Review: If I Make It by Amelia Faith

Title: If I Make It
Author: Amelia Faith
Rating: ★★★ (3/5 Stars)
Paperback, 248 Pages
Published May 2014

Summary: It's the dream that keeps 17 year old Landyn King going, even on the hardest days. Since she was five years old, she's dedicated herself to the world of theatre; determined to make it in the big leagues. It's all she eats, sleeps, and breathes, and as soon as she turns 18, she's escaping her small town and moving out to the city to follow her dream. But all of that changed in one single instant. Even though, despite medical odds, she has been combating a rare form of Ridley's Disease since she was seven, a new tumor found on her brain gives Landyn approximately one year to live. She has one year to make it on Broadway and to achieve the dream that she has desperately wanted for almost her entire life. Determined not to take any charity, she decides not to tell anyone about her disease. She is committed it making it the old-fashioned, pounding the pavement way. The question stands however: will she make it before her time is up?

I've been a fan of Amelia Faith since she wrote When Everyone Thinks You're Gone on Miss Literati, and then proceeded to get it published. Without her help, I wouldn't have been able to publish my debut novel, Switch. So when I say I owe a lot to Faith, I mean it. In more ways than one.

So, needless to say, when Amelia emailed us with an ARC copy of If I Make It, I jumped on the offer like an excited little schoolgirl. I was so excited to see what her third novel had in store. (Third novel, before she's even eighteen years old. Phenomenal.) As the summary states, this book is about a young girl, Landyn King, who has big dreams of being a star on Broadway--dreams that are nearly shattered when she finds out that the disease that she'd been battling for ten years was giving her one more year to live.

I loved following Landyn's journey throughout this book, and Faith's writing style is gripping and impeccable as always. Of course, I totally loved the little bit of romance sprinkled throughout the book, as well as the gripping plot twists as I watched Landyn struggle to work hard, nail auditions, and accomplish her dreams. (None of which come easy at first, might I add.)

Another thing about this book that I really enjoyed was how Landyn didn't use her sickness as a way of getting what she wanted. We all know that if the story did take that path, with Landyn explaining her situation to everyone she auditioned for, she would get cast because of pity and there would have been no satisfying feelings of seeing her work hard to make sure her dream came true, the same way it would have been if she hadn't had her disease in the first place.

I finished this book in less than 24 hours, not because it was a quick read, but because I just couldn't get enough. I always wanted to read more. Amelia Faith just has a magical talent when it comes to catching your interest with such a gripping story. All in all, I was satisfied with this read. Another great job done by another great author!

So, that's all I have to say today! Check back soon for more reviews and BookCon giveaways--and be on the lookout for some ARC giveaways coming soon!