Reviewed by Meygan
Daisy loves her life, especially her husband, her
dog, and graduate school. Oh, and being cancer free. Developing breast cancer in
her early twenties was rough to say the least, but she is elated that she and
her husband celebrate an anniversary (referred to as “Cancerversary”) for Daisy
being cancer free. Everything seems to be falling into place for Daisy and
Jack—so much that they have started discussing the possibility of having
children. On the day before her third “Cancerversary”, Daisy goes to the doctor
for a checkup. Daisy is beyond devastated to hear that not only has her cancer
returned, but it is quickly progressing and spreading throughout her body. The
doctors have given Daisy about six months to live—a year if she is lucky. Living
in a house that needs to be remodeled, Daisy is constantly adding things to her
To-Do List: caulk the windows, fix the floor, etc, etc, etc. As Daisy lies in
bed one night next to Jack, she notices that there is yet again another pile of
his dirty socks beside the bed. She states that if it weren’t for her, the pile
could easily turn in to a mountain. Then that’s when it hits her—what will happen
to Jack after she dies? Sure, he is about to graduate and will soon be a veterinarian,
but he isn’t the best cook in the world and the house would never be cleaned if
it weren’t for Daisy. As much as it pains her to think about Jack moving on
after she dies, she knows that Jack must continue to live. So the next item she
adds to her To-Do List is to find Jack a new wife, someone who can help lift
his spirits whenever Daisy is no longer there to do so.
Let me say that there many moments where I laughed out
loud because Daisy is so funny and honest. The characters felt so “alive” that
I felt as if I knew them. Shockingly enough, I didn’t cry as much as I thought
I would base on the book’s description. Yes, there were sad moments, especially
when Daisy keeps reiterating that she will die and those parts were
excruciatingly sad However, I thought Oakley did a fine job with making the
book enjoyable, especially with such a serious topic. I highly recommend Before I Go and I hope to read more
books by Colleen Oakley in the near future!
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