It is a novel written by Jenny Downham.
The book is about a British teenager named Tessa, who is sixteen or seventeen, and dying of terminal leukemia. She only has months left to live.
Though she has come to terms with this, and is never panicky or hysterical, she just isn't ready to die yet. There are so many things she wants to try and do and experience before the cancer kills her, and this book chronicles her attempts to do a life time's worth of living in only under a year.
The list that she comes up with - the list consisting of things that make her feel ALIVE while her body fails beneath her - is gradually crossed out throughout the book with the help of her best friend Zoe, a wild college student. It consists of minor things, such as saying yes to everything and everyone for a day and learning to drive a car. It also consists of major things, including doing drugs, becoming famous and sex. Although along the way, the girls encounter many hindrances, Tessa keeps living to her fullest, no matter what. Then she meets Adam, the mystery garden boy who lives next door...
[I'm not going to ruin any more of the story, so read it to find out yourself :)]
The book is beautifully written, and brings about a number of emotions. What I especially like about this book is its the fact that despite her cancer, Tessa never gives up living like some people would do. The book shows all of the courage and hope that a person can hold. Also, the characters are well established (Tessa's father particularly) and this makes the story realistic and believable. It's interesting to learn about the relationships between the characters - we'd imagine that most kids would turn to their parents in a situation like this, however Tessa has a slight resentment towards her father - she thinks he's holding her back and being too overprotective. The ending is maudlin, sentimental and predictable from the very beginning, yet it never gives the thrill of the book away.
Overall, I highly recommend it :) Very worth reading. 8/10
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