Julie Halpern brings something new to the "YA cancer lit" subgenre with The F-It List... simply put, I love this book.

We get to one star and we're sunk. There's a decent idea in there, but it is badly presented and rushed. And how on earth did he manage to spin this out to more than one book? Having said that, I feel like readers should be warned that the writing here could use the touch of a good editor. The book is written in a very stream-of-consciousness style, almost a mad dash of "hey-I-just-figured-out-this-whole-secret-to-happiness" writing that leaps all over the place. The chapters provide some loose organization, but overall the writing just isn't very tight - even though it is deep, clever, and amusing at times. I almost can't help but feel that this writing style was a conscious decision - even the foreword lampshades the fact that a true "f--- it" philosophy follower can best express their dedication to the philosophy by churning out a slap-dash foreword! (Quite amusing actually.) So I almost feel churlish pointing it out at all, except that I'm concerned that some readers may be put off slightly by the looseness of the writing, no matter how much I might agree with the fundamental philosophy contained herein. I suspect, though, that this will be a personal preference that depends on the reader. Overall, I think why I'm so disappointed is that I expected the story to be more focused on the pair of Becca and Alex as friends, and less Alex-centric. I wanted more story about Becca's battle with cancer and their friendship and less scenes between Alex and Leo. I am sure that a lot of people will enjoy this book. It's not badly written, and it has a great concept. But for me, this wasn't what I was expecting, and it left me disappointed.And that, ultimately, is where "f**k it" falls over. There are times in your life when it's exactly the right sentiment. And 99% of the time when it isn't.

It's a philosophy I can get behind; a philosophy that I would *love* to see spread and adapted and adopted all over the world. So this book gets an A+ from me on the philosophy angle, hands down. The ship sinks further when you realise that the author loves to talk about himself. Huge long screeds about his family, his life, his wife, the decisions that he faced. I wouldn't have minded if he was someone interesting and/or had done something noteworthy. But he isn't and he hasn't. We're down to three stars. Good content, but poor writing and he talks about himself too much. The story is never about fulfilling the list. It's about what that list is to the two girls as individuals and to them as best friends. Apart from the first chapter and the whole "I'm so brilliant go do a F**k It retreat or an online course" at the end of the book, I absolutely devoured this. It really puts things into perspective and I think the whole idea of F**k It is a great one to try and apply to life as much as possible. It's another one of those books I think most everyone should read. I feel like I've already learned to relax more and I've already learnt to let things go easier, just a day after finishing. It's funny as it seems such a logical theory, and I do think to a certain point before reading the book I was already quite F**k It minded, but now I can be it in a more mindful way. Basically, if you haven't read this it's about not making such a huge point about things and just thinking, as the title puts it, F**k It. The author applies this method to almost every aspect in life and he does it well. I've laughed out loud reading this book in public. It's snappy, it's quirky, it's witty and it is at times hilarious. I did, as the author recommended, skip the parenting part, as I am not one, but I can imagine the method also working well there. So people, read this book, and just F**k It all and be happy. F**k money, f**k politics, f**k the weather, f**k your boring job, f**k stress and f**k what other people think of you. F**k most things and enjoy life. Pretty good message I would say. All to a certain extent of course. I really like the philosophy behind this book - the idea contained herein is that we need to stop stressing so much over everything ("Am I good enough? Holy enough? Peaceful enough? Loving enough? A good enough spouse, child, parent, employee, person, citizen?") and just say "f--- it" to things that we can't control (and even quite a few things that we can) and learn to relax a little. It's the Total Perspective Vortex of books - you're not important, and you never will be important (not on a universal scale, at any rate), so you might as well live the best life you can and not stress over the details. And while all that philosophy CAN be explained in just those few sentences (or even just in the title!), there's a lot more here to delve into, in terms of HOW to actually live that philosophy and be happy.Time flies when you’re on the road. All you do is try to live in the moment and focus on the next thing, and before you know it… years have passed and you have come a long way”. F**k It has taken the world by storm, helping countless people to let go, stop struggling and finally do what they want; to ignore what everyone else is telling them and go their own way.