The F-It List: Review

Title: The F-It List
Author: Julie Halpern
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Source: ARC from NetGalley (Also, a purchased copy)
Release Date: November 12, 2013
Challenge: SARC

Summary

Alex and Becca have always been best friends. But when Becca does something nearly unforgivable at Alex’s dad’s funeral, Alex cuts ties with her and focuses on her grieving family.

Time passes, and Alex finally decides to forgive Becca. Then she’s hit with another shocker: Becca has cancer. It also turns out Becca has a bucket list, one she doesn’t know she’ll be able to finish now. That’s where Alex comes in, along with a mysterious and guarded boy who just may help Alex check a few items off her own bucket list.

Julie Halpern writes about illness, loss, love, and friendship with candor and compassion. Here is an unforgettable book about living fully, living authentically, and just . . . living.

Thoughts
The F-It List wasn't 100% exactly what I was expecting. With a title like The F-It List, you'd think I wouldn't be surprised by what was written. I am still a bit naive sometimes.

Overall, this was a good read. The second half, to me, was loads better than the first. I think it took my brain that long to adjust to language and sex. I'm out of touch with the teens, I reckon!

Our story revolved around our main character, Alex. Alex was grieving her dad (really, not grieving), her best friend's betrayal, her best friend's illness, and the boy she liked (but thought she didn't deserve the happiness).

After the girls spent the summer apart, they did reconcile. They've been best friends since elementary school! Her best friend, Becca, wanted to live vicariously through Alex with her bucket list while she was going through chemo. The chats and banter that these girls had, I enjoyed. They were raunchy sometimes, yet funny.

Leo is the distraction that Alex didn't plan on. She had noticed him and kind of crushed on him for a while, and then WHAM! They bumped into each other and they went with the flow. I actually really liked their relationship. Instead of clingy, lovey-dovey teenagers, they did teenager-y things; they watched movies, had a mutual love/hobby, and made-out.

Alex couldn't deal with being happy when others were miserable. She thought she had to be miserable as well. Essentially, this book was about Alex figuring out that it's okay to be happy and have good things happen even if others are having a rough go at life. She couldn't control her dad's death or her best friend's cancer and it took the whole book for her to get to the acceptance of that.

Rating