Books like Dreadful Sorry

Oh my darlin’, oh my darlin’, oh my darlin’ Clementine, you are lost and gone forever, dreadful sorry Clementine. Seventeen-year-old Molly has had a recurring nightmare her entire life— she is walking down a long hallway to the end room, where she knows something horrible is happening. She also has an incurable fear of water, and continues to hear that old Clementine song in her head. After a near-drowning experience at a pool party, she leaves to spend the summer with her father in his new house in Maine. But the carefree summer she was hoping for disappears when she goes upstairs in the house and sees the same hallway that has been plaguing her dreams for years. Then Jared, the boy who threw her into the pool, comes to Maine demanding Molly talk to him. Now Molly is experiencing visions of a girl named Clementine who lived in her father’s house a century earlier. As the summer continues Molly stumbles across a series of connections between her and Clementine that begin to form an eerie pattern. Molly’s “visions” begin to feel more like memories— memories that appear to be reliving themselves in her life and Jared’s. Can Molly prevent the past from repeating itself? This book moves slowly at times, so those who need a very fast-paced novel would have a difficult time getting through the slow parts. There are also many predictable aspects about the book, however, overall it is a great read and would appeal to many teenagers and adults alike. I enjoyed the unique plot of the story and liked how it introduces the possibility of both ghosts and reincarnation as an answer to Molly’s nightmares and visions. As is the case in most YA novels, many relationships are examined in “Dreadful Sorry”: Molly deals with her father and his young, pregnant wife; Molly’s relationship with Jared turns from one-sided hatred to friendship to something more; and Molly attempts to mend the multiple broken relationships from Clementine’s life. This supernatural mystery mixed with romantic intrigue demonstrates the power of second chances and was one of my favourites as a teenager. I highly recommend “Dreadful Sorry”. Those with an interest in reincarnation will especially enjoy this book.