Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness
*** 3.5 ***
Cute and quick and full of likeable and realistic characters!
Cute and quick and full of likeable and realistic characters!
I think I was one of the few who liked Zac & Mia better than The Fault in our Stars. A.J. Betts writes in a way that makes the characters very realistic. Mia is selfish and refuses to let those closest to her know that she has cancer. She is angry and doesn't handle her cancer well - the loss of hair and her loss of part of her leg. She complains and pushes everyone away, including Zac. This doesn't make her likable, but it does make her real.
Zac, on the other hand, is sweet and caring and has his heart in the right place. He deals with his cancer in an almost light-hearted way. He made this book special and why I kept reading.
Zac & Mia takes a thought-provoking look at friendship and overcoming the odds of this deadly disease. Well worth it!
Zac, on the other hand, is sweet and caring and has his heart in the right place. He deals with his cancer in an almost light-hearted way. He made this book special and why I kept reading.
Zac & Mia takes a thought-provoking look at friendship and overcoming the odds of this deadly disease. Well worth it!
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Actual rating is 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Full Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children’s Book Group, via Netgalley.
My Thoughts: Have you ever wondered how you would react in certain, hypothetical situations? How would you handle the death of a loved one? How would you handle a serious medical diagnosis? Would you become selfish or selfless? Would you open yourself up to the possibility of more pain or shut down completely. Zac & Mia takes an honest view on the story of teenagers being diagnosed with cancer. It just goes to show you that no one is perfect; we don’t all react the same way and we shouldn’t be expected to either.
There is an obvious comparison to The Fault in Our Stars here, but I imagine there are only so many ways you can go with a story about teenagers with cancer. I pointed out that there is a comparison, but they are very different stories in the same vein. The story of Zac & Mia is sweet and really tries to put the hope back into a person’s fight with cancer. It seemed like the author was trying to tell us all, never give up and never lose hope. That’s not a bad sentiment to leave your readers with.
I know a lot of the people who have already read this hated Mia and I’m sure some of those that read it in the future will hate her too. I am not one of them. I actually liked her. Yes, she was vain, but I’m almost positive that I would be pretty angry and vain if I were ever put in her situation. We all hope that we’ll rise above a challenging situation and react admirably, but the reality is anger and selfishness are completely normal feelings to have. I love that the author made this Mia’s perspective on having cancer and didn’t make it a clean-cut book of pure and easy acceptance. This felt closer to the truth.
The chemistry between Zac and Mia was strange, yet believable. It was very one-sided and then their roles switched. It seemed like an excellent point to make about all relationships. It really made me stop and think about those people around me that I take for granted every single day (they may have gotten an extra thank you that day and thought I was being really weird). It was nice seeing how they both needed each other, it wasn’t a one-sided relationship.
I really enjoyed reading Zac & Mia. Will it tug on your heartstrings like The Fault in Our Stars? No, but that isn’t a bad thing. I’ve seen Zac & Mia described as a poor man’s The Fault in Our Stars, but I think that’s unfair. It’s just different. I would recommend Zac & Mia, especially if you haven’t read The Fault in Our Stars yet. Even if you have read, you might want to consider giving Zac & Mia a try, it may just surprise you.
For more reviews, check out Reviews in a Pinch today!
Full Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children’s Book Group, via Netgalley.
My Thoughts: Have you ever wondered how you would react in certain, hypothetical situations? How would you handle the death of a loved one? How would you handle a serious medical diagnosis? Would you become selfish or selfless? Would you open yourself up to the possibility of more pain or shut down completely. Zac & Mia takes an honest view on the story of teenagers being diagnosed with cancer. It just goes to show you that no one is perfect; we don’t all react the same way and we shouldn’t be expected to either.
There is an obvious comparison to The Fault in Our Stars here, but I imagine there are only so many ways you can go with a story about teenagers with cancer. I pointed out that there is a comparison, but they are very different stories in the same vein. The story of Zac & Mia is sweet and really tries to put the hope back into a person’s fight with cancer. It seemed like the author was trying to tell us all, never give up and never lose hope. That’s not a bad sentiment to leave your readers with.
I know a lot of the people who have already read this hated Mia and I’m sure some of those that read it in the future will hate her too. I am not one of them. I actually liked her. Yes, she was vain, but I’m almost positive that I would be pretty angry and vain if I were ever put in her situation. We all hope that we’ll rise above a challenging situation and react admirably, but the reality is anger and selfishness are completely normal feelings to have. I love that the author made this Mia’s perspective on having cancer and didn’t make it a clean-cut book of pure and easy acceptance. This felt closer to the truth.
The chemistry between Zac and Mia was strange, yet believable. It was very one-sided and then their roles switched. It seemed like an excellent point to make about all relationships. It really made me stop and think about those people around me that I take for granted every single day (they may have gotten an extra thank you that day and thought I was being really weird). It was nice seeing how they both needed each other, it wasn’t a one-sided relationship.
I really enjoyed reading Zac & Mia. Will it tug on your heartstrings like The Fault in Our Stars? No, but that isn’t a bad thing. I’ve seen Zac & Mia described as a poor man’s The Fault in Our Stars, but I think that’s unfair. It’s just different. I would recommend Zac & Mia, especially if you haven’t read The Fault in Our Stars yet. Even if you have read, you might want to consider giving Zac & Mia a try, it may just surprise you.
For more reviews, check out Reviews in a Pinch today!
This made me cry. It took something not done often in teen books very well.
I'm actually quite surprised this book has the ratings it does. It wasn't a bad read but certainly not a fantastic one. I didn't get the urging feel to read more and in my opinion there wasn't a lot of depth to it. It kind of annoys me that this book is always compared to The Fault In Our Stars. Yes they both reflect teenagers with cancer but this book feels kind of rushed and didn't have all that much of a great ending or intense connection between the two main characters.
I enjoyed this heart-wrenching story of 2 high school students dealing with cancer and the physical and emotional things that go along with that. While it is not as powerful as John Green's Fault in Our Stars, there are some similarities that lovers of FIOS might enjoy.