Blog Tour + Giveaway - We Are The Ghosts by Vicky Skinner

 

Find the tour schedule here.
 

 

We Are The Ghosts by Vicky Skinner
Published by: Swoon Reads
Publication date: August 13th 2019
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult

After her estranged brother suddenly dies, a girl embarks on a road trip to rediscover who her brother really was in Vicky Skinner’s contemporary YA novel, We Are the Ghosts.

When Ellie’s estranged brother, Luke, dies in a car accident, she’s not sure whether to be devastated that she lost the person who was once her best friend or enraged, still, that he left without a word a year ago. Now, the only people who seem to understand what she’s going through are Luke’s best friend and his ex-girlfriend, who she bonds with over their desire to figure out where Luke went when he walked out of their lives.

As she gets closer to them, and closer to Cade, a boy who seems determined to get to know her better, she realizes that she’s not the only one with reasons to be angry at Luke. And when Ellie makes a discovery that changes everything, she and her new friends hit the road, hoping that following Luke’s trail will bring them answers about the life Luke was living away from them.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo

Excerpt:

 

At this, Wes almost drops the map. “You’re going to Michigan?”

“Yes.” Doubt starts to creep into my chest when Wes doesn’t say anything. His eyebrows are so high, they almost reach the line of his almost-black hair.

“Do you think this is the route he took when he left?” He folds the map and hands it back to me, but I already know I can’t take it back. It’s ours now, not just mine.

“Maybe. I don’t know.”

When I don’t take the map, Wes smacks it against his open palm. “I want to come with you.”

Doubt is replaced by something else. Dread maybe. Regret. I never meant for anyone to go with me. This is my trip. I have to go alone. “I don’t think that’s a great idea.”

He’s already shaking his head. “You shouldn’t go alone. We’ll go, all three of us. A trip around America.”

Whoa. Things are getting way out of hand here. “America? No. I’m just going to Michigan. And who is the three of us? You, me, and—”

“Gwen.”

I snatch the map from him. “Absolutely not. Luke’s ex? No way.” Wes snatches the map back, and I grit my teeth. I never should have said anything. I want to go alone, to just be away from everyone’s eyes and grief and sympathy for a few days. This is not how this is supposed to go.

“Look,” Wes says, holding the map out of my reach as I get up from my chair to get it back. “I came here to apologize that you found out about us that way. I should have told you. It’s just, we haven’t talked in a while, and I didn’t know how to . . . you know . . .”

I stop grabbing for the map. I’m definitely not going to tell him that it bothered me to find out. I don’t want him to know that the first thought I had was a selfish one: that they left me behind, too. How could I demand they be unhappy just for my sake? “Why would I care if you’re dating Gwen?”

He shrugs. “She’s Luke’s ex.” His arm sags, and I rip the map out of his hand while he’s distracted. “I wasn’t sure if you’d care, but I mean, it’s not like they were together or anything. When he died, I mean.”

I have to block out what he’s saying. I can’t hear him say words like died. I hold the map to my chest, wishing this conversation could just be over. “Wes, you and Gwen can date whoever you want. I don’t care. But she’s not coming on the trip.”

Wes crosses his arms over his chest. “I’m not going without her, and you’re not going without me. Come on, Ellie. This was our trip. Let’s take it. It’ll be like honoring him.”

I get a strange twisting sensation in my stomach. Honor Luke? What does that even mean? I picture the enlarged photo at the front of the church at his funeral. How can anyone really honor Luke? Did anyone even really know him? How many people know he ran away? How many people know how much we fell apart afterward?

It was a mistake to tell Wes.

Author Bio

Born and raised in Texas, I don’t act like much of a Texan. I like cold weather and hate country music. I have a gorgeous husband, two dogs, and a Literature degree from the University of Texas at Dallas. If I’m not at home reading a book or doing laundry, I’m probably at the bookstore, nannying three rambunctious boys, or stuck on the side of the road with car trouble. I’m a reader, a writer, and a bit of a crazy person.

Goodreads / Twitter

 Tour-wide giveaway

US only

  a Rafflecopter giveaway