I really liked this book despite it's mixed reviews here on GR. I do not think this was a "Christian" or religious book. One of the main characters, Ethan, has a very strong faith and believes in God which I thought was really wonderful because a) I hardly ever see a teen male portrayed that way in the many books I've read and b) he is a TEEN male with a strong faith...refreshing and different, and c) he does begin to question his faith after talking to Jade and reflecting on his life. Ethan and Jade know each other but not that well when together they encounter a dramatic traumatic situation. They bond over during the time period they are locked together but neither of them will admit it for most of the book. There is a lot going on in both of their lives and they try to deal with it as well as they can. Jade is a strong person who knows what she wants but is willing to make sacrifices for her family. I was tearing up at the end reading about Jade's father--an amazingly strong wonderful person who obviously loves his family so much, and raised very strong, compassionate children as well. It is a quick read as I read it in a couple of hours but I recommend it because it is different than your average YA romance novel. It really makes the reader think about faith and God and why bad things happen. Thanks so much for ARC NetGalley and Flux.

The title, cover and the plot all sounded very intriguing however I found it very bland and not really for me. It was a pretty quick read but I didn't really like execution as it fell flat for me.

Disappointed because I was excited by the synopsis of this book but the writing was just awful!
I could not get through the first 30 pages - the first person chopping and changing between the two characters did not work at all.
Specifically the line (roughly paraphrased) that made me finish this was "Oh no! She's being robbed!". Like... is this supposed to be a comical play or...?

I'll be honest, at a couple chapters in I wasn't too sure I was going to be able to get into this book. It didn't grab me from the start. However once I got about 5 chapters in or so it picked up for me. At that point I couldn't stop reading -- I just had to know what was going to happen. It was funny at times, sweet at others, and heartbreaking throughout. Jade was going through an awful lot and I really felt for her. This was Christian fiction but it wasn't so in your face that the religious stuff was all that it was about. There was so much more to it than that. I don't think you have to necessarily be a CF fan to enjoy this book.

Jade works in a gym where she meets Ethan. They may both attend the same school but they run in doifdferent circles. However when an attempted robbery takes place, Ethan tries to protect Jade but it backfires.



Locked in together, to pair get talking about their families, friends, religion and things they'd rather do than die, after their very close call with death thanks to the robber.



After they get found by the police, word gets out about what happened all round their school and the pair often pass by each other, especially after the news that Jade's dad has cancer gets out too.



Throughout the rest of the novel the pair inevitably wind up getting closer in their friendship circles now they've shared a rather traumatic experience together, from this, Brianne who's Ethan's girlfriend soon feels threatened by Jade and makes it known to her to stay away from Ethan.



There's a lot of religious talk in this book as Jade talked to Ethan about believing and it spurs him on to be more thankful to God and to pay a visit to the pastor as well. Religion side aside, it was an enjoyable book but a bit too predictable for me in that Brianne was a stereotypical threatened girlfriend and Jade and Ethan were going to grow close.



Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!

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

This book was interesting for me. On the one hand, I appreciated the characters, for the most part, especially Ethan. First, it was interesting for me to read about a character who starts to question his faith after meeting Jade. It was also interesting because there was no indication that this book was based on Christianity. I found his questions valid and realistic given his situation and how devoted he was to his Christian faith. On the other hand, I felt like everything else just sort of fell flat. The constant back and forth between the two main characters grew tiring; after a while, I started waiting for the resolution. I also appreciated the theme of labels, and that we shouldn't assume someone's life is perfect, or about them in general.

Overall, I liked the themes of the book, and it was a pretty quick read but the execution just kind of fell flat for me.

***Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of THINGS I’D RATHER DO THAN DIE in exchange for my honest review.***

DNF at 8% I didn’t realize this was a christian book or I’d never have requested it. Also the premise of an armed robber choosing a gym was a stretch.