Review: Zac & Mia by AJ Betts

Okay.

I'll confess.

Zac & Mia broke my heart, but in the nicest way. It's impossible not to be moved by this story of two eighteen year old cancer patients who meet in hospital, via a tap on the wall. Zac is a leukaemia patient who has just undergone a bone marrow transplant after several rounds of chemotherapy did not work. The odds of survival aren't terrible, but they're not great either. Still, Zac's an upbeat and happy kid from the country who knows how to make the best of things. Meanwhile, in the room next door, Mia is a tough city kid who is coming to pieces after discovering that she has cancer--and what happens next to maximise her odds of survival is something that anyone would struggle with. Anyway, over the course of the book, the pair learn that despite coming from different worlds, that they have more in common. After all, both have an illness that does not discriminate and one that many people do not understand from shallow boyfriends to cricket teams whose need to 'do something' comes off as a meaningless gesture. And as the odds slowly get worse for Zac, Mia begins to learn just how lucky she is to have a second chance at all ...

This is well written, heartbreaking read, one that is entertaining yet unflinchingly honest. It really gets to the heart of what life is like for young people with cancer. This book made me cry in places, but it also made me smile, and it made me cheer for the pair at times.

Highly recommended.

This book was read as part of the Aussie Author Challenge 2019

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