Teen cancer stories have become quite ubiquitous, so it's noteworthy when authors find a new twist on the type. Most notable about this book is that Tremmy is a bit of a jerk. He isn't pure and inspirational. He doesn't teach his peers to embrace life. He forces them to address death. He's also coming to terms with the negatives in his personality, using the last of his time to try to be better. This is what Stewart was aiming for, and certainly addresses some of these things. The level of privilege is pretty startling, though, and is likely difficult for the average reader to understand. And the ending goes rather off the rails.

Actual rating: 3.5 out of 5 (this is the kind of 3.5 that deserves to be rounded up lol)


tw: death, harassment, suicide, sexual assault, Medical Assistance In Dying

Tremmy Sinclair went from being that kid who’s rich and hot, looked up to student to being that kid who’s sick and dying. He doesn’t want to go out without a bang and he wants everything to go back as it was even though he’s dying and things around him are changing, fast.

I knew I was gonna like this book just from reading the book description. Not gonna lie, I kind of got nervous in the beginning because I was struggling a bit to get sucked into the book. But I eventually got through that part and I couldn’t put the book down anymore.

It was a hard read because it tackles a lot of hard to read issues and also because of how annoying the character got and how much they made me want to go inside the book and smack them in the face so they would realize how privileged they are. Even Tremmy made me feel like that. He definitely got better as the book went on but he was never shown to change so much that he’s perfect. Which is a good thing because that makes the story real.

The ending was a little confusing but it got me sobbing and sad and emo and even a little angry. I think that last part really showed what a person who’s terminally ill really goes through. It makes you understand them and the things they might want to do to have some control in their own lives.

I wanted to love this book but I just found myself annoyed. I get it. Tremmy is a pretentious privileged kid who doesn't give a shit about things/people that don't affect him and I get it - his diagnosis is supposed to teach him to be better. But I just felt like he was made too unlikeable and his "redemption" just didn't matter because I wasn't rooting for him. I couldn't forgive him for what he used to believe.

Tremendous (Tremmy) Sinclair is a 17 year old rich white jerk, just like all of his friends at a weird sci-fi boarding school with drone wars and AI helpers. That is, until he is dying of brain cancer. This is not your typical book about dying young, even the cover hints at the different approach to this topic. I was unsure about this book when I first picked it up but ending up enjoying it quite a lot and finishing it really quickly.

What initially turned me off was how much I didn't like the characters but there grew to be a couple who I kind of liked and more importantly, the story worked because I didn't like the characters. The main character is a total jerk and even though he's trying to be less of a jerk and help his friends to be better people, he's never really likeable. This allows for a quite graphic depiction of a cancer patient that definitely goes beyond what I'm used to seeing in books. More importantly, it allows for a discussion of the issues around his death rather than just the emotional component (which does eventually kick in a bit and I got choked up but I never all out cried). There are some very thought-provoking discussions in here about doctor assisted suicide and how old you need to be to make medical decisions. Tremmy's struggle to die with dignity and at the time and place of his choosing is weaved throughout the whole book and his discussions and internal dialogue on this topic are quite hard hitting. This plays well off the dislikeable characters and weird backdrop to make it not feel like a heavy emotional read despite the topic.

Another thing I really appreciated about this book was that it didn't shy away from the fact that the characters were jerks and no one miraculously stopped being a jerk just because Tremmy was sick. This is not that feel good story and it was refreshing to see this different spin on a fairly familiar premise. Tremmy realizes he's a jerk and tries to do better but never gets there all the way and while his friends have some good moments, most of them are still terrible people at the end. It's a dark but realistic twist on your typical sad high school storyline.

The drone wars and AI stuff and other random school traditions were gloriously ridiculous and a nice relief from the heavier topics. But they are definitely a little weird and could turn off some readers.

Overall, I enjoyed this one and think readers with an open mind who don't get scared off by the cancer/dying/death/doctor assisted suicide triggers should give it a try.

**I received a free eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

This was an interesting book. I honestly didn’t know what to expect. Tremendous (Tremmy) has been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer in his senior year of school. He faces many trials and tribulations that are typical of cancer, but also unique to his situation. At the heart of this story is a person’s ability to acknowledge their privilege and how they can use it for good. Tremmy goes from your typical f-boy to a person who finally gets “it”. And that ending. What a shocker!!

I read this book in one sitting. I thought I was going to be a young adult, light hearted read about a boy who was dying. I thought it was going to be, at most, a three star read. I was so, so wrong. This book had me sobbing in my bathroom. It does not sugarcoat the experience of dying from cancer, nor how people treat others who are dying from cancer. But it goes beyond that. It speaks on hard hitting subjects. It details how death shows a piece of shit guy how bad he treated other people and encourages him to try and prevent his friends from continuing the pattern. From murder to rape to racism to class differences, this book hits on it all and, in such a wonderful and impactful way.

Loved the premise though it makes this a very hard read, and one that's hard to rate. Not a fan of the toxic masculinity here - I know it's a huge problem in boys' schools but that could have been addressed, rather than it being normalised.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book. :)

In The Momentous Expiration of Tremmy Sinclair by Michael F. Stewart, the reader has no choice but to face their own doom. Or at least think about their own mortality for an uncomfortable amount of time.

It’s impossible not to, as we watch private high school student Tremmy accept his own mortality and the startling realization that his life will be cut short after being diagnosed with a fatal illness. We follow his final year of school at an elite institution filled with super rich kids who have no reason to think about morals, death or how they should be dealing with his upcoming ‘expiration’. Even the adults in his life don’t seem to fare much better, but maybe this is Tremmy’s chance to make a change.

After reading the premise of this book, I was truly excited to see a character with limited time and his interactions with the people around him and I think the essence of this was captured really well, but unfortunately the elite school aspect made it incredibly difficult to relate to or root for any of the characters. Beside their initial identities, we don’t find out too much about their personalities and none of them really managed to stick with me since I’ve read it, so the plot doesn’t hit as hard as I would have wished for. This doesn’t negate the effect completely though and I still managed to get very invested and even shed a few tears.

Overall it was an emotional yet funny and at times ridiculous experience, I would recommend to people looking for some angst that still manages to be lighthearted and introspective.

3.5 Stars

Imagine knowing when you are going to die? Tremmy Sinclair does.
He has cancer, and there is no cure, and suddenly at 17 years old, when he thought he had everything; looks, friends, power & money, he doesn't;t have the thing that is most important to him... time.
Realizing he will die comes with questions and thoughts about dying and why it is so frightening, and why he realizes he doesn't like who he is.

Trigger Warning: mention of sexual assault & attempted SA, assisted death, cancer, white privilege, racism, discrimination, rich privilege, sexism, the white hero trope (which I hated) & death.

This book has honestly some fascinating angles and topics that I appreciated being discussed. As a character, Tremmy wasn't really good, even when he was trying to change because he was dying, I will only give him a little tiny bit of an excuse that he didn't have time -except when it came to Margot & Franklin, he didn't help fast enough and should have given franklin up knowing what he was capable of.
It really opened the topic of death up and compared what certain countries have and how we have desensitized our community now to death, especially with young people.

Pros:
-portrayed the horrors that white, rich people have and can get away with, cases after case is mentioned; the sexual assault, the discrimination, the attempted murder with the crossbow.
-I really enjoy the drone aspect that was added and the strategy planning, it gave me a competitive Battlestar vibe, and I would be interested in a book about team competing with this!
-I'M HAPPY FRANKLIN GOT WHAT WAS COMING TO HIM (I refused to use the name in the book he went by more as he hated his real name, and I dislike him)

Cons:
- Tremmy didn't change as a person as much as I would have hoped for or liked; he let Franklin get away with attempted murder and covered/prevented him from sexually assaulting someone (I'm happy he stopped it but not that he never talked to him further about it or reported it or I don't know warned people about him)
-Toxic masculinity was heavy in this book and was sometimes viewed and portrayed as fine, or the topic was touched to discuss, but nothing came through.

Tremmy Sinclair has barely a few months to live because of his brain tumor, and he wants to spend it at his private school. Tremmy is trying to get medical assistance in dying, but he faces laws and rules that keep him from it. In protest, he instigates conversations about life, death, and mortality.
I’m an absolute sucker for private school books. Tremmy and all his friends are extremely privileged, and that monologue is mildly headache-inducing. However, I enjoyed seeing Tremmy grow and become self-aware, with the guidance of Margot. I really love Margot’s character. At first, she seems like another ‘not like other girls’ character, but as the book progressed she became much, much more.

The author tackles a sensitive subject superbly especially for a YA book. At times it takes a while for the horrors to sink in because of the author’s writing style.

“How do you live a life time in four months?”

Tremmy Sinclair is a privileged jerk and a bully who has just been given the news that he has months to live. His parents drop everything and agree to go on a world tour with Tremmy. However, just before leaving he changes his mind and decides to live his life as if nothing has changed so he goes to school. None of his friends are aware that he is dying and he wants to keep it that way.

The book is heartbreaking and will leave you a crying sobbing mess. For me this was a somewhat difficult read because of the subject matter and because I’m a mother of two but still I couldn’t put it down.

Pjtched as an upper YA novel - which I think is the right age group - this powerful novel addtess many heavier topics well but sometimes doesn't allow for the reader to connect as emotionally to the characters as they need to.

I borrowed this for the cover because OMG it is stunning! But I was ultimately let down. I thought this would be some sort of mystery given the cover, but I found it lacking in more ways than one. I couldn't get into the characters or the story, and I found the book to be disjointed.

Thank you for the e-arc.

3.9/5⭐: Wow, this book was so hard to read but in a good way. It tackled grief and dying, which is hard enough but even worse for a seventeen year old. In this story, we follow Tremendous "Tremmy" Sinclair after his diagnosis finds him with only months to live. Now, he must struggle with how will live and die well, and how his death will make a difference to the ones left behind.

I was crying all throughout this book. I thought it was so heartbreaking but beautifully written. I didn't even like Tremmy much (I think you weren't suppose to) and I was super invested in the narrative style. I'm usually not a fan of first person narratives but this one took the cake. I thought it handled the issue of medical assisted suicide when facing terminal illness really well.

That being said, some of the book irritated me which is why I can't give it five stars. First, I didn't really understand Tremmy's fight a whole lot and what he wanted to get done didn't really make sense to me. Also, Margot was suppose to be like the relatable girl we like but she was just so annoying to me. In fact, all the friend caterers (especially Audra and Jenkins) were super unlikable which made me care less that Tremmy was leaving them behind. For once in a book, I really liked the parental figures and I thought the way they dealt with grief was so powerful.

Minus one point also for the ending (no spoilers), like I understood Tremmy's decisions and that was fine but I just didn't get what he was trying to do with Jenkins like it seemed drastic and for shock factor so he can surprise the audience before we get the ending we expect. I thought it was harsh and took away from book, it needed a more powerful last breathe then that (at least I think so)

Whoa. This book is intense. So many themes were looked at alongside the main story of Tremmy and his untreatable brain tumour. Death, Assisted Dying, Privilege, Bullying, Consent, Justice.

At first, it took me a little while to get into, these rich privileged kids acting like complete knobs - ugh! But that is the point, to try to understand Tremmy's feelings and decisions you have to see where he has come from, where his friends still are.

Tremmy's interactions with his friends, and in particular Jenkins and Margot, really make you stop and think. They are deep, intelligent, and revealing of their privilege or lack thereof. His relationship with his parents is evocative and emotional.

As Tremmy reflects on his previous actions and behaviours you can see why he behaves as he does now with his diagnosis.

I enjoyed (is that the right word for this book?) the plot, it is poignant and powerful, the ending whilst incredibly sad is spectacular!

Prepare to have your heartbroken and be inspired at the same time.

Thank you to Netgalley and The Publishing House for the e-arc to review.

I get the idea of this book, and I felt drawn I to see how it ended. But it just didn't work for me. Tremmy is supposed to be changed by his terminal illness and looking to change his friend's. But in reality, I felt irritated throughout. It was well written so maybe just not for me.

Wow! I’ve never read a book like this, and from reading the description I was curious however never expected it to be as hard hitting as it actually was. It makes you think and feel a lot and all for the right reasons.
The book counts down the days to Tremmys death (of cancer) and is almost like a diary showing you everything he learns, reflects and regrets in his final months. It’s an impressive and mind blowing book. This book really sucks you in to the story and makes you read on, the ending was beautifully handled and it will definitely be a book which stays with me for a fair while!
Michael F Stewart did a beautiful job!

WOW! Difficult, scary but SO important!
Rich and privileged boys in a private boarding school. All jerks. And one of them is dying.



Tremmy just found out he has a brain tumor and has only 4 to 6 months left. But like Tremmy says:
‘A minefield exists between now and a natural death. Blindness, incontinence, seizures, dementia, pain, pain, pain.’



So he wants to opt for medical assistance in dying (euthanasia) <i>if</i> he starts crapping his pants. But he’s only 17, and therefore euthanasia isn’t possible.



My teens (just 18 and 15) were shocked when I told them they live in the only country in the world (the Netherlands) where 16/17 yo’s can make that choice. On their own! 12-16 yo’s can with their parent’s consent (in Belgium euthanasia is possible for all ages, minors with their parent’s consent). As a parent myself, I know this is a difficult and scary topic to talk about, but at the same time, so important. Because teens who are dying need that small part of self-control. And they themselves know when enough is enough.



This story is about death, talking about death, overcoming the fear of death, discussing euthanasia. But it’s more. It’s not a sweet and gooey story like many other YA’s about sick teens. It’s tough and harsh, and heartbreaking, and hopefully at the same time. At first, I didn’t even know if I liked it. Because who likes boys who are misogynists and bullies going to a scary private boarding school for the rich in a frightening world where people have drones (fireflies) that can eavesdrop? I didn’t. I frowned at Tremmy’s actions, and I hated Jenkins because he was the worst of all. But at the same time, the writing was so engaging that I couldn’t stop reading (except for the crying fits, sometimes I just couldn’t stop those tears falling). And Tremmy changed, realizing most of the kids at his ‘wonderful’ privileged private school were jerks:
‘Even though I know he’s making a dumb joke, something in the ease with which it slides out of his mouth is very wrong.’

Read the trigger warnings! Be prepared when you start reading this book! And put it on hold when it’s too much! I did too. I spent the last 20 percent of the story sobbing. I put it down, picked it up, and put it down again.

This can be considered YA (the author already indicated it’s 16+), but I don’t think it is. It’s more a crossover between YA and adult and definitely a good book for parents too.

I'm not quite sure what to rate this book. There are some heavy topics (which the author graciously warned about us before diving in) and I didn't realize it had a touch of a sci-fi/set in the future vibe (though it's done well and isn't distracting to the overall story). It's also very philosophical in places but teenager boy crude in others. Overall, I think I liked it but I'm also thinking I'm not the target demographic for this novel.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.