Review: Before I Die by Jenny Downham

Hey guys! This is going to be a review on Before I Die by Jenny Downham. Enjoy!

Started on July 26, 2010 and finished on July 31, 2010

Book Description:

Tessa is a 16 year old girl living with cancer. She has been sick for a long time and does not attend school. She lives with her father and little brother Cal, and sometimes see's her mother. When Tessa is told she doesn't have much time left to live she decides to live her last days the best she can. Tessa makes a list of things to do before she dies, including, trying drugs, saying yes to everything for one day, and falling in love. As Tessa completes things on her list she keeps adding more, and soon she realizes she wont be able to finish everything on her list.

Book Info:

• 336 pages 
• Published in September, 2007
• Before I Die is Jenny Downham's first book 
• I give this book a 4/10 

 The Good:

The idea of this book is good, a teen with cancer who has a "bucket list" as some might call it. You also really fall in love with some of the characters, like her little brother Cal. The ending of this book will really make you think about your life and how much we take for granted everyday. 

The Bad:

I found this book to have a really good first twenty pages or so, but then the middle was very slow for me and didn't start getting good again until around the last fifty pages. Also, I felt Tessa was a very weak character and honestly I hate weak characters. I also found this book to jump around a lot and it was kind of confusing. You would be in one place in a chapter and then it would just skip to somewhere else, I did not like that at all. 

Nice to Know: 

This book takes place in the UK, so, if you are an US reading some of the words might get you a little confused at first but you do get used to it. For UK readers, there should be no problem! :] EX: Holiday in the UK is the same as Vacation in the US.

Overall: 

This book is just alright in my opinion. If you have the chance to read then I would, but I wouldn't rush out to Borders to buy yourself a copy.

Hope this was helpful!