(book) The Probability of Miracles by Wendy Wunder

Synopsis:

A dying teen learns to live in this heart-wrenching debut, perfect for fans of If I Stay

Campbell Cooper has never been in love. And if the doctors are right, she'll never have the chance. So when she's told she needs a miracle, her family moves 1,500 miles north to Promise, Maine--a place where amazing, unexplainable events are said to occur--like it or not. And when a mysterious envelope arrives, containing a list of things for Cam to do before she dies, she finally learns to believe--in love, in herself, and maybe even in miracles, as improbable as they may seem.

Review:

First off, I love the author's name. It's like something wonderful is coming her way.

Second, I love the probability of miracles. I love the premise that a sick girl is going to find her little miracles, even if it does not save her life.

But then I get into a couple of pages and I find the character a little annoying. I personally feel the narrative should be written from Cam's POV, which will bring the distance between her and us as the readers closer. When done in third POV, I find that tailing her every move gets boring. Trying to get into her head is tiring, and I find her sarcastic but not in a good way. I know she's sick of being sick, hopeless enough not to hope for miracles, but it's exhausting to be around her. I disagree with many of her choices, one of them being Alec. Ever since she did what she did with him, my opinion about her is never the same again.

I also wish we get a bit of insight about how Cam and her mother look. They're of Italian descent, and they're hula dancers, so I imagine them as dark and exotic. With the lack of descriptions I can't help imagining her as fair skinned and dark haired, for reasons I can't comprehend myself.

Then there's the side characters. I love Lily and Perry, Nana and Elaine and Alicia. I'm not a big fan of Asher (am never a big fan of guys with long hair), but their story is pretty cute and their chemistry is built slowly, weaved with the story.

The ending is what makes it beautiful and worthwhile. It's heartbreaking and sad yet so freeing at the same time. It's probably not my favorite book but it's definitely a nice short read.

Anyway, the blurb seems to be inaccurate. It says Cam receives an envelope containing the things she needs to do before she dies. It's not a mysterious envelope. It's from Lily (minor spoiler alert), and Cam doesn't open it until later in the story (although it does contain a short bucket list). The misguided blurb makes us think she's in some kind of adventure because of the list, despite it being the other way around.