A MESSY, BEAUTIFUL LIFE is a beautiful and lovely story written by Sara Jade Alan and is a contemporary young adult romance novel that is sure to tug at your emotions. This standalone novel is vividly realistic with lifelike characters that are facing situations and problems that many people have encountered or know someone who has been there. The title says it all, life is full of uncertainties and nothing is set in stone.

Alan has written this remarkable story with such a caring and loving hand that you can feel the emotions coming right off the pages as you read each word. From the very beginning you get drawn into a story that centers around Ellie. She has cancer but does not want to be treated any different because of a disease that she has no control over. So, she tries her best to remain the funny, loving, and caring girl that she has been her whole life. She proves throughout that she is strong and determined to beat this. Ellie was falling for Jason really fast before she found out about the cancer but now she is determined not to hurt him and insists that they remain only friends.

Jason knows what cancer can do to a person and how it effects the people around them. He knows because he has been through this with his family. When Ellie is diagnosed, Jason does not let this effect his true feeling for her no matter what she says. Together they struggle with the ups and downs that a disease such as cancer can create but through it all they remain together and end up stronger than before.

A MESSY, BEAUTIFUL LIFE is the kind of story that brings out a wide range of emotions that are sure to stay with you longer after you finish reading. This beautiful story is sure to warm your heart and show you that when you truly love someone nothing stands in the way.

Book Summary

Life is funny sometimes.

And not always the ha, ha kind. Like that one time where a hot guy tried to kiss me and I fell. Down. Hard. And then found out I had cancer.

I’m trying to be strong for my friends and my mom.

And I’m trying so hard to be “just friends” with that hot guy, even though he seems to want so much more. But I won’t do that to him. He’s been through this before with his family, and I’m not going to let him watch me die.

So, I tell myself: Smile Ellie. Be funny Ellie. Don’t cry Ellie, because once I start, I might not stop.