fter a rocky and kind of judgemental start from me I ended up unexpectedly really enjoying this.
I am a very easily influenced reader, something I really need to find a way out of. Usually I just avoid any and all other opinions, this time however I accidently scrolled down and saw a kind of negative review and so I went into this being very nit picky.

The start of this wasnt great. I didn't enjoy the writing I found it quite juvenile and just a bunch of stuff happened quite fast. Jade came off as quite of a bitch just ripping apart Ethan's religion like that and Ethan came off as quite cheesy.

About 40% of the way through things started picking up for me and infact I read the last 60% in one sitting this afternoon.
I loved the development of both characters. I loved how much representation there is in this: Religion, a mixed race and blended family, alcoholic parents, high school drama, unhealthy relationships, a positive! stepparent/child relationship.
I couldn't get enough of this book!

This sweetly realistic romance skillfully tackles questions of friendship, faith, and family in a tale that will leave readers cheering for the not-as-opposite-as-they-think protagonists.

DNFed around 130 pages in and then almost facepalmed a wall bevause I made it that far. It started off quite interesting, I liked Jade as a character and thought she was amusing. Ethan was okay, but I didn’t realize religion was to play a huge part in the narrative. It was okay, but it wasn’t very appealing to read bevause it felt forced, and I tried to respect it, I really did, but I didn’t expect it to be what it is.
Mostly, the characters were flat and the story was just meh.

This was an okay read. I’m glad I got the opportunity to read it, but I think I was expecting just a little bit more. I really liked Jade’s storyline, and all the characters that went with it, but I had a really hard time with Ethan’s. Ethan as a character was okay, but he was infuriating at times. The parts with his whiny girlfriend made me want to throw the book across the room, and the pastor who is supposed to be a mentor to Ethan really irritated me that he pushed the relationship on Ethan when it was obviously toxic.
Overall, Things I’d Rather Do Than Die is very…dramatic. And angsty. There were definitely some real parts, particularly with Jade feeling that she doesn’t fit in because of her skin colour, and the struggles she is facing with her family, and that was really refreshing in a way. It made the book easier to read because I wanted to know what the outcome would be. The high school drama was a bit much though, and I probably would have preferred the book if Ethan was just a side character.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy in exchange for a honest review.

This book started off so promising! Jade and Ethan get locked in a room together after a very scary event. I know a lot of people referred to this as being a Christian Book, but I think it was more faith based. It was though the same old story that I have always heard. (Can there be a YA book with at least one or two characters who have a normal home life that doesn't include addiction or some form of illness?)
I enjoyed the "faith" way of thinking that Ethan had and I liked that he did not push it on anyone.
All in all this was a decent read, but minus the Christianity, its a book I've read over and over.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book. I did not finish this book. As others have mentioned, the religious overtones in this book are just too much. I’ve read other YA novels with very religious characters, like The Names They Gave Us by Emery Lord and Little Do We Know by Tamara Ireland Stone and found them nuanced and intriguing. The problem with this one is that even just a few chapters in, I could already tell the characters were too flat and the writing too clunky for this to be an interesting examination of faith.

I am not big on young adult, not lend towards them a lot but I did like this book. It switches between the two main characters, which I am used to from reading Jodi Picoult books. The point of views continue on the story and not take two different views on the same scene.

SAVE THE DRAMA…for someone else’s Mama.

My biggest issue with this book was that it tried too hard. Every page was filled with trying to add more to the story when it was already brimmed to bursting with this and that thing happening.

When I took the story between Ethan and Jade for just their story, I thought it was cute. Maybe a bit rushed, but I could see the goodness of them.

The Christian aspects also felt very forced. While it started off as the beginning of their ‘relationship’ by discussing all things religious, from there it drifted in and out of the book at random times. As if to keep including it, but I didn’t think it played that big of a part in the story.

The book is written in a young style, but the addition of a lot of language takes that away. They’re a few kisses here and there, and no love scenes. Some violence in the beginning.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Flux, for the digital ARC!

Jade and Ethan run in completely different social circles. He's a football jock and she's an intellectual book nerd who just happens to have a job at the local gym. When the gym gets robbed one night while both Ethan and Jade are there, their orbits align for one terrifying experience and things are never quite the same afterwards. Beyond the pressures of senior year, both of them are slogging through some really painful family challenges and it's possible that life is just too complicated for them to have a story of their own.

I'm of two minds about this book. On the one hand, it's pretty predicable, there are some plot holes and I had to suspend my disbelief quite a bit. But, I also felt tender at the end, especially toward Jade and her family, so I did at least eventually care about her as a character. I liked that Jade is a strong, non-white character who is intelligent and has a close relationship with her father. As a religious person myself I liked that there is some legitimate wrestling with the idea of God and the role he can play in our lives. It felt like it came out of the blue, a bit, based on my initial take of the book, but it definitely is a book that deals with faith. For all it's Christian discussion, the language is strong and the romance never gets to a particularly sweet spot where I really was rooting for it. I'd bet older teens might appreciate it if they are okay with the religious piece.

Sadly, I felt as if the characters were unoriginal, the dialogue was flat, and the prose was old hat. The premise was so amazing and I was disappointed. DNF

What a great book that delves into the confusing and assuming world of teens, revealing religious assumptions and prejudices that can taint and tarnish the minds of the impressionable teens until they can figure out what is real and what is presumption. Add to this the undercurrent of false rumors and gossip and you have a great book.

Things I'd Rather Do Than Die
by Christine Hurley Deriso

Pub Date: 18 Sep 2018

Read courtesy of www.Netgalley.com

I recently reviewed Christine Hurley Deriso's All the Wrong Chords, which I loved. I really wanted to like Things I'd Rather Do Than Die as much, but alas, I give it 4 instead of 5 ⭐. I also read Deriso's Acknowledgment section of this novel, and I'm glad she took the advice of her editor; having the main characters tell their tale in alternating scenarios made this story more thoughtful than if it had been a one-sided story. Stereotypes of jocks, brains, Jesus freaks, popularity, race and ethnicity, financial status, family structures, and illnesses became something about which I wanted to contemplate rather than be swayed. I can picture my teen readers discussing this story.

However, it was those amount of topics Deriso tried to squeeze into this one novel that caused my rating to lose a potential star. Maybe teens with slightly shorter attention spans won't mind the topic hopping, but I found it a bit distracting. I think it will affect my ability to discuss and recommend the book to my students. Other than being able to remember the basic plot, it's the nuances that might be lost to what I usually try to relate with enthusiasm.

On the other hand, Deriso handled all of the sensitive topics well. She allowed the characters to present their different points-of-view just like 'real' teens would. Kudos to that!!

So I was a little unsure of this book after getting about 5% into it and realising that Christianity is mentioned quite a lot, only to then look at a few reviews and see other people had the same realisation as me. I also saw a lot of the reviewers DNF this book, which of course made me even more determined to finish it. Overall, I'm glad I did.

I found it quite hard to get into this book, but after a few chapters I managed to push aside my lack of faith and concentrate on the actual story. I like that Ethan never tried to push his faith on to anyone, and that he even had some doubts himself. He respected that Jade didn't completely share his faith and he never spoke badly of Gia who is very much an atheist.

I like how Jade and Ethan connect, but what I love is that it's not an instant teenage romance. They get to know each other and have an actual conversation, even though it was involuntary and I love that the contrast in their faith doesn't affect the friendship they build.

*Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review*

I've seen a few reviews where people have stopped reading this book at the beginning due to some religious themes. I won't lie - I felt that way at first too as it almost seemed like the author was going to promote their religious beliefs, but seeing how I was only about 5% through I wanted to give it some more time. I'm glad I did! I'd give this novel an overall 3.5 stars. I wouldn't say I was immediately hooked, but overall I did enjoy the message it portrays.

This book follows the lives of Jade and Ethan. Jade and Ethan get locked in a gym together after being robbed at gun point. Never having really talked to each other prior to this event both characters have preconceived ideas regarding each other. Jade, a quiet girl with no real opinions in regards to faith, starts to bond with Ethan, popular football star whose faith plays a big role in his life. They challenge each other's ideas regarding faith and come to realize that everyone is not what they seem on the outside.

This novel is eye opening and heartwarming. I would describe this book as a pleasant read that makes you feel warm and happy at the end. In the beginning of reading this, I would say I was a lot like Jade. The second Ethan asks her to pray with him - I wanted to put it down. I don't want religion shoved down my throat and, also like Jade, I stuck it out and kept an open mind and learned some new things too.

I picked this book because of the cover and description but no where in the description did it say that this was a religious book faith forward. I don't know the author so I don't know if she always writes like this but it should have been in the synopsis that one the main characters is very very religious and the whole theme of this book is about that. Please don't fool readers with thinking that this is just another opposites attract I wonder what happened book.

First,I’d like to say,I enjoyed this book. I loved all the different personalities and found all their ideas and thoughts captivating. I especially enjoyed hearing about Jade’s dad. I loved his joyful take on life,even when he was so close to the end. I also loved hearing from Ethan’s perspective. He just seemed like such a thoroughly nice guy.

I also found the robbery incredibly captivating,I understood the fear in both of them and wanted to comfort them. Leading on from that I absolutely loved the part in the aerobics room. I found myself laughing along to their banter and shaking at their fear.

My favourite character was Gia. I liked how confident she was and how she was always a loyal best friend. I really admired how she looked after Jade at the football game and how she made Jade come to the Halaween party. My heart actually soared when she got her happy ending.

Even though I did like this book, I do have a few problems with it. I felt this book dragged on for too long, we all knew they’d end up together. And then, when they did get together,it felt so rushed and unrealistic. I also felt disappointed that Jade didn’t actually meet her birth mother in the book. I understand that’s the point,that her mother was a flake who wouldn’t ever be there for her,but I feel like Jade deserved to end it for herself. And ,on my last note, I noticed that quite a lot of phrases were used multiple times,which I don’t mind too much,I just didn’t understand how Ethan knew what Jade meant by ‘crumbs’.

All in all, I felt this was a sweet book that needs a few tweaks.

Lives of Jade and Ethan, two seniors whose paths - until then - had seldom intertwined, change forever after misfortunes befall them, they get locked up in a gym overnight and - oh my, wait for it! - talk, really talk and challenge each other's views.

Now, that sounds like something right up my alley because even though the characters have only ever been vaguely aware of each other (going to the same high school), they never really had a proper, meaningful conversation. Not that their 'friendly strangers' status prevents them from forming ideas about each other. Stereotypical labels never cease being useful, even in these so-called modern times. Therefore, she thinks him a holier-than-thou show-off with superiority issues and preachy attitiude. He thinks her... well, an ATHEIST (which made me roll my eyes and laugh a lot because this line of thought soon becomes a pattern he fails to lose for a long, long time).

Yes, and that's where these particular stairs became steep for me.
I was raised Catholic and because of that I think I can tap into Jude's mindset quite easily. See, my own issues with god-fearing believers come from that exact superiority Ethan exhibited. It continued to unnerve me to no end, as much as it infuriated her. She felt like she was being judged, like he didn't see her as a whole person because she wasn't religious. He acted like she was a lost, stray sheep and his duty, as God's servant, was to save her, convert her. That kind of behavior is hardly the way t0... not even win a girl over (after all he spent a lot of time trying to convince himself there was nothing romantic between them, even as a possibility) but to be a decent person!
Obviously, she wasn't Miss Perfect either. For all her talk of how superior he acted, she was the same, just failed to realize it at the time. She put on a pose of a person who was far better than those surrounding her, someone already way smarter, way out of everyone else's league. In short: hella judgemental and snotty (funnily enough, she uses the latter to describe Ethan's girlfriend Brianna).

That is not to say I dislike flawed personalities. That couldn't be further from the truth! I live for imperfect characters who continue to fail at owning up to their own mistakes (at least for a time being). People who are scared and err along the way are my kind of people. Who wants to read about perfection, am I right? There'd be nothing to read about!

However, I couldn't quite connect to these two. Jude I understood better because I had lived through that snotty, judgemental phase myself back in middle school. There were times when I wanted to shake her (if you don't feel it, girl, don't date it!) but all in all, she did her share of maturing, figuring things out, wisening up. She turned out really okay.
It's him I didn't quite get even though he ended up acknowledging his mistakes and generally became a better person for it. Could it be that I'm holding his faith against him? Gosh, I hope not. I don't want to be that person, even if he's only fictional! What does come to mind when I'm trying to think of a reason for my reluctance is that he didn't seem passionate for much of anything, except - maybe - for his faith and as much as I'd like to separate myself from this line of thought, I hardly deem that enough. Generally speaking, he just didn't leave a lasting impression on me, there was no twinkle in his eye I, as a reader, would feel and think to myself: 'oh I want to spend hours locked up in a room with him just talking about life'. He seemed passionless for me and I can't stand that, neither in fiction nor real life.

Part of this book I definitely did enjoy were the relationships within families, though.
Especially in Jude's case. She proved to be an excellent sister as well as (eventually, haha, there was a bump or two on that road) a thoughtful daughter. Her helping her younger sister to navigate the perilious waters of elementary school friendships was awesome. I was cheering them on so hard. Go sisterhood! Then Jude's anxiety over what the future holds for her and her brother Pierce once their dad will no longer be with them resonated with me deeply. I could understand where she was coming from. After all, she had every right to be scared as her step-mom wasn't really her mom as far as blood relations go. Then again, she was where it mattered and that was incredible. I genuinely loved that bit.
Ethan's family situation was, too, far from perfect but in a more long-term way. His desperation to prove to everybody and ANYBODY who could ever care that he wasn't his dad just sort of took over his life. It happened way before we meet him at the beginning of this book. I was glad for him that he acknowledged that and I can only hope he'll try to be his own person, not just someone defying the odds of becoming another drunk.

I don't want to categorize this as a read suitable only for Christian readers but as I was making my way through the story, there was that nagging thought at the back of my head, one that kept saying I can't fully tap into this story's potential because of my stance towards faith. Perhaps, despite my efforts to the contrary, it is true and someone more religious will benefit from this story in a far more profound way than I did.

Also! It is a 2.5 rating because:
a) second half of the book definitely saved it for me as things started unfolding at a faster pace,
b) towards the end there was that one scene that made me cry and well, it softened me up. I'm a sucker for things that can make me tear up (not that it's a rare occurance, I just consider it a well spent effort and job well done as far as the author's writing skills go).

**massive thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review**

Thank you NetGalley and North Star Editions Publishing for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A quick read; a coming of age story, that revolves around 1 intense night - both kids have father issues, him, alcoholism; her, cancer.

I would recommend if you enjoy teen drama.

Things I’d rather do than die teaches us about prejudice and how it can lead to big misconceptions about someone..

I really enjoyed watching Jade and Ethan grow up and coming to terms with their own problems.
This book might be one of my favourite feel-goods of this year!

This novel has a heartbreaking plot. This being said, it is hard to get into and once you are in, the protagonist is hard to like. Which is a shame for such a moving book.