Customer Reviews

Never Eighteen

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Never Eighteen" is a tender and thoughtful, albeit bittersweet story of a courageous teenage boy facing death, and looking to fix some of the situations that have gone wrong with the people in his life. It's a small book but it packs a wallop.

Austin Parker is tired of fighting a losing battle with leukemia and knows he only has a few weeks at most. With his beautiful young friend, Kaylee David, the girl he has loved all his life, he sets out to visit people he'd like to see happier and places where he's been the most happy.

I thought the author shows a wonderful understanding of teenagers and of the way, they speak and interact with one another. She also shows great insight and compassion regarding the feelings one experiences facing cancer and chemotherapy.

The first person narrative flows smoothly and is beautifully written. The character of Austin, in particular is exceptionally well drawn. The author shows her love for the Pacific Northwest and its many scenic spots. I was particularly enthralled with the young people's trip up Mt. Rainier, which is one of the world's true beauty spots.

I do have one little quibble with the publisher, however. They suggest the book is for kids from 12 and up. I spoke to some of my friends who have teenage kids in school and asked their thoughts on the matter. For senior kids in grade 9 and up, they tell me they are going to be surrounded by strong language, and there's nothing a parent who doesn't like this can do about it.

For twelve and thirteen-year-olds, they feel they still have some control. So because there is quite a lot of swearing, as well as a sex scene and much discussion on death, I would suggest the book is more for a young adult from 14 and up. In my opinion, anyone under that age would require some parental guidance.

But for the older teen, it is definitely an engaging read.

The worst feeling in life has to be life ended too early. The idea of a young man never able to reach his eighteenth birthday is something we wish didn't happen. Megan Bostic takes this tragic story of a young man who knows his life is ending and what he chooses to do with his last weeks in Never Eighteen.

Austin has leukemia. He has been through chemo and all the treatments, but he knows they haven't worked. His mother wants him to continue, but he is finished with treatments. If the cancer is going to take him, he is going to do what he has always wanted to do. He is going to try and fix everyone in his life he knows is broken. Whether or not he knows why his friends or family are broken, Austin believes his unique position and shocking honesty might just save the people he loves.

Austin also needs to do some things for his own piece of mind before he goes. He has never skinny-dipped or ridden the scariest ride at the fair. Most importantly, he has never told his best friend Kaylee that he is in love with her. As Austin works through his list of things to do, he learns more about himself than he does the people he visits. Not all of it is good, but it gives him the peace he needs to finally say goodbye.

As I first started reading this book, I will admit I thought it was a bit too far fetched. As this boy started visiting everyone, I thought to myself, "Good grief! Is this boy a bad luck charm or something? Why is everyone around him in such dire straights?!" Then I just accepted that it was fiction and the horrible lives of his friends and family were necessary for dramatic effect. When the book finally ended, and I am sure there needs no spoiler alert to how it ends with such a premise and title, I was sobbing. Not just crying, but big, heaving, hiccuping sobs. The final two chapters were so beautiful and so horribly sad, I couldn't stop crying (and my copy of the book is warped to prove it). Bostic might have used a little bit of a heavy hand through some of the book, but in the end, she knew just how to catch you off guard and wrench your heart from your chest.

This book can be pretty mature both in language and in situations. I think it is best left for the high school YA crowd, as it might be a little too old for younger students. The story is a sad one, sure, but the beauty Austin shows everyone is that life goes on and so must the people someone leaves behind. Death isn't easy, but this book made it mean something more than just loss.

First Impressions: I had been on a contemporary novel kick the past few days when I devoured Never Eighteen. I was busy moving into our new home and I needed a quick read. I also tend to enjoy depressing, for lack of a better word, type of books. Kid who is dying of cancer trying to make amends? Where can I sign up? This was a short book just over 200 pages and it didn't take up much of my time, even though, admittedly, it left me bawling like a baby. Now I know why the cosmetic companies make water-proof mascara and eyeliner. Holy smokes, this is an emotional one!

Characters & Plot: The plot is pretty much described in the book synopsis and I don't want to give too much more away then what the synopsis has given. Austin is sick. He has cancer. He is your typical teenage male high school student. He has a bunch of flaws, but knowing that he WILL die, he tries his best to make up for all of his mistakes, to the people he bullied, to his parents, and to his best friend. He has one weekend to complete what he has set out to do, with the help of Kaylee, the girl he has known since the third grade.

Okay, now at this point you must be thinking that the plot is predictable. It is predictable. I'm not going to sugar coat that fact. It has been done before (think Nicolas Sparks) but it was so incredibly well written. Megan Bostic has a major talent when it comes to word-smithing. Her descriptions of places and events that happen in the book are simply gorgeous. It may have been an old plot, but it really felt new to me. If I have any complaints about this book it would be that I wish I had had more background information prior to Austin's journey to self-forgiveness.

This is one of those books that really get you to think about life and how you are living it. Do you try to make up for the mistakes you have made? What would you do if you knew you were going to die? That's why I loved Austin. He was a real character with real emotions that made some terrible mistakes. I think most people will be able to relate to his character.

Final Thoughts: I breezed right through this book and like I said in the beginning of this review, I was left an emotional wreck. Thumbs up to the author for getting me like that because it's not an easy thing to do. If you like emotional books with a heavier theme, I would definitely recommend you read Never Eighteen. I'm sure I just found one of my new favorite authors and I'm excited to see what Megan will do next!

Oh, man! I hate books like NEVER EIGHTEEN. If the title is not clue enough it says right on the blurb that Austin Parker is dying. It looks like one of those "doomed teen" novels that should be rated in numbers of tissue boxes.

Please note I said: looks like. This book is all about Austin Parker, a goofy kid who embarks on a Don Quixote quest to save his corner of the world in the course of a weekend. He's made a list of things he wants to do and people he needs to talk to and with the help of his trusty sidekick, he knocks off every item on the list.

He tries to say he's sorry to the people he's wronged; he encourages people to fix what's wrong with their lives. He tries to heal broken hearts. He wants desperately for people not to take their lives for granted but to get up, dust themselves off and live, live, live!

He also rides that amusement park ride he's been scared of, hikes one more time to the waterfall and through it all, he tries to tell his trusty and ever patient sidekick, a beautiful girl named Kaylee, that he loves her.

At first I thought: no one could know that many messed up people. And then I remembered the people from my high school, what little I knew then and the little more I know now. And yep, all of those people are in this book.

And then I thought: if this kid is supposed to be dying, how could he possibly do all this in one weekend? But then I remembered some very inspirational people in my own life, who kept going regardless. Austin soft-pedals the medically related bits of his narrative for a good reason. He's not about dying; he's about making memories, for himself and for the people he can't help but leave behind.

The real problem I had with this book was I couldn't put it down. Even knowing what I knew about the fate of our narrator/hero, I couldn't resist falling in love with Austin Parker. He's so wise and so goofy and so direct and so determined.

This is such a funny book. It will have you laughing until the tears come. Some of the items on Austin's "bucket list" such as the skinny dipping scene or the drunken party are just choice.

If there is one flaw in this tale it is that the character of Kaylee is underdeveloped. Austin sees her through a haze of such perfection that she doesn't ever quite come real for the reader. And yet that is one of the aspects that make this slender volume so romantic. This is a love story that rates right up there with LOVE STORY, ROMEO AND JULIET and TITANIC.

This astonishing novel is the debut effort of Megan Bostic. Mark her down as a writer to watch.

Austin will never see his 18th birthday.

That alone is a hard thing to swallow. I admire Austin for what he did through out the book, for having the COURAGE to do it all (I know it's something I wouldn't have the courage to do, even if I really wanted to) and to be okay with his situation. I mean, really okay. I couldn't imagine what 17 year old would be but it was nice to see a YA character who was positive instead of down and gloomy.

The thing I didn't like about this book was how choppy the events seemed. While we get a peak at some of the people who mean a lot of Austin we don't get much time to get to KNOW them (I guess this kind of enhances the urgency of his time left though... now that I think of it), making it hard to connect with them.

We don't get much time in between people visits to really get to know Austin or who he was like before the cancer. Just who he is now... someone who wants to desperately fix things.

While we do spend a great deal of time with Kaylee, we don't really know who she is either. Just that she had no problem driving Austin to all these random places. Which for some reason, rubbed me the wrong way.

Another thing I didn't like was his constant thoughts of kissing her. The whole time he was trying to find the right moment to tell her and the whole time she was trying to avoid it. I can understand both sides of the situation and how awful both sides are. But I can also appreciate that he didn't want to ruin a friendship with her no matter how much he was in love with her (because really, sometimes sacrificing a friendship for a relationship isn't worth it).

Never Eighteen was a quick read, and while it does make you think about the time we all have left here, it also makes you wish the book was a little more detailed.

What I learned from Never Eighteen...

I've spent all my adult life involved in medicine in one manner or another, and I've met my share of dying people. Megan Bostic's characters are true to living, in a way that perhaps we all should consider...

Stop living like we have forever - we don't. In some cases, we're lucky to get a tomorrow, and we should start acting like we might not. Austin Parker makes a decision to go out and get involved in the lives of others - sometimes to a good end, and sometimes not. But he does something that he feels strongly needs to be done, whether it's just listening or apologizing or whatever.

It's time we might all start taking on that responsibility to offer an ear, a shoulder, a hand to those around us who are faltering. We might not have tomorrow to do it.

At one time, we transported a six-year-old boy back and forth to his cancer treatments, and he was eventually in such misery we asked that the treatments just be done on our stretcher rather than having to move him two extra times. I remember how my partner and I took a soft stuffed animal to the hospital for his seventh birthday, only to find out that he hadn't lived through the night to reach that milestone.

Just remember, someone you love might not see tomorrow, so make that connection today.

NEVER EIGHTEEN is a poignant story of a young man who will never see his eighteenth birthday. Austin Parker decides not to undergo another round of chemotherapy. He courageously accepts his impending death and vows to make a difference in the lives of those around him before the end comes. Austin has a bucket list, and one special person he knows he can depend on to help him in his last mission.

I was reminded of Death Be Not Proud by John Gunther, a classic published in 1949 and read in schools by generations of young readers. That book touched me in a powerful way when I was young. NEVER EIGHTEEN could very well become a comparable book of this millennium. The prose is fresh, real, and at times raw. Megan has an amazing knack of writing with the voice of a seventeen year old male.

The thoughts, emotions, and actions of Austin Parker are intense and believable. I was immediately drawn into his life, the lives of those close to him, and his mission of spreading hope. The author shows deep insight into the culture of her young adult audience. The emotionally difficult subject is handled with thoughtful honesty and life affirming hope. I would recommend NEVER EIGHTEEN to any older teen or young adult.

I'm biased about this book for a lot of reasons: the author is a friend of a friend, the author went to the same high school I went to, I'm also born and raised in Tacoma, Washington. But I can honestly say that this book touched me and is worth a read - because it captures death and grief very well.

I can't imagine what it's like to feel one's mortality at such a young age as the protagonist (Austin) in this YA book. But I was almost 21 when my mom died of cancer and not quite 30 when my dad died of cancer and so I've seen what people are like as they slowly lose their health and life to cancer. Cancer truly does suck. And I think that Megan has done a fine job of creating characters that are experiencing all the feelings that swirl around - Austin wants to set things right, leave a legacy, and remember all the good times he had with family and friends. His friend Kaylee is afraid to love someone who's not going to be around. At one pont she said to him, "I didn't want to love you if you were just going to end up leaving." - I totally get that. I was afraid of loving anyone after my parents died because I was afraid of my horrible family medical history. But now I've figured out that that's just a copout. And eventually Kaylee figured that out also.

So it was a little rough to "relive" some conversations between Austin and his parents. I have had similar conversations with various family members over the years and it is not easy to say goodbye. The regrets that people have "near the end" about things they wish they had done before they died are many. never eighteen is a good reminder to remember to celebrate every day...and eat Frisko Freeze cheeseburgers as much as possible while we can. :-) I will be recommending this book to my BHS friends and anyone else who's looking for a good read.

Turning the last page of Never Eighteen and closing the book on Austin Parker's life was incredibly hard. I felt like I had lost a friend.

In a brief 204 pages, I lived a lifetime with Austin, Kaylee, and all of Megan Bostic's characters. Never Eighteen gripped me from the start and refused to let go, almost as if it, like Austin, needed to see things through to the end.

Leukemia has turned Austin into a shadow of his former self. He's adjusted to the weakness and accepted what will come next, but there are things he needs to do before then. Some of them are for him. Most of them are for his friends and family.

Even though his will be over soon, Austin wants to give life back to the people around him. People who have suffered hardships, severed ties, withdrawn from the world or given up on everything, including themselves. He wants to make sure that when his life ends, theirs will go on.

Austin sets out on a weekend mission to conquer his fears, participate in high school rights of passage, and find out what happened to make some of the people he cares about most stop living. In the midst of pursuing the things he hasn't experienced in his seventeen years, he tracks down each person he needs to talk to and offers the only things he really can - his thoughts and a sympathetic ear.

This easily could have been a novel about a dying boy. A pity party crafted around his one last goodbye. But Never Eighteen isn't about death. It's about life and living every moment of the one you have, however long or short it may be.

I think that's what drew me into this story so deeply. I had the majority of the book to get to know Austin. To get attached to him. He's open and honest and easy to relate to. His illness does not define him. All that just made it harder to let go.

You see, the trouble with Never Eighteen is that you know from the moment you read the jacket copy that the end of this novel is inevitable. Engrossed, I tore through most of the book. When I hit the last 20 pages, I cried.

Never Eighteen was a very emotional read for me. It struck a long-forgotten cord me and resonates with me still. Austin's journey made me realize that I've become somewhat complacement in my life and remember that the search for truth, beauty, and meaning in life is always worthwhile.

Yes, Never Eighteen is a sad story about the life of a dying boy. And yes, you might cry. But you should know up front that the message is worth all the tears.

I felt as if I had been awaiting for this one to be released for years. I had anticipated it so much, and so when it finally arrived on my front door and I laid eyes on how tiny this book is, I found myself a little dumbfounded that it was so small. 'I know, I know, it makes me sound a little shallow to make judgements but my point in sharing this is because undoubtedly, this book will be in my top ten this year. Megan Bostic has written this novel and filled it with such compassion, heartache, true friendship, and pure love.

As I began the journey, reading about Austin and wondering just what it is he had planned, not only was I eager to know what happens next, but saddened because I was a little closer to the end. Megan holds your interest by letting you know that Austin has something seriously wrong with him, as he reaches out to others in need around him. He wants to help others realize that they have the chance to make things change. They have a life to make a difference and that it should not be wasted.
Austin has his best friend Kaylee take him to visit all the people he wants to reach out to and do all those last minute things he never got a chance to. He only wants them to make something of their lives because he doesn't have that chance. He's only seventeen and this will be the end for him. He sees them struggling and reaches out. It is up to them if they will change, as Austin only comes to approach each individual and help them recognize what their issue is and how they can better themselves to lead a much happier life. It isn't a thing to waste and it saddens Austin to see his friends struggle with their lives.
It's Kaylee that makes a difference in Austin's life. He has always wanted more from her but never wanted it to interfere with the great friendship that they have. It's when all feelings are finally laid out exactly as planned, that Austin's biggest regret is that he never spoke up sooner. As I reached the end, tears streaming silently down my cheeks, I knew I was coming closer to the end of Austin's life. But did his life make a difference to anyone else? Austin held so much love for everyone around him. I sure hope so.