the air between

Originally Featured on Reedsy Discovery here!

A big thank you to Reedsy Discovery for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Cali has always stayed to the back of school society, content to be invisible. Until the day she was diagnosed with cancer and became the dying girl. Suddenly everyone knew her name and wanted to help her. She starts to live each day as if it were her last, because it may very well be. Toby lurks around the corner of her brain, the tumor that is swiftly changing her life. Waiting for the moment to bring it all to a crashing halt.

The Air Between deals with some heavy subjects. It is an emotional read as Cali comes to terms with dying and realizing she likes the attention from it. Should she feel ashamed? Is it ok to enjoy the attention? These are questions Cali must struggle to answer for herself as she tries to put on a brave face for everyone else. It's never easy being a teenager, let alone one who understands they will never see adulthood. In just a small course of time, she will try to live her life to the fullest and attempt to leave no regrets behind.

C.R. Long included a suggested playlist of songs to download. These songs were mentioned during important scenes of the book. I took a moment when these songs popped up to listen to them and understand the meaning behind them. It made the emotions of this book all the more real and vivid. I found myself brought to tears. Cali's story pulled at my heartstrings as I read. She didn't feel like she had a purpose until the cancer diagnosis. Watching her struggle made me want to reach out to her. Let her know it was ok to be confused.

And as much as this book dealt with tough subjects, the story also never failed to remind the reader of the good that could be found in life too. The little things that matter and are often overlooked. It was a combination of these and the twists and turns that leave you grasping at the pages needing to know what is going to happen next. This is certainly an eye-opening book and a must-read for fans of young adult.