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winecellarlibrary 's review for:
Living on Borrowed Time
by Samie Sands
This was a quick read. It also was an easy read, so it felt much shorter than 247 pages. Most of the book is written in first person inner monologue, so we have a personal view inside Lara's deepest thoughts and feelings. We experience both her highs and her lows as she battles depression, anxiety, and alcohol abuse. If you have experienced depression, anxiety, and/or alcohol abuse, you will likely be able to identify with her. If you have never experienced these issues, you may not understand how she is capable of switching from one feeling to another or why she is so self-conscious.
There was not a definitive timeline in this book. It felt as though the story progressed over a few days, however, at one point, Lara says her issues have spanned "a few weeks" and then a few pages later, she refers to the time as "months." Perhaps this was done to portray how she was losing touch with reality, but as a reader, it was bothersome.
The author effectively portrays the emotions you would expect from someone who was told she would die of cancer, had come to terms with the idea, and then suddenly is cured and doesn't know how to continue living because she hadn't planned to exist beyond the quoted six months. It is very stressful for young adults who do not know their plan in life or the purpose their life serves. At times, her reactions and choices are aggravating, but they are entirely human and realistic.
The implausibility in the conclusion was disappointing, since the majority of people who have these issues could never experience such things. Honestly, people who don't have Lara's issues typically do not have these experiences either. As people with depression and alcoholism may be drawn to this book, the way the author chose to write the conclusion will likely turn off this population.
Overall, it was a decent read. I read an ARC of this title, and there were numerous spelling, grammar, and formatting errors that have hopefully been revised prior to publishing.
I would like to thank Booksprout and the author for providing me with a free Kindle ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
There was not a definitive timeline in this book. It felt as though the story progressed over a few days, however, at one point, Lara says her issues have spanned "a few weeks" and then a few pages later, she refers to the time as "months." Perhaps this was done to portray how she was losing touch with reality, but as a reader, it was bothersome.
The author effectively portrays the emotions you would expect from someone who was told she would die of cancer, had come to terms with the idea, and then suddenly is cured and doesn't know how to continue living because she hadn't planned to exist beyond the quoted six months. It is very stressful for young adults who do not know their plan in life or the purpose their life serves. At times, her reactions and choices are aggravating, but they are entirely human and realistic.
The implausibility in the conclusion was disappointing, since the majority of people who have these issues could never experience such things. Honestly, people who don't have Lara's issues typically do not have these experiences either. As people with depression and alcoholism may be drawn to this book, the way the author chose to write the conclusion will likely turn off this population.
Overall, it was a decent read. I read an ARC of this title, and there were numerous spelling, grammar, and formatting errors that have hopefully been revised prior to publishing.
I would like to thank Booksprout and the author for providing me with a free Kindle ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.