Product Description

How can you take the guy your best friend loves . . . when your best friend’s going to die?

Alison Chapman has always believed she’d fall in love hard. And she does—with Sam Cody, a new guy with a gorgeous face and brooding eyes, a guy who’s impossible to resist. When Sam asks her to the Valentine’s Day dance, Alison is elated . . . until she finds out that her best friend, Isabella Cates-Lopez, has fallen for Sam,
too . . . until she finds out that Isabella is dying. Now Alison wants Isabella’s last days to be her happiest ever—even if she and Sam have to hide their love. Even if, by sharing Sam, Alison risks losing him forever.


From the Trade Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1226951 in Books
• Released on: 2004-03-09
• Original language: English
• Binding: Library Binding
• 160 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Sleek writing ("Sam rode a motorcycle, no helmet. In the sea of entry-level Chevy sedans and sober parentmobiles, the big Harley in Student Lot B commanded attention") and a highly specific Florida setting are among the many strengths of this romance-cum-tearjerker, second in the Love Stories series. On the very same day that Allison begins getting to know Sam, the mysterious new guy in school, she learns that Izzy's been diagnosed with brain cancer and has only a few months to live. Allison just can't find the right time to tell her best friend about her burgeoning romance, especially when Izzy develops a crush on Sam herself. Then Allison decides to make her best friend's last days truly unforgettable by convincing Sam to become Izzy's boyfriend instead of her own. This hokey plot gains some substance from the thoughtful characterizations and the logical, not entirely strife-free way in which the premise is developed, while Allison's tart, energetic first-person narration keeps the story from dissolving into an outright sobfest. A subplot involving Sam's beloved, eccentric grandfather balances the central romance and echoes its theme of letting go. Applegate's (Boyfriends and Girlfriends) effort is a cut above most entries in the genre. Ages 12-up. (Feb.)q
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grade 8-11?Alison Chapman is a sensitive, intelligent high-school junior in Sarasota, Florida. Sam Cody is the new boy at school?mysterious and good-looking. Alison finds him even more attractive after she rescues him from a minor motorcycle accident. Her best friend Izzy has also fallen for Sam, however, and the situation becomes complicated when Izzy is diagnosed with brain cancer. Alison decides that Izzy should be happy the last few months of her life and convinces Sam to be Izzy's boyfriend. Sam is clearly interested in Alison, but reluctantly goes along with the "sharing" idea. What starts out as a typical YA love story turns into a poignant tale about friendship and first love. Characterizations are well done?Alison is believable and likable; Izzy is brave and endearing; Sam is complicated, but caring. Applegate has written a good alternative to the "Sweet Valley High" series and Janet Quin-Harkin's books. An above-average romance with a well-developed plot.?Judy R. Johnston, Auburn High School, WA
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Gr. 6-12. By a prolific fiction-series author (Animorphs, Making Out, Remnants), this novel about a teen's death stands on its own. Alison's best friend, Izzy, who is dying, has a crush on Sam, a mysterious motorcycle-riding hunk. When Sam falls for Alison, she convinces reluctant Sam to pretend to love Izzy, so Izzy can have the boyfriend of her dreams before she dies. Centering more on whether Alison will admit her subterfuge than on emotions surrounding Alison and Izzy's friendship, the story isn't a tearjerker. But Alison's moral dilemma provides enough suspense to keep the pages turning, and the novel's quick pace, easy-to-grasp symbolism, and characters, who, though stereotypical, clearly articulate their emotions and reasoning, will make this a comfortable choice, especially for reluctant readers. Rebecca Platzner
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