Title:  Never Eighteen [indie bound] [amazon]
Author: Megan Bostic [website] [twitter] [facebook]
Genre:  Contemporary
Publisher: Graphia
Series: none
Format: eBook (ARC)
Source: Publisher (via Net Galley)
Reviewer: Michelle
Parental Advisory: death, acceptance
Teachable Moments: dealing with grief

“I’ve changed so much in the last year, physically, emotionally, mentally.  I may be smaller now, but my heart and mind are stronger.”

Summary (from the publisher):
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 the 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.

Opinion:
I love me a good road trip book and this is one that has a bit of an angle to it.  You see, it centers around a boy who is saying goodbye to the people he loves.  With his best friend (and long time crush) Kaylee behind the wheel he goes from house to house visiting friends and family to both get and provide closure.  It’s not a long distance run, mind you, it’s more of a sprint since Austin knows he only has a finite amount of time to work with.

Given the description of Never Eighteen it wasn’t a stretch to recognize that it was going to be emotionally charged and certainly Bostic delivered in that regard.  Filled with touching and poignant moments it showcased how a child who’s life is supposed to be just starting deals with the reality that he isn’t going to live the life he expected.  It was a touching book that not only spoke to Austin’s ability to deal with his circumstance but how to help those around him navigate them as well.

This is where it gets a little sketchy for me.  Well, not sketchy but just….somewhat unrealistic.  While the idea that he would visit with people and tie up loose ends before dying is totally believable much of what happened felt convenient.  I fully believe that people, when faced with death and dying, embrace a newfound respect for life I don’t know that it’s as easy as Bostic made it seem.  One visit from a dying boy and many people’s problems seemingly disappeared.  It was like he was a genie.  I would have found some of the circumstances far more plausible if they were a bit more messy.  If even one of those he visited had said, thanks for reaching out but I don’t know that it’s going to be all that helpful.

I also found it slightly odd that as sick as Austin was (he’s supposedly on death’s door) he had the ability to spend as much time as he did moving around and taking care of the people around him.  Even with the help of Kaylee I wasn’t all that convinced that this could really be something that would happen at this place and time in his illness’ progression.

Having said that, what made this book was the relationship between Austin and Kaylee.  This journey was as much about how they drew closer to each other as it was about his needing closure.  Best friends for a good long time Austin had always carried a torch for Kaylee.  Missed opportunities, relationships with others, and general trepidation kept them both from admitting how they both felt more for the other until there was only so much time left.  But over the course of Austin’s journey they finally found their groove and were able to come together to embrace the love they both clearly felt.  It was bittersweet and and touching part of the story that gave the end stronger impact.

Despite some of the plausibility issues I enjoyed this book a great deal.  I like emotional reads and Never Eighteen delivered that in spades.  Not only that but it made me think.  It’s the kind of book that encourages the reader to reflect on their own life.  To take stock of the good and the bad; to be sure to say the things unsaid and embrace life to it’s fullest.