Apologies for the delay in posting this, internet issues have been the bane of my life and now I need to clear the backlog of posts whilst also reading to catch up. That said, I am delighted to welcome debut author, Olivia Beirne to TWG today as I review her first novel. Many thanks to Anne Cater for the blog tour invite, and thank you to the publisher for the ARC. Here is my review:
Sometimes all you need is a little push…
When Georgia’s sister is diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, she promises to do everything her older sibling can no longer do, resulting in a journey that will change her life forever…
Georgia loves wine, reality TV and sitting on the sofa after work. She does not love heights, looking at her bank account, going on dates, or activities that involve a sports bra. And she will never, ever take a risk.
That is, until her braver, bolder, big sister finds out that she won’t be able to tick off the things she wanted to do before turning thirty, and turns to Georgia to help her finish her list.
With the birthday just months away, Georgia suddenly has a deadline to learn to grab life with both hands. Could she be brave enough to take the leap, for her sister?
And how might her own life change if she did?
What does TWG think?
As a chronically ill x8 person, I emotionally welcome stories with chronic illnesses as the focus of the book. This is one of THOSE books and, despite MS not being one of my own illnesses, I still want to thank the author for putting a topic at the heart of her book to spread overall awareness of both the illness, and the way in which chronic illnesses can affect people.
Now, the idea surrounding a ‘bucket list’ in a book is one that has been doing the rounds in several books I’ve read this year. However, the concept has never been delivered in the way that it was in this book – yay to uniqueness!!!
For a lot of people, turning thirty is a big deal as it’s the age where people expect you to have done many things by. I know – why do we adapt our lives based on other people’s ideas as to how we should live? Why do we feel the need to compete with the Joneses so to speak? Answer – we are human. Georgia doesn’t feel as though she matches up to her big sister, Amy, yet Amy feels as though she isn’t as good as her little sister, especially after her recent diagnosis. Georgia can’t help but focus on all of the things she wishes she had, whereas Amy is grieving for the things that she can no longer do or is limited by. That said, both sisters are unaware that they are battling against their own sub-consciences whilst also unintentionally directing it at the other. Following?
I found the concept of this novel rather emotional because of my own personal battles with chronic illnesses. I thought that Olivia Beirne nailed the thought process to a T, highlighting the fact that grieving things you can no longer do, is actually a thing.
Whilst the topic of MS is very strong, there is a lot of humour and witty one liners that seemed to balance the rest of the book. Georgia had me in hysterics multiple times, and it was her personality and Amy’s strength which shone the brightest throughout the book.
Olivia Beirne is a very gifted writer! I have a feeling that this book was written from the heart because there were some things included in the story which I don’t think even Google would have been able to muster!
All in all, ‘The List Which Changed My Life’ gave me food for thought in more ways than one. I really did enjoy following Amy’s journey and I am delighted that chronically ill people are finally getting their time in the spotlight in a positive and realistic manner. I am so looking forward to reading more from this author!
The Writing Garnet 