This raw story of a young woman with life in front of her, getting a rare cancer diagnosis. This book gives us a glimpse and a tribute to the life of Carley Allison.

Carley is and was so inspiring! I wanted to read this book when I first heard about it because her story featured in Kiss and Cry really intrigued me and inspired me! I think everyone can get something out of this book. It incorporates actual blog posts and photos of Carley along with info from her siblings, parents, friends and boyfriend. Always Smile.

I really don't want to post a rating for this book since I could not read it, but it won't let me post review without a rating. I am so sad, I tried many times and looked everywhere, my Kindle, phone even my computer and it's not showing up anywhere. I really wanted to read this one. I really love all of KCP Loft books.

Picture this, you’re seventeen, fit, healthy, and you’re about to graduate high school and then all of a sudden, it’s all taken from you. That’s what happened with Carley Allison. She’d been doing all the things she normally did, exercise, skate, sing, except breathing seemed to be getting harder, and everyone just thought it was exercise-induced asthma. Turns out, Carley had a tumor in her throat so large it was causing her to only have 2cm of airway to breathe. Can you imagine? Once Carley got a grip on what she was facing though, she decided to fight, she decided she was going to look at this as another competition, and she didn’t like to lose.
This book as a whole was quite inspiring, sad in some places, and wonderful too. Through this book, it’s a collection of amazing things Carley’s friends and family had to say about her and memories from before and during her journey. There are also some posts from Carley’s blog that she kept which help the book read kind of like a memoir/biography. There were only good things said about Carley and I don’t believe that’s a coincidence. She was determined not to let this rare form of cancer take the things she loved from her, especially singing.
I really liked reading this book several different reasons, but the main reason is because of how inspiring and amazing Carley’s story is. There were a few parts in the book where I just had to set the book down for a minute and regroup. She taught herself how to sing again, with a trach mind you, which is totally awesome. She went through a tracheotomy, AWAKE, excuse me, but I don’t think I’d be able to handle that.
I’m really glad I decided to request this book because I almost didn’t. I highly recommend that everyone needs to read this book. It’s inspiring (as I’ve mentioned several times), Carley is awesome, and just reading all the things people have to say about her and her life will brighten your day. Sadly, Carley Elle Allison was taken from the world on March 31, 2015. There’s a foundation in which you can donate money to help others struggling with conditions like Carleys.

Disclaimer: I received an eARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Always Smile: Carley Allison’s Secrets for Laughing, Loving, and Living is compiled by Alice Kuipers and is a collection of blogs from Carley and a commentary from her family and friends.

Carley Allison was 17 years old when she was diagnosed with a cancer so rare that at the time, she was only the second person to ever be diagnosed with it. This cancer, found in her throat, immediately threw a wrench in all of her plans. She had been a competitive figure skater and a singer, but suddenly, she had to have a trach and begin chemo. Prior to beginning chemo, she began experimenting with her voice to see if she could still sing. She figured out how to do so, recorded a video, and her video garnered the attention of Selena Gomez. Carley fought valiantly and entered remission before the cancer came back in her lungs which tragically led to her death.

Carley Allison’s story later led to a movie, and while this was the first time that I was hearing about Carley, her story is still worthwhile reading even for those who had never heard of her.

Because the book is not just Carley’s blog, you get a feel for how the cancer impacted her and her family. For those who have never experienced a loved one facing cancer (or even those who have), hearing from the person who has cancer and those who had to watch is an eye-opening experience about how fighting cancer takes a whole community.

Those who had followed Carley’s story will appreciate this, and for those who will be learning about Carley for the first time will be touched.

Always Smile releases May 7.