Saturday, March 30, 2013

18 Things by Jamie Ayres

Can eighteen things save a life?

Olga Gay Worontzoff thinks her biggest problems are an awful name (after her grandmothers of course) and not attending prom with Conner, her best friend and secret crush since kindergarten.

Then Conner is killed in a freak boating accident and Olga feels responsible. When she downs an entire bottle of pills to deal with the emotional pain, her parents force her into counseling. There, her therapist writes a prescription in the form of a life list titled 18 Things. Eighteen quests to complete the year of her eighteenth birthday.

All she has to do is fire-walk, try out for the cheerleading squad, break a world record, and err . . . go on her first date. Good thing Nate, a new hottie in town, enters her life with perfect timing. He brings the fun factor to her list and helps her discover the beauty and strength inside herself, then complicates things by falling in love with her.

But there's more to Olga’s quests than meets the eye and when her therapist reveals a terrifying secret, her world is shaken.

There’s only one thing she knows for certain: her choices won’t just affect her future, but all eternity.

4 Stars
I received a copy of 18 Things courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher.

18 things is the 5th or 6th book I've read from Curiosity Quills, and I have loved every one! As with all the books before it from this publisher, 18 Things is unique and original. Olga experiences her first broken heart, in the form of her best friend dying, and her being unable to save him. And before she gets to tell him that she loves him. Olga goes thru a year of ups and downs, with the saving grace coming in the form of Nate.

I just loved the characters in 18 Things! They were real, had a sense of humor, and I of course appreciated the Star Wars references. The grief Olga experienced after losing her best friend Connor broke my heart, but the idea of the list was a great way to help her heal, and I enjoyed the variety of ways that were on it. I guessed there was a twist at the end, but I was questioning my guess until the last chapter. Let me be clear tho, this book wasn't predictable! I saw there was possibly a sequel, and I'm really hoping that's the case!

~ Mandy


No comments:

Post a Comment