Tuesday, October 18, 2016

The Probability of Miracles

The Probability of Miracles
Wendy Wunder
The Probability of Miracles

Genre: Young Adult Fiction

Summary (from Goodreads): Dry, sarcastic, sixteen-year-old Cam Cooper has spent the last seven years in and out hospitals. The last thing she wants to do in the short life she has left is move 1,500 miles away to Promise, Maine - a place known for the miraculous events that occur there. But it's undeniable that strange things happen in Promise: everlasting sunsets; purple dandelions; flamingoes in the frigid Atlantic; an elusive boy named Asher; and finally, a mysterious envelope containing a list of things for Cam to do before she dies. As Cam checks each item off the list, she finally learns to believe - in love, in herself, and even in miracles.

A debut novel from an immensely talented new writer, The Probability of Miracles crackles with wit, romance and humor and will leave readers laughing and crying with each turn of the page.


Review: I loved the idea of a mother moving her dying daughter to Promise, Maine, where people claim miracles occur.  And I loved how Cam and her sister Perry noticed unusual events and called them miracles.  There were bizarre miracles, like a flock of flamingos making a home nearby, and everyday miracles, like a teenager being nice, and I appreciated how the author made a point that one can notice all different kind of miracles in an ordinary life.  Some of the thoughts and conversations were beautifully written, and the scene at the end was one of the most lovely and heartbreaking endings I've ever read.

Unfortunately, I spent the first part of the book having a hard time liking Cam.  Dry, sarcastic teenagers are generally still interesting and funny, but I just found her too depressing (but I know, she's dying!) and yet somehow still too busily active for a dying girl.  I was surprised that she didn't seem to have any close friends, and the scene with her one dying friend was just unlikeable.  Asher was too perfect of a love interest, and I couldn't fathom what he saw in Cam.  And I didn't like the way sex was treated in a book geared for teenagers.  Frankly, I wouldn't have liked the sex scenes in a book written for adults (too casual and dismissive) and I would prefer books written for teenagers to have no sex scenes at all.

I would not recommend this book for a teenager, but if you are looking for a book about a dying girl, you might check this one out.

Rating: 3 stars

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