Title: When Life Gives You Demons
Author: Jennifer Honeybourn
Published by: Swoon Reads
Publication date: July 17th 2018
Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult
HDB Rating: 4 Keys to My Heart
Recommended to: Readers who enjoy books that explore serious topics from a comedic point of view.
Some people have school spirit.
Shelby Black has real ones.
Shelby Black has spent the past six months training to be an exorcist. Her great-uncle Roy―a Catholic priest―has put her through exorcist boot camp hell, hoping to develop her talent, but ohmygod, he still doesn’t trust her to do an exorcism on her own.
High school is hard enough without having to explain that you fight demons for a living, so Shelby keeps her extracurricular activity to herself. The last thing she wants is for her crush, Spencer, to find out what she does in her off time.
But Shelby knows how to keep a secret―even a big one. Like the fact that her mom left under mysterious circumstances and it’s all her fault. Shelby is hellbent on finding her mom, no matter what it costs her―even if what it ends up costing her is her soul AND a relationship with Spencer.
Teenagers and exorcism, what could possibly go wrong? As if young Shelby doesn’t have enough going on in her senior year of high school she is also learning to be an exorcist from her uncle who is a priest. Learning Latin for fun sounds awesome /sarcasm.
As with most first jobs, Shelby is struggling with the responsibilities placed before her, especially when it requires her to miss her study sessions with her crush Spencer. Soon enough they will find out they have a lot more in common than they think, and Shelby will uncover a secret that makes her take her exorcism training much more seriously.
While the story starts out light and full of teenage sarcasm, it quickly becomes an interesting exploration of demons and the power of exorcism/faith. Family ties and loyalty are an underlying theme woven into several relationships in the story. Shelby’s quest to find her mother and her lackadaisical attitude towards her uncle are important throughout her journey into demon hunting.
I enjoyed every aspect of this gem of a story and would recommend this to readers who enjoy quirky young adult books.
Jennifer Honeybourn works in corporate communications in Vancouver, British Columbia. She’s a fan of British accents, Broadway musicals, and epic, happily-ever-after love stories. If she could have dinner with anyone, dead or alive, she’d have high tea with Walt Disney, JK Rowling, and her nana. She lives with her husband, daughter and cat in a house filled with books. Wesley James Ruined My Life is her first novel.
FTC Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. I was not monetarily compensated for my opinion.
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Title: When Life Gives You Demons 
