Before I Go - Debut book by Colleen Oakely

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The product(s) featured in this review were provided free of cost to me by the manufacturer or representing PR agency for the sole purpose of product testing. Opinions expressed are my own and are NOT influenced by monetary compensation.

 

Image Credit - Amazon

It is weird how I find books.  I used to go to book stores and would look at all the new releases and would leave with a huge bag of books, but since book stores are so hard to find these days (just like Blockbuster - are there even any of them around now?)  I have to go about finding them differently now.  I was listening to the radio one morning and the local radio guy was talking about a new book that was from a debut author, she was from Atlanta, so I guess that was why it was on his radar, not really sure.  Anyways, he said the book was called before I go and it was a book about a lady who has cancer and has decided that she wants to find a new wife for her husband before she passes.  He was curious as to if she just lined up prospects and voted on them and how one would go about doing so, if that was what you wanted to do.  It got me thinking that this might be the book for me to read, since she was a debut author, I could fall in love with her in the beginning and follow her through many other books (sort of how I did when I read The Notebook years and years ago!)  I decided I was going to see if it was at the local library and of course, it wasn't... Hello!  It is a BRAND NEW BOOK!   I got home and either that day, or a day or two later, a friend of mine commented on the book, as she knew the author.  I took that as a sign that I really needed to read it, more than just a suggestion from the radio! 
I saw that I had worked with her publishing company before, so I contacted them to see if I could work in a review for you!  A few days later, the book was here and I was excited to start reading! 
Just so you know, I only read in carpool.  Any other time the books being read are for him, so I knew this was a great book to leave in the car to pass the time each day.  The only problem I had was that I wanted carpool to last longer so I could read more pages.  Then, the weekend had to show up and totally messed it all up! 
I fell in love with the writings of Colleen Oakley.  The way she introduced us to the characters made you want to know more about them and you were eager to see how the whole book was going to play out.  I really enjoyed the book and was quite surprised with the ease of her writing.  Although you don't think about reading about a lady with cancer while you're poolside or at the beach, it was an easy read that allows you the time to escape, no matter how long or short the time is.  I thought it was going to be a big tear jerker that would leave me having the ugly cry while picking my son up from school, but the way she added humor at just the right moment, it kept the emotions in check!  Another bonus for me?  She based the book in Athens, Georgia (Go Dawgs!) and it was pretty neat to read a book about an area I am a bit familiar with. 

I will make one note, although I loved the book and the story, it isn't one that I could recommend to some friends and family, due to the profanity.  Yes, I know I use words that aren't the best at times, but I try to watch my mouth and in this case, I would feel uncomfortable passing it along to some avid book readers.  If you can overlook the language, I know you will enjoy it as well, but I did want to point it out, so that you were not caught off guard. 

 

Synopsis of before I go:

Twenty-seven-year-old Daisy already beat breast cancer three years ago. How can this be happening to her again?

On the eve of what was supposed to be a triumphant “Cancerversary” with her husband Jack to celebrate three years of being cancer-free, Daisy suffers a devastating blow: her doctor tells her that the cancer is back, but this time it’s an aggressive stage four diagnosis. She may have as few as four months left to live. Death is a frightening prospect—but not because she’s afraid for herself. She’s terrified of what will happen to her brilliant but otherwise charmingly helpless husband when she’s no longer there to take care of him. It’s this fear that keeps her up at night, until she stumbles on the solution: she has to find him another wife.

With a singular determination, Daisy scouts local parks and coffee shops and online dating sites looking for Jack’s perfect match. But the further she gets on her quest, the more she questions the sanity of her plan. As the thought of her husband with another woman becomes all too real, Daisy’s forced to decide what’s more important in the short amount of time she has left: her husband’s happiness—or her own?

 

I really hope to read more from Colleen and lucky me, she is already working on book number 2!  Have you heard talk about this book yet?