How can you take the guy your best friend loves . . . when your best friend’s going to die?Alison Chapman has always believed she’d fall in love hard. And she does—with Sam Cody, a new guy with a gorgeous face and brooding eyes, a guy who’s impossible to resist. When Sam asks her to the Valentine’s Day dance, Alison is elated . . . until she finds out that her best friend, Isabella Cates-Lopez, has fallen for Sam, too . . . until she finds out that Isabella is dying. Now Alison wants Isabella’s last days to be her happiest ever—even if she and Sam have to hide their love. Even if, by sharing Sam, Alison risks losing him forever. ~from Goodreads
A tearjerker, yes. But well worth it. The book was originally published in 1995, re-released in 2002. It’s one of those books that is everlasting and any generation can relate to, like Judy Blume’s Forever…
The book opens with Alison and Sam meeting on a trail after he wrecks his motorcycle. She helps him. Then she finds out her best friend Isabella has brain cancer and only 6 months left to live. Then she find out that Sam likes her. And that she likes Sam. And that Izzy likes Sam too. So Alison decides to share. And as always, love complicates everything.
I really enjoyed this one. I remember reading it the first time, up into the wee hours of the night because I was so entranced by it. It definitely stays with you for days. The story is solidified by the emotions surrounding the true to life characters. It makes you think, really think, of how self-sacrificing you are. How much would you be willing to give up, knowing that it was possibly going to break your own heart in more ways than one.
I read this book 10 years ago when I was a teen and I adored it. It was so bittersweet and Izzy's last message to Alison brought a tear to my eye. Katherine Applegate was a great YA writer and if you can get a hold of any of her other books, I'd recommend them - she wrote teen romance with some depth, some humour and realistic characters.
ReplyDeleteYes! That last message was I believe the part that made the whole thing worth it. I've considered getting some of the other books she wrote. :)
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