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A review by andreathereader
My Life After Now by Jessica Verdi
4.0
Lucy and her boyfriend of a year and a half, Ty, are starring in the school’s performance of Romeo and Juliet. Lucy lost the part of Juliet to the school’s snobby prima donna, Elyse, but she’s embracing her role as Mercutio. Her two besties, Max and Courtney, are there for her no matter what. When Lucy sees that Elyse is flirting with Ty, she’s not worried. She and Ty are meant to be. Unfortunately, Ty doesn’t agree and dumps her for Elyse. And to top her crappy week off, her absentee mother shows up and Lucy’s dads let her move in with them. In an effort to forget about her life for a while, Lucy goes home with a drummer from the club she, Max and Courtney go to. After her humiliating walk of shame, she’s ready to put the whole incident behind her. When she learns she has HIV, Lucy is devastated. How will she tell everyone? Will anyone ever want to touch her again? And how long until she dies?
Lucy was a very relatable character. She was your average good girl who made a mistake. Who hasn’t done something out of character just to shake things up a bit? Usually, though, it doesn’t end as badly as it did for Lucy. And though I think the mistake she made was pretty stupid, and not one many other people would make, she was young and innocent and just didn’t know any better. But that was just one of the times, among several, I thought Lucy acted immature for her age.
She was very lucky to have the support of her two fathers, who were just about the perfect parents. They were supportive and kind and let their daughter lead her own life. And Lucy’s mom was pretty much the definition of “shitty mom.” Yikes. It’s amazing Lucy turned out as normal as she did, considering her mother. I was disappointed in the way Max and Courtney treated Lucy in the beginning. They were supposed to be such great friends, but as soon as Lucy got a little grumpy, they just gave up on her and left her behind. I loved Evan, he was so kind and truly her friend.
The dialogue was believable and honest. I especially liked how real Lucy and her fathers were once they started talking about her diagnosis. Her fathers, especially, went out of their way to talk about HIV like it wasn’t a devastating thing. They were careful not to make Lucy feel bad, or like she deserved it. Really, they were an awesome example of how parents should act in a situation like this.
I liked the writing, though I think a few things were glossed over. Lucy’s night out at the club, the time immediately after, and various situations after her diagnosis, I felt all could have used more. More discussion, more details or more depth. The plot was a unique one, I can’t recall reading one where the main character contracted HIV (not saying they aren’t out there, just that I haven’t read them). What a harsh lesson for someone to learn. The details and statistics worked into the story were scary and sad and made the book more realistic and relevant. Near the end, it got to be too preachy for my taste. It was almost like the story took on a completely different tone.
The sum up: This story has a great message wrapped up in an entertaining story.
Lucy was a very relatable character. She was your average good girl who made a mistake. Who hasn’t done something out of character just to shake things up a bit? Usually, though, it doesn’t end as badly as it did for Lucy. And though I think the mistake she made was pretty stupid, and not one many other people would make, she was young and innocent and just didn’t know any better. But that was just one of the times, among several, I thought Lucy acted immature for her age.
She was very lucky to have the support of her two fathers, who were just about the perfect parents. They were supportive and kind and let their daughter lead her own life. And Lucy’s mom was pretty much the definition of “shitty mom.” Yikes. It’s amazing Lucy turned out as normal as she did, considering her mother. I was disappointed in the way Max and Courtney treated Lucy in the beginning. They were supposed to be such great friends, but as soon as Lucy got a little grumpy, they just gave up on her and left her behind. I loved Evan, he was so kind and truly her friend.
The dialogue was believable and honest. I especially liked how real Lucy and her fathers were once they started talking about her diagnosis. Her fathers, especially, went out of their way to talk about HIV like it wasn’t a devastating thing. They were careful not to make Lucy feel bad, or like she deserved it. Really, they were an awesome example of how parents should act in a situation like this.
I liked the writing, though I think a few things were glossed over. Lucy’s night out at the club, the time immediately after, and various situations after her diagnosis, I felt all could have used more. More discussion, more details or more depth. The plot was a unique one, I can’t recall reading one where the main character contracted HIV (not saying they aren’t out there, just that I haven’t read them). What a harsh lesson for someone to learn. The details and statistics worked into the story were scary and sad and made the book more realistic and relevant. Near the end, it got to be too preachy for my taste. It was almost like the story took on a completely different tone.
The sum up: This story has a great message wrapped up in an entertaining story.