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A review by estelledivine
Side Effects May Vary by Julie Murphy
3.0
Ugh. I have awfully I lot of mixed feelings for this book. One second I would adore it and then the next I'd loathe it. So a 3 because even though there were so many scenes I really, really loved, there were also so many scenes where Alice is being such a prick.
I thought this book would be really good but for the first time this book did not exceed my expectations. The whole bucket list thing was not the highlight of the story, rather the feelings of Alice about life and Harvey were. It's not really about her cancer, either. It's more about what happens after she goes into remission (Now), with a little flashbacks (Then) along the way.
After being diagnosed with leukemia, Alice was ready to face death - until her remission, that is. Now that she has more time to live, she has to face the things she didn't want to face like Harvey, her best friend/the guy she likes but doesn't have the guts to say it because she knows she can't offer him anything. There's also the revenge she plans to do against her enemies now that she knows she has the time to live a bit longer. This book was more about the revenge and Alice's feelings - you know, those feelings where she hates everyone.
Alice and Harvey's relationship went like this:
Alice : I need you to do something for me.
Harvey : Anything for you.
Alice : *leans against Harvey*
Harvey : *sharp intake of breath*
Alice : *kisses another guy*
Harvey : *shocked*
Harvey : *kisses another girl*
Alice: I want to ruin her. But if I do, I'd ruin Harvey, too.
Harvey : Say you love me!
Alice : *silence (but in reality, "I love you but I can't give anything to you.")*
And the cycle repeats until the end of the book.
Alice is not nice. She's manipulative and a pain in the butt. Unfortunately I don't like girls like Alice even if that person is having difficulties in life. Then there's Harvey - that guy who endures all the crap Alice gives him, and he stills loves her. Harvey finally comes into his senses (that he can no longer let Alice manipulate his life) but obviously that's like, towards the end of the book. **Sighs** There were times when I found Harvey dreamy and cute, but really? He was so obsessed with Alice. He loved her, and Alice would not even say it back.
Just when it was starting to get good for me, it ends with " Alice stood, closing the gap between us, and whispered in my ear." Heck, I was disappointed. So yes, the ending was also a let down, going down hill.
The writing ...hmm.. Told in the point of views of Alice and Harvey, with "Then" and "Now" where "then" is before she went in remission. It was confusing for me, keeping up, that is due to the different timelines. But what I liked about the writing was that I could really feel (?) the voices of the different characters Alice and Harvey.
Conclusion: This book is frustrating. Damn frustrating. For the TFiOS fans, don't get your hopes up.
I thought this book would be really good but for the first time this book did not exceed my expectations. The whole bucket list thing was not the highlight of the story, rather the feelings of Alice about life and Harvey were. It's not really about her cancer, either. It's more about what happens after she goes into remission (Now), with a little flashbacks (Then) along the way.
After being diagnosed with leukemia, Alice was ready to face death - until her remission, that is. Now that she has more time to live, she has to face the things she didn't want to face like Harvey, her best friend/the guy she likes but doesn't have the guts to say it because she knows she can't offer him anything. There's also the revenge she plans to do against her enemies now that she knows she has the time to live a bit longer. This book was more about the revenge and Alice's feelings - you know, those feelings where she hates everyone.
Alice and Harvey's relationship went like this:
Alice : I need you to do something for me.
Harvey : Anything for you.
Alice : *leans against Harvey*
Harvey : *sharp intake of breath*
Alice : *kisses another guy*
Harvey : *shocked*
Harvey : *kisses another girl*
Alice: I want to ruin her. But if I do, I'd ruin Harvey, too.
Harvey : Say you love me!
Alice : *silence (but in reality, "I love you but I can't give anything to you.")*
And the cycle repeats until the end of the book.
Alice is not nice. She's manipulative and a pain in the butt. Unfortunately I don't like girls like Alice even if that person is having difficulties in life. Then there's Harvey - that guy who endures all the crap Alice gives him, and he stills loves her. Harvey finally comes into his senses (that he can no longer let Alice manipulate his life) but obviously that's like, towards the end of the book. **Sighs** There were times when I found Harvey dreamy and cute, but really? He was so obsessed with Alice. He loved her, and Alice would not even say it back.
Just when it was starting to get good for me, it ends with " Alice stood, closing the gap between us, and whispered in my ear." Heck, I was disappointed. So yes, the ending was also a let down, going down hill.
The writing ...hmm.. Told in the point of views of Alice and Harvey, with "Then" and "Now" where "then" is before she went in remission. It was confusing for me, keeping up, that is due to the different timelines. But what I liked about the writing was that I could really feel (?) the voices of the different characters Alice and Harvey.
Conclusion: This book is frustrating. Damn frustrating. For the TFiOS fans, don't get your hopes up.