Cover of the Week (22)

Cover of the Week is a weekly feature at The Hiding Spot, in which I share a cover that gives me that swoony feeling.

You Against Me by Jenny Downham
David Fickling Books/12.2.2010
Description (from Amazon):
If someone hurts your sister and you're any kind of man, you seek revenge, right? If your brother's been accused of a terrible crime and you're the main witness, then you banish all doubt and defend him. Isn't that what families do? When Mikey's sister claims a boy assaulted her at a party, his world of work and girls begins to fall apart. When Ellie's brother is charged with the crime, but says he didn't do it, her world of revision, exams and fitting in at a new school begins to unravel. When Mikey and Ellie meet, two worlds collide. Brave and unflinching, this is a novel of extraordinary skillfulness and almost unbearable tension. It's a book about loyalty and the choices that come with it. But above all it's a book about love - for one's family and for another.

I'm really liking the image on the cover of YOU AGAINST ME, but my favorite aspect is the lines of text across the bottom. I haven't seen that done many times before and there is something beautiful about it... that small snapshot into the novel. The one aspect that I don't like is the little bubble mentioning BEFORE I DIE. I understand why it's there, but I feel like it takes from overall effect of the cover.


And can I just say that I am unable to express how much I'm longing for this novel. BEFORE I DIE caused me to sob uncontrollably and I feel like I've been waiting forever for Downham's next novel. Now that I have a description and cover, I feel like I can finally allow myself to imagine walking into the bookstore and taking it home with me where it will live happily on my bookshelf. There is "unbearable tension" in this book. UNBEARABLE. I think you all know how I feel about tension. Especially when it's unbearable.

Review: Before I Die by Jenny Downham

Title: Before I Die
Author: Jenny Downham
Publisher: Random House
Date published: 2007
Type of book: Young Adult
Common Themes: Death, Living, Family, Love, Regret
Pages: 327

Ideas expressed/message/plot: From inside cover: “IT’S REALLY GOING TO HAPPEN. THEY SAID IT WOULD, BUT THIS QUICKER THAN ANYONE THOUGHT.
Everyone has to die. We all know it. With only a few months of life left, sixteen-year-old Tessa knows it better than most. She’s made a list, though – ten things she wants to do before she dies. Number one is sex. Starting tonight.
But getting what you want isn’t easy. And getting what you want doesn’t always give you what you need. And sometimes the most unexpected things become important.”

I was hesitant to read this book at first because, to be completely honest, I'm a crier. I knew when I started this book, that when I got to the end, I would sob my eyes out. And I already had a horrid cold, in the summer, when it was 90 degrees out. Ick. But I put my own personal comfort aside to read this book - and I'm glad I did. Even if I couldn't breathe out of my nose for hours.

Tessa is dying, and she doesn't have much time left, but she is determined to finish the ten things on her list before she does. Sex is the first, but it isn't the life changing act that one would think it is - its the smaller things, and ultimately, the things that aren't on Tessa's list that end up being the most important.

Ratings (Out of 10):
Plot: 10
Characters: 10
Writing Style: 10
Romance: 10
Memorable: 10
Total: 50/50 (A)

This book really changed the way I see to-do lists, that's for sure. It was deep and touching - and so so horribly sad - but it was so so good. Good seems like such a bland term, but that is the best way I can describe it. Like when you meet a "good" person, they fill you with such light and hope - that's what Before I Die is like. Read this book - in fact, buy it and loan it out to others. Everyone should read it once.