I don't want to give too much away, but the story is about two teens who are both cancer survivors. They meet at a support group and their story goes from there. The fact that there is cancer involved should tell you that there are going to be some rough patches. If you are a parent, you will cry when you read this book. If you aren't a parent, you might cry too or at least get a little misty eyed. While I didn't cry, there were some moments when my emotions were being tugged in several directions. My disclaimer is that since I work in pediatrics, it takes a lot for me to cry when I hear pediatric stories. I get too wrapped up in the medical. Fair warning though, the "tear-jerker" factor of this book is pretty high.
Speaking of emotions, I think I really enjoyed the book because of the emotional maturity of the main characters. Green doesn't write about teens who play the victim. They are very observant and astute. They read literature and have existential thoughts about it. Whenever I read a book that was written for a young audience and find that the characters are smartly portrayed, I breathe a sigh of relief. The girl isn't playing dumb and coy and the boy has more going for him than looks.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and think it deserved the wonderful reviews. I may have picked it up from the public library, but I think it's worthy of purchasing for my personal library.
