It's My Life

by Stacie Ramey

Overview

If she wants a future with him, she'll have to make peace with her past.

Jenna's never let her cerebral palsy get her down. But when she discovers that her condition was actually caused by an injury at birth, she's furious with her parents, who withheld the truth. And as they push her to get yet another difficult procedure, Jenna feels her control over her life starting to slip.

Enter Julian, Jenna's childhood crush. He's just moved back to town, and he's struggling in school, so Jenna reaches out to him—anonymously—to help. Soon, their conversations are about so much more than class. She's falling for him all over again, hard and fast. But would Julian still be interested in her if he knew who she really was? And can she find a way to take back her own narrative before she pushes away everyone she loves?

Also by Stacie Ramey:

The Sister Pact

The Homecoming

The Secrets We Bury

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781492654247
Publisher:	Sourcebooks
Publication date:	01/07/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	336
Lexile:	HL610L (what's this?)
File size:	3 MB
Age Range:	14 - 17 Years

About the Author

STACIE RAMEY attended the University of Florida and Penn State, where she received a Master of Science degree in Speech Pathology and Spalding University for her MFA in Creative Writing. When she’s not writing, she finds her happiness by engaging in Netflix wars with her grown children or beating her husband in Scrabble. She lives in Wellington, Florida with her husband and an ever changing number of rescue dogs.

Editorial Reviews

"The read­er, while absorbed in an engag­ing sto­ry filled with light moments and humor as well as seri­ous issues and con­tro­ver­sy, learns much about legal eman­ci­pa­tion, auton­o­my, and cere­bral pal­sy; as well as about self-con­fi­dence and the abil­i­ty to rebound even after seri­ous errors of judg­ment." — Michal Hoschan­der Malen, Jewish Book Council

" A straightforward story set at a lively pace, with appeal for both romance and coming-of-age fans." — Booklist

"The book benefits from the crisp language and humor, and strong family relationships." — School Library Journal

"A lovely and heartfelt story... raw and full of feeling." — The Nerd Daily

From the Publisher

11/01/2019

Gr 8 Up—High school junior Jenna had always assumed she was born with cerebral palsy. Upon discovering that her birthing OB/GYN was sued for medical malfeasance, and that her CP was caused by a complication during her birth, she is now rethinking her whole life. Always driven and a high achiever, Jenna drops out of her AP classes and wants to take more control over her health, even if it means suing her parents for medical emancipation. Her romantic life heats up when childhood crush Julian moves back into town. Keeping her identity hidden, Jenna starts to flirtatiously text with Julian on the premise of helping him adapt to the new school and with his homework. This texting relationship carries much of the book, and though the prose is quippy and fun, teen readers might be put off with the premise and the believability that Julian wouldn't easily be able to figure out who is texting him. The plot is at times choppy, but the book benefits from the crisp language and humor, and strong family relationships. Effort is made to make Jenna more than her disability, but the all-consuming obsession with a boy she's liked since kindergarten makes her come across as one-dimensional. Jenna's disability is centered in the story, and there is some positive portrayal, but there are still some ableist moments such as a "differently abled" club mentioned. VERDICT There is a gap in books with CP representation, and even with its pitfalls, this addition has its merits.—Danielle Jones, Multnomah County Library, OR

School Library Journal

2019-09-23
A Jewish girl struggles to accept her cerebral palsy and advocate for herself.

Sixteen-year-old Jenna Cohen feels different from other girls. Her CP saddles her with spasticity, seizures, and speech problems, and she relies on mobility aids ranging from elbow crutches to a motorized wheelchair. Her well-meaning parents make all of her medical decisions, subjecting her to a series of surgeries and ineffective treatments. But when Jenna discovers that her CP was caused by medical malfeasance, she enlists her lawyer uncle to fight for medical emancipation. When she's not dwelling on her doctor's mistake or hanging with her gay best friend, Ben, Jenna's living an imaginary life as her beautiful, confident, nondisabled alter ego, Jennifer. In Jennifer's persona, she catfishes Julian, her sweet, dyslexic childhood crush, kindling a bantering text-message romance dotted with described emojis—but soon, pretending isn't enough. Unfortunately, Julian's one-dimensional portrayal weakens the romantic tension. Jenna's close, conflicted relationship with her parents and fierce bond with her siblings are believable, as is her desire for a say in her treatment; however, a late twist is jarringly implausible. Though Jenna's curiosity about what might have been if not for her doctor's error is understandable, her nearly relentless self-pity risks alienating readers long before her rather abrupt realization that "[her] real life has far exceeded [her] fantasy one." All characters appear to be white.

Well-intentioned but unsatisfying. (Romance. 13-16)

Kirkus Reviews