Things I'd Rather Do Than Die by Christine Hurley Deriso

Review by Sue Things I’d Rather Do Than Die by Christine Hurley Deriso is an interesting view and story of angst, prejudice, love and acceptance through the teenage perspective. Ethan Garrett is confident, good looking as well as a quarterback and senior at Walt Whitman High School. He dates the head cheerleader, gets good grades, is a devout Christian and has always been ok with status quo. One night with one quite different girl lead him to a journey of self discovery: Questioning his beliefs, his life as well as who he is and what he wants at his core. Jade is a loner and feels separate from her classmates. Never quite feels like she belongs or fits in. One night with one caring and friendly boy has her wondering if she keeps herself at a distance on purpose. During this fateful night, a friendship and kinship of sorts blooms and maybe even a kernel of love has been planted. But it is up to these teenagers to decide between taking the path well travelled and live a good life or taking the beaten path a have a chance at something extraordinary. Ethan is a stand-up boy if not a little indecisive. I enjoyed seeing his character grow and change throughout this novel. I love that he makes mistakes and questions his faith, it made his character feel real to me. He did not make the expected or even the right decisions but, they were his. Jade is an insecure girl who hides behind her sarcasm and snark. I loved seeing Jade’s subtle transformation. I would have enjoyed the book a little more if the author would have shown us more of what the characters were feeling and going through during their difficult times. I found these scenes were cut off a little short and as result left me unable to completely connect with their pain. Although Ethan is a devout Christian, this IS NOT a book about religion. It is a novel that reminds us to “never judge a book by its cover”. To make our own informed decisions on who someone is, not by who and what they present themselves to be but rather by who they actually are. This book is told in dual POV and is well written. The pace was a little slow but all in all it was definitely worth the read. **ARC provided by author for honest review**

Release Date: September 18, 2018

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