wonderful, almost-too-perfect boy. George is charming, and his past with the hotel and the island adds to the lived-in feel of the setting, but he never indicates what has actually drawn him to Penny. Their relationship grows in a swoon-worthy rush over the course of a week and is fun to follow, but from Penny's viewpoint, it is honestly difficult to understand George's attraction. Along with romance, Penny also spends her time meeting the Butterfly's two ghostly residents, going on dream journeys, and learning about her mother. It is all a bit of a mess, but a delicious one, and the family relationships and other hotel residents provide enough grounding to make it work. By book's end, Penny's home life looks different if not improved, most of the mysteries have been solved, and she is looking forward to a summer of more heavy smooching.Lisa Martincik.