Waiting on Wednesday: Side Effects May Vary

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases.

Side Effects May Vary

by Julie Murphy

Coming March 18, 2014

Balzer + Bray

Summary:

What if you’d been living your life as if you were dying—only to find out that you had your whole future ahead of you?

When sixteen-year-old Alice is diagnosed with leukemia, her prognosis is grim. To maximize the time she does have, she vows to spend her final months righting wrongs—however she sees fit. She convinces her friend Harvey, whom she knows has always had feelings for her, to help her with a crazy bucket list that’s as much about revenge (humiliating her ex-boyfriend and getting back at her arch nemesis) as it is about hope (doing something unexpectedly kind for a stranger and reliving some childhood memories). But just when Alice’s scores are settled, she goes into remission.

Now Alice is forced to face the consequences of all that she’s said and done, as well as her true feelings for Harvey. But has she done irreparable damage to the people around her, and to the one person who matters most?

Julie Murphy’s SIDE EFFECTS MAY VARY is a fearless and moving tour de force about love, life, and facing your own mortality.

Why I want it:

As many of you know, I absolutely love Jennifer Echols. When I met her at the TLA conference, she told me that SEMV by Julie Murphy was a must-read. Hours later, I was behind a woman in a signing line. She mentioned to the author signing that she was also an author. She pulled out a bookmark, and I interrupted her, saying, "I know who you are! Jennifer told me to read your book!" Since then, I've hung out with Julie at all our local events, and she's seriously the coolest. A lot of people around here have been lucky enough to snag early copies. I held a copy for about fifteen seconds one time. I thought I was going to cry when I had to give it up. So, basically, I want this because I love Julie, and I want to support her. Also because everybody keeps saying it's awesome.

Why I think you should want it:

I think it's safe to say it's one of the most hotly anticipated 2014 debuts, but it's also just one of the most hotly anticipated books of 2014 period. This is because everybody, and I mean EVERYBODY, is talking about SEMV, and the reason for that is the reviews of this book are out-of-control crazy good.I've done a really good job of avoiding spoilers so far, but I have a source who declares Harvey is one of the best ya guys ever. I've heard this book compared to The Fault in Our Stars several times, and not just because of the cancer plot. It really is just that good.

Bonus:
Because Julie is the best ever, she signed a whole bunch of SEMV bookmarks for me to give away. Open to US & Canada (I promise an INT giveaway coming soon!). Ends 12 AM CST December 4.

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