Publisher: HMH
Author: A. J. Betts
Pages: 289
Publication date: September 2, 2014
"When I was little, I believed in Jesus and Santa, spontaneous combustion, and the Loch Ness Monster. Now I believe in science, statistics, and antibiotics."
So says seventeen-year-old Zac Meier during a long, grueling leukemia treatment in Perth, Australia. A long blast of Lady Gaga alerts him to the presence of Mia, the angry, not-at-all-stoic cancer patient in the room next door. Once released, the two near-strangers can't forget each other, even as they desperately try to resume normal lives. The story of their mysterious connection drives this unflinchingly tough, tender novel told in two voices.
To start off, it was so hard to pick a cover for this review! There are five different covers, which are all stunning, so it was a tough decision.
Seriously, they're all so pretty!
(most are international editions)
(I have this one)
When I first started Zac & Mia, I thought it would follow the normal cancer book routine. Which would mean the characters spent most of the book inside the hospital. Though I was happily proven wrong. I really loved how both Zac and Mia carried on with their lives outside the hospital. It gave the reader a chance to see what happens after treatment ends. The book was told in three parts, the first from Zac's point of view, which I loved. Once the book entered the middle section with both pints of view, I was not as into the story as I had hoped, but it quickly regained that 'pull' once the third part (Mia's point of view) had started.
I really loved Zac, he was so fun and witty! His whole family seemed to share parts of his personality which really brought a fun aspect to the story. He was such a sweetie! He was always so kind to Mia, which was a big deal, because Mia was a total jerk to him for most of the book. I don't know how on earth he put up with her, but I commend him for it! *bows* In the beginning of the book he was hilarious, but it quickly dwindled away as the book went on. That disappointed me but I feel like it was done in a gracious way, so you don't notice it right away.
Mia was certainly one to make an entrance! She blasted music like no other, and she seemed to think everything was 'all about Mia!' She was the type of character that you just love to hate and was quite the personality! Luckily toward the end of the book she got her attitude straightened out and I really started to love her. She definitely made her mark, and I won't forget her any time soon! I don't even know how to describe her, maybe an angry lion cub? (lol!)
I loved the way Zac and Mia got to know each other in the beginning of the book, the 'knock and tap' concept was so heartwarming and It was done in just the right way. Every knock form Zac seemed to say something different and calming. I was sucked into the story and just couldn't put it down! Since it was set in Australia, I loved the terms A. J. Betts used, it was so fun! The book had such smooth transitions between parts and I really thought I knew the ending, until I didn't... Over all I really liked the book! I loved all of Zac's 'googled' statistics. They followed through the book and really made it unique. It is definitely something for older teens because of selective topics and strong language, but it's nothing I wouldn't recommend to everyone!
Cupcake rating:
*All opinions are my own and do not apply to others, I am open to all opinions*
As always, leave comments about what you thought of the book, this review, or what YOU thing I should review next!
Much love,
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