Review: The Wrap-Up List by Steven Arntson

The Wrap-Up List by Steven Arntson

In this modern-day suburban town, one percent of all fatalities come about in the most peculiar way. Deaths—eight-foot-tall, silver-gray creatures—send a letter (“Dear So-and-So, your days are numbered”) to whomever is chosen for a departure, telling them to wrap up their lives and do the things they always wanted to do before they have to “depart.” When sixteen-year-old Gabriela receives her notice, she is, of course devastated. Will she kiss her crush Sylvester before it’s too late?
Friendship, first love, and fantasy artfully mesh in this magically realistic world that ultimately celebrates life.

Publishes in US: Jan 8th 2013
Source: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Standalone

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         The Wrap-up List features a cast of diverse and fun to read about characters. They feature diversity in their backgrounds, religious preferences, race, and in their sexual identities, but it features a beautiful friendship.
         Gabriela is the main character, and she receives a letter from Death, a magical type creature that escorts you basically to the afterlife, telling her that she has a week to live. She can make requests and she can be given a hint about Death's weakness in order to grant a pardon, meaning basically that she gets to live. Gabriela is typical teenager at first, but then she begins to think of others with her list, and looks into her past to her brave and patriotic grandfather who died a hero in battle for clues.
       Along the journey to first kisses, she learns a lot about herself and about her friends as well. It is a quick and enjoyable story, and I especially liked the slap stick type humor when Hercule showed up on the scene.
     The only thing that I wish were different is a little more explanation about when and how the letters started as well as some sort of context for the upcoming war. It left me with a lot of questions, but once I put that aside, and if you readers can look over that, I think you will enjoy.
       I really like how religion is handled in this book, that it is something that her family does, and she questions it of course, and she has heart to hearts with her priest, but it is not made a big deal out of and it is shown in every day context... Meaning not preachy and well done.
       I also wish that there was more ground work on why Gabriela had a crush on Sylvester, but then again, I suppose that is really how romantic infatuations are... We know little about the person, but we see how they look and know about their public persona, and we are drawn to them. I do think it is well done how they are drawn together, and that it is not instant fall at your feet love, but that it hints the beginning of a possible relationship, and acting out on mutual attraction. It was also well done how two of her friends got together, although again with the third it just seemed like it happened with no real indicators from the other person, but I also guess that the Influence of death worked to escalate things that were already there under the surface.
       As for the plot, it was well paced, and the ending tied everything up very well, and I was satisfied when I put the book down.
       Bottom Line: Enjoyable book with sweet romantic elements. 

My question to you, my lovely readers:
What would you do with a week to live?