"Say Goodnight, Gracie" is probably one of the best books I have ever read. This heartfelt story of to best friends who have known each other for all of the 17 years of thier lives is one that will surely win you over as one of your favorites! Let me give you a little taste of the book. It starts out in a town on the out skirts of Chicago where 1 young dancer( Jimmy Wolff) and 1 young actress (Morgan, narrator), both struggling to have careers in the city. Both go through good times and bad, when suddennly an accident has taken Jimmy's life and Morgan must learn to cope without him. Thanks to her aunt, mother and Jimmy's mother, it looks as though she will be just fine! I suggest this book to you because I have read it my self and believe me it is by far the best book I have ever read in my life. Both Jimmy and Morgan are compelling and loveable characters! I sure hope this book gets a lot of publicity because absoloutly should. I recomend you go to the nearest library and check this book out right NOW!!!!!!!

Though some of the dialogue may be a bit of a stretch, considering that the 2 principal characters are 17 year-olds, this book is an extremely touching portrait of a lifelong friendship. Morgan's grief and depression at the death of her friend is the most heartbreakingly real portayal of such that I've seen in YA literature. It's her recovery from these, her ability to begin to grow beyond the tragedy of circumstance, that makes this a truly touching piece of work. Being a whole person, this book tells me, is not finding a secure place and holding onto it so tightly that nothing ever changes; rather, being a complete person means embracing the fact that, no matter how painful it may be, the circumstances of our lives change. Deaver manages to find sympathy for Morgan as she experiences growth-through-loss without begging us to feel sorry for her. The book's last scene is as poignant and moving as anything written this decade.

Once a good friend mentioned that she was reading a book called Say Goodnight Gracie, and that it was one of the best ones she had ever read. I was a bit skeptical at first but I decided to look into it. After reading this book, I was astonished as to how many emotions and how much love was put into it. I have now declared this as the best book I have ever read.
The first line in the book, I believe, says more to me, and to others, than any others books could even get close to. "There are friends, I think, we can't imagine living without. People who are sisters to us, or brothers." This book is about two teens, Morgan and Jimmy, who have been best friends since the day they were born. They never thought anything would bring them apart. Nothing could ever damage their friendship because it was just too perfect. Nothing could ever ruin it, that is until the day that Jimmy was killed by a drunk driver.
Morgan thought her life was coming to an end. This is the worst thing that could have ever happened to her, and she just wondered why. Why Jimmy? Why not her? It took her a long, long time to realize that Jimmy was going to be gone and never come back again. Many people tried to reach out and try to help Morgan, but she wouldn't let anyone come too close. She just wanted to isolate herself, and not want to deal with it. She went through a period of time where she wouldn't sleep at night, wouldn't go to school, and thought that she was basically becoming a zombie. But considering the circumstances, her becoming like that was understandable.
Morgan would never forget Jimmy, but she finally realized that it was time to move on, and he would never come back. She knew that if he were up in heaven, looking down upon her, he would be upset seeing her mope like this. So she decides to go back to school, she even makes a new friend, and just decides to move on with her life again, but she will never ever forget Jimmy.

This book is a very heartwarming book. This is the second book I have read by Julie Reece Deaver, and it is the second best book I have ever read,just falling short of the best which is "Say Goodnitght,Gracie", also by Deaver. Marnie is just a little girl who is forced to live with her older sister, Lissa who is just a child herself, because their mother has a drinking problem. I would reccommend this book to anyone who is looking for a heartwarming story about a little girl and her sister who have everyday struggles and have to survive with just each other.

This is a story of two girls who's mom is having drinking problems. The eldest is asked to take her little sister with her to Chicago. There is only one delima she doesn't want to stay with her, she wants to go home. They are having problems with getting along when suddenly their dad shows up and he is not approved by the eldest. He is always staying out late with her little sister without asking her. Are her problems solved? That's something you'll just have to find out when you read the book. This easy read book catches your attention and you can't put it down once you start!

This is a cool story of a seventeen year old girl who has to raise her little sister alone in the city. I loved seeing how the big sister, a talented art student, had to learn in a hurry how to be a parent a sister who was quite a handful! This is a story for any age! I'm not a teenager, but I loved it!

Bess is a funny girl with a sad secret.Her mother who was also funny, but who also suffered depression,committed suicide recently.Bess tries to go on with her life and plans to become a comedy writer although she believes she is too shy to become an actual comedian.She scores a job as an intern on a comedian's talk show and there she meets Elliot,strange and funny.He convinces her to start a stand-up routine with him!All the while Bess finds a close friend and mother figure in(whatsername) who is a writer(or something)for the talk show.

*This is a witty,humorous novel that is a pleasure from start to finish.

After reading 'Say Goodnight Gracie' and 'Chicago Blues', both of which I could not put down, I found this book, 'You Bet Your Life' to be even better. The characters are fun, and the dialogue will keep you laughing throughout the whole book. If you like Julie Reece Deaver you'll love this book!