My Life After Now by Jessica Verdi

My Life After Now by Jessica Verdi

Release Date: April 2, 2013

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 304

Summary: Lucy just had the worst week ever. Seriously, mega bad. And suddenly, it's all too much—she wants out. Out of her house, out of her head, out of her life. She wants to be a whole new Lucy. So she does something the old Lucy would never dream of.

And now her life will never be the same. Now, how will she be able to have a boyfriend? What will she tell her friends? How will she face her family?

Now her life is completely different...every moment is a gift. Because now she might not have many moments left.

My Thoughts: When I started this one, I wasn’t sure what it was about. I remember downloading it to my kindle, but then I kind of forgot what the subject was. One day, I just decided to read it. And I’m so glad I did. Wow, what an interesting and devastating topic. Not the light read I was expecting.

We are introduced to Lucy who is in high school. Her biggest challenge at the moment is getting the part of Juliet in the school play alongside her boyfriend Ty who is auditioning for Romeo. Lucy has two dads that have remained stable and a mom that has come in and out of the picture throughout the years. She has two best friends Courtney and Max and enjoys spending time with them. She’s happy, carefree to an extent, and just being herself.  She has a rival named Elyse who tends to get on her nerves.

So it figures that Lucy’s life would change so quickly. She loses the role of Juliet, along with her boyfriend. And guess who he cheats on her with. Yep, with Elyse. Yuck. She’s devastated so she lets loose for one night and goes out partying with her best friends. The next day she wakes up in a strangers bed. This can’t be good.

Lucy gets a lot of rude awakenings from one mistake. One huge mistake. The worst she figures is maybe she has gotten an STD. But that isn’t it. She tests HIV positive. She goes through a bit of denial and depression sets in. She can’t deal with any of it. She loses focus, her dreams become nothing, and she’s just a shell of a person.

I liked Lucy. I thought she was so strong at first, but everyone has a soft side. And hers did show. She was real. She felt things that a normal person would feel. She was devastated at this, and the first person she tells basically runs away, at least for a while.

And this brings me to the love interest. It was a sweet romance, and it wasn’t the main focus of the story. It was earth shattering.

Lucy is strong but not always. Everyone has a weakness. But she realizes she must lean on other people to get her through this.

I liked this one a lot. I don’t read many books that deal with HIV. I think its actually the first one of I’ve read. I liked learning about her struggle. And it was dramatic. I could see how one mistake could change your whole life, and it happens everyday. One action can make you a whole different person.

Overall: Everyone should read this debut. There were times I felt so bad for Lucy and I wanted to make everything better. Her dads were awesome, and even going to the group sessions was awesome for Lucy. It’s what she needed. A friend who knew what she was going through.

I would recommend this to teens just to show them what can happen. Heck, not just teens, everyone! It could happen to anyone, no matter who you are.

This was such an emotional real story! And so raw!

Cover: Like it. It’s definitely pretty and makes me think of the theater but also how your life can change in an instant.

What I’d Give It: