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A review by surreptitiously
Side Effects May Vary by Julie Murphy
3.0
You don't need a review to tell you that a book about cancer is unpalatable, even if the synopsis teases you. This isn't one of those cancer stories. It's gritty and raw and real, and never quite becomes anything else.
The story is predominately about Alice and Harvey's relationship, which I wasn't aware of before diving in. I wish I would have liked the story more than I did, but I can honestly say that it has more to do with my genre preferences and less with the author's abilities. YA and realistic fiction are both my jam, but plots that focus predominately on (het) relationships just aren't my thing.
Even boiling it down to its most basic premise feels like an oversimplification. There is a LOT to digest in this book. Julie Murphy does an excellent job exploring how a cancer diagnoses infiltrates and changes every part of a person's life, lingers even after remission. To that end, I think she did an excellent job. Plus! The writing draws you in and makes you want to speed through it.
But the thing is...
I hated Alice. And I hated Harvey. All the relationships in this book are messy, tangled up things that are hard to swallow. Add in the premise and it's hard to relate to any of the characters or their struggles, let alone enjoy the ride. And I hate to say that because I don't read books with the expectation of relating to a character on a personal level. I love messy, hard-to-like characters. I think they bring a lot of humanity to a story, help you see other perspectives, and grow as a person. But oh boy. I struggle to think of a single healthy relationship in this story, and I'm not sure I could say the characters experienced much in the way of development. But maybe all of this is because I went in to the book expecting something that wasn't there to begin with.
As one reviewer said:
"I was looking for a cancer book that would punch me in the gut with redemption and justification."
Same, same. But ultimately, it left me unsatisfied and frustrated.
The story is predominately about Alice and Harvey's relationship, which I wasn't aware of before diving in. I wish I would have liked the story more than I did, but I can honestly say that it has more to do with my genre preferences and less with the author's abilities. YA and realistic fiction are both my jam, but plots that focus predominately on (het) relationships just aren't my thing.
Even boiling it down to its most basic premise feels like an oversimplification. There is a LOT to digest in this book. Julie Murphy does an excellent job exploring how a cancer diagnoses infiltrates and changes every part of a person's life, lingers even after remission. To that end, I think she did an excellent job. Plus! The writing draws you in and makes you want to speed through it.
But the thing is...
I hated Alice. And I hated Harvey. All the relationships in this book are messy, tangled up things that are hard to swallow. Add in the premise and it's hard to relate to any of the characters or their struggles, let alone enjoy the ride. And I hate to say that because I don't read books with the expectation of relating to a character on a personal level. I love messy, hard-to-like characters. I think they bring a lot of humanity to a story, help you see other perspectives, and grow as a person. But oh boy. I struggle to think of a single healthy relationship in this story, and I'm not sure I could say the characters experienced much in the way of development. But maybe all of this is because I went in to the book expecting something that wasn't there to begin with.
As one reviewer said:
"I was looking for a cancer book that would punch me in the gut with redemption and justification."
Same, same. But ultimately, it left me unsatisfied and frustrated.