Fantastic book, highly recommend.

Relatable characters and relatable storyline.

Themes of grief, loss, love and family.

As someone who is now starting to create her bucketlist, I was immediately drawn to this book. The characters were relatable and I laughed and cried. Great book , highly recommend.

Loved the hospital setting at the beginning of this book with the contrast of the bucket list items throughout. x

Oh my goodness, I found this book devastating.

I find cancer books really hard and this book begins with Bree in hospital. Then it skips forward a year in time when Bree is gone and her shattered family – mother, father, grandmother, great aunt, sister and best friend are left stunned by her death and unable to know how to go on without her. There is about to be a lot of firsts – the first Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc without her. And because Bree was a young, twenty-something influencer, she didn’t have health insurance and so the bills left behind are astronomical. Hundreds of thousands of dollars.

But Bree had a plan – she had a bucket list and she’s “bequeathed” that list to her sister to finish for her. For every item that Jodie completes, a company named Iris Air will pay off a portion of the medical debt. If she completes everything, the debt will be wiped completely. Jodie also has to document the list and keep up Bree’s instagram followers and level of engagement. For Jodie, who is the opposite of her outgoing, bubbly, adventurous sister, this is akin to torture. But her parents and grandmother will lose their houses if she doesn’t do this – they are drowning in debt. Jodie herself, is working a deadend job doing college part time, putting every dollar she has into helping the family stay afloat and they are barely making a dent in it. Her parents should be thinking about retirement, instead they’re under more stress than ever. She has to do this. Put herself out there, out of her comfort zone and do this. Not just for Bree. But for her family. And also herself.

The idea of a family being forced to sell their home to pay medical debts for their daughter (or granddaughter as well, as Bree and Jodie’s grandmother is willing to sell her home as well) is just….horrible to me. I can’t even imagine what Bree’s treatment cost (multiple rounds of chemo, a bone marrow transplant, hospital stays, etc) but I have heard about how much bills for even the smallest things can escalate. I did find the idea of making the bucket list a publicity stunt quite distasteful, like the bill was hanging over Jodie’s head, forcing her into doing these things. And the book does address that in some way, particularly privately between Jodie and the head of Iris Air, in a way that kind of makes sense but the idea of the public questioning it, never really came up. There’s no backlash on Iris Air for not just paying the damn bill upfront anyway and then having Jodie complete the list in her own time. Instead by putting the pressure on her to do one thing in order to have a portion paid off, the idea is to complete it as fast as possible, so that it’s gone as quickly as possible. Even though I didn’t end up hating the guy that owned Iris Air (he did some bonehead things in the beginning but redeemed himself on one of the last items) it did feel like it should’ve been a more general conversation. Making people jump through hoops for social media clout in order not to have their whole lives revolve around this debt, for it to not cost them everything they have and then some, was a bit of a gross concept.

That issue aside, I did love this book. Jodie’s grief (all Bree’s family’s grief) is so raw and powerful and it’s so well portrayed and described. The family is completely different without her. Bree’s best friend Claudia and Jodie never got on particularly well – Claude intimidates Jodie (a lot of things intimidate Jodie) but in the aftermath of losing Bree, they cling to each other. They are the only ones that really understand what the other is going through. Bree made Claudia a part of their family and you can tell that Claudia isn’t really sure of her role now that Bree is gone. Jodie and their parents really keep her involved and included. And Jodie and Claudia find a friendship as well. At first they’re kind of forced to spend time with each other, getting through all the ‘firsts’ without Bree. But it isn’t too long before they’re calling each other out of choice.

One of Bree’s list items means that Jodie comes into contact with someone from her past. I really enjoyed that aspect of the book and thought it was woven in quite well. It had some definite twists and turns (a bit of a rollercoaster actually!) but I like the way it all played out, especially the idea that there was a specific reason for Bree choosing to include that particular item on her bucket list.

Just a weird note/a bit of a nitpick from someone who is Aussie – Jodie undertakes a scenic flight over Antarctica, which departs from Sydney. The captain says the flight time to Antarctica is “just under three hours” which…..doesn’t feel right. I have a proof so it could be different in the final copy but honestly, the Southern Ocean is very large. Three hours would put you only just over an hour south of Tasmania and it’s definitely not an hour flight from Tasmania to Antarctica. Not even to the outskirts of it. Because flights are rare it’s hard to accurately get an idea of how long it would actually take but Qantas do scenic flights that are about 10,000km round trip and the one from Sydney is listed at about 14hrs duration, departing at 8am and returning at 10pm.

That quibble aside, I really did enjoy this. I thought Jodie’s grief was just so well shown, her awkward determination to do the bucket list and how uncomfortable she was with the turning it into a public thing, the attention that came with it, the careful curating of everything. I loved the relationships, especially between Jodie’s family. This was a family so deep in tragedy but they still have the loveliest ways of showing up for each other. I also would 100% read a book about Claudia and her bartender dude. That was the smallest part of the book but it felt very fun. And I cried many many times.

8/10

I would put this rating closer to 4.5 stars.

I loved this. It was slow to begin with but I’m so glad I stuck with it.

I was so sad after Bree passed, but was intrigued to find out what she’d left to help her family.

The bucket list was awesome and definitely loved watching Jodie tackle it, even when she was scared. The friends she made along the way were interesting.

I loved watching it all unfold and all the teams people had for each of the prospective partners for Number 100.

It was such an amazing read. Thank you Netgalley and Simon and Schuster Australia for this ARC.

A truly touching story, showing the Boyd family as they manage their grief over the loss of their daughter and sister, Bree. Filled with moments of pure sadness, anger, light, and love, this book was a delight to read. The sadness is outweighed by the love the Boyd's have for eachother and how Jodie goes about honouring her sister.

Gosh! Where to start? Firstly, you might need a box of tissues or two, because grief is a very central theme to Someone Else’s Bucket List. This story also takes readers on an emotional rollercoaster ride as Bree’s bucket list items are ticked off and Jodie discovers the spine she used to have as a star high school baseball player.
Twenty six year-old Bree Boyd opens the story in hospital, where she is being treated, unsuccessfully, for leukaemia. It’s clear that she’s special to her family. Her parents are working long hours to cover her medical bills and her sister Jodie is pulling as many shifts as she can at an airport car rental booth for the same reason. When Bree dies and Jodie discovers that Bree’s last wish was for Jodie to complete her bucket list, her life takes a massive U-turn.
There is so much to love about this book. Author Amy T. Mathews is an expert at setting the scene and her imagery is exquisite. It’s as if you’re standing right there with the story unfurling around you. Her characters are marvelous too. Jodie is the main protagonist and she’s so easy to cheer for, but her supporting cast is equally wonderful. The romantic scenes between Jodie and Kelly are superbly immersive. I finished this story with mixed feelings. Happy because Jodie got her HEA and Bree got her wish but so sad that I’d reached the end of my part in their story. This is one book I know I’ll be reading again. I’d give it way more than five stars if I could.

I read this book knowing full well it was going to be triggering and that it would likely make me cry and although it did make me cry, it also brought a smile to my face and was such a wholesome book 🫶🏼

It was such a unique concept as we were brought on an unforgettable adventure alongside Jodie as she navigated her grief and completed her sister’s bucket list. There were so many great and relatable characters in this book (Claude and Tish were my faves) and I thought the final chapter being told in Bree’s perspective wrapped the book up perfectly.

Although it was slightly far fetched at times and on the longer side, it was still such a beautiful story and I loved how it all unfolded. Have the tissues ready for this one!

Oooft. I mean, you get the idea even from the title, let alone reading the blurb, that this one is going to tug on the heartstrings, and yeah, it really does.

Jodie’s sister Bree, is adventurous and free spirited. She’s an influencer with millions of followers. She lives her life to the fullest, until she can’t...
Jodie and her family are left heartbroken and in a mountain to debt, but Bree has secretly arranged for a way to free them from that debt and also for a way for Jodie to step up into the life that she has been only half living.
While this one will make you cry it is also a story of finding purpose in life and not hiding for fear of failing or not measuring up. It’s definitely a book that will stay with you.

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for an ARC of this book.

I loved the idea of this book: an instafamous/influencer sister who has passed leaves a bucket list for her quieter, more reserved sister….but I didn’t love that it wasn’t done to build her up, but rather to ensure a ‘contract’ is fulfilled and the challenges represent cash bonuses which will protect the family from ruin following huge medical bills due to said instafamous/influencer sister’s passing.

I had an initial issue with someone who is 26, potentially could make $XX, but doesn’t make basic provisions for herself, and her health, or even her family, or even have a family who insists on her protecting herself. I have to assume with the number of followers she would have contracts/sponsorship/marketing etc and yet no lawyer/agent/PR management and then I think if you are more of an ‘experience’ person and not a ‘look at your contracts/sponsorship/marketing person’…then maybe you are this woefully unprepared. However, at the same she had pre-planned other posts/activities etc, but didn’t manage this one wholly important thing and instead of just sorting it out she effectively sorted a deal to capitalise on her death? But I also struggled that a global brand wouldn’t be better or require insurance (or other protections) just from a liability standpoint. Also, if she was unable to pay the debt then there are ways this would be dealt with following her death, which would not involve her family being required to pay. I am sorry, I am a lawyer, it’s hard for me to get past things/switch off these thoughts, and up to a point I am ‘fine’ with these things because I don’t necessarily require a book to be realistic to enjoy it, but these kinds of things can be huge plot holes in stories and grate on the reader.

What I do need though is a couple of the following things sorted:

1. I couldn’t help but think that sometimes the writing was too young for the characters.
2. I thought the brand was ghoulish and wished it had been handled differently – maybe they offer to help with the bucket list because they had that relationship with Bree, rather than the way it was set up/portrayed. IRL I think that brand would face a fair share of backlash for this type of arrangement, whether set up by the dying woman or not.
3. I didn’t feel anything for Jodie. I wanted to, but it kind of got a bit lost and I didn’t think we got enough insight into her and I get that maybe the surly, sulky thing she had going on was about her sister/the grief/the vulnerability, but I just really didn’t care for it. I get she was a bit of an introvert or someone who plays it safe, but really those 6 items on the list weren’t exactly hard to achieve and you were being paid to help your family and others (which is what she raved on about), yet she did it with a crappy attitude and failed to see the way everyone bent over backwards to accommodate her. I get it, she lost her sister, but I didn’t feel like I was given enough to see this as the motivation for her behaviour/personality.
4. At the same time though the other characters bugged me because they were pushing her into situations or making her feel uncomfortable, but then I’d go back to being annoyed with her.
5. The romance part….meh. Again, I am not sure the ‘age’ this was supposed to be written for. Have an actual conversation people. You are in your twenties, get it together.
6. I think the actual completion of the bucket list could have featured earlier or in a bigger way, more adventure or something. The fact that the bucket list items weren’t that hard/thrilling/extreme etc, made me keep disliking Jodie to a point.
7. This book is possibly too long. I did know that Jodie would have growth from her experiences and that is why I stuck with it.

This story was absolutely beautiful and heart warming! I could absolutely relate to Jodie with her anxiety and fears, especially as things escalated with trying to complete her sisters bucket list. I could absolutely see this as a movie I'd love to watch. No spoilers but the very last chapter was an absolutely perfect way for the story to end. Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for providing a copy of this book for review!

I unfortunately added this book to the DNF pile.
The premise of the book sounded so good I was really excited to start it.
I only made it a few pages before putting it down. The writing was unstructured and there was an overuse of adjectives and
Metaphors which just made for a “Junky” flow..

I loved how this book didn't shy away from the hard topics of death, grief, cancer and divorce. I could feel for Jodie and her family going through this tough time. I found the third person sometimes a little hard to connect with sometimes but I was drawn to the story which kept me hooked. My favourite part was Bree sending through her final bucket list items to Cheryl to set Jodie up.
A great book and hard to put down. 4/5
Thanks for the ARC NetGalley.

Have you ever read a book that just made you feel weird? "Someone Else's Bucket List" is a beautiful, heartwarming story about two sisters, Jodie and Bree, and I think the feeling of reading about this along with Bree's battle was a lot to take in.
The premise of this book is definitely interesting, to say the least - after Bree loses her battle to leukaemia, Jodie is tasked with finishing her sisters bucket list. It's a wonderful story of grief, loss, and love, and sure enough, it definitely tugged on my heart strings.
Many of the bucket list items were out of Jodie's comfort zone, but the love for family and honouring her sister, prevails above all. And her sister's bucket list was just the thing she needed to continue living again.
A lot of this book really forced you to feel, and two quotes in particular, have stuck with me:
1. "Jodie hadn't realised how painful love was. It stung. Like lemon juice poured on an open wound. But worse. It wasn't pink and pleasant; it was blooded and visceral. Fearful."
2. "You never really have someone, not forever. You just get them for a little while, if you're lucky. And you never know how long you have them for."
The only part of this book that had me extremely confused was the constant back and forth between "Claudia" and "Claude", as if the name was changed, but not properly edited? This could just be an issue with the copy sent to my Kindle, but I thought I would point it out.
Overall, this book was well written, and really made me feel the emotions portrayed.

This was such a good book I loved every second I was reading. The cover looks quite similar to Jojo Moyes' book someone else's shoes which drew me into wanting to read it. This book follows 2 sisters. Bree who is the eldest. Bree is an instagram influencer and she documents her losing battle to Leukemia. Jody, the youngest, goes out of her comfort zone and takes over her sisters instagram account and completes some of Bree's items on her bucket list. She's able to do it if Bree's sponsors pay up all of her medical debt. This story is about grief, family ties, love, and so much more. I would definitely recommend this book to all it is written so beautifully.

The most heartbreaking story about life and love and never taking a single moment for granted. We never know when our time on this earth will be up so make sure your loved ones know what they mean to you. I have never cried so much while reading a book. Although it is fiction it's also could unbelievably be a true story for so many people out in the world. Cancer effects so many people life's and this book is about family.