Jenny Downham

I think books about the issue of rape and consent are very important. But there are better books out there.

This book was way too long. I hated the main characters. The romance was pretty meh. There was very little to like.

Try The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis or Almost by Anne Eliot instead.… (more)

FROM AMAZON: Tessa has just months to live. Fighting back against hospital visits, endless tests, drugs with excruciating side-effects, Tessa compiles a list. It's her To Do Before I Die list. And number one is sex. Released from the constraints of "normal" life, Tessa tastes new experiences to make her feel alive while her failing body struggles to keep up. Tessa's feelings, her relationships with her father and brother, her estranged mother, her best friend, and her new boyfriend, all are painfully crystallized in the precious weeks before Tessa's time finally runs out.… (more)

I listened to this book on audiobook several years ago and remembered it as being very touching and thoughtful. Rereading it did not disappoint.

I adore Tessa. I adore her so much. Her ferocity is absolutely fantastic. She's going to die and she knows it, so why should she waste her time on things like laws or social conventions?

The first thing on her list is sex, and that scene was so poignant. The emotions Tessa has and the way she feels is realistic and so accurate of first time sex that I think a lot of people could find that very touching. Another scene that I adored was the scene in which she does drugs, which I found amusingly accurate.

Cal, Tessa's little brother, is my favourite character. He's hilarious, but sweet at the same time and I just wanted to pick him up and give him a hug. He's aware that Tessa's dying, but also that she gets all the attention, which isn't at all fair.

I loved the manner in which the list was revealed--instead of getting it all up front, we had to wait a bit and see them happen. I also loved that the ending came when it did and not when we wanted it to, making it realistic for me.

Really, this is about the life of a teenage girl, not about death. Death just forces her to live a little faster.

This is a pretty easy read, but may make you cry. I love the poignancy of this book and am glad I reread it.… (more)

This well-crafted book shed a new perspective on sexual assault and the burdens that follow.

Mikey's sister, Karyn, is claiming she was raped by Ellie's brother, Tom. However, she was completely wasted that night and everyone knows she had been harboring a crush on him, making this an extremely sticky situation where Ellie is the only witness.

Ellie and Mikey are from different sides of town. Ellie's family is successful and wealthy, while Mikey is struggling to prove to child protective services that he and his alcoholic mother can take adequate care of his two sisters.

It took me a few days to get through this book as I kept putting it down for others, but despite this I did enjoy this book.


I absolutely adore and admire them both. They're loyal and passionate and both very smart, and put together, they have a really fun and flirty dynamic that follows. They both care so much about their incredibly different families, which really shines through.

Dealing with sexual assault in literature is something that can go terribly wrong, but Downham succeeded immensely. While she by no means skirted the topic, it was more an undercurrent, the foundation on which the book was built, than the star. Ellie and Mikey's interactions took that role. Maybe because of that this book isn't as deep as it potentially could be, but I admired how well Downham showed the effects and consequences of perceived sexual assault without making it at all patronizing.

This book ended on a beautiful note and though I wish I knew what happened after, there couldn't have been a better moment.

About trust, loyalty, and love, this book was very powerful.… (more)