A Letter to the Author: Dear Julie Murphy

Wow! Julie, you are a rock star to me. There's really no other way to put it. I can't even begin to describe all the emotions that I'm feeling right now, but I needed to put them into words.

By now, I've read your two books - Side Effects May Vary and Dumplin', and I've got to say that I'm in love with how you write. Your characters are realistic, flawed, and true. That's something that I love seeing when I read a YA book. It just makes the whole book feel whole, and you're nailing it.

Review: Side Effects May Vary

Title: Side Effects May Vary

Author: Julie Murphy

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Publication Date: March 18, 2014

Format: Hardcover, First Edition

Source: Purchased

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 arch-nemesis) 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.