Review: My Life After Now by Jessica Verdi

Summary/Cover Image from Publisher's Website:

The last thing Lucy ever expected was to end up as another teen statistic.

Lucy had a plan: become a Broadway star, start a life with her leading man Ty, make her family proud. But in a matter of days, Lucy loses Ty, her starring role, and her parents drop a bomb she never saw coming.

Suddenly, it’s all too much—she wants out. Out of her house, out of her head, out of her life. She wants to be a new Lucy. So she does something the old Lucy would never dream of. And now her life will never be the same. What will she tell her friends? How will she face her family? Off script and without the comforts of her simple high school problems, Lucy must figure out how to live, and even embrace, her new life.

Now…every moment is a gift. Because now she might not have many moments left.

Review:

I've been looking forward to reading My Life After Now ever since I first heard about it. The topic of HIV/AIDS in YA is always such a tough subject, so to see that Jessica Verdi would be taking it on for My Life After Now was interesting as well as exciting. I was intrigued to see just how she would present it, and thankfully, it was done incredibly well, as My Life After Now isn't a preachy book. Instead, it shows the emotions associated when facing something life changing, and honestly, that made it one heck of a book.

Lucy is the average teenage girl. She has an amazing boyfriend, reliable and trustworthy friends, and a potential role that she knows she's destined to play. However, when everything starts to fall apart, she makes one rash decision, and that's where the story truly begins. I liked Lucy from the start. I liked how into plays and acting she was as well as how close she was to her parents and friends. However, the thing that made Lucy a truly standout character was the way Jessica presented her after the fateful night. She really managed to show the emotions from freight to hate one would most likely feel after the diagnosis Lucy hears. To see Lucy faced with HIV was absolutely horrifying and I felt so much for her, just as I'm sure any reader would. What I also enjoyed about Lucy's character was seeing how her friends and family helped her through her struggle. It added a lot to the book.

The plot in this was incredibly well done. Jessica did a great job of intertwining the subject of HIV/AIDS into the book without getting preachy. Instead, she focused on the emotions felt after the diagnosis as well as learning to live with it, and that made My Life After Now an incredibly fascinating read, in my opinion. I also enjoyed the addition of Lucy's acting. It added a lighter tone to the book at times.

In all, My Life After Now is an eyeopening book, one that I highly suggest to teens and adults alike. I simply can't wait to see what Verdi has planned for us next.

Grade: A

My Life After Now (Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Goodreads) is now out!

Source: Netgalley