Speed Date with Dani: All These Lives by Sarah Wylie

Hi! This feature is hosted by Mary over at The Book Swarm. Speed Dating is basically giving a shorter review of the book and it's ton of fun! Go check it out!

Title: All These Lives
Author: Sarah Wylie
Publisher:  Farrar, Straus and Giroux  
Publication Date: June 5, 2012
Source: Thanks Netgalley and  Farrar, Straus and Giroux 
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Summary: Sixteen-year-old Dani is convinced she has nine lives. As a child she twice walked away from situations where she should have died. But Dani’s twin, Jena, isn’t so lucky.  She has cancer and might not even be able to keep her one life. Dani’s father is in denial. Her mother is trying to hold it together and prove everything’s normal.  And Jena is wasting away.  To cope, Dani sets out to rid herself of all her extra lives.  Maybe they’ll be released into the universe and someone who wants to live more than she does will get one.  Someone like Jena.  But just when Dani finds herself at the breaking point, she’s faced with a startling realization.  Maybe she doesn’t have nine lives after all.  Maybe she really only ever had one. 


Review: The main thing that I liked most in All These Lives was Dani's voice. Dani might not be the best or the nicest person but her voice is amazing. It's truly unique and I literally felt like I was in Dani's head. I initially thought Dani was a little crazy. Most people don't think they have nine lives if they survive many near-death experiences but Dani certainly does. I felt like this just added to her character. I caught myself almost believing this whole "nine lives" thing, which was more than a little scary.

All These Lives is a very short book. I was able to polish it off in a single morning because not only is it short but it's engrossing. I might not have liked Dani but I was definitely invested in her story.

The ending of All These Lives was more than a little abrupt but I didn't feel like anything else needed to be said. All These Lives is perfect is you're looking for a short book with a unique main character. 

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