Side Effects May Vary

I felt rather meh about this book. I was somewhat invested in uncovering the specifics of the various tasks on Alice’s bucket list but ultimately did not like the character. While I understand that a 16-year-old girl battling cancer, expecting to die and suddenly going into remission, would be experiencing many complicated emotions, I found her to be unlikeable. Usually, I like unlikeable characters; I think it’s what makes them more realistic, but this time I couldn’t get behind her. I suspect it had to do with her blatant recognition of how poorly she treated Harvey, how deliberate she was in ensuring she always gave him a sliver of hope and toyed with his emotions. I was surprised when the author’s name clicked in place for me, and I realized she also wrote “Dumplin’,” which I enjoyed much more. So, it still gets three stars because I felt engaged in the story, though that engagement wained in the final chapters.