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shailydc's review
3.0
I liked that Libby made decisions and went with them throughout the book, it was refreshing. But the story is not that good. I thought Libby was so unnecessarily mean and harsh to Tom after he shared something difficult and personal; an ounce of sympathy would have been the least she could offer. The ending was very predictable. Not the greatest book but I wanted something easy and light - it delivered that much.
dovesfalling's review against another edition
3.0
Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. I appreciate it!
This is a very likable book, but very predictable, all at the same time. It’s How Stella Got Her Groove Back meets Love Story. A woman is dying of cancer, so she flees to the sunny shores of the Caribbean. There, she meets a sexy local and falls in love. Will she go home and face the music? Will she seek treatment? Does she even want to?
You know the drill.
However, I will say that Life and Other Near-Death Experiences will suck you in. It’s an enjoyable and often emotional read, if a tad rushed and perfunctory in some bits. Libby, the heroine, is frustratingly stubborn, refusing to entertain the idea of fighting the cancer, for fear of opening up memories about her mother, who died when she was very young.
Through her journey, we meet her twin brother Paul (the best of the bunch), her lover Shiloh, her boss Jackie, and her “friend” Jess. These characters are all caricatures in their own ways (supportive gay brother, sexy guy on vacation, psycho bitch boss, unreliable friend…) Her ex-husband Tom is insufferable, and I wanted to stab him with a fork. I guess I’m not alone in that.
Libby’s time in Puerto Rico is lovely, and I felt like I dearly wanted to be there too, learning Spanish and drinking my face off. I understood why she wanted to escape, and what it cost her to return to the darkness of her former life.
Flaws aside, toward the end, I started to really root for Libby. I wanted her to be okay. Though I felt the epilogue summed everything up in a way that felt very pat, still… I was rooting for Libby, and it was good to get the details on what happened to her… she felt worthwhile. If anything, that was my take away from this book – Camille Pagán made Libby’s plight worth noticing and caring about. That’s talent.
This is a very likable book, but very predictable, all at the same time. It’s How Stella Got Her Groove Back meets Love Story. A woman is dying of cancer, so she flees to the sunny shores of the Caribbean. There, she meets a sexy local and falls in love. Will she go home and face the music? Will she seek treatment? Does she even want to?
You know the drill.
However, I will say that Life and Other Near-Death Experiences will suck you in. It’s an enjoyable and often emotional read, if a tad rushed and perfunctory in some bits. Libby, the heroine, is frustratingly stubborn, refusing to entertain the idea of fighting the cancer, for fear of opening up memories about her mother, who died when she was very young.
Through her journey, we meet her twin brother Paul (the best of the bunch), her lover Shiloh, her boss Jackie, and her “friend” Jess. These characters are all caricatures in their own ways (supportive gay brother, sexy guy on vacation, psycho bitch boss, unreliable friend…) Her ex-husband Tom is insufferable, and I wanted to stab him with a fork. I guess I’m not alone in that.
Libby’s time in Puerto Rico is lovely, and I felt like I dearly wanted to be there too, learning Spanish and drinking my face off. I understood why she wanted to escape, and what it cost her to return to the darkness of her former life.
Flaws aside, toward the end, I started to really root for Libby. I wanted her to be okay. Though I felt the epilogue summed everything up in a way that felt very pat, still… I was rooting for Libby, and it was good to get the details on what happened to her… she felt worthwhile. If anything, that was my take away from this book – Camille Pagán made Libby’s plight worth noticing and caring about. That’s talent.
mcmomma's review against another edition
I read this in a day. I could not put if down. This hit me a bit hard, as do most books with a cancer storyline, however; to me the characters reacted in real ways regarding the circumstances handed to them. Grab some tissues.
emdizzle91's review
5.0
Fufilling
I actually really liked this book. I really felt like I was in the story with the main characters. I have a feeling though some people might find it predictable.
I actually really liked this book. I really felt like I was in the story with the main characters. I have a feeling though some people might find it predictable.
kellykdub's review against another edition
4.0
I want to give 4.5 stars. Enjoyed this story but wish the epilogue was put into a longer last chapter.
elisabeth7291's review against another edition
4.0
A 3.5 if I were allowed. This is a solid & quick chick-lit read. Nothing over-the-top, but enjoyable. Would make a great beach read.
kaylabrown20's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. A woman finds out she has cancer on the same day her husband tells her she is gay. She runs away to Puerto Rico thinking she is not going to pursue treatment without telling anyone she has cancer. She ends up falling in love with a man while she’s down there who convinces her to get treatment. She eventually goes back to Chicago to sell her apartment then NY to live with her brother while she gets treatment. Book ends with her having twins and still getting cancer treatment. It was a palette cleanser before reading another thriller, but felt a bit cheesy, unpredictable. Also wanted to shake the main character and say what the heck are you thinking on more than one occasion.
jlkelley92's review against another edition
3.0
The plot seemed interesting enough but to me the story fell flat. I got bored at times and thought about giving the book up halfway through but my OCD wouldn't allow it. I finished it but it will be a story I will forget as quickly as I read it. Would not recommend.
medievalwitch's review against another edition
2.0
(Audiobook) A short, almost fun read. Almost because the main character was a selfish, immature and reactionary thirty five year old wreck of a lifetime movie wannabe. She finds out her husband is gay the same day she finds out she has a virulent cancer, which is understandably stressful. Any sympathy I had for her however, was thrown out the minute she blurts something along the lines of "you always do this Tom! You always have to upstage me!" Stabs him with a fork and blames him for just now realizing he was gay as though it was a choice. Not to mention that she never and I mean NEVER in the course of the story actually tells him she has cancer. She refuses to talk like an adult to him and instead shuts him out of her life and begins to sell their condo and then runs off to Puerto Rico in order to basically reenact one of her favorite movies. The part of the book taking place in Puerto Rico was fun if you can look past her immaturity, her outbursts and her kind of selfish attitude where she locks her family, friends and soon to be ex out of her life for a while.
Another thing that bothered me, was how put off she was by his realizing he was gay when she has no problem with her happily married gay twin. It was a little gross.
Audiobook was good though, story was just disappointing.
Another thing that bothered me, was how put off she was by his realizing he was gay when she has no problem with her happily married gay twin. It was a little gross.
Audiobook was good though, story was just disappointing.