“For the first time in my life, I didn’t feel envy…”
Tess is the exact opposite of her beautiful, athletic sister. And that’s okay. Kristina is the sporty one, Tess is the smart one, and they each have their place. Until Kristina is diagnosed with cancer. Suddenly Tess is the center of the popular crowd, everyone eager for updates. There are senior boys flirting with her. Yet the smiles of her picture-perfect family are cracking and her sister could be dying. Now Tess has to fill a new role: the strong one. Because if she doesn’t hold it together, who will?
Tess likes her life just the way everything is. She is not popular, doesn't wear flashy clothes, has never kissed a boy and the only person who seems to be close to her is her best friend Melissa that she can make fun of other people with. But it's okay because she got the brains and a wicked talent for art.
"People don't run up to me with their cameras and ask to take my picture with them. They run past me without seeing me and grab my sister and pose with her. Or they did."
Her sister is completely different from her. She's beautiful, social and has a bright future in sports. That is until she comes home from a doctor's appointment and announces that she has cancer that's eating her bones away. While trying to cope with the situation, the family is falling apart and Tess is the only one that seems to be the strong one in this and she hates it. She never asked to be popular or have everyone talk to her but she has to be there for her sister especially when she might lose her leg and never be the same anymore. A battle between friends, family, and cancer is raw with emotions and incredible writing.
"Well look at me!" She points at her missing limb. I glance around her room, searching for hints, for the right thing to say. "You're still you. And I don't want you to die. I love you Kristina"
I have cried so many times during this book. I never thought that this kind of story would touch me but it was breaking my heart the way Tess' family was falling apart. I felt so bad for Kristina, especially because she was trying to be strong. When she found out that she was going to lose her leg, she was devastated but her best friend Jeremy was there for her. But OMG!!!!! Taking an insane twist in the story, she loses everything that was giving her hope. This is specially the part of the book that made me cry. This definitely goes out to my All-Favorites and another author to follow. 5 Stars!!!
