Another ER book that I just couldn't get into but I'll hang onto this one in the hopes that picking it up for a second time might help.

Five Minutes More captured the essence of emotional detachment. The theory that repeating your mantra “just 5 minutes more” will and shall overcome all. I kept repeating to myself, just 5 minutes more then I will go to sleep, just 5 minutes more then I will go start my homework. The 5 minutes turned into an hour until at last, I finished the book.

I loved how the book was divided into two sections—the fall season and the winter season and spring. It separated the story in lined with the stages of grief—shock, denial, anger, bargaining, guilt, depression, and acceptance/hope. Each new emotion author Darlene Ryan goes out and beyond to convey. Painstaking care and love for the actions that D’Arcy displays. Five Minutes More definitely takes the reader onto a roller coaster of emotions.

However I have some issues about this book. I kind of felt that some scenes were a bit extreme and unrealistic. She blew it out of proportion and tried to create a fiasco—where it left me cringing. The ending needed something more. It seemed to be a synopsis of an ending rather than the ending at all—short, brief, and unemotional, which for this type of book, does not flow right.

Overall: My review is slightly general of the book. I read this book a few weeks back, and with school and all, practically forgot almost all the little details. I remember the general sense of what I liked and what I did not like, but nothing else. So Five Minutes More was a decent read but nothing exceptional. ( )

Darlene Ryan's Five Minutes More is just another example of edgy teen literature that is ready to dive right in and make a splash to change the genre for the better. The raw honesty in D'Arcy's narration will make the reader sympathize with all of the horrible, rotten things she has to go through, at the same time thanking the powers that be that you're not the one dealing with it. It's painfully obvious that Darlene Ryan wrote this book from the heart. It's such a unique, but relevant, topic, dealt with a heartbreakingly real way. It almost seems like each and every word was handpicked to create a haunting poignance. The characters, just like the writing, is honest to humans, and I particularly enjoyed reading about Seth's breakdown aimed at D'Arcy, veering sharply away from the 'cute and cuddly' typical love interest stereotype found in young adult fiction. While I felt that the ending was somewhat rushed, I also found it reverberating for days after I finished the book in it's raw power. Everything comes full circle in this amazingly written snapshot of D'Arcy's life. I am ranking this book with the likes of Thirteen Reasons Why and Just Listen in that I believe every teen should, at some point, read and fully appreciate this wonderful piece of literature.

Rating: 5/5 ( )

When D'Arcy's father dies, her world falls apart and the only thing she can do is take things five minutes at a time. She can stand five more minutes of anything... but can she stand this?

D'Arcy's grief is searing and oozes off every page. At first it seems like the story will be about D'Arcy's resilience in the face of tragedy, but she soon spirals out of control. It's not exactly my thing, but fans of issue books will enjoy the drama. ( )

D’Arcy's dad dies at the beginning of this book. She has to deal with the discovery that her dad's death might not be an accident. D'Arcy gets through her days by using the phrase "just five more minutes." That's something that her dad used to say to her. If she can last just five more minutes then he would take her out of the situation. She tries this after he dies. This book made me sad to read. I was able to see through D'Arcy's eyes when she came to terms with her dad's death. I would recommend this book to other readers.