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My rating: 4.5 stars
Book summary:
"What if you’d been living your life as if you were dying—only to find out that you had your whole future ahead of you?
When sixteen-year-old Alice is diagnosed with leukemia, her prognosis is grim. To maximize the time she does have, she vows to spend her final months righting wrongs—however she sees fit. She convinces her friend Harvey, whom she knows has always had feelings for her, to help her with a crazy bucket list that’s as much about revenge (humiliating her ex-boyfriend and getting back at her arch nemesis) as it is about hope (doing something unexpectedly kind for a stranger and reliving some childhood memories). But just when Alice’s scores are settled, she goes into remission.
Now Alice is forced to face the consequences of all that she’s said and done, as well as her true feelings for Harvey. But has she done irreparable damage to the people around her, and to the one person who matters most"
All mixed reviews made me read it. Jasprit gave up on 50%, Alise and Giselle were annoyed by main character, but Brandi and Christy gave me hope that it might not be that bad. Where does that leave me?
Better than that other popular book about cancer. Earlier this year I read the famous The Fault In Our Stars by John Green and I failed to find it appealing as many other readers. There was "something" that felt off and I couldn't buy the whole "we are dying and everything is rainbows and unicorns" atmosphere. It was a good book, but hype messed up with my expectations. That was one of the reasons why I skipped Maybe One Day by Melissa Kantor and why I avoided Side Effects May Vary. But after reading all reviews and comments about Alice and how "insensitive" or "bitchy" she is, I knew that I was on to something different. Because seriously, if someone tell you you'll die soon, you will be angry and selfish and bitchy. Because on one wants to die.
Why do I think this book deserves higher ratings? It felt real. Julie Murphy did an excellent job with dual point of view. Alice is mean, self-centered, she treats people badly, she is selfish and she is terrified. Scared of dying, scared of her illness coming back, scared of losing people she loves, scared of facing her own actions, scared of living when she knows that everything can change in one second. That is why she pulls whole tough act and pushing away everyone she loves. Other reason? The way people in her school acts - yes, in real life you'll be a freak show. Author did a good job of portraying everyone.
I can't wait for Julie Murphy's next book. I stayed up all night to finish reading Side Effects May Vary and went to bed thinking that she is an author I'd have to keep my eye on. Her second novel (not the sequel), Dumplin' will be published next year. Let's hope it will be even better.
Happy reading,
***Copy of this book was provided by publisher, Harper Collins, via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.***
This book sounds like a good cancer book. Although a lot of those plots can get annoying, I do enjoy reading it once in awhile. Haha. That is a good description of The Fault in Our Stars, although I actually liked it and can't wait for the movie. Great review!
OdgovoriIzbrišiCindy @ In This World of Books..
So glad you took a chance on this and then ended up liking it. I love it when that happens!
OdgovoriIzbrišiI also read it and I didn´t enjoy it as much as I thought I would.
OdgovoriIzbrišiLiked your review.
Seeing as I absolutely loved TFiOS, I didn't think I'd connect with this one due to inevitable comparisons. Still, I'm glad to see it has found an audience to love it, despite the mixed reviews. Fantastic, articulate review, Glass! :)
OdgovoriIzbrišiNow you definitely have me curious to read this! I've seen so many mixed reviews, I didn't know what to think. I think if I were dying I'd be pretty hard to get along with too. Very interested to check this out now and see what I think of Alice. Lovely review!
OdgovoriIzbrišiWonderful review, Glass! :) I do agree, if someone finds out they're going to die I think they'd be angry, selfish and bitchy. At least at first.
OdgovoriIzbrišiThat's great you really liked this one. I think it's nice to have "cancer" books explore different sides.
OdgovoriIzbrišiit's true that I saw many different reviews about this one. So it's a little difficult to know how it woul be, but I'm glad you had a good time with this one finally.
OdgovoriIzbrišiThanks for linking my review up :) I'm really glad you liked this one, Glass. It just wasn't for me but I can see the appeal and meaning for other people!
OdgovoriIzbrišiAh I have seen this book and this one definitely sounds great :) But I saw so many mixed reviews on this one, so I'm still not sure if it's worth reading or not.
OdgovoriIzbrišiI tried The Fault in Our Starts as well and somehow couldn't really get into it! This does sound like it could be really interesting! Thanks for stopping by :)
OdgovoriIzbrišiJuli @ Universe in Words
I don't know if this one's for me, but I'm really glad you liked it ;)
OdgovoriIzbrišiJessica @ Rabid Reads
I'm also fascinated by the mixed reviews on this one, and I think I might like it!
OdgovoriIzbrišiThanks for sharing your thoughts :)
Jen @ YA Romantics
I always like to pick up books that have mixed reviews too Glass, I just can't help but be super curious about them and want to find out which end of the opinion spectrum I'll fall on. Alice does sounds like a tricky character, but I can only imagine how scary what's she living with is, so I think would understand the whys of some of her behavior. Thanks for your thoughts on this one!
OdgovoriIzbrišiI was exactly like you... I did feel that The Fault in Our Stars was hugely overrated, and I think now I wish I gave a much lower rating than I did. But I found that this sort of genre is hard for me to contend with and I don't think I could escape in a book like this. This is hugely negative from me but I did give up quite early on this book, I'm afraid. Thank you for sharing though, Glass! :)
OdgovoriIzbrišiI'm glad you liked this book. I connect so much better with characters when the book is more realistic. Great review Glass!
OdgovoriIzbrišiJanina @ Synchronized Reading
Yeah seen lots of mixed reviews on this one, but eh I just remember that tastes vary. What works for some people doesn't usually work for me and so on. Glad you gave it a shot and enjoyed it.
OdgovoriIzbrišiSo glad that you ended up loving it. Alice is a special character that some just couldn't take to.
OdgovoriIzbrišiI actually haven't heard a ton about this book. I saw it at the bookstore yesterday and couldn't recall any reviews (though I remember now that you've mentioned some). I'm not at all sure if I'd like it, but I think I might if I read it when I'm in the right mood. I'm glad you enjoyed!
OdgovoriIzbrišiI saw really bad reviews for this one and was really looking forward to seeing your verdict. While i know this isn't the book for me I'm glad you had so much fun with it ♥ :)
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