Okay, the sick/dying teenager genre tends towards melodrama, but this one was intolerably heavy-handed and poorly done. Perhaps teens might like it more than this 47-year-old YA librarian, but I can't say that I'd recommend it. ( )

While I quite enjoyed this story following Austin's final journey, I felt his actions were unbelieveable for a seventeen-year-old boy. Over the course of a weekend, he tried to fix broken fences with people he had known over his lifetime. However, it was impossible to believe that Austin could do this with just one conversation because, oh boy, did they have major issues - rape, abuse, alcoholism, divorce, infidelity, etc., etc. I think the author tried to cram too much in and, as such, the book lacked depth and emotion. However, I did shed tears at the end.

I loved the strong bond Austin had with his best friend, Kaylee. In fact, even though I liked Austin Kaylee was by far my favourite character. She was so strong and supportive of Austin, regardless of often being left in the dark. It was obvious she trusted Austin and would do anything for him.

At times, "Never Eighteen" reminded of Nicholas Sparks' "A Walk to Remember" although, in my opinion, not as good. However, this book will still appeal to those who love tear jerkers. ( )

I just finished reading this book about 30 minuets ago so it is still fresh in my mind but I also haven't had much time to analyze it. With that said I am going to say that I enjoyed it, or I enjoyed it as much as one can enjoy a book that makes them cry.

The book is about seventeen year old Austin, a boy who is dying. The reader doesn't know what he is dying of until the very end of the book- in fact we don't really know what he looks like aside from his being tall and, because of his illness, very skinny. He asks his best friend, and the love of his life, Kaylee to drive him around for two days as he tries to make a change in people's live while he still can.

At first I felt like the book was going to fast- within the first few chapters Austin speaks to three different people and he just seems nosy- so I thought that the short length of the book (the story part of the book is about 200 pages- I read it in a couple of hours) wouldn't work. However, as I read I was able to relate more to the characters and I could understand why everything seemed to be going by so fast- Austin doesn't have much time and he wants to know that the people he is leaving behind won't lead wasted lives. He also has a personal list of things he wants to do.


I liked this book, it more then a book about a boy who is dying. It is about life, friendship, family, and love. ( )

Title : Never Eighteen
Series : -
Author : Megan Bostic
Pages : 200
Release Date : Jan. 17th 2012
Publisher : HMH Children's Book / Thomas Allen & Son
Format : Paperback
Source :
*Thanks to T. A. & Son for providing a PB copy in exchange of an honest review! Thank you!*





My Opinion :
I was really surprised when I saw how little Never Eighteen was. It doesn't have many pages, AND the book is surprisingly small. I guess that's why I picked it up so soon after receiving it for review; I wanted a really quick read :D

Never Eighteen wasn't the best book I had ever read... but it WAS a good book. And, you may know that I didn't really enjoy The Fault in Our Stars that much... and Never Eighteen was about the same, except I liked it just a LITTLE more.

Never Eighteen is Megan Bostic's first novel (or debut novel), and I hope that, if she writes books in the future, I will enjoy them more than I did with Never Eighteen.

Never Eighteen deals with Austin. who will never turn eighteen (hence the book title). Because he has leukemia. But, he decides that he has to make things better with a few people. And so, on a weekend, he asks his best friend, and also love interest (he'S in love with her, but he doesn't know if she feels the same way) named Kaylee, to drive him to people's places. She agrees, and they start going around. And Austin changes people's lives.

The writing in Never Eighteen is really fast, and the book is actually two days worth of events (well, 180 pages of the 200 pages). Sometimes, when Austin went to people's house, I enjoyed it, but other times I found it boring.

The romance was only developed enough for me to enjoy it near the book's end. And then, it got killed off... which made me NOT happy. I really like romance, as you may have guessed.

Weirdly... I didn't cry. I'm not the biggest crier, but I do sometimes cry, especially when the book is sad (No shit, Sherlock *sarcastic*), but I guess it didn't get to me enough.

real rating : 3.5 ( )

I've been in a little bit of a funk lately. It seems that the last several books I've read have all just not lived up to my expectations, and I've really just wanted to read something that, well, made me feel something (other than annoyance). So I picked up "Never Eighteen". It's slim, so I thought it would be a quick read (I was right - I finished it in a little over two hours), and that it would make me feel that 'something' I have been missing (right again).

In a lot of ways, this book was great. I couldn't put it down once I started and sped through it like the wind. I wanted to know about Austin, about those people around him that he cared about and wanted to help, about how he was going to help them. I wanted to know about Kaylee, about these best friends' history, their future, everything. I loved seeing little bits of Austin's life being revealed with each visit, but I won't deny that it felt rushed, the visits short and direct.

I don't really count that as a bad thing, though. This book should feel rushed. Austin is dying, and he knows it, and he's trying his best to not only live as much as he can in the little time he has left, but also trying to help the people he loves to live their own lives to a fuller extent. Each visit to someone felt short, to me, but Austin probably felt like there was a giant ticking clock following him, slowly (but far too quickly) counting down to when his time will run out. The visits were short, but his situation seemed to speak the introductions, so he could just get to the point. Sometimes we just don't have the luxury of beating around the bush.

I felt for Austin trying to find the courage to speak up about his feelings for Kaylee, too. It's so easy to think, "Jeez, what do you have to lose?" but I completely understand his reticence. She's been his best friend for 9 years, and he doesn't want to risk tainting their remaining time with hurt feelings or rejection. I also could understand from Kaylee's perspective, too, not wanting to have that pressure put on her. I would not envy someone who finally opens up their heart knowing it can't last and that it will only hurt more when it ends. I don't know if it is better to go for it. They say it is better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all, but who are these "they" people anyway?

I did like that not everything was fixable, or worked out how Austin wanted. This would have felt incredibly unrealistic if things just worked out perfectly because Austin is a sympathetic character. It was enough that he tried. Enough that he cared enough to try. That says a lot about him, as well as the people around him.

I mostly loved the writing in this book, as well. It was simple, but evocative. Not overdone, but honest. I felt like some of the dialogue was a bit wooden and unnatural in some spots, particularly for 17 year olds, and I thought that the 'The End" chapter was a little awkward. It felt strange to be listening to Austin talk about his death in the past tense.

There were some "young adult" situations: drinking, cursing, sex, drug use, etc, and some other issues, abusive relationships and rape, mentioned as well, just an FYI.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one, and I'm glad that I read it. It definitely makes me look at my life in a new way, and makes me appreciate the time I have here. ( )