BY THE TIME YOU READ THIS, I’LL BE DEAD BY JULIE ANNE PETERS: BOOK REVIEW

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4 star rating
By the Time You Read This, I’ll be Dead
By Julie Anne Peters
ISBN #: 9781423116189
Author’s Website:http://www.julieannepeters.com

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Valerie

 by-the-time-you-read-this-ill-be-deadSynopsis:

Daelyn Rice is broken beyond repair, and after a string of botched suicide attempts, she’s determined to get her death right. She starts visiting a website for “completers”— www. through-the-light.com.

While she’s on the site, Daelyn blogs about her life, uncovering a history of bullying that goes back to kindergarten. When she’s not on the Web, Daelyn’s at her private school, where she’s known as the freak who doesn’t talk.

Then, a boy named Santana begins to sit with her after school while she’s waiting to for her parents to pick her up. Even though she’s made it clear that she wants to be left alone, Santana won’t give up. And it’s too late for Daelyn to be letting people into her life…isn’t it?

National Book Award finalist Julie Anne Peters shines a light on how bullying can push young people to the very edge. (Goodreads)

Review:

I don’t know I decided to read this book. It just happened. But I’m glad it did. Yeah, I know this sounds like every cliché review, but it’s true. I’m a spontaneous girl at heart, so I almost never justify why I do things.

I usually never pick up books like these. By that, I mean I don’t like reading books about suicide, no matter how they’re rated. It took me a good two years to read Thirteen Reasons Why and even longer to read this book. (I hate actually writing out the title; it’s just too long!) I often feel like they’re not real in the way that the characters feel forced or fake. I don’t like the feelings these books give me.

But this was different. It’s engrossing, hilarious, heartbreaking, sweet and gloriously  perfect. It’s a whirlwind of emotions, thoughts, stories, lives. It’s a cute, serious read in about 200 pages, a serious sucker puncher. I love it.

I read it past my bedtime, when my contacts were drying out and dying, but I didn’t care. All I cared about was the book about a girl with emotional problems and a boy with his own secret. I was so interested that I didn’t want to sleep!

I don’t want to say anything else. This is a book that you’ll either like or hate, but definitely choose to like it!

After note: I just realized the author also wrote Define Normal, one of my favorite books of 2010!