SYNOPSIS:
If your life was going to end tomorrow, what would you do today?
When she learns she has just three months to live Jennifer Cole decides to write 3 letters: one to her overbearing, selfish sister, another to her jelly-spined, cheating ex-husband, and the third to her charming, unreliable ex-boyfriend, each one saying everything she’s always wanted to say.
Fearing the worst, Jennifer finds this unburdening feels great. But then as she’ll soon discover, the truth has a way of surprising you ...
My Thoughts:
This was such a thought-provoking book. What would you do if you only had 3 months to live? With the support of her best friend, Jennifer writes letters to those who have let her down in the past and who she would like to reconnect with or tell a few home truths to. She also buys a calendar to count down her final few months.
I loved hearing about her acts of recklessness and how liberated she felt by telling people what she truly thought of them, how free she felt in the lead-up to her final months. I found it interesting to see how the people around her changed as well, they all embraced the notion of a second chance at making amends and putting the past behind them. However, I did question their integrity as they had the knowledge that they would only have to keep up their pretence for a short while.
Although the subject matter was morbid and quite intense it didn't feel sad. Yes there was an element of sadness surrounding terminal illness but the author added humour to her writing and gave it an air of lightness to prevent it being too emotionally heavy and draining.
And then the book took on a dramatic turn, one which I was not at all anticipating. This gave the book a whole new dimension and allowed you to gain a deeper insight into the characters.
This novel was actually very uplifting and champions female relationships. Jennifer's best friend Olivia is loyal, compassionate and extremely supportive. I absolutely adored her. I also liked the message portrayed by Jennifer when she said that sometimes the worst thing to happen to you can also be the best thing. It's not often that we have time in our busy lives to reflect and take stock, but by reading this book it actually allowed me to do just that. It's good to reflect on past situations and learn from previous mistakes but definitely not to dwell on them and as Jennifer found out normally your gut reaction is often right.
Many thanks to Midas Publications for inviting me to join the blog tour and Random House Transworld for a copy of the eBook.
AUTHOR:
Melanie Cantor worked for many years in PR and as a celebrity talent agent, and has dabbled in interior renovations, which led to her hosting a UK TV series where she tidied up people’s messy houses.
She has since concentrated on writing; Life and Other Happy Endings is her first published novel. She has two grown up sons, a dog and lives in London.
Don't forget to look out for the other bloggers' reviews during the blog tour.
