Never Eighteen by Megan Bostic

Never Eighteen
Megan Bostic
Publisher: Graphia
Released: January 17, 2012
Genre: Contemporary
Pages: 204
Source: The Teen {Book} Scene

Austin Parker is on a journey to bring truth, beauty, and meaning to his life.

Austin Parker is never going to see his eighteenth birthday. At the rate he’s going, he probably won’t even see the end of the year. The doctors say his chances of surviving are slim to none even with treatment, so he’s decided it’s time to let go.

But before he goes, Austin wants to mend the broken fences in his life. So with the help of his best friend, Kaylee, Austin visits every person in his life who touched him in a special way. He journeys to places he’s loved and those he’s never seen. And what starts as a way to say goodbye turns into a personal journey that brings love, acceptance, and meaning to Austin’s life.

So I may be a bit biased when it comes to this story. Back in March, a friend of mine died from leukemia at the age of twenty-five. Now there were numerous people much closer to him who I'm sure felt his death as more of a blow than I did; however, Marshall's death really had a profound impact on me. As cliched as it is, we truly never know which day will be our last. But in honor of those already gone, we should live each day as if it were.

Austin may not know exactly how long he has left, but he knows it isn't long. And before he's gone, he feels like he has to make a difference - even if it's just a small one. He sets out to mend broken hearts and broken families, and he tries to experience a few more "firsts." He does all this over the course of one weekend with his best friend Kaylee by his side.

This book may have been a little predictable at times, and there were a few scenes with choppy dialogue that sort of took my out of the moment. But, this book is all about emotion, and let me just tell you: this book made me ugly cry. I'm talking get-up-and-blow-your-nose-mid-page-because-snot-is-dripping-down-your-face cry. The kind of wake-up-your-partner-in-the-middle-of-the-night-to-an-apparent-crisis cry. So regardless of a few technical issues, Megan Bostic evoked more emotion from me than an author has done in a very long time. And although I could do without the snot and the cranky fiancé, sometimes a girl needs to ugly cry.