Review: The f it list by Julie Halpern

The f it list by Julie Halpern

With her signature heart and humor, Julie Halpern explores a strained friendship strengthened by one girl’s battle with cancer.
Alex’s father recently died in a car accident. And on the night of his funeral, her best friend Becca slept with Alex’s boyfriend. So things aren’t great. Alex steps away from her friendship with Becca and focuses on her family.
But when Alex finally decides to forgive Becca, she finds out something that will change her world again--Becca has cancer.
So what do you do when your best friend has cancer? You help her shave her head. And then you take her bucket list and try to fulfill it on her behalf. Because if that’s all you can do to help your ailing friend--you do it.

Publishes in US:  November 12th 2013 by Feiwel & Friends
Genre: YA Contemp
Source: Macmillan via netgalley
Series? No.

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    While this book is emotional for sure because of the inherent emotional responses, there is also romance, surprising amount of humor, and a main character that I fell for. Alex is caring and loyal, but she is one to deal with her emotions on the inside rather than the outside like her best friend Becca. She has this way of communicating that makes me smile because she is honest and to the point. While she has some self confidence, she knows that she has things to work on, and I just saw a lot of myself in her. Alex also has other things in her life that need her attention, she just lost her father, and her mom is having a hard time with most of her attention focused on Alex's younger twin brothers. 

    The friendship between Alex and Becca felt really authentic. As the synopsis says, Becca had slept with Alex's boyfriend, and although a huge trangression, Becca was mourning as well, and Alex wasn't deeply madly in love with the guy, so Becca had decided that friendship was more important, and was going to put it behind them when she found out that Becca has cancer. This is a pretty potent glue that drew them back together like nothing had happened negative, only the positive memories, loyalty and trust that had built through the years. 

    The F-It List was the central focus, and it really worked some character development as well as self realization into Alex through completing some of the items for Becca. 

    The writing is encompassing and I wanted to keep reading even when the outside world called my name. 

    Also, I will say that there is swearing and sexual references. I am wondering if this should be on the line of New Adult. But it didn't bother me, I think that it is something that kids in high school legitimately deal with, talk about, and therefore can be YA. I just know that some people expect only kissing and hand holding, and this might be a shock if not prepared. So, older and mature teens only. 

    I enjoyed the romance between Leo and Alex, and I think he is what helped Alex to feel like could still be happy and normal even in the midst of all of the tragedy. It is what makes life worth living, and is something to hold on to. 

    The ending is perfect in ways that I can't list without spoiling, but it was just right for the book. 

Bottom Line: Emotional, realistic journey with surprising humor and quirkiness from a strong and likable main character.

My question to you, my lovely readers:
Do you have any sort of bucket list?