ARC, 382 pages
Release Date: February 18, 2014Published by: HarperTeenStand-aloneSource: Around the World ARC ToursFor fans of: Romance, Health Issues, Contemporary, Tear-jerkers, YACritically acclaimed author Melissa Kantor masterfully captures the joy of friendship, the agony of loss, and the unique experience of being a teenager in this poignant new novel about a girl grappling with her best friend’s life-threatening illness.Zoe and her best friend, Olivia, have always had big plans for the future, none of which included Olivia getting sick. Still, Zoe is determined to put on a brave face and be positive for her friend.
Even when she isn’t sure what to say.
Even when Olivia misses months of school.
Even when Zoe starts falling for Calvin, Olivia’s crush.
The one thing that keeps Zoe moving forward is knowing that Olivia will beat this, and everything will go back to the way it was before. It has to. Because the alternative is too terrifying for her to even imagine.
In this incandescent page-turner, which follows in the tradition of The Fault in Our Stars, Melissa Kantor artfully explores the idea that the worst thing to happen to you might not be something that is actually happening to you. Raw, irreverent, and honest, Zoe’s unforgettable voice and story will stay with readers long after the last page is turned.
*MY THOUGHTS*
“There are some things you worry about. And then there are some things you don’t worry about. You don’t worry about them because they’re too awful to contemplate worrying about.“
pg. 65 (ARC)
I absolutely LOVED the writing style in this one. For it to be about such a tough subject, it flowed and it wasn’t choppy. It didn’t matter where I was or what I was doing, anytime I opened this book I fell completely into the story. Zoe and Olivia had such a beautiful poetic story, it was hard not to.
“I hate gender stereotypes like girls love princesses and boys like guns.“
pg. 112 (ARC)
With that being said, I LOVED the characters as well. This is my favorite ever “womance.” They were extremely close and they always looked out for each other. Whether it was before or after Olivia got sick, they always thought of the other first. That in my mind is what makes a best friend, a best friend. And for them to have spent the majority of their life together, they were more like sisters than friends.
“LaShanna and I were talking about how everybody was all worried about Olivia, but nobody was taking care of you.“
pg. 180 (ARC)
And that is why I LOVED the emotion in this story as well. At every part the characters gt scared or sad or happy, I found myself doing the same thing. There were times I clutched at my heart from the swons, there were times I laughed out loud, and there were times that I was BAWLING. (Because yes, this IS a tear-jerker.) But each time, I felt as if I was Zoe and not just a reader.
“Let me be good enough. Let me be good enough. Let me be good enough.“
pg. 236 (ARC)
I loved that this played mostly on their “womance” versus the romance as well. It was so great to see these women being there for each other and standing up for them without a man mainly being around. There’s even a touch of feminism in the beginning.
” These are precious days. Don’t squander them.“
pg. 337 (ARC)
I have so much love for this book. It gave me all the feels and I connected to these characters in a way I haven’t with any others in a long time. This was my first book from Kantor, but if they all have the same emotion and friendships between the great characters, it won’t be my last.
