BOOK REVIEW never eighteen
Megan Bostic - @meganbostic
YA | Contemporary
FIRST LINE :: eARC :: I had the dream again. The one where I'm running.
SUMMARY :: from the author website
Austin Parker is never going to see his eighteenth birthday. At the rate he’s going, he probably won’t even see the end of the year. But in the short time he has left there’s one thing he can do: He can try to help the people he loves live—even though he never will.REVIEW ::
It’s probably hopeless.
But he has to try.
never eighteen hits the ground running – and right from the start, despite waking up from that recurring dream, Austin takes off to accomplish his to-do list of people to see, places to go, truths to voice that makes time feel even shorter and more precious to hold.
I got a little impatient with never eighteen since the reason for Austin’s to-do list does not become clear until the end. It gets a little obvious (and I suppose the summary does hint at it), but it is almost as if everyone was in denial and no one said it outright – including myself. I would have expected Austin to have mentioned it earlier on, especially since he was so bent on seeing everyone before he goes.
I can see how Austin desires closure for himself and everyone in his life, but it is hard to determine whether he makes an impact on everyone he visits. Some of the people seem pretty random – he knows them, but no longer that well, so his interest in their well-being – while compassionate – is taken with a grain of salt. Other people like his separated parents make more sense – and ends on a good note.
Well-written and thoughtful, never eighteen follows a teen who wants to make the most of his life and leave a lasting impression on people he values.
---DISCLAIMER :: NETGALLEY---RELEASED JANUARY 2012 BY GRAPHIA (HMH CHILDREN'S)
