Love, Life, and the List by Kasie West

1/18/2018

SYNOPSIS

Seventeen-year-old Abby Turner’s summer isn’t going the way she’d planned. She has a not-so-secret but definitely unrequited crush on her best friend, Cooper. She hasn’t been able to manage her mother’s growing issues with anxiety. And now she’s been rejected from an art show because her work “has no heart.”

So when she gets another opportunity to show her paintings, Abby isn’t going to take any chances. Which is where the list comes in...

Abby gives herself one month to do ten things, ranging from face a fear (#3) to learn a stranger’s story (#5) to fall in love (#8). She knows that if she can complete the list, she’ll become the kind of artist she’s always dreamed of being.

But as the deadline approaches, Abby realizes that getting through the list isn’t as straightforward as it seems...and that maybe—just maybe—she can’t change her art if she isn’t first willing to change herself.

Synopsis from Chapters.Indigo.ca

PERSONAL REVIEW

I always enjoy reading Kasie West's books because they are light, easy to read contemporary novels that I know will have the romance and happy ending that I'm looking for. But one of my comments about these books is that they've always been a little too "fluffy", if that makes sense. I've felt with her previous books that something was missing; some real moments or events that make the reader really feel what the characters are feeling.

I'm not sure if it's because I ended up finishing this book at 1:00am, but "Love, Life and the List" has been the first Kasie West book to give me all the right feels! I honestly felt like this book was so much more realistic then her previous ones (which I still enjoyed) and that there was so much more growth here then we've previously seen.

What I Liked:

Addresses Mental Health: West has made a point of including different kinds of mental health issues into many of her novels, in this case with Abby's mother's dealing with her anxiety (we realize that she is agoraphobic). I felt West did a good job in giving us an honest portrayal of how this affects different relationships between characters. I don't want to give any big spoilers, but it felt completely real that Abby would be angry when her mom can't come, or how her grandfather feels powerless to help. Conversations about mental health need to happen, not just pushed aside, and it's great to see that West continues to try to encourage these discussions and promote understanding in her novels.
Real Character Growth: I liked that this book stayed away from big cliches and instead concentrated on creating more dynamic characters. While it's great to see that Abby and Cooper both grow as characters, I was also really impressed with the changes we see from secondary characters like Abby's mom and grandfather. I thought that Abby's family acknowledging what was happening with her mom was a big moment and it was nice to see some kind of resolution occurring (therapy) instead of just brushing past it. I also always like reading about good family relationships; I love when characters are close with their relatives because it definitely adds more depth for me, instead of simply having these unknown parental figures that just pop in and out without real purpose. I loved Abby's challenge for herself (and that her family took part in creating it) because it's a very tangible way to show how she pushes herself out of her comfort zone and learns to be a stronger version of herself.
Actual Problem Leading to the "Big Argument": This is the first time in a West novel that I've felt a character has been justified in the "big argument" between themselves and others. In previous books, these reasons have always been pretty wishy-washy and it was clearly just a way to get to the happy ending. In this book, I was LIVID with Cooper and thought West did an excellent job of leading up to this moment. I had angry tears in my eyes as I read through this chapter and completely sided with Abby's anger (again, this might have been the 1:00am reading, but I would have been equally upset if this had happened to me). The way Abby dealt with what happened made sense to me and felt very realistic; I was sad and upset with her, and then loved that she learned to forgive.

Overall, this was more then what I was expecting from this book and I couldn't be happier. I loved getting to know Abby and was so pleased to read a Kasie West book with more depth then we've previously seen. If you're looking for a light read that will still lead you to emotional connect to characters, this is a great book choice!

FINAL RATING: 4/5