Author: Kasie West
Publisher: HarperTeen
Rating: 3/5 Stars
Hardcover, 384 Pages
Published December 2017
Rating: 3/5 Stars
Hardcover, 384 Pages
Published December 2017
Summary: Seventeen-year-old Abby Turner’s summer isn’t going the way she’d planned. She has a not-so-secret but definitely unrequited crush on her best friend, Cooper. She hasn’t been able to manage her mother’s growing issues with anxiety. And now she’s been rejected from an art show because her work “has no heart.” So when she gets another opportunity to show her paintings Abby isn’t going to take any chances. Which is where the list comes in. Abby gives herself one month to do ten things, ranging from face a fear (#3) to learn a stranger’s story (#5) to fall in love (#8). She knows that if she can complete the list she’ll become the kind of artist she’s always dreamed of being. But as the deadline approaches, Abby realizes that getting through the list isn’t as straightforward as it seems… and that maybe—just maybe—she can’t change her art if she isn’t first willing to change herself.
I received a copy of this book for my birthday earlier this year, and I finally got around to reading it, which I was excited about because I'm a big fan of Kasie West and her books. So I took this book with me on vacation recently and read it by the pool, and let me tell you, that environment was the perfect vibe for this book! So without further ado, let's get into my review.
The idea of the list and all of the fun adventures was so cute and adorable. I seriously loved it so much that it made me want to create my own "bucket list" of sorts -- more like fun things that I want to accomplish next summer! That would definitely be a fun idea that I could get my boyfriend and some of my other friends on board with!
Another thing that I really enjoyed about this book was the banter between Abby and her grandpa. They were super hilarious, and their conversations had me laughing so hard that my stomach almost hurt, and I had to share some of those jokes with my boyfriend. Seeing that dynamic made me smile and it added an extra element to this book that I really loved.
Something else that I really enjoyed about this book was how it also dealt with mental illness -- Abby's mom was agoraphobic. I have some family members of my own that have experienced that, and it's something real, and definitely pretty tough and scary. So seeing it happen to Abby's mother and seeing the struggle with her trying to get out of the house and supporting her daughter, but also the frustration and pain and panic that comes along with such a hard struggle, really added a serious and super important layer to this book.
The only thing that I wasn't super keen about with this book was the fact that, at times, I felt like things were a little too rushed or forced, which made me feel a little bummed because I wanted to lose myself in this story. Which was hard to do when it felt a little too rushed. But other than that, I enjoyed this book and it was a happy, feel-good book that I read cover to cover in a little less than two days, because I kept wanting to know what would happen next!
Overall, I enjoyed Love, Life, and the List. While it wasn't my favorite book around, it was still a heartwarming story that I enjoyed reading and managed to finish fairly quickly because I couldn't put it down at times, always wanting to know what happened next. If you're looking for another quick, adorable read, then this is definitely the book for you!
The idea of the list and all of the fun adventures was so cute and adorable. I seriously loved it so much that it made me want to create my own "bucket list" of sorts -- more like fun things that I want to accomplish next summer! That would definitely be a fun idea that I could get my boyfriend and some of my other friends on board with!
Another thing that I really enjoyed about this book was the banter between Abby and her grandpa. They were super hilarious, and their conversations had me laughing so hard that my stomach almost hurt, and I had to share some of those jokes with my boyfriend. Seeing that dynamic made me smile and it added an extra element to this book that I really loved.
Something else that I really enjoyed about this book was how it also dealt with mental illness -- Abby's mom was agoraphobic. I have some family members of my own that have experienced that, and it's something real, and definitely pretty tough and scary. So seeing it happen to Abby's mother and seeing the struggle with her trying to get out of the house and supporting her daughter, but also the frustration and pain and panic that comes along with such a hard struggle, really added a serious and super important layer to this book.
The only thing that I wasn't super keen about with this book was the fact that, at times, I felt like things were a little too rushed or forced, which made me feel a little bummed because I wanted to lose myself in this story. Which was hard to do when it felt a little too rushed. But other than that, I enjoyed this book and it was a happy, feel-good book that I read cover to cover in a little less than two days, because I kept wanting to know what would happen next!
Overall, I enjoyed Love, Life, and the List. While it wasn't my favorite book around, it was still a heartwarming story that I enjoyed reading and managed to finish fairly quickly because I couldn't put it down at times, always wanting to know what happened next. If you're looking for another quick, adorable read, then this is definitely the book for you!
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