Review: Love, Life and the List by Kasie West

 

Love, Life and the List

by Kasie West

December 26, 2017

384 pages

Goodreads     Indigo

Goodreads Summary:

Everyone knows Abby Turner is in love with her best friend, Cooper Wells. Including Cooper Wells. But despite what people tell her, it doesn’t affect their friendship. And she’s practically over it, anyway. What she really can’t get over is when her boss at the local museum tells her that her paintings lack heart.

Art is Abby’s passion and she hopes her future as well. She is determined to change his mind and earn her way into the upcoming exhibit at the gallery. So along with her family’s help, she compiles “The Heart List,” a series of soulstretching experiences that are sure to make her a deeper person and better artist in six weeks or less. When Cooper decides to complete the list along with her, she realizes this list is expanding her heart in more ways than one. Maybe she needs to start another project.

Love, Life, and the List is about a girl who, in an effort to bring more emotional depth to her art, compiles a list of soul-stretching experiences to complete with her best friend—a boy she also happens to be in love with.

Review

Kasie West makes me happy. Her stories are so satisfying with all the fluttery butterflies and emotional depths. I can always rely on her to bring the swoons while relatably discussing more serious issues. Love, Life and the List was pretty much perfect.

The story encompassed a lot. From social anxiety to personal differences to unrequited love, each gave the story more meaning than the next. Every character was relatable in their own way. Abby's mom's noticeably escalating anxiety level felt true to her situation. The snarky sense of humour Abby shared with her grandfather was a really nice familial link. They were quite the sarcastic pair but all in good fun.

I admired Abby's drive and determination. She worked hard to complete the tasks she set for herself. Each item she checked off helped her get to know herself better. I loved Abby's willingness to learn and change. With Cooper I was a little disheartened by his blindness to Abby's feelings but I could understand his position. He's young and has lots more conflicts and truths to figure out for himself.

There's no doubt Abby and Cooper were the cutest when they were with each other. "This deep, intense caring about someone's well-being. About wanting that person to be okay no matter what happens to yourself." (ARC, p. 357-358). It took them some time to sort out their feelings but things worked out with minimal drama. Though there was one "mean girl" scene that left me slightly queasy. Abby uses her best friend status to get Cooper to go with her leaving behind the girl he was seeing. It was a very 'real' situation and not entirely one-sided but I had to shake my head.

Friendship was a major player in Love, Life and the List. Abby and Cooper were the best of friends but I hated seeing her in such a precarious emotional state with her romantic feelings for him. It was borderline mentally unhealthy. I wanted to high five her when she got out of her comfort zone and found some new friends like Lacey.

Honestly I can go on and on about how much I enjoyed Love, Life and the List but you should all find out for yourself. If smiling and swooning are your thing, trust me and pick up a Kasie West novel. Thank me later~

 

*I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinion are my own and not affected in any way. All quotes were taken from the Advance Review Copy I received.