Review: The Probability Of Miracles by Wendy Wunder

Title: The Probability Of Miracles
Author: Wendy Wunder
Source: Won ARC
Genre: Young Adult
Buy: Amazon ~*~ Barnes & Noble
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Caution: May contain spoilers

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Dry, sarcastic, sixteen-year-old Cam Cooper has spent the last seven years in and out hospitals. The last thing she wants to do in the short life she has left is move 1,500 miles away to Promise, Maine - a place known for the miraculous events that occur there. But it's undeniable that strange things happen in Promise: everlasting sunsets; purple dandelions; flamingoes in the frigid Atlantic; an elusive boy named Asher; and finally, a mysterious envelope containing a list of things for Cam to do before she dies. As Cam checks each item off the list, she finally learns to believe - in love, in herself, and even in miracles.

A debut novel from an immensely talented new writer, The Probability of Miracles crackles with wit, romance and humor and will leave readers laughing and crying with each turn of the page.

~synopsis from Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Going into this story, I was under the impression it was going to be an emotional roller coaster. And to some degree it was. There is a lot of life and death discussed and alluded to throughout. I think I may have been able to like this more if Cam wasn’t so frustrating to me.

I had mixed feelings about Cam. Most of the time I disliked her because her attitude irritated me. She wasn’t nice, constantly cynical, and made poor choices. I understand that she was facing cancer, and there was a higher chance of her dying rather than it going into remission, but she just had a way of thinking that made me want to scream sometimes. I’m not sure if it was the cancer that caused her personality to be the way it is, like this constant pessimism about life and having little remorse over doing stupid stuff. I suppose I can forgive it for that sake, but she still irritated me.

Her family was more hopeful about life, and the prospect of going to Promise, Maine in an attempt to have a miracle happen for Cam. Her mom and Perry, her sister, were sweet people. They don’t want to give up like Cam does. That’s why they travel so far to see what could happen. The town of Promise was intriguing and had a lot going for it, which made up a little for Cam’s unlikable traits. The stories and experiences they have upon arriving made me smile and gave me goose bumps, even though it was just a book.

Cam did grow up, albeit only a little in my opinion, so she redeemed herself by the end. And I have to admit, some of her sarcasm was amusing… just some though. It’s just hard for me to see someone unable to hope, just at least a little bit. If someone can’t chill out or be serious or at least hold on to a teeny bit of hope for a miracle, it just grates at me. I understand, seeing as I am more pessimist than optimist, but at some point you have to say, “I’m going to hope!” at least for a minute.

The Probability Of Miracles is a good book. While there were moments I wanted to sigh and roll my eyes, Wendy Wunder was able to give us a  journey from the beginning to end that was filled with a lot of hope. A message that miracles exist and you need to hope regardless of your circumstances. Cam may not have epitomized this, but she carried a little bit of it with her. All in all, I did enjoy this book in the end.

My Rating:

Pretty Good: Stay up until your bedtime