Teen Book Review- Before I Die by Jenny Downham

Not a book you have to read before you die...

If you want a book that inspires you to gauge your eyes out in horror and disgust, this is the book for you.

Before I Die was written by Jenny Downham. The book’s premise is centered on a teenage girl who is terminally ill with what can be assumed to be a cancerous disease of some nature. This girl decides that, before she dies, she wants to do all the things she has never done. Her sidekick is her best friend, who keeps encouraging the main character to complete the goals on the list.

I disliked this book because it was just so depressing. My first thought, after the first chapter, was that this book wasn’t sad or dark…just annoying. Yes, she is terminally ill. We know. We get it. Then, after a while, she starts to say that she doesn’t want to complete the list anymore but forces her friend to make her continue. Why?

I couldn’t figure out the setting. First, I thought they were in America, then I thought they were in England. Finally, I stopped caring. If you read this book, you’ll be inclined to burn it and if you want to read it, then you’re just crazy.

-Reviewed by Larissa-Helen