Lucky Seven Book Review #2: THE PROBABILITY OF MIRACLES by Wendy Wunder

I've been on a reading binge lately, and I've been lucky enough to have read seven excellent books that you definitely should bump to the top of your TBR list. (And five of them are from debut authors!) Here's a brief recommendation the second of the seven, and happy reading!

LUCKY SEVEN: RECOMMENDATION 2

The Probability of Miracles (Wendy Wunder)

(Razorbill, Dec. 2011)

Summary from Goodreads: Dry, sarcastic, sixteen-year-old Cam Cooper has spent the last seven years in and out hospitals. The last thing she wants to do in the short life she has left is move 1,500 miles away to Promise, Maine - a place known for the miraculous events that occur there. But it's undeniable that strange things happen in Promise: everlasting sunsets; purple dandelions; flamingoes in the frigid Atlantic; an elusive boy named Asher; and finally, a mysterious envelope containing a list of things for Cam to do before she dies. As Cam checks each item off the list, she finally learns to believe - in love, in herself, and even in miracles.

A debut novel from an immensely talented new writer, The Probability of Miracles crackles with wit, romance and humor and will leave readers laughing and crying with each turn of the page.

Side note -- LOVE this cover.
So perfect for the book, too!

Few books make me both laugh and cry, and what I especially loved about THE PROBABILITY OF MIRACLES is that I never knew which reaction a scene would elicit. Though TPoM centers around a girl with incurable cancer, it never edges into the overly maudlin, here-this-scene-will-make-you-cry "cancer book" territory. I never pitied Campbell (the MC), but I grew to love her from the dry wit and sardonic pessimism that a life with cancer --- and years of cancer treatment regimens --- will give you.

And Promise, Maine. I love it when settings are their own characters. Promise is a wonderful, magical little town where Cam's mother brings them because it's rumored that miracles happen there, and that's exactly what Cam needs to live. Plus, Promise gave me a scene with a donkey named James that literally made me stop reading for a minute because I was laughing so hard. Wunder included just enough magic realism in the story.

And then the tissues. No spoilers here, but a few moments made me cry and one made me weep --- and a few times my eyes welled up in furious anger that Cam got stuck with such a crappy, unfair lot in life. That shows that Wunder did her job well; Cam was a real person to me, and I loved reading her story. Congrats to Wendy Wunder for an incredible debut (and honorary membership with the FNC!).

Further evidence: TPoM received a starred Kirkus review ("irreverent humor, quirky small-town charm and surprises along the way"), and check out this glowing review from The Story Siren.

Tweet

Check out book one of the Lucky Seven: THE GIRLS OF NO RETURN by Erin Saldin

Stay tuned for book three of the Lucky Seven --- UNDER THE NEVER SKY by Veronica Rossi! 

And if you're in the mood to win a book, check out our giveaway of the awesome debut FRESHMAN YEAR AND OTHER UNNATURAL DISASTERS!