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amandamarieger's review
5.0
Oh my goodness. I have so many feelings right now. Most of them are mushy gushy and also I'm near tears.
Ellie's story is so sad and complicated and wonderful and I was in it from the very beginning. And Jason! He's THE best, a true book boyfriend of people's dreams. Throw in her friends and Craig and you have the most wonderful support system. I loved this book.
I haven't read a cancer book since TFiOS, and I'm glad this was the next one I chose. It was so good. I am so glowy from reading it. I can't wait to rave about it on my blog.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. I loved this so much.
Ellie's story is so sad and complicated and wonderful and I was in it from the very beginning. And Jason! He's THE best, a true book boyfriend of people's dreams. Throw in her friends and Craig and you have the most wonderful support system. I loved this book.
I haven't read a cancer book since TFiOS, and I'm glad this was the next one I chose. It was so good. I am so glowy from reading it. I can't wait to rave about it on my blog.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. I loved this so much.
ekcwieland28's review
5.0
i read this book a few years ago, and i recently decided to reread it as i’ve been needing some inspiration in my life. the emotional roller coaster that this book takes you on is nothing short of amazing. this is easily my favorite book of all time.
brittmariasbooks's review
3.0
3+ stars
I received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
I really enjoyed this book but the end left me unsatisfied. I think this has to do with my taste but unfortunately, it means that although I liked most of the book, I don't feel like I can give it four stars. I guess the ending means a lot to my reading experience.
That is too bad because the build-up was pretty nice. Ellie and Jason meet and Ellie discovers that she had cancer. This leads of course to all sorts of questions: what am I going to do? Will I survive? Is it a good idea to start dating someone?
I received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
I really enjoyed this book but the end left me unsatisfied. I think this has to do with my taste but unfortunately, it means that although I liked most of the book, I don't feel like I can give it four stars. I guess the ending means a lot to my reading experience.
That is too bad because the build-up was pretty nice. Ellie and Jason meet and Ellie discovers that she had cancer. This leads of course to all sorts of questions: what am I going to do? Will I survive? Is it a good idea to start dating someone?
Spoiler
I loved how Ellie's bond with her stepbrother grows. It is very endearing. The improv comedy shows are also very original. The writer took a risk with the cancer jokes but I don't think it was bad taste. For me, personally, the ending would have been better if it had ended before the surgery. I also think I got thrown off by the "miracle doctor" because most of the time life just isn't that easy. There are probably cases where miracles happened, and I am glad they do. It just wasn't the ending for me.hoffnungswolke's review
5.0
A Messy, Beautiful Life!!! First things first: I received this book through NetGalley.
The book comes out october 2nd!!!
Look at me, reviewing an ARC before it's getting published. I think I'm starting to get my crap together. WHOOT!!! I wanna say right at the beginning, that I highly recommend this book to everyone, except if you want to stay away from cancer stories (something I totally understand).
Summary: Life is funny sometimes. And not always the ha, ha kind. Like that one time where a hot guy tried to kiss me and I fell. Down. Hard. And then found out I had cancer. I’m trying to be strong for my friends and my mom. And I’m trying so hard to be “just friends” with that hot guy, even though he seems to want so much more. But I won’t do that to him. He’s been through this before with his family, and I’m not going to let him watch me die. So, I tell myself: Smile Ellie. Be funny Ellie. Don’t cry Ellie, because once I start, I might not stop.
THIS BOOK. The cover is gorgeous, even though it took me way too long, to figure out there is a bone between all the flowers. Something that makes total sense. Also the titel is perfect for the book. PERFECT!!!
I kinda wanna dump all my feels for the book all at once in this review. But let's have some order. Maybe. Hopefully.
The writing is amazing. Seriously. I have some problems with books at the moment and taking forever to really get into them. But this one. The author had me right from the beginning. The writing was just so beautiful.
I also loved the characters right from the start. Ellie is the perfect main character. Seriously. She is funny, she is loving, caring, she is freaking strong. That girl stole my heart. And Jason, what a great guy. DANG. I really loved him the moment he showed up and could totally understand why Ellie was falling for him super fast. These two were the greatest, through all the mess, they were beautiful. I also loved all the side characters. Craig, Ellie's stepbrother. He was amazing, seriously. In the beginning I wasn't sure cause Ellie descriped him as the most annoying person and then he showed up, and I just loved him. And he cared so much about her and ahhhh, he is great. And Ellie's mom, I LOVED her. Moms are the greatest. I wasn't sure about Ellie's father in the beginning. I was super unimpressed by him not being there. Thankfully that turned around and he got much more involved. I also loved Ellie's friends, Hana and Quinn. THEIR FRIENDSHIP. The greatest thing about all these characters and their relationship was, that this group felt like a huge family that went through all the ups and downs in life together and that was just so damn beautiful.
This book has the perfect mixture of lighthearted, fun moments and moments that will shatter your heart. But it's beautiful and gives you all the feels. And ugh, I truly love this whole story, the characters, just everything. I will stop now before I slip even more into fangirl mode and no one will understand a word I'm saying. So bye. Read this book!!!
The book comes out october 2nd!!!
Look at me, reviewing an ARC before it's getting published. I think I'm starting to get my crap together. WHOOT!!! I wanna say right at the beginning, that I highly recommend this book to everyone, except if you want to stay away from cancer stories (something I totally understand).
Summary: Life is funny sometimes. And not always the ha, ha kind. Like that one time where a hot guy tried to kiss me and I fell. Down. Hard. And then found out I had cancer. I’m trying to be strong for my friends and my mom. And I’m trying so hard to be “just friends” with that hot guy, even though he seems to want so much more. But I won’t do that to him. He’s been through this before with his family, and I’m not going to let him watch me die. So, I tell myself: Smile Ellie. Be funny Ellie. Don’t cry Ellie, because once I start, I might not stop.
THIS BOOK. The cover is gorgeous, even though it took me way too long, to figure out there is a bone between all the flowers. Something that makes total sense. Also the titel is perfect for the book. PERFECT!!!
I kinda wanna dump all my feels for the book all at once in this review. But let's have some order. Maybe. Hopefully.
The writing is amazing. Seriously. I have some problems with books at the moment and taking forever to really get into them. But this one. The author had me right from the beginning. The writing was just so beautiful.
I also loved the characters right from the start. Ellie is the perfect main character. Seriously. She is funny, she is loving, caring, she is freaking strong. That girl stole my heart. And Jason, what a great guy. DANG. I really loved him the moment he showed up and could totally understand why Ellie was falling for him super fast. These two were the greatest, through all the mess, they were beautiful. I also loved all the side characters. Craig, Ellie's stepbrother. He was amazing, seriously. In the beginning I wasn't sure cause Ellie descriped him as the most annoying person and then he showed up, and I just loved him. And he cared so much about her and ahhhh, he is great. And Ellie's mom, I LOVED her. Moms are the greatest. I wasn't sure about Ellie's father in the beginning. I was super unimpressed by him not being there. Thankfully that turned around and he got much more involved. I also loved Ellie's friends, Hana and Quinn. THEIR FRIENDSHIP. The greatest thing about all these characters and their relationship was, that this group felt like a huge family that went through all the ups and downs in life together and that was just so damn beautiful.
This book has the perfect mixture of lighthearted, fun moments and moments that will shatter your heart. But it's beautiful and gives you all the feels. And ugh, I truly love this whole story, the characters, just everything. I will stop now before I slip even more into fangirl mode and no one will understand a word I'm saying. So bye. Read this book!!!
aksmalley's review
3.0
I really love the cover on this one. This is the bookclub’s December pick, a young adult novel published by a small press. The author is a childhood friend of one our members. A Messy Beautiful Life by Sara Jade Alan is in the same vein as Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl and Fault in Our Stars. Of course it’s hard to live up to that if your book is about a high school girl who is diagnosed with cancer. And while I don’t think this book is in the same league as those, there were many things I really liked about it. The tone in this book is a much lighter touch than those others and shows you that not all cancer diagnoses are death sentences. And much of the story revolves around Ellie’s ( the main character) involvement with her school’s comedy improv group. So there is some humor and light heartedness that I really enjoyed after reading some heavy books lately. I didn’t love the ending. It was a little too neat and tidy. While this book certainly wasn’t perfect, I found it surprisingly endearing and I can see why someone in the intended audience age group would find it appealing. And it is fairly clean of sex and other adult situations so a young teen could certainly read it. 6/10 ⭐️
capa105's review against another edition
5.0
Read full review HERE
I haven’t been in the mood for YA in a while, but this book… WOW, it just blew me away. I loved it to bits. I loved the characters, and the story. The theme, the friendships and the romance. I loved the pacing and the humour.
This was my first book by this author, but surely it won’t be the last, because the writing is fantastic. Sara Jane Alan infused an amazing personality into Ellie’s voice, she made her real, and again, WOW.
The theme of this book is not by any means lighthearted. It’s cancer! But it’s not dramatic. The way the theme, the diagnosis, the dealing with the issues were approached was heartbreakingly beautiful, and funny, so messy and beautiful. The use of humour to be deal with such a hardship is amazing, and it fit so well with the characters.
Again, I obviously loved this book, and it is dear to my heart. So, if you’re feeling brave, and you want to read something that will pull at your heartstrings and make you laugh while crying, this is the book for you.
I haven’t been in the mood for YA in a while, but this book… WOW, it just blew me away. I loved it to bits. I loved the characters, and the story. The theme, the friendships and the romance. I loved the pacing and the humour.
This was my first book by this author, but surely it won’t be the last, because the writing is fantastic. Sara Jane Alan infused an amazing personality into Ellie’s voice, she made her real, and again, WOW.
The theme of this book is not by any means lighthearted. It’s cancer! But it’s not dramatic. The way the theme, the diagnosis, the dealing with the issues were approached was heartbreakingly beautiful, and funny, so messy and beautiful. The use of humour to be deal with such a hardship is amazing, and it fit so well with the characters.
Again, I obviously loved this book, and it is dear to my heart. So, if you’re feeling brave, and you want to read something that will pull at your heartstrings and make you laugh while crying, this is the book for you.
roniloren's review against another edition
5.0
I am usually wary of any books that focus on illness (personal phobia thing - I can't watch medical shows either) but I read a sample of this book and loved the voice, so I decided to give it a try. The book was SO good. Funny and touching and sweet. Adored it! I really liked the inside peek into improv comedy too.
alicorn_feathers's review against another edition
2.0
The only interactions I cared about were between Ellie and Craig, and I wanted them to pull a Clueless but I knew it wouldn’t happen. The whole thing was just disappointing. I appreciated the unique hobby (at least to YA) and the dynamics of Ellie’s family. But Jason was so, so incredibly boring as a character. I just didn’t like him. At all. And even if I had liked him, it wouldn’t have saved the rest of the book.
burstnwithbooks's review against another edition
4.0
This was so good! I got through it super quickly. Even though it covers a serious topic, it’s a very light tone and an enjoyable story. Just what I needed right now.