A review by jenniepicky
Side Effects by Amy Goldman Koss

5.0

In the dedication at the front of the book the author writes "And as if it doesn't suck enough to have cancer, practically every time you pick up a book of see movies where characters get sick you know they'll be dead by the last scene. In reality, kids get all kinds of cancers, go through unspeakable torture and painful treatments, but walk away fine in the the end. The book is about that descent into hell, with a safe return. I dedicate it to everyone who has been there and back."

It manages to ring true - to be funny without being flippant, to be heart wrenching (at times) without being melodramatic. This book delivers what it promises through the dedication...with far more heart and realism than I ever expected.