Stacy Alesi's BookBitch.com™

From the author of the critically acclaimed “lively and engrossing parable for women of all generations” (Harper’s Bazaar) The Regulars­ comes a deeply funny and thoughtful tale of a young woman who, after discovering she has the breast cancer gene, embarks on an unforgettable bucket list adventure.

Twenty-five-old Lacey Whitman is blindsided when she’s diagnosed with the BCRA1 gene mutation: the “breast cancer” gene. Her high hereditary risk forces a decision: increased surveillance or the more radical step of a preventative double mastectomy. Lacey doesn’t want to lose her breasts. For one, she’s juggling two career paths; her work with the prestigious New York trend forecaster Hoffman House, and her role on the founding team of a sustainable fashion app with friend/mentor, Vivian Chang. Secondly, small-town Lacey’s not so in touch with her sexuality: she doesn’t want to sacrifice her breasts before she’s had the chance to give them their hey-day. To help her make her choice, she (and her friends) creates a “boob bucket list”: everything she wants do with and for her boobs before a possible surgery.

This kicks off a year of sensual exploration and sexual entertainment for the quick-witted Lacey Whitman. The Bucket List cleverly and compassionately explores Lacey’s relationship to her body and her future. Both are things Lacey thought she could control through hard work and sacrifice. But the future, it turns out, is more complicated than she could ever imagine.

Featuring the pitch-perfect “compulsively delicious” (Redbook) prose of The Regulars, The Bucket List is perfect for fans of Amy Poeppel and Sophie Kinsella.

This is one of those books that I picked up because of the imprint – it’s published by Emily Bestler, Atria Books and I generally like her books. Forgive me if you’ve heard my spiel before but when you are looking for a new book, a new author really, a good way to find one is to look at the imprint.

Emily Bestler founded her eponymous imprint, Emily Bestler Books, in 2011 with one guiding principle: to find the very best commercial fiction and nonfiction across a wide range of categories and put these books into the hands of as many readers as possible. In her words, “We are passionate about our mission of finding a book for everyone. You’ll find that our list is as varied as our readers.

It’s a varied list of authors for sure, like John Connolly, Brad Thor, Amy Poeppel, and of course, Georgia Clark, all authors I like. So here I am.

The Bucket List takes a very serious subject, a 25 year old woman testing positive for the BRCA1 gene, meaning she is very likely to get breast cancer, and provides a sweet, funny, sexual romp. Lacey’s mother died from the disease when she was 31 years old so really she shouldn’t be shocked that she also is a good candidate for cancer. Yet she is. Her sister, who pretty much raised her, is furious that she took the test but her closest friends support her. It comes down to a decision: a preventative full mastectomy à la Angelina Jolie, or wait it out and hope for the best.

Meanwhile, Lacey comes up with a bucket list to complete before she makes her final decision. Most of the items on the list are of a sexual nature, so this is a pretty erotic book. If you don’t like explicit sex, skip it. On the other hand, I really liked how this young woman chose to live her life knowing that it may be shortened. It took guts for sure.

While tackling a serious subject, Clark injects quite a bit of humor here, making this a fun, sexy read. I enjoyed it.

8/18 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

THE BUCKET LIST by Georgia Clark. Atria/Emily Bestler Books (August 7, 2018).  ISBN 978-1501173028. 352p.

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