Review: Before I Die

Title: Before I die

Author: Jenny Downham

Series: None

Release Date: July 5^th, 2007

Number of Pages: 327

Publisher: David Fickling Books

Source: Bought

Tessa has just months to live. Fighting back against hospital visits, endless tests, drugs with excruciating side-effects, Tessa compiles a list. It’s her To Do Before I Die list. And number one is Sex. Released from the constraints of ‘normal’ life, Tessa tastes new experiences to make her feel alive while her failing body struggles to keep up. Tessa’s feelings, her relationships with her father and brother, her estranged mother, her best friend, and her new boyfriend, all are painfully crystallised in the precious weeks before Tessa’s time finally runs out.

I honestly adore Jenny Downham. It was the second novel I read from her, and I simply couldn’t get enough.

The thing is, it isn’t the most beautifully written book I’ve ever read. It isn’t the most exciting story I ever read. It was simply pure emotions. It was the connection you could get with Tessa that really got me hooked. It is heartbreaking to follow Tessa has she lives her last weeks.

Yes, Tessa can sometime be a pain in the ass of her family that also has to live through the illness, but by following her you understand what she’s going through., the pain of not having a chance to live her life. She doesn’t have the same opportunities that those around her will have. It hurts her, which is why there are things she wants to do before she dies. Things like having sex, doing something illegal… She wants to be able to say she has lived, even though her life is ending way too early.

Zoey was a great friend for her. Even if she wasn’t always there when Tessa wanted her, she was there as much as she could. After all, Zoey also had a life, dreams and hopes. It hurts her to see her best friend like that. It can be easy to always be there for someone who’s dying, to always see her in that much pain.

One of the characters that I fell in love with in this book was Adam, both afraid to love and to lose in a way. He was such a strong character and a strong presence in Tessa’s life in the end. If I ever have to go through what Tessa went through, I do hope I can have someone half as strong as him by my side. He made her last week so much more memorable. I simply loved him.

I cannot praise Jenny Downham enough. She writes stories that not only captivated me, but hey also got me emotionally. It made me tear up. If you haven’t read anything by her, you should definitely. I absolutely adore her.