Before I Go (Oakley) - Book Reviews

Book Reviews
An impressive feat…an immensely entertaining, moving and believable read.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution


Oakley knocks it out of the park in her treatment of a very sensitive subject…pleasurable, thought-provoking reading.
Athens Banner-Herald


Author Oakley has set herself a tricky balancing act here, blending a comic sensibility with the depth and poignancy her subject requires. She pulls it off.
People


Emotional, insightful novel.
In Touch Magazine


Colleen Oakley’s debut deftly balances sorrow with laughs and compassion.
US Weekly


[T]ouching.... The story moves forward in the expected direction—even the twist at the end is not a shocker—but Oakley expertly tugs at the heartstrings with well-rounded characters and a liberal dose of gallows humor.
Publishers Weekly


The specifics of Daisy's disease are suggested here rather than described in detail, but cancer is palpable on every page. Readers will want simultaneously to hug Daisy and give her a good shake when she goes off the rails.... Daisy bravely endures and discovers the healing power of love. —Bette-Lee Fox
Library Journal


Oakley has produced an affecting work that, while avoiding maudlin sentimentality, makes the reader care about Daisy and her determination to live while dying.
Booklist


[A] sobfest from debut novelist Oakley.... [T]he novel's central conflict is wrapped up a little too neatly, but the emotion always rings true.... Oakley also adds in some much-needed humor to lighten up the necessarily depressing subject matter. This emotional novel will make readers laugh through their tears.
Kirkus Reviews