Title: The Bucket List
Author: Georgia Clark
Published: August 2018, Atria/Emily Bestler Books
Format: ARC E-copy, 352 pages
Source: Netgalley via Publisher
Summary:
From the author of the critically acclaimed “lively and engrossing parable for women of all generations” (Harper’s Bazaar) The Regulars
comes a deeply funny and thoughtful tale of a young woman who, after
discovering she has the breast cancer gene, embarks on an unforgettable
bucket list adventure.
Twenty-five-old Lacey Whitman is
blindsided when she’s diagnosed with the BCRA1 gene mutation: the
“breast cancer” gene. Her high hereditary risk forces a decision:
increased surveillance or the more radical step of a preventative double
mastectomy. Lacey doesn’t want to lose her breasts. For one, she’s
juggling two career paths; her work with the prestigious New York trend
forecaster Hoffman House, and her role on the founding team of a
sustainable fashion app with friend/mentor, Vivian Chang. Secondly,
small-town Lacey’s not so in touch with her sexuality: she doesn’t want
to sacrifice her breasts before she’s had the chance to give them their
hey-day. To help her make her choice, she (and her friends) creates a
“boob bucket list”: everything she wants do with and for her boobs
before a possible surgery.
This kicks off a year of sensual
exploration and sexual entertainment for the quick-witted Lacey Whitman.
Ultimately, this is a story about Lacey’s relationship to her body and
her future. Both are things she thought she could control through hard
work and sacrifice. Both are things she will change by choosing to have a
major surgery that could save her life, and will give her the future
she really wants.
Featuring the pitch-perfect “compulsively delicious” (Redbook) prose of The Regulars, The Bucket List is perfect for fans of Amy Poeppel and Sophie Kinsella.
My thoughts: This is the first book I’ve read by Georgia Clark and as soon as I read the blurb about the book, I just knew it was something I wanted to read. Let’s face it…this is something we all think about, we all fear happening to us or a loved one. And this is the type of book that definitely makes you think – WHAT WOULD YOU DO? What if you found out you had the breast cancer gene mutation?
This book is both sexy and sobering…it will make you laugh, it will make you cry, it will make you blush. It is at times laugh-out-loud funny and then it will have you shedding tears of heartbreak. As you journey with Lacey on this year of introspection and fun as she decides what it is she really wants to do after finding out she has the breast cancer mutation gene, you will be hard-pressed not to become emotionally attached to Lacey and all that she is going through.
It’s a unique story in that it somehow manages to balance all the emotional baggage of the radical double mastectomy with a bucket list all about boobs. What does Lacey want to do now with her boobs that she might not be able to do after having them removed? It’s this balancing of the ridiculousness (this is where it heads towards the heavy blushing stage!) and the emotional that make this book such a good read. And it also brings up a lot of food for thought. What would you do if you were in Lacey’s position? Would you do the surgery right away or take some time and do your own bucket list?
This is an extremely powerful read and I think it also is an empowering read. And I think one of the most important messages that it delivers is to live your best life while you can. I definitely recommend this book.
