Title: Things I’d Rather Do Than Die
Author: Christine Hurley Deriso
Publisher: North Star Editions
Publication Date: 18 September 2018
No regular circumstances would have ever brought Jade and Ethan together. They’re at the opposite ends of the social spectrum at school, and before a fateful date at the gym, they never regularly interacted. But after a near-death experience after a gym robbery, the two are on each other’s radar. And they might have more in common than they thought.
Though this isn’t my favorite teen romance I’ve ever read, there were aspects of it that felt different and unique. Jade and Ethan are both dealing with their own problems, and because we get both of their points of view, they’re both very fleshed out characters. Hearing both of their inner thoughts also gives readers an interesting view of the robbery that happens–and gives us a foundation for the rest of the novel.
The only thing that turned me off about this novel was the pacing. It felt like a lot of the action happened at the very beginning, so aspects of the rest of the plot seemed to drag a bit to me. Sometimes, Ethan’s narrative also got a bit preachy, but it was balanced out with Jade’s narrative. Overall, an excellent beach read for the summer.
3.5/5 stars