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.
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"[a] gripping chronicle of the way one girl grapples with domestic catastrophe.”--Kirkus
"Memorable.”--Publishers Weekly
“…fans of compelling family dramas will be glad that [Dani’s] finally choosing to live her own life rather than giving it away.”--BCCB, starred
“…realistic and poignant.”--VOYA
“…will speak to teens…”--School Library Journal
About the Author
Sarah Wylie has been writing for as long as she can remember. In May 2011, she graduated college with a degree in Neuroscience. She lives in Canada. This is her first novel.
www.sarahwithachance.blogspot.com
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is such a neat premise for a contemporary book. It has the elements that I love of strong family ties, nerdy boys, a lead I can connect with, and the sadness that tugs my heart of a character will an illness. Sarah Wylie really knows how to write emotions, and she also knows how to break the tension with the sarcastic and quirky main character and her picking on said nerdy boy.
The idea about the nine lives, and being able to release a life and have it save someone else is something that I have never heard of. It is interesting how much that Dani, the main character is willing to give up for her sister, pieces of herself with trying to release the lives, emotionally through the relationship they have.
My review wouldn't be complete without talking about Jack Penner. He really made my day. Those nerdy guys really make me as hot as a bad guy with the soft heart towards the love interest when done right, and Ms. Wylie definitely did Jack right. I love how Dani teases him, and his responses, and how he eventually grows into it, and how their relationship goes. I appreciate how he stayed a friend when Dani needed one, even when she tried to push people away.
Although I must say that Spencer and Candy really made me scratch my head. I am not sure exactly their purpose, although I guess I am okay with them being there as plot advancers. Or maybe in my baby and preschooler fried brain I am just not connecting all the right dots.
I also wanted more conclusion from the ending, it felt really open, and I really wanted to know how Ms. Wylie wanted the characters stories to end. I guess, though there is a certain poetic justice to leaving the interpretation of what happens to the reader and basing those conclusions from what we've read so far.
The idea about the nine lives, and being able to release a life and have it save someone else is something that I have never heard of. It is interesting how much that Dani, the main character is willing to give up for her sister, pieces of herself with trying to release the lives, emotionally through the relationship they have.
My review wouldn't be complete without talking about Jack Penner. He really made my day. Those nerdy guys really make me as hot as a bad guy with the soft heart towards the love interest when done right, and Ms. Wylie definitely did Jack right. I love how Dani teases him, and his responses, and how he eventually grows into it, and how their relationship goes. I appreciate how he stayed a friend when Dani needed one, even when she tried to push people away.
Although I must say that Spencer and Candy really made me scratch my head. I am not sure exactly their purpose, although I guess I am okay with them being there as plot advancers. Or maybe in my baby and preschooler fried brain I am just not connecting all the right dots.
I also wanted more conclusion from the ending, it felt really open, and I really wanted to know how Ms. Wylie wanted the characters stories to end. I guess, though there is a certain poetic justice to leaving the interpretation of what happens to the reader and basing those conclusions from what we've read so far.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
When our blog first launched I read a book called The Beginning of After. Usually special circumstance novels aren't my thing. The Beginning of After really hit home though. All These Lives follow in those footsteps.
If Nicholas Sparks wrote a young adult novel, All These Lives would be it. It is another circumstance novel. There is no fantasy and vampire lust here. This book deals with the hard circumstances that fall around coping with a loved one battling cancer. I've seen plenty of Hallmark movies and such that tackle this issue, but very little in YA lit.
I recommended The Beginning of After because that title is a text book manual on how to empathize with a young person coping with mourning and the loss of a family member. All These Lives portrays a young girl coping with her sister battling cancer and the possibility of her demise. This is a powerful book.
The book revolves around our main character, Dani. Dani is a perfectly healthy teenager who loves to act. Her sister, Jenna, has been diagnosed with Leukemia though. She is dying and needs a bone marrow transplant. Dani is not a match though, which breaks her apart. Dani and Jenna are fraternal twins. There should be no reason why Dani isn't a match. But she isn't. And she can't handle it. And now Dani has to watch her sister suffer.
Dani acts out. She reaches out for attention, but pushes everyone away. Dani's coping mechanism revolves around her self-destruction. She remembers her mother always telling her she has nine lives. If Dani can't get Jenna her transplant, then she will give her one of her lives. Hence Dani's destructive behavior. She acts out to throw her lives away in hopes she can give one to her sister.
No paranormal entities exist here. Dani is not throwing her lives away but rather using that idea as a coping mechanism. All These Lives displays the down turn of a poor girl coping with the potential loss of her sister. What's worse is that she pushes everyone away in the process, including her own sister. Even during her sister's strongest times, she isn't strong enough to break down Dani's walls. Dani continually pushes Jenna, her parents, and her school mates away.
All These lives is a powerfully written title. It deals with some very powerful issues that portray how most young adults deal with potential loss and family distress. The author, Sarah Wylie, does such an excellent job bringing the characters to life. The book reads more like an interesting timeline of a close friend. Your heart hurts for both Dani and Jenna. All These Lives is a novel that makes you want to search your soul for the good to bring out to these characters.
Final Thoughts: Like I have stated before, I recommended The Beginning of After because of how powerful that book hits home to an individual dealing with the pain of mourning. I have to recommend All These Lives for the same powerful reasons, because of how well this is written, because of how this will bring tears to your eyes, and because of how well it will help you understand why a survivor reacts the way they do.
If Nicholas Sparks wrote a young adult novel, All These Lives would be it. It is another circumstance novel. There is no fantasy and vampire lust here. This book deals with the hard circumstances that fall around coping with a loved one battling cancer. I've seen plenty of Hallmark movies and such that tackle this issue, but very little in YA lit.
I recommended The Beginning of After because that title is a text book manual on how to empathize with a young person coping with mourning and the loss of a family member. All These Lives portrays a young girl coping with her sister battling cancer and the possibility of her demise. This is a powerful book.
The book revolves around our main character, Dani. Dani is a perfectly healthy teenager who loves to act. Her sister, Jenna, has been diagnosed with Leukemia though. She is dying and needs a bone marrow transplant. Dani is not a match though, which breaks her apart. Dani and Jenna are fraternal twins. There should be no reason why Dani isn't a match. But she isn't. And she can't handle it. And now Dani has to watch her sister suffer.
Dani acts out. She reaches out for attention, but pushes everyone away. Dani's coping mechanism revolves around her self-destruction. She remembers her mother always telling her she has nine lives. If Dani can't get Jenna her transplant, then she will give her one of her lives. Hence Dani's destructive behavior. She acts out to throw her lives away in hopes she can give one to her sister.
No paranormal entities exist here. Dani is not throwing her lives away but rather using that idea as a coping mechanism. All These Lives displays the down turn of a poor girl coping with the potential loss of her sister. What's worse is that she pushes everyone away in the process, including her own sister. Even during her sister's strongest times, she isn't strong enough to break down Dani's walls. Dani continually pushes Jenna, her parents, and her school mates away.
All These lives is a powerfully written title. It deals with some very powerful issues that portray how most young adults deal with potential loss and family distress. The author, Sarah Wylie, does such an excellent job bringing the characters to life. The book reads more like an interesting timeline of a close friend. Your heart hurts for both Dani and Jenna. All These Lives is a novel that makes you want to search your soul for the good to bring out to these characters.
Final Thoughts: Like I have stated before, I recommended The Beginning of After because of how powerful that book hits home to an individual dealing with the pain of mourning. I have to recommend All These Lives for the same powerful reasons, because of how well this is written, because of how this will bring tears to your eyes, and because of how well it will help you understand why a survivor reacts the way they do.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
All These Lives has a very emotional story wrapped up in a hard shell that is known as Dani. Dani's twin sister Jena has leukemia, and Dani doesn't know how to deal with it, so she avoids Jena. However, since Dani has been young, she has gotten into many near death experiences and escaped unscathed. Her mom kept on saying that she has 9 lives, nothing bad can happen to her Dani because she's apparently got lives to spare. Somehow Dani gets the idea that if she gets rid of some of these lives, at least one of them will get transferred to Jena and saves her life. While this aspect might seem paranormal, but the emotional turmoil Dani goes through, how fragile her family is. It was all so raw and real and just heart wrenching.
I thoroughly enjoyed the family relationship. The mother that would do anything to save her sick child. The father who is trying to keep the glue that holds the family together but also sneaks outside for a cigarette or two. Dani, and finally Jena, the leukemia patient, but also a girl with a strong will to survive and to stay as Jena. I loved how nothing dramatic happened in the family, they are a typical family with a sick child. I really enjoyed how realistic it was. While Dani might have seemed like the tough one, she harbors deep feelings of guilt, sadness, and just being scared of how will she go on without Jena. I loved Sarah Wylie's writing. It was simple, honest, and just had that realistic feel to it. I thoroughly enjoyed the plot, the characters, and the overall story of All These Lives. I would recommend it to realistic YA lovers, and anyone looking for a story that speaks from the heart to your heart, because All These Lives did just that.
I thoroughly enjoyed the family relationship. The mother that would do anything to save her sick child. The father who is trying to keep the glue that holds the family together but also sneaks outside for a cigarette or two. Dani, and finally Jena, the leukemia patient, but also a girl with a strong will to survive and to stay as Jena. I loved how nothing dramatic happened in the family, they are a typical family with a sick child. I really enjoyed how realistic it was. While Dani might have seemed like the tough one, she harbors deep feelings of guilt, sadness, and just being scared of how will she go on without Jena. I loved Sarah Wylie's writing. It was simple, honest, and just had that realistic feel to it. I thoroughly enjoyed the plot, the characters, and the overall story of All These Lives. I would recommend it to realistic YA lovers, and anyone looking for a story that speaks from the heart to your heart, because All These Lives did just that.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars
Did not manage to grab hold of me
Danielle believes she has nine lives and that her fraternal twin sister, Jena, only has one. The leukemia ravaging Jena's system helps lead Dani to this conclusion because as a... Read more
Published 13 hours ago by Amber @ The Musings of ALMYBNENR
3.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting premise, but story fell a little flat
The premise is interesting - Dani appears to have 9 lives. She was told that when cats lose one of their 9 lives, that it goes towards another's life. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Kary
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful Writing, Beautiful Story
This book offers a unique premise - Dani believes she has the ability to escape death similar to a cat's nine lives. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Serenity Bohon
5.0 out of 5 stars
Real, Important, and genius.
Okay. So I just finished reading this novel for the second time. And before you read the review please note TWO THINGS: 1. I do not usually read YA (I'm an adult fiction author... Read more
Published 3 months ago by suzanne Hayes Palmieri
5.0 out of 5 stars
AMAZING.
This girl is very talented and has a promising future. I own the physical copy and though it was a heavy read, I am definitely a fan.
LOVE HER!
LOVE HER!
Published 6 months ago by Grace
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wrought with suspense
I love stories about sisters. As a person who both is a sister and has a sister, there's something I can relate to in books about sister-sister relationships. Read more
Published 6 months ago by E. Kristin Anderson
4.0 out of 5 stars
Chapter by Chapter's review of All These Lives
In All These Lives by Sarah Wylie, we follow main character Dani, as she struggles to come to grips with the fact that her twin sister, Jena, has Leukemia. Read more
Published 7 months ago by MaryAnn
3.0 out of 5 stars
A worthwhile read
Really 3.5 stars
Confession time: I have a soft spot for books with beautiful covers and stories that tug on your heartstrings. Read more
Confession time: I have a soft spot for books with beautiful covers and stories that tug on your heartstrings. Read more
Published 8 months ago by BookPortrait
4.0 out of 5 stars
All These Lives
You should all know by now that I am a sucker for a good contemporary. The more it makes me cry, the higher it goes on my list of favorites. But I don't like them all. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Melanie McCullough
4.0 out of 5 stars
All These Lives Review
This book is loaded with emotional cliffs and we drop off more than one as we navigate, for a brief time, in the life of Dani Bailey's complicated and decidedly depressing life. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Heather
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