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juliaspence422's review against another edition
4.0
I'll be honest, when I first read the description of this one, I was afraid it was just another version of The Fault in our Stars... I was happily surprised that it was not. This wasn't just another teen romance (although there was some romance - and I was definitely rooting for Cason and Davis!!!). This is a story about perseverance and redemption. The story is told through the perspective of Cason, who has just been diagnosed with cancer and had her life turned upside down, and Davis, who is struggling with his sobriety & also a cancer survivor. The emotions felt very raw and real - I've never been through either situation personally, but I felt like I understood exactly how each character felt. I attribute this to the author's note at the end - the author never read a story about a girl who survived cancer, so she wrote one. It was a beautiful story that really inspired me to be brave.
Thank you to Kati Gardner, the publisher, Flux, and NetGalley for providing me an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to Kati Gardner, the publisher, Flux, and NetGalley for providing me an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
jens_1000lives's review against another edition
5.0
One of the best books I have read. Amazing. It made me laugh, cry and love. Amazingly beautiful!!!
sashag's review against another edition
4.5
LOVED THIS BOOK! Yes, it's a bit cliche but it was so well-written that it doesn't matter. The way the author described pain, the pull of addiction, the internal feelings of conflict when you have a disability was so accurate and you felt for both Cason and Davis. I needed a book like this as a kid.
samrp01's review against another edition
4.0
I adored this book. I couldn't stop smiling. As an able bodied person, it helped me realize I still have so much more to learn, and that I can still help. Review to come on my blog later.
debbiechristina's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed reading this book. I have been reading over the past couple of months, because my personal life got in the way. But it really was a great book. This book shows the struggle of having to deal with chemo therapy and just changing your life in general because of cancer. And it also shows how a struggle it is to stay clean after being addicted to drugs.
I really enjoyed the main characters you follow in this books. They are both very realistic and have their flaws. You see them struggling with themselves, their situation and their future. My personal favorite was Cason.
At first I didn’t like Cason’s mother at all. But she grew on me and the book progresses. In the end I really admired how she was handling the situation and how she had grown as a character and as a mother. She went from a stern teacher to a loving mother with Cason and I loved watching the transition.
It was only after I had finished reading the book that I read the Author’s Note where the author talks about how Cason is created from her own experience. The author was eight years old when this happened to her but she was not a ballerina. She did went to camp as Cason did and overall I loved the story more after reading where her inspiration came from.
I would recommend this book if you are looking for a contemporary about a ballerina getting cancer and dealing with it. It has light moments and it has heavy moments, but overall it was a wonderful story to read.
I really enjoyed the main characters you follow in this books. They are both very realistic and have their flaws. You see them struggling with themselves, their situation and their future. My personal favorite was Cason.
At first I didn’t like Cason’s mother at all. But she grew on me and the book progresses. In the end I really admired how she was handling the situation and how she had grown as a character and as a mother. She went from a stern teacher to a loving mother with Cason and I loved watching the transition.
It was only after I had finished reading the book that I read the Author’s Note where the author talks about how Cason is created from her own experience. The author was eight years old when this happened to her but she was not a ballerina. She did went to camp as Cason did and overall I loved the story more after reading where her inspiration came from.
I would recommend this book if you are looking for a contemporary about a ballerina getting cancer and dealing with it. It has light moments and it has heavy moments, but overall it was a wonderful story to read.
cateycat01's review against another edition
5.0
I have to say that this book was sooooo good. It's not your typical book about teen Cancer patients. It definitely has a different story line than other books. It's one of those books that has you hoping that the ending isn't going to crush you. If you like a story of perservance, then this is the book for you.
bibliopaat's review against another edition
5.0
Everyone is always told to be brave. But mostly its okay to be Brave Enough!
I always fall in love with stories that have dancing or music in them. I always fall in love with stories that teach me about some disease.
I thought I knew about cancer and its aftermath but I had no idea. I always perceived it as a two-way street - you either die or live happily ever after. Kati Gardner taught me that it is not so. I had no idea you could lose limbs and that its quite common. And I bet there are people who have leukemia or lung cancer who will say that they have it easy. Just cut it off and you're alright, whats there to whine about. But this book showed the different spectrum of losing a limb. It varies from being okay to losing your whole identity. Its awful either way and I'm glad to have the chance to learn about it.
I thought I knew about addiction and coming out of it but I had no idea. First of all I liked to see a cancer patient who wasn't a saint. And showing the horrible influence of dealers and how getting them out of the street is a very important key in helping addicts recover. I would've like to see more justifying in Davis's head though. I've heard all the "But I aced this test, I deserve a prize" and "Its not healthy to stop right away or the body goes in shock, it will help me to recover if I take one hit". I somehow felt that was missing from here but to be fair Davis wasn't in the begging of his recovery, maybe thanks to all the therapy and meetings he was passed that and only one bad thought had remained in his head "Just one shot".
This is not a light read nor its heavy. Its balancing somewhere in between and I think that beautifully shows the journey through an illness - the good parts and the bad. I did find the change the mother go through a bit extreme but maybe what she went through does that
Mild spoilers:
I Looooooooved that this wasn't a romance in a "The fault in our stars" kind of way. It was exploration of relationships through rough times.
Although the book went a bit slow for me and there are lot of cliches I really learned from it a lot and it was thoroughly enjoyable.
-I received an e-ARC from Netgalley and publisher North Star Editions in exchange for a honest review-
I always fall in love with stories that have dancing or music in them. I always fall in love with stories that teach me about some disease.
I thought I knew about cancer and its aftermath but I had no idea. I always perceived it as a two-way street - you either die or live happily ever after. Kati Gardner taught me that it is not so. I had no idea you could lose limbs and that its quite common. And I bet there are people who have leukemia or lung cancer who will say that they have it easy. Just cut it off and you're alright, whats there to whine about. But this book showed the different spectrum of losing a limb. It varies from being okay to losing your whole identity. Its awful either way and I'm glad to have the chance to learn about it.
I thought I knew about addiction and coming out of it but I had no idea. First of all I liked to see a cancer patient who wasn't a saint. And showing the horrible influence of dealers and how getting them out of the street is a very important key in helping addicts recover. I would've like to see more justifying in Davis's head though. I've heard all the "But I aced this test, I deserve a prize" and "Its not healthy to stop right away or the body goes in shock, it will help me to recover if I take one hit". I somehow felt that was missing from here but to be fair Davis wasn't in the begging of his recovery, maybe thanks to all the therapy and meetings he was passed that and only one bad thought had remained in his head "Just one shot".
Spoiler
I hope every recovering addict has a "Margarite" to call them at the right moment. And of course John. If you have a friend who is recovering just take the time and call them just to say high or to grab a burger or something. This saves lives!This is not a light read nor its heavy. Its balancing somewhere in between and I think that beautifully shows the journey through an illness - the good parts and the bad. I did find the change the mother go through a bit extreme but maybe what she went through does that
Mild spoilers:
Spoiler
I did find the Camp in the end a bit cliche. But its a cliche cause its beautiful and it helps. I have so many good memories going though different camps as a kid and maybe its a good way to remind people that. I just don't find it in my heart to judge it even tough its sooo cliche.I Looooooooved that this wasn't a romance in a "The fault in our stars" kind of way. It was exploration of relationships through rough times.
Although the book went a bit slow for me and there are lot of cliches I really learned from it a lot and it was thoroughly enjoyable.
-I received an e-ARC from Netgalley and publisher North Star Editions in exchange for a honest review-
kaliishacole's review against another edition
4.0
Brave Enough is a touching story about two teens, Cason and Davis, who are both somewhat opposites besides the fact that cancer has ruined both of their lives. Although the messages within this story were there, I felt that it was a pretty basic story. The fact that it went a bit into a recovering teen addict, was a different perspective than what I have read in other books. I also learned about different types of cancer and I hardly have read books about cancer. I would have liked to see more depth with the story itself because the book was pretty short. I did like the characters because both had a goal and tried to accomplish them, even through the bumps in the road that made them almost give up. I would definitely pick this book up just to get a feeling of motivation and to realize that not every life is easy and not every life has a clear path. Anything can happen.