Before I Die by Jenny Downham

Tessa is 16 years old and she is dying. She has made a list of things she wants to do before she dies. This is not your average list of course.... some of the things on her list include having sex (for the first time), doing drugs, saying "yes" for a whole day, even breaking the law. All of Tessa’s feelings, her relationships with her family and best friend are painfully brought to closure the precious weeks before Tessa’s time finally runs out.

This is not your conventional novel about a young girl dying. It had some very strong emotions and I felt it really captured the way any person would feel if they had a limited time to live. Tessa had mood swings ranging anywhere between mad, happy, sad. There were times where she hated herself and times where she hated everyone around her. She was hateful at times, but at the same time, I felt this was credible. I can really envision feeling this way being placed in her shoes. Ms. Downham is a very talented writer. She has created a character that you will grow to love and will miss terribly as she slowly fades away. The ending was perhaps the most powerful part of the whole book, the specific way it was written brought tears to my eyes. Although this novel is aimed at young adults, I would also recommend to adults. It is sad, it is poignant, it will linger with you long after you are done with it.