"An evocative and compelling story of two sisters who would do anything for each other—perfect for fans of Thirteen Reasons Why and Speak. Joy Preble's stirring new novel explores the lengths to which sisters go to protect each other, and the winding road that brings two strangers into each other's lives.
Sisters Leo and Paris Hollings have only ever had each other to rely on. They can't trust their mother, who hops from city to city and from guy to guy, or their gambler stepfather, who's moved them all to Las Vegas. It's just the two of them: Paris, who's always been the dreamer, and Leo, who has a real future in mind—going to Stanford, becoming a doctor, falling in love. But Leo isn't going anywhere right now, except driving around Vegas all night with her sister.
Until Paris ditches Leo at the Heartbreak Hotel Diner, where moments before they had been talking with physics student Max Sullivan. Outside, Leo finds a cryptic note from Paris—a clue. Is it some kind of game? Where is Paris, and why has she disappeared? When Leo reluctantly accepts Max's offer of help, the two find themselves following a string of clues through Vegas and beyond. But the search for the truth is not a straight line. And neither is the path to secrets Leo and Max hold inside."
“I found out two things today. One, I think I’m dying. And two, my brother is a perv.”
So begins the diary of 14-year-old Jenna Samuels, who is having a very bad eighth-grade year. Her single mother spends all day in bed. Dad vanished when she was eight. Her 16-year-old brother, Casey, tries to hold together what’s left of the family by working two after-school jobs— difficult, as he’s stoned all the time. To make matters worse, Jenna is sick. When she collapses one day, Casey tries to race her to the hospital in their beat-up Prius and crashes instead.
Jenna wakes up in the ER to find Casey beside her. Beatified. Literally. The flab and zits? Gone. Before long, Jenna figures out that Casey didn’t survive the accident at all. He’s an “A-word.” (She can’t bring herself to utter the truth.) Soon they discover that Jenna isn’t just dying: she’s being poisoned. And Casey has been sent back to help solve the mystery that not only holds the key to her survival, but also to their mother’s mysterious depression and father’s disappearance."
And I'm lying some more. It's yet another book with angels, this time Casey is the angel with wings but no halo.
The Sweet Dead Life may raise some eyebrows because of this question: Who wants to kill Jenna Samuels? And why? She's only a young girl, with a father who has abandoned her and a mother who can't remember anything. She looks like a normal girl from a sad, yet also tragically normal family. But she's being poisoned by a snake's venom. It's definitely not the works of Voldemort's snake.
After a car accident, Casey dies and becomes holy like an angel. (Even though he doesn't have the characteristics of an angel). It turns out he's Jenna's guardian a-word. (BTW, the next book's title is The A-Word, according to recent news. Definitely referring to Jenna's way of calling angels, angels. She hates saying angels, but instead calls them "a-word" or by their names).
The mystery behind the The Sweet Dead Life nearly cause me to hit the roof. I was like, really? Did that...? It turns out that the mystery isn't as impressive as what you'll think. And Voldemort is not, in any way, involved with the poisoning of Jenna. (Sorry about the Voldemort and his snake references. I've been rereading Harry Potter lately.) There's three things (I think and I hope I name them correctly) that motivates the villain: fear, desperation, and sadness. Readers who already read The Sweet Dead Life, I ask you this question: did I get them all?
The Sweet Dead Life is an above average book, but not too flashy or anything. I was like (beginning expression) eh, (middle of the book feeling) okay, and (end of the book feeling) what in the world!?! To me, this book was pretty dramatic, when you look at the growth of my feelings and thoughts.
And the ending. Let's not go there, because I'm pretty sure that I will talking (and repeating) about how the book didn't make an ending with huge drama.
Rating: Three out of Five
