Side Effects May Vary.

☆☆☆☆

side effects may vary

julie murphy.

 Publisher :HarperCollins/ Balzer + Bray

Publication Date:March 18,2014

Genre:YA Contemporary Romance|Drama.

Format|Pages:Hardcover|336.

 Source: Library| Goodreads

 

What if you'd been living your life as if you were dying—only to find out that you had your whole future ahead of you?



When sixteen-year-old Alice is diagnosed with leukemia, her prognosis is grim. To maximize the time she does have, she vows to spend her final months righting wrongs—however she sees fit. She convinces her friend Harvey, who she knows has always had feelings for her, to help her with a crazy bucket list that's as much about revenge (humiliating her ex-boyfriend and getting back at her archnemesis) as it is about hope (doing something unexpectedly kind for a stranger). But just when Alice's scores are settled, she goes into remission.



Now Alice is forced to face the consequences of all that she's said and done, as well as her true feelings for Harvey. But has she caused irreparable damage to the people around her—and to the one person who matters most?

Julie Murphy's Side Effects May Vary is a fearless and moving tour de force about love, life, and facing your own mortality 

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I have heard multiple mix reviews about this novel, and decided to check it out. Despite being a book about cancer and revenge, I found myself enjoying it. There were multiple times that I ended up reading late because I was that observed in story. I couldn’t force myself to put it down. I was so drawn in both of Alice & Harvey’s story, I wanted to see what’s going come of their journey next. I needed to see how all of it was going to end. Title was actually what caught my attention when I came across the book at the library; it’s an unique title and captivating. The reader can’t help but wonder about it and picked it up. I was. Side Effects May Vary was one of those books that wasn’t an amazing one but I r enjoyed it at the same time. There were parts that didn’t capture my attention much and parts where I couldn’t force to put the novel down. Side Effects May Vary wasn’t what I expected it to be, but a book that I’m glad I came across, one worth checking out.




Alice was one of characters that I had mixed feelings about. One minute, she was being mean to someone, the next minute she does something nice for someone. Honestly, her actions confused me at times. What she did for Harvey towards the end, that was probably one of nicest things that she done for anyone. The way she told her mom she seen her with another guy, that was not a cool way to announce it, by throwing a tantrum. I feel like I disliked her for most of the book, especially the way that she treated Harvey. After everything that he done for her, he even went along with her bucket list. Yet all she seemed to do with him afterwards is ditch him, hurt him. I wish that Harvey had enough sense to have enough earlier that he did. It didn’t matter to him what she did, he always went running back to her. Alice was one of characters that was very hard to like. Harvey on other end I loved from start to end.




I enjoyed reading from both Alice and Harvey’s point of view. That way you got to know each of character’s better, how they are thinking, feeling. The ending I wasn’t sure what to think about it. I felt like it wasn’t completed, that was one of things that I didn’t enjoy about the book. I didn’t even know what to feel about it. After reading it, I was actually confused, I found myself wondering what she whispered to him. Was it a secret? Did she tell him that she loved him. I think the book dragged on bit too long as well. To the ending. It’s one of the reasons that I only gave 4 stars to the book. Otherwise it’s pretty enjoyable novel. A story that’s worth giving chance to.