*I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review by NetGalley*
On the one side,I loved the comedy idea, how she took her illness in stride. On the other, I thought it would make feel a lot more.

I know it seems confusing, but I need my illness books to make me cry, to be dramatic. I'm looking for a way to distress.
However, I found the characters charming and the banter quirky, and that made up for my disappointment.

If you are looking for a sweet book with a side of silver linings, this is for you.

As you might know I haven't been in the mood to read young adult in the past few months. I'm tired of all the teenage drama and I don't like as much as I used to. However, the cover for A Messy, Beautiful Life really caught my attention and when I read the blurb I knew I wanted to read this one. Good thing I did it because I ended up enjoying this one a lot.

Let's talk about the first things first, and in this case the subject of this book: cancer. Let's all be honest, books about cancer are never easy to read.  Those books are always heartbreaking, especially if it's a teenager who has cancer or even if you ever had someone in your family going through that. For some reason this one felt different but in a good way. Yeah, it's a book about cancer and yeah, the main character, Ellie, and her friends and family are worried about it and the consequences it might bring. However, this book is so much more. It's also about family, friendship and finding love in difficult times. I loved that about this book. I loved the relationships between the characters. I loved Ellie's relationship with her mom and how much they supported each other. I loved how her relationship with her dad got better because they talked about things that should be talked about. I loved her relationship with her two best friends and also with Jason, the love interest. Above all of this, I loved her relationship with her stepbrother, Craig. As you can see relationships were the best in this book and it was great how much everyone ended up supporting Ellie through the most difficult time in her life.

I also loved how amazing Ellie was. She was such a strong girl. It's true that at some points she just wanted to cry and stay home all by herself, but who wouldn't in her situation? Anther thing I really like was how improv was included in this book. There's something you don't see enough in books.

Overall, this was a really good book and I ended up enjoying it a lot. It also helps that the writing was fantastic. I definitely recommend this one to everyone and I can't wait what Sara Jade Alan releases next.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Pro: Improv! I can honestly say, this is the first YA book I have read that features improv, and it was really fun. Plus, I got a good education on improv too.

Pro: I felt a lot of feels. I laughed, I cried, I swooned, my heart raced from excitement. Alan did an excellent job bringing me on this journey with Ellie and her family.

Pro: Ellie was fabulous. I found her funny and so real. She had wit, charm, and a great attitude, but she was also vulnerable.

Pro: This is a cancer story written by a cancer survivor.

Con: I swear, this is going on my tombstone. The ending was ok, but I wanted a little more. This was such a fabulous story, and I was left somewhat wanting.

Pro: Alan kept this story from entering melodrama land, and it made it more enjoyable for me.

Pro: Ellie and Jason were so good together. I was shipping them after their very first meeting.

Pro: The way Craig and Ellie's relationship blossomed filled my heart with joy. I like that there was a lot more to him than met the eye, and I am a fan of non-traditional type families too.

Pro: Ellie's mom is a star. 😘

Pro: Friendships! So many great friends in this one, and they really stepped it up in Ellie's hour of need.

Overall: This was a beautiful and funny story about something not funny. It made my heart ache and made my heart fill with joy. Alan gave us a story with depth and weight, but kept us from drowning in sadness by tempering it with humor and lots of love.

*Received an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review*

Wow! This book had it all...humor, drama, and complicated issues. It's a heartwarming story of a girl fighting to stay positive amid terrible news and struggling with her new normal.

I thought that the author gave an interesting take on all of the emotions and conclusions that a person would draw during the process of finding out that they have cancer. Ellie displays quite a few emotions/reactions throughout the book and seems to go through the grieving process with regards to her cancer. I loved how Ellie tried to be strong for everyone around her. She didn't want to bring anyone down but inside she was crumbling under the weight of all that cancer could mean for her life. She was a great character who made me laugh and cry. I related to how awkward she was around Jason and how deeply she felt everything.

I thought that the author included some interesting relationship dynamics within the story mainly in Ellie's blended family with her divorced parents, stepmother, and her stepbrother. It was interesting to witness the "normal" relationship dynamics and see how they changed due to Ellie finding out that she has cancer.

I enjoyed all of the aspects of the story with the exception of the timing of everything in the book. I would have liked for the author to take more time to develop things in the book. It seemed as if things happened very quickly and I would have liked the flow of the book to be a bit slower to be able to soak everything in. An example of this would be how it seemed very sudden how Ellie found out that she had cancer. I think that the author was trying to have it be humorous but the joke didn't land for me. Despite this, I thought that the topic was handled tastefully.

Plot:

The start of the story was a little rough in my opinion, but the novel really got going once the word “tumor” came into play. The classic teen contemporary fell away and the true novel slingshot into motion; the deeper story blossomed and the characters slowly captivated me. I experienced all the things with them: the rawness, the terror, the hope, the “carpe diem” the heck out of today since they had no idea what the next day was gonna look like, and the agonizing ups and downs as Ellie and the gang tried to figure out how to deal with the big “C.” Truly, the title describes this perfectly: messy and beautiful, these characters showed me something good, something real, something heartbreaking, and something inspiring, and I was 100% in love by the time I finished it. <3

Plot: 3 1/2 stars out of 5

Characters:

These kids. These kids, though.

This section might get long. Haha.

Ellie is so incredibly strong. And it’s not because she isn’t afraid and she faces cancer stoically and she never gets upset and she never breaks down; in fact, there are moments when she just snaps and sobs because she’s—quite justifiably—paralyzed with fear over it all. No, her strength came from the way she dealt with everything after that. I loved how real her emotions felt, and how she maintained a clear and deep appreciation for all the good things she had in spite of the awful things piling on her. It wasn’t one of those stories she sank into depression, thought there was nothing left to live for, and her boy had to pull her out of it (those have their place, but this story wasn’t it). Instead, from the get-go, she wanted to survive. Her friends immediately gathered around her, and even though she was drenched in fear, she immediately and repeatedly realized and acknowledged the blessings that were still around her. What made her strong was her attitude, her decisions to do life anyway, her support of her friends in their doing life, and her consistent return to gratitude and an a "carpe diem" kind of joy. As many times as she was gripped with fear, she balanced that refusing to let cancer become her entire worldview. She didn’t let the imminence of her treatment or the possibility of death keep her from appreciating her life; and I just found that really original, really inspiring, and really beautiful.

As far as the other characters, her friends were talented, thoughtful, and amazingly supportive. Jason was super cute, super mature, and super perfect for that time in her life. I loved that there were no stupid fights, that any arguments that did arise were discussions they needed to have, and that her friends didn’t leave her to flounder, but instead rallied together and stood beside and behind her. She had a fantastic support group, which made for a fantastic cast of characters that I took pleasure in spending time with.

Of particular note, there was her mom and CRAIG. If you’ve been here for a while, you know I love to brag on awesome parent characters, and Ellie’s mom definitely fits the bill. She was present, caring, understanding, her daughter’s close friend and support. There was no crazy miscommunication here: her daughter was her everything and you could tell. A relationship like that is so hard to find in YA, but they had one that was about as close to perfect as one could get.

And then there was Craig. If you’ve been here for a while, you know I also like to brag on awesome sibling characters! And Craig is one of the awesomest: a normal boy, you know, acting mildly tougher than he was most of the time, but he was also a total sweetheart, incredibly supportive, and honestly, just what she needed whenever she needed him. He was the kind of brother who pushed her to kick cancer’s you-know-what, and his constant, rock-like thereness was always around to help hold her up, even when she didn’t realize she needed him.

I gotta stop because this section is going on way too long, but for my TL;DR people: Ellie’s the strongest, her mom is the bestest, and Craig is the bossest.

Characters: 5 stars out of 5.

Writing Style/Setting:

Ellie’s thought process and style comes through quite well, and I thought it was really interesting how much of the story revolved around stage and performance. It added an extra dynamic to the normal “school, hangout, and home” settings one tends to have in contemporaries and it was the perfect bit of extra spice to balance out this book.

Writing Style/Setting: 4 stars out of 5

And so we come in right about 4 stars or of 5. A Messy Beautiful Life is the perfect title for this story! Lovers of sweet teen contemporary, here is your next fix.

It seems strange to say that the biggest flaw in a book where the main character gets cancer is that too many good things happen to that character. I think that’s the case with this novel, though, and it prevented me from liking it as much as I would have otherwise.

So, yeah, this is a cancer story. Ellie loves comedy, especially performing in her school’s improv group. However, when she discovers she has a rare form of bone cancer, it gets harder for her to find the humor in her life. However, with support from her family, friends, and the cute guy Ellie met doing improv, she finds that love and laughter get her through the dark times.

First, the positives. The elements of the story revolving around improv and comedy were well handled. Some of the lines in the book were very funny, which isn’t surprising given that the author has performed in improv and scripted comedy shows herself. The details surrounding Ellie’s bone cancer—what it’s like to get the diagnosis, how hard it is to figure out what type of treatment is best, the nature of the cancer itself—is well written, too. Again, though, that’s not surprising, because the author is herself a survivor of the same kind of cancer Ellie has. I also really liked the relationship between Ellie and her stepbrother. It was really touching, and a good representation of the fact that blood is only part of what makes someone family.

Even with these positives, though, I found myself a bit unhappy with the book at times, and I think that’s down to my feeling that too many other parts of the story just weren’t realistic. For example, a major comedy competition just happens to come to Ellie’s town, and, of course, she does extremely well in it. When Ellie finally goes to New York for surgery on her leg, pretty much all her family and friends get to go with her to support her, and she winds up staying in a swanky apartment and having a magical time in the city before entering the hospital. And of course, there’s that cute guy, who hasn’t known her for long when she diagnosed and then is all-in as her boyfriend with barely a blink.

I think how much someone enjoys this novel will depend on whether these things bother them as much as they did me. Judging by the number of positive reviews I’m seeing for this book, I’m in the minority here.

An eARC of this novel was provided by the publisher through NetGalley for review; all opinions expressed are my own.

Entangled Teen and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of A Messy, Beautiful Life. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

Ellie Hartwood, along with her friends Hana and Quinn, are members of the Northglenn High School comedy improv team. While at Porter Township High for a Comedy Mash-Up, Ellie meets Jason Cooper and feels an instant connection. Just when everything in her life seems to be falling into place, devastating news shakes Ellie like nothing before. Finding unexpected sources of support, will Ellie be able to carve out a little bit of happiness despite her tenuous future?

A Messy, Beautiful Life is a YA realistic fiction/romance with a good story and great characterization. With such a heavy subject matter, the author does a good job of adding a little levity to the story. There is an ease to the dialogue between the characters, which comes across in a very realistic manner. The plot flows well, balancing the lightness and the dark; the happy and the sad. This book will resonate well with young adult readers, as it shows that there are possibilities in life, even when it seems that the world is conspiring against you.

A Messy, Beautiful Life by Sara is about Ellie and her life. Ellie does comedy improvs as a hobby/school thing, which is very unique and different from any of the other YA books I have read. Her parents are divorced and from that divorce came remarriage and a new step brother for Ellie. So, she is living a fairly normal, contemporary teenaged life. That is, until one day when she decides to fall, hurt her leg, and instead of the test results coming back with 'broken' leg they came back with 'cancer'.

This book was okay. There was really nothing that stood out about it And, honestly, the whole cancer plot is entirely over-used and under-paid. The first quarter of the book I was pretty bored with the story and where it was going. I was ready to skim read the rest of the book and do a tiny synopsis review. Then the cancer part happened so I decided to stick around and see how the author spun the cancer story. Sadly, it was pretty a much rinse and repeat of every other story with cancer I have ever read. This book probably would have been popular around the John Green time period.

I think Craig(step-brother) was the only character I truly enjoyed. Ellies's mother also wasn't too bad. Her father was beyond horrible but he did end up slightly redeeming himself by the end. I still think he shouldn't have gotten on that plane or even had to think about whether to put his daughter or his new wife first. The ending had me tearing up a bit. Not so much from the miracle that is medicine but because of the emotion Jason showed about his mother. I think it was one of the most beautiful parts of the entire book.

In the end, I found that the book was very simple and boring and lacking that one thing that would have kept me interested. It was a very short book and I think that is the only reason I finished it. The writing isn't bad and the story wasn't so bad... it's just a very over-used plot standpoint. I would read the author again in the future to see how she has grown.

Overall, I have the book 3/5 stars.

I haven’t been in the mood for YA in a while, but this book… WOW, it just blew me away. I loved it to bits. I loved the characters, and the story. The theme, the friendships and the romance. I loved the pacing and the humour.

This was my first book by this author, but surely it won’t be the last, because the writing is fantastic. Sara Jane Alan infused an amazing personality into Ellie’s voice, she made her real, and again, WOW.

The theme of this book is not by any means lighthearted. It’s cancer! But it’s not dramatic. The way the theme, the diagnosis, the dealing with the issues were approached was heartbreakingly beautiful, and funny, so messy and beautiful. The use of humour to be deal with such a hardship is amazing, and it fit so well with the characters.

Again, I obviously loved this book, and it is dear to my heart. So, if you’re feeling brave, and you want to read something that will pull at your heartstrings and make you laugh while crying, this is the book for you.

First of all, I would like to thank Entangled Teen and NetGalley for giving me an eARC copy to review. And this will not influence my thoughts or opinion about the book in any way.

A story that will make you CRY, LAUGH and VALUE THE MEANING OF FAMILY AND FRIENDSHIP is what A Messy, Beautiful Life is all about.

It is about a girl named Ellie, a high school student who do improv comedy with her friends, Hana and Quinn. One time when they are doing an improv, Ellie met Jason. Just like her, Jason also do improv with his friends. The moment Ellie saw Jason, she fall in love with him immediately. Later on, Ellie discover that she has a rare bone cancer in which her leg must be amputated as the doctor said. 

What I adore Ellie is how she managed to be brave and continued life even after she discover her cancer. She is a strong person that makes me continue and live life to the fullest despite the hardship you are experiencing. I love how she continue doing the things that make her happy even having a cancer. Not all people can do what she did. Some people lost hope when they suffer from an illness but not Ellie who did used her illness as an instrument for her to express her talent and passion in doing improv. She  also didn't let her illness to be a hindrance in doing what she really love. And that is one thing we should be doing. Let us not let our emotion and excess baggage as an excuse not to continue what we love.

Jason, the "hot guy" for Ellie is the love interest of her. Jason in the story is a sweet, caring, loving and understanding boyfriend of Ellie. I love how committed Jason is in supporting Ellie with her illness. All throughout the story, Jason stays beside Ellie that he flew to New York just to support her. For me, he is a strong guy for staying and proving his love for Ellie that even she has cancer he didn't left her behind to fight for her illness. 

Could someone tell me where can I find a brother and friends just like Craig, Hana and Quinn. I admire the love and support that the three of them gave Ellie. Instead of leaving Ellie fight for her illness, they stay until the end and took care of her. They showcase what is the true meaning of love and friendship. You could seldom see people who will stay by your side when things get ugly. I adore the things that they do to Ellie. The three of them should be the people that we should look for a friends.

For the writing, I love how the author Sara wrote it with ease that you would not feel bad reading a book that has a cancer as a topic. She wrote the story that we should not let us feel bad to have an illness but let us use it as a tool in continuing and fighting the life we have. The author let me feel to have hope and let us be a strong and better person. She didn't let readers to feel down and give up. 

The book made me love to try doing an improv, support and love the people beside me, and don't let things interfere what I love to do and lastly, to hope that tomorrow is just another beautiful day that we have to enjoy.

I highly recommend it that you read A Messy, Beautiful Life. I know you would love it just how I love it.

My rating is 5 out of 5 stars. 

Book Blog - https://bookishcaramel.wordpress.com/2017/10/06/a-messy-beautiful-life-book-review/
Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2107023559

The only interactions I cared about were between Ellie and Craig, and I wanted them to pull a Clueless but I knew it wouldn’t happen. The whole thing was just disappointing. I appreciated the unique hobby (at least to YA) and the dynamics of Ellie’s family. But Jason was so, so incredibly boring as a character. I just didn’t like him. At all. And even if I had liked him, it wouldn’t have saved the rest of the book.

All the feels, all the swoons, all the heartache...

One of the most brilliant reads of my year. Such a heartfelt, amazing read. Would definitely recommend.

Received in exchange for a honest review.

this book is absolutely wonderful. You have such a sad topic but the humour has you laughing so hard your side hurts and you cry.

This is the story of the journey of Ellie. How she deals with a time in her life where she is challenged. Challenged by something that has you just feel gutted for her. A time where she finds a boy who fights for her and is there for her even when it hurts, friends that stand by her and are her support, a stepbrother who shows how kind he is and a dad that learns what is important and learns to come back to where he should be.

Ellie is funny and sarcastic. Smart and so full of life. Even when life brings her down she pulls her head up and stares at it with humour and grace. She doesn’t back away but fights and finds a way to make it to the other side. She finds the boy who is so sweet and just adorable and after what he went through is there for her. Friends that are awesome and don’t change how they treat her but are there for her.

ellie learns how fleeting life can be and that it is precious. She learns that she must not dwell on the situation but find a way to cope and overcome what is a horrible situation. She learns to fight and find the positive. She shows others that humour is a wonderful way to cope and face what is a situation that changes everything for someone.

the story is so wonderful and realistic. We see a situation that is hard and difficult be treated with kindness, humor and love. You feel all the emotions possible as you see Ellie go through this journey and fight for herself. You see her grow and mature but also show strength and beauty in how she faces her situation. The book entrances you and the characters have you fall in love with them. The topic is serious but written in a realistic way that convey the emotions that one goes through and how they cope and fight but also with lighthearted humour that just has you smile and see how truly special the book and Ellie is.

This book made me laugh, as well as cry! I think this book is original and I really loved the characters; they were realistic and believable.

5 A MESSY, BEAUTIFUL LIFE STARS!! This book was fantastic it had all the feels from laughing out loud to crying. The story is so beautifully written, Sara Jade Alan did a fabulous job. I loved Ellie, she was the perfect character. I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

I thoroughly enjoyed this whole book. I don’t know much, if anything about improvisational comedy, or stand up comedy, and I loved that Ellie was so involved in it. I’ve always loved going to improv shows or to see stand up comics perform. I really enjoyed seeing a part of what goes on behind the scenes of shows. I thought the story as a whole flowed wonderfully and made me not want to put the book down.
I thought this was going to be “just another book where the main character has cancer”, which is honestly why I requested it. I don’t know why, but I’m very interested in these types of books. I found right away that this wasn’t going to be that typical type of book. Ellie was such a wonderful main character who had such a great sense of humor. I will say the reason I didn’t give the book 5 stars is because the book contains *gasp* insta-love. I just can’t handle instal-love in books and this one was quite typical. Luckily all of the other character relationships made up for this. I found myself laughing way more than I expected to while reading, but didn’t make light of the situations, which takes talent.
I would definitely recommend this book to fans of The Fault in Our Stars, Me Earl and the Dying Girl, Zac & Mia, and Side Effects May Vary. I personally found this book on par or even more enjoyable than those books I just mentioned. I also can’t finish this review without mentioning how absolutely stunning the cover of this book is!

I admit I was a bit wary of this one. Novels that tackle serious illness can easily fall into mawkishness. I’m happy to report A Messy, Beautiful Life is not one of them. Yes, main character Ellie is diagnosed with cancer, but whereas some stories would then veer into saccharine clichés and overly sentimental tropes, Sara Jade Alan managed to avoid those traps and instead deliver a story that is funny, honest and equal parts heart-breaking and heart-warming.

High school senior Ellie is co-captain of an improv group and it’s during a performance that she meets Jason. The chemistry is immediate and when Ellie sees him again at a party the sparks fly and she’s pretty sure the feeling is mutual. But the night is derailed when a fall lands her in the hospital and all of a sudden doctors are throwing around words like scans, MRI and biopsy. And then the diagnosis: cancer.

Ellie was a character that was easy to admire. Even before her diagnosis I appreciated her can-do attitude and her close relationships with her friends and her mom. And after the diagnosis I admired her even more. Yes, she usually tried to be strong for her mom and friends but Ellie was no martyr. She was afraid, she cried, she questioned ‘why me?’ and railed against the unfairness of it. She struggled with her relationship with her father as well as her growing feelings for Jason. She liked him and felt better when he was around, but was it fair to ask him to see her through such a difficult time?

Ellie was surrounded by an amazing support group and I loved the encouragement and comfort they each provided. Her mother was present and involved and I appreciated how they seemed to be very much a team while still maintaining their mother-daughter roles. Her girlfriends were priceless (not a mean girl in sight!) and always there to lend a shoulder to cry on, make her laugh, and just generally be some of the best friends ever. I also loved seeing the relationship between Ellie and her step-brother Craig develop into a truly caring and supportive bond.

My quibbles are few. First, there were times when the dialogue between Ellie and her friends didn’t ring true for me. Their banter sometimes felt forced and not realistic given their ages (do seventeen year olds actually know what Toastmasters is?). Secondly, the school yoga teacher/counselor seemed a bit over the top New Age-y and had I been sent to see her as a high school student I think she would have seemed more oddball than helpful.

A Messy, Beautiful Life was filled with humor and heart and brought me to tears more than once, not only with empathy for what Ellie was facing but also when my heart was warmed by the show of love and support. I encourage readers to pick this one up and experience Ellie’s resilience and humor for themselves.

Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for the opportunity to read and review A Messy Beautiful Life by Sara Jade Alan. The story begins with theater students putting on a show with another school and describing how much fun the improv acts turned out. I kind of wish I could have been in that audience. Later, Ellie and her stepbrother Craig head to the beach and then to a house party after being invited by Jason, the guy who acted out improv with Ellie at the show. That’s how Ellie and Jason met, an improv performance. While Ellie is walking to a fire with Jason at the party, she falls and ends up at the hospital and everyone thinks she’s broken her leg. When her mom, Craig and her friends Hana and Quinn are visiting with Ellie in her hospital room, the doctor informs Ellie that she has cancer. I love how people rally around Ellie and how she keeps her attitude as upbeat as possible. The school counselor is fantastic, Ellie’s mom is amazing and Craig is the best stepbrother ever. The author’s note describes her own battle with cancer and her involvement with improv and the similarities she has with her character Ellie and just like Ellie, she had many people show true support when she needed it most. This heartwarming story is enjoyable to read and is full of endearing characters! 5 stars for this young adult realistic fiction!
*I received a complimentary copy of this book for voluntary consideration.