Social media influencer Bree Boyd is diagnosed with leukemia at just 26 years old. Treatments are not successful and Bree succumbs to the disease. On the first Thanksgiving Eve after her death, a pre-recorded message pops up on Bree's Instagram account. Soon, the family discovers Bree had these postmortem posts scheduled to appear on her Instagram. In these messages, Bree reveals that before her death, she secured sponsorship for her little sister, Jodie, to check off the six items left on Bree's bucket list. As Jodie completes this list, the sponsor has agreed to pay off the insurmountable debt left by Bree's medical care. Demure and grief-stricken, Jodie is unsure if she can fulfill this last wish from her sister but she decides to try anyway.

Given the premise of the tale, I certainly expected there would be an emotional component to this story, and I was looking forward to seeing Jodie's personal growth and healing from this experience. However, this book was so much more than I expected. Rarely do I struggle to find the right words to review a book but it's been 24 hours since finishing the story and I am still speechless. The author writes in such a way that I could feel the pain, loss, and hopelessness the family feels after Bree's death. Likewise, the uncovering of Jodie's true self throughout the book is visceral and raw. The audiobook narrators are fantastic and bring this story to life. But the ending...the ending had me SOBBING. I was completely unprepared for the combination of emotions I felt at the end of this book. A 5-star read that I will be talking about for a long time.

Note: I received an ARC copy of this audiobook and this voluntary review and opinions are my own.

Okay, warning! This book will make you cry.. When Jodie's sister (an instagram influencer) dies, she leaves behind a ton of debt AND her bucket list. Jodie decides to make money to pay off the debt, she's going to do everything on her sister's bucket list and film it for her instagram.

There were some unrealistic aspects of this book that bothered me - like one instance, Bree was an IG influencer a million followers, but she didn't make enough money to pay her medical bills? That's...odd. HOWEVER, the bond between her and her sisters seemed very genuine and heartfelt and I 100% felt their grief like I would if I had my own sister.

It was tough to listen to at times, but I did enjoy it for the most part.

“Someone Else’s Bucket List,” has such an amazing concept, characters, and emotional ties that are truly engaging and heart wrenching from the first page. The book begins in Bree’s perspective as she is slowly dying of Leukemia. I don’t ordinarily enjoy cancer books, but the inspiring take this one has made it feel less purposefully depressing, but a natural side effect of life.

I have such mixed feelings about this book and I continue to alternate between a five star read and a three star read. I absolutely adored Bree’s bucket list and enjoyed watching Jodie leave her comfort zone at her sister’s request. Jodie’s struggles with grief and her anxiety surrounding her life and her future were very relatable and I really enjoyed seeing a character I identified with. That being said, I also found her to be far too cynical for me personally, and her overall negativity brought the book down and made it difficult to read at times.

The romantic relationship with Kelly was uninteresting and a little flat. I was really hoping for a sapphic relationship with Claudia since their dynamic felt so natural or even an enemies to lovers arc with Cheryl. Kelly in comparison felt forced and boring. The plot line of a bucket list is SO compelling that it was disappointing to focus so much on a romantic plot.

I really did enjoy this book and I believe these characters will stick around with me for a long time after finishing. I will continue to read Amy T. Matthew’s future works as I loved her writing style. Thank you so much to NetGalley and RB Media for proving an advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance audio copy of this novel.

I DNFed this audiobook at 49%. I really gave it a shot, but I am having a hard time caring about the main character. I think it's a nice premise but it takes too long for anything to happen. I thought the descriptions of preparing for Thanksgiving dinner would never end. Maybe it would be better in print.

I really enjoyed this book, however it is not what I expected. As strange as it sounds, I was expecting a sad, tear-jerker type of book. As someone who had a loved one pass away from cancer, I was hoping to find some relation/similarities which I did not. However, it is a lovely book about building confidence and about finding love in a time you don't expect to. Very sweet with a nice ending.

4 ⭐️ I liked the concept of this one and it was a great story, but it felt soooo much longer than it needed to be. Wasn’t a huge fan of the MMC, so I had a hard time rooting for their relationship. Overall, well-written and certainly pulled at the heartstrings.
*Thank you to the author, the publishers, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ahead of its publication date*

Someone Else's Bucket List was a great story with a predictable happily ever after. I loved the narrator and would like to listen to another book she narrates. Someone Else's Bucket List probably could have been a least 50-75 less pages.

This book is a cross between P.S. I Love you and The Bucket List. This audiobook kept my interest and was very well narrated.

I was torn on this one, I loved the concept but I couldn't tell if the book was trying to be more romance or drama. By the nature of the context, there was obviously going to be sadness with the topic of cancer and grieving. But there is also a balance to strike that lends the book to a perfect read.

It seems Matthews leaned more into the despair. The synopsis pointed to more character development than I felt we saw from Jodie. Throughout the book, Jodie's inner monologue is full of brooding self-pity, and again there is a balance that would've made that initially ok if we saw more of a change in her.

Brenda Scott Wlazlo's audiobook narration left me wanting. She seemed to whisper half the time and the ends of sentences got swallowed up. Although her interpretation of the material was fine, there wasn't enough variation in character voices, and her accents were subpar (especially Ryan's British accent, and the Billy Crystal and Al Pachino impressions).

Overall and ok read, but I wanted more. It felt like the story was ALMOST there.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

I was immediately drawn to the title of this novel, I am fascinated by bucket lists, those who have them, those who complete them, and those who wish they had them. I am one girl who definite has a HUGE bucket list :)

Someone Else's Bucket List follows shy Jodie Boyd after the untimely death of her outgoing, hugely successful Instagram influencer sister, Bree, and Bree’s last wish: that Jodie complete her bucket list.

My dying wish is for you to finish my bucket list. I refuse to die without knowing this list will be completed. And I refuse to die without knowing my family will be okay.

Jodie Boyd is a shy and anxious twenty-something, completely unsure what to do with her life. Her older sister, Bree, is an adventurous, globe-trotting, hugely successful Instagram influencer with more than a million followers. She’s the most alive person Jodie knows—up until Bree’s unfathomable, untimely death from Leukemia. The Boyds are devastated, not to mention overwhelmed with medical debt. But Bree thought of everything—and soon, Jodie is shocked by a new post on her sister’s Instagram feed.

The first of many Bree recorded in secret, the post foretells a jaw-dropping challenge for Jodie: to complete Bree’s very public bucket list. From “Fly over Antarctica,” to “Perform a walk-on cameo in a Broadway musical,” if Jodie does it—and keeps all Bree’s followers—a corporate sponsor will pay off the staggering medical debt. If she gains followers, the Boyds won’t be the only ones to benefit. It’s crazy. It’s terrifying. It’s impossible, immoral even, to refuse. So, despite the whole world watching, Jodie plunges in, never imagining that in death, her sister will teach her how to live, and that the last item on the list—“Fall in love”—may just prove to be the easiest.

This book was really good and I'm glad I picked it up
Thank you to HighBridge Audio & NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book

Someone Else's Bucket List by Amy T. Matthews
A bucket list is typically a very personal thing- your hopes and dreams ready to be tackled. But when Jodie's sister Bree passes away, Jodie is determined to finish Bee's bucket list...and pay off her medical bills in the process. 
This story is a heartbreaker. Jodie's attempt to finish this bucket list is very hard on her. There are definitely things on the list she never imagined she would do, but this is Bree's last attempt to help her family after she is gone. 
I loved Jodie. She worked on this list with such enthusiasm, even though it pained her. She reconnects with a lost love, Kelly. Kelly is such a great addition to this story. He is so thoughtful and lets Jodie be herself through this entire ordeal. 
There were many parts of this book that brought tears to my eyes. This is a bittersweet story that I won't forget. 

As far as the audio...this was very well done. I loved the narrator!

Someone else bucket list is wow a book I needed to read! I found this book heartwarming, exciting however sad as well. I feel as they took so much time describing the grieving process and her illness that I wanted to stop reading. While it is sad and I personally haven’t gone though any grief, yes I consider myself blessed, it was just hard to connect and just felt this book was gonna lost it potential however I stuck with it and I am glad. I do how ever though some of these crazy bucket list things would be a little bit more interesting but it was all in all a great book.

Brea and Jodie are sisters, while brea is out going and energetic Jodie keeps to herself and is shy. When Jodie finds out after her sister passed that, brea left Jodie instructions to complete her bucket list to pay of her medical bills Jodie doesn’t know why or why she thinks her sister thinks she could complete this. Jodie goes all in with this crazy plan her sister has and finds a way with the help of friends new and old and family and in the end finds her self and a gift her sister left her.

Thank you net gallery for this advanced copy of this book for my honest review

This book is not a 5 starved though thats the highest Im allowed to rate this book, I would give this book 10 stars. I'm not even sure where to start. Going into this book I knew the premise of this book so I wasn't surprised and I was prepared(but not really). The book starts with Josies sister Bree in the hospital sick and we get to know her and become even more invested in her because of this fact. She's happy and doesn't let fear stop her from going after what she wants, everyone loves her and when she is gone everyone she touched is left with huge gaping holes in their hearts because she is gone.

Josie loved Baseball and someone a long time ago now she is left to greave her sister while trying to help her mother and father pay the insurmountable medical bills left after her sister is gone. Everyone is grieving and Josie feels like she is drowning. Then on Thanksgiving while her family and Bree's best friend(and honorary member of their family) are celebrating or trying to because Bree wanted that they get a notification that Bree has posted a video on instagram, and their worlds are turned upside-down.

Bree Had bucket list and there are a few items that Bree was never able to finish and she wants her sister to finish them for her and post about it on instagram with the help of a sponsor and if Josie can complete her list all of Bree's medical bills will be paid and then some. Josie would rather do anything but this but how can she say no to her sister and how can she not help her family lift a burden that is weighing them all down. So Josie grudgingly agrees and sets out not he adventure of a lifetime with the last number on the list being fall in love.

Goodness I cried reading this book and Im tearing up now. This book was nothing short of monumental. The author is brilliant and so talented, this is one of the best books I have read.......ever. I loved every minute of it wether I was in tears or laughing or had a huge smile on my face. AND THE ENDING, my gosh!!!! I want to start this book all over again right now. I hate that its over, I want to see how Josie is now, how Bree's best friend is(who I think is Josie's best friend now). I just adored this book. The author truly outdid herself, she is incredibly talented, she created a world I felt a part of and that was real during this book. I can't recommend this book enough, drop what your doing and buy this book, you may cry but its so much worth it. this book is beautiful.

*Thank you Netgallery and Kingston Books as well as HighBridge Audio for this book.


***Note to self and others, don't listen to this book while at the gym especially if you're lifting weight and double that if it's the end. I was literally crying in the gym this morning when he book ended. Oh well, it was worth it.

Honestly not a fan. The story line was cute but it could have been 100 or so pages shorter. The book dragged on and at the end was just very boring. But I really like the storyline.

I absolutely loved this book. This has a very unique premise, which lends itself to a great plot that doesn’t feel too slow, but also doesn’t feel too fast. The speed & build of the plot allows time to also focus on the complex themes & emotions that this novel explores. I absolutely loved how connected all of the characters were in this book & that they all helped each other see new things about themselves & all contributed to helping the main character on her journey. With the premise of this book, I expected to cry this whole book due to sadness, but this book also allowed for beautiful moments of joy. This was so well done & is now one of my new favorite books. What a great book about love, loss, friendship & family. I highly recommend this to everyone wanting to read a book exploring what you do after you’ve lost someone. I also think the narrator did a wonderful job with tone, pitch & pace which added even more to the pleasant experience of this story

Oh I really liked this one. I was a bit skeptical at first because death can be such a touchy subject but I really liked how the author handled the plot and how the family handled everything. Just when you think a family is about to lose everything a dying person actually finds a way to bring them back together.

🌀Synopsis
When Jodie’s sister Bree passes away her family is devastated. Of course, they’re also swimming in medical bills too and it’s crushing all of them. On the Thanksgiving after, a video from Bree surfaces and their world is changed.
Before she died Bree put together a bucket list and it’s sponsored so for each event that is completed, there is prize money associated. The person completing the tasks- Jodie. Some are simple, like planting a tree and others more difficult like flying over Antarctica.
Perhaps the most difficult is taking piano lessons from Mr. Wong who also passed away. Now Jodie is reunited with her high school crush who is the new Mr. Wong giving her lessons.
Though filled with grief, Jodie is determined to finish the list. There are a lot of things that threaten to get in her way, including her own fear, but she learns to channel the pain and find a way to stand up for herself. What starts as misery ends up being the best thing that could have happened to Jodie after her sister’s death.

Title: Someone Else’s Bucket List
Author: Amy T. Matthews
Status: Releases May 23rd, 2023 -Not KU
Reading Method: Audio

Initial Thoughts: I was *very* nervous starting this book. The blurb on Netgalley compared it to P.S. I Love You and I despised that movie. All bitter, no sweet. Anywho, I found the beginning of the story just a little slow, but sort of necessary to develop your attachment to Bree (Brie? Audiobook problems.) Part of the slowness may have been the narrator, I came to love her, but initially felt her cadence was pretty slow, I listened at 1.25-1.5x.

That said, once the bucket list part of the story kicked off I was ALL in. I sobbed, I laughed (like actually out loud) I sobbed again. An absolute rollercoaster. The author just nailed the side characters, they were all hilarious to me (except you Maya/Mya, you can get f*cked). I don’t always understand my brain and when or why it clicks with a certain novel and not another but I loved this one. SO MUCH.

For Reader Awareness: IMO you do need to suspend disbelief around the main plot driver, I kept wondering and asking other people whether they thought this kind of medical debt would die with the patient or not, but if you are willing to accept that as artistic license, you should be good.

Recommended For: You like to cry but also laugh and/or sometimes you feel like maybe you forgot to live.

This book definitely tugged at my heart strings when Bree leaves a bucket list for Jodie, her younger, shy sister to complete when Bree dies from cancer. She has organized for Jodie to complete the list that is sponsored in exchange for all of her medical debts to be paid. I felt that there were some good parts to this story but for me it overall fell flat. It kinds made Jodie seem like she didn't care at first when she really did. Just kinda fell short for me.

I had read this synopsis and thought it could go two ways when talking about a sister completing the bucket list of her sister who just passed away.
I didn’t want it to just be that Jodie was living vicariously through her sisters list.

Without giving any spoilers. It was the other way I was hoping. This story very much pulled at your heart and emotions. All of the characters were great and added great things to the story.
I definitely recommend this novel if in the mood for a heart warming love story. Love on all its many forms.

Thank you to Amy Matthews, Kensington Books and NetGalley for an audio ARC in exchange for my honest review.

In Someone Else's Bucket List, the author skillfully navigates the delicate balance between grief and humor, love and death, while exploring the themes of stepping out of comfort zones and personal growth amidst grief. Although my personal dislike of the portrayed Instagram influencer culture affected my overall enjoyment of the book, I couldn't help but appreciate the thought-provoking juxtapositions presented throughout the narrative.

One of the book's standout qualities is its ability to seamlessly weave together the complexities of grief and the power of humor. The protagonist's journey through loss is interlaced with moments of levity and wit, allowing for moments of catharsis and emotional release. This delicate balance not only adds depth to the characters but also provides a realistic portrayal of the human experience in times of sorrow.

Furthermore, the exploration of love and death as intertwined forces is thoughtfully executed. The author delves into the profound impact that grief can have on relationships, both platonic and romantic, highlighting the transformative power of loss. Through the characters' journeys, we witness their willingness to step out of their comfort zones, confront their own vulnerabilities, and ultimately find growth amidst the pain.

While the narrative delves into the world of Instagram influencers, a subject matter that personally did not resonate with me, I must commend the author for incorporating this element in a way that serves as a backdrop for the broader themes rather than becoming the sole focus. The book ultimately transcends its initial context, allowing readers to engage with the deeper emotional and existential aspects that lie beneath the surface.

The book offers a compelling thought between the weight of loss and the resilience of the human spirit, making it a worthwhile read for those seeking a thought-provoking and emotionally resonant story.

A great holiday/beach read.