The Loose Ends List by Carrie Firestone Book Review

Hello, internet! Recently (as in, five minutes ago) I finished The Loose Ends List by Carrie Firestone. I discovered this book while looking through the book reviews of a very trusted reviewer on Goodreads, and I immediately fell in love with the cover. It's beautiful, and I absolutely loved the synopsis. I give this book five stars. It's a book that will stick with me forever. It taught me so much about life and love, and I extremely recommend it.

The Loose Ends List follows the summer of Maddie O'Neill, who's initial plans of shopping, partying, and tying up high schools loose ends take a huge turn when she finds out that her grandmother has a terminal illness. In the grand, dramatic, Astrid North-O'Neill (Maddie's gram) way, Maddie's family is sent on a 'death with dignity' cruise, so her grandmother can leave the world in her own unusual way. Along the way, Maddie meets people who fill her life with new experiences, and learns so much about life and love and living with no regrets.

I obviously loved this book so much, but one thing didn't really tickle my fancy.

Maddie meets a handsome young man who goes by the name of Enzo (short for Vincenzo - he even has an attractive name) and I shipped them from the start. But there was a lot of, for lack of better words, insta-love with them. It was a lot of 'I like you, let's kiss on the second day that we know each other.' I would have loved for their relationship to take some time to develop so it could be just that much more meaningful, but even so I love them together.

Folks, if you decide to read this book (please) get ready for some tears. There aren't very many cry-worth scenes throughout the beginning and middle, but once the patients of Wishwell start dying, you're going to shed a tear or two. Or three. Or one hundred. Because here's the deal with the cruise: the purpose of it is to provide a great last hurrah for people who think that it's their time to go. So once they decide that they can't go on any longer, they die. And that's not a spoiler because that's the point of the cruise.

The characters taught me so much. Heinz taught me that anyone can be forgiven, given enough time. Gloria taught me that legacies are also important. Vito taught me to always be bright and smile. Mark taught me that it's not how long we live, it's how well we live that counts. And Astrid taught me that there are no limits to the happiness and joy that this life offers.

I'm not going to forget this book for a long time. That's just something that won't happen. Please, please, please read this book. It's an absolute joy. Thanks for reading,
-Ari

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