By The Time You Read This I'll Be Dead by Julie Anne Peters

3.5/5

Really, Julie Anne Peters? Really?? I give you three hours of my life, devour every word on your 224 pages and you pay me back with that ending???...Sigh...SIGH! Ok, I won't spoil it for everyone else.

Daelyn Rice has tried to kill herself in the past. She doesn't consider those suicide attempts, she considers them suicide failures. She plans to be successful this time with the help of a website dedicated to helping "completers." As she navigates the various message boards on the site, Daelyn reveals to the reader the reasons behind her desire to die. We are also given glimpses into the effects her previous suicide attempts have had on her physically and mentally.

BTTYRTIBD is one of many books out today that deals with the consequences of bullying. Daelyn's past is indeed heartbreaking. Her parents' attempts to save her are both heroic and frustrating. Her whole-hearted commitment to completing is complicated by relationships old and new. Should she kill herself when the boy with cancer fights so hard to live? Should she die and leave another girl as the next victim for the bullies? Does her parents' failure to understand deserve a life sentence of grief?

What makes this book stand out is the subtlety the author uses in revealing the methods and consequences of Daelyn's past suicide attempts. It would have been easy for the author to reveal too much too soon. Her restraint is impressive and reinforces the belief that Daelyn is truly willing to walk away from this life. The ending is not delivered in a pretty package. Resolutions do not come easy. The reader will have many questions to ponder...just like the friends and family of completers everywhere.