Release Date: Jan 17th, 2012 by HMH Children's Books
Details: 204 pages, paperback
Genre: Young Adult > Contemporary
Source: NetGalley
Summary (Goodreads):
I had the dream again. The one where I’m running. I don’t know what from or where to, but I’m scared, terrified really.
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. But in the short time he has left there’s one thing he can do: He can try to help the people he loves live—even though he never will.
It’s probably hopeless.
But he has to try.
Austin will never see his 18th birthday.
That alone is a hard thing to swallow. I admire Austin for what he did through out the book, for having the COURAGE to do it all (I know it's something I wouldn't have the courage to do, even if I really wanted to) and to be okay with his situation. I mean, really okay. I couldn't imagine what 17 year old would be but it was nice to see a YA character who was positive instead of down and gloomy.
The thing I didn't like about this book was how choppy the events seemed. While we get a peak at some of the people who mean a lot of Austin we don't get much time to get to KNOW them (I guess this kind of enhances the urgency of his time left though... now that I think of it), making it hard to connect with them.
We don't get much time in between people visits to really get to know Austin or who he was like before the cancer. Just who he is now... someone who wants to desperately fix things.
While we do spend a great deal of time with Kaylee, we don't really know who she is either. Just that she had no problem driving Austin to all these random places. Which for some reason, rubbed me the wrong way.
Another thing I didn't like was his constant thoughts of kissing her. The whole time he was trying to find the right moment to tell her and the whole time she was trying to avoid it. I can understand both sides of the situation and how awful both sides are. But I can also appreciate that he didn't want to ruin a friendship with her no matter how much he was in love with her (because really, sometimes sacrificing a friendship for a relationship isn't worth it).
Never Eighteen was a quick read, and while it does make you think about the time we all have left here, it also makes you wish the book was a little more detailed.
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