Zac and MIA

by A J Betts

"The last person Zac expects in the room next door is a girl like Mia, angry and feisty with questionable taste in music. In the real world, he wouldn't--couldn't--be friends with her. In hospital different rules apply, and what begins as a knock on the wall leads to a note--then a friendship neither of them sees coming"--

The last person Zac expects in the room next door is angry and feisty Mia. In the real world, he wouldn't, couldn't be friends with her, but in the hospital, different rules apply. The plot contains profanity and sexual references.

• ISBN10: 0544331648
• ISBN13: 9780544331648
• Publish Date: 2 September 2014 (first published 24 July 2013)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 12 May 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Houghton Mifflin
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 304
• Language: English

Reviews

[Terri M. LeBlanc]

The audiobook of Zac and Mia was enchanting. Shortly after the weather turned here in Iowa, I grabbed my iPod Touch, queued up the story and went for a walk. I did gradually finish the book over a few longer driving trips. As the story progressed and Zac’s and Mia’s health changed, I was worried I was in for another The Fault in Our Stars.

While I have not been touched by cancer like Zac and Mia, I feel like the portrayals of how they deal with the progression of their disease are realistic. It hits all the right notes creating the tension and happiness for you to hope for the best. Each character had their coping mechanisms for good or the bad that added depth and dimension to the characters. I won’t deny that a few tears were shed and I did get angry with Mia because she seemed so unreasonable at times. However, I had to remind myself she is only 17 or 18 and dealing with the stuff she had to deal with is obviously traumatic. I was invested in the outcome of the story. I wanted the best for Zac and Mia and their families. How would Betts leave Zac and Mia at the end? Would it be like Gus and Hazel?

This book may be a difficult read for anyone touched deeply by cancer. But Zac and Mia is hopeful and realistic. Dealing with a devastating disease that has a mind of its own will never be easy. In Zac and Mia, Betts creates two characters that leap of the page creating a kinship with the reader can make them see the brighter side of the darkest day.

This review was originally posted on Second Run Reviews

3.5 stars

[Sam@WLABB]

This one was tough. Two teens with cancer, but it wasn't a story about cancer. It was a story of friendship and love and not giving up.

The boy from room 1. The beautiful boy who put my pieces back together

I instantly fell in love with Zac. Here he is, back in the hospital after his cancer returns, and he is going out of his way to help one of the cancer ward newbies, Mia. Mia is hiding her cancer from mostly everyone in her life, and she is angry at the world for this illness inconvenience. Both Mia and Zac change over the course of this book. Mia grows up a lot. She realizes that the things that she thought were so important really weren't. She begins to recognize the important people in her life, and begins to value them.

You always called me lucky, and I'm beginning to think you're right. I never thought I'd be lucky enough to have a friend like you.

I certainly had to ride a roller coaster of emotions.

Every time I feel like I am slipping off the edge of the Earth, she catches me. She has good hands.

There were funny bits, sad bits, serious bits, even swoony bits. I really enjoyed watching the friendship between Zac and Mia take root and grow.

When we're together, there's not falling off, falling out, or falling down

**Please excuse my quotes. I listened to an audiobook, and was unsure of the punctuation

[lindsey]

I've noticed a lot of comparisons between Zac and Mia and The Fault in Our Stars, but the only resemblance I found was that it was about two teens with cancer. I actually enjoyed Zac and Mia a lot more than The Fault in Our Stars. The characters in this book acted more like real teenagers than Hazel and Augustus.

But this review isn't about The Fault in Our Stars, so I'll move on. Zac and Mia focuses on Zac and Mia, of course, as they deal with cancer and its aftermath. I liked Zac more than Mia all the way through the book. But after thinking about the characters for a while after finishing the novel, I realized that the author did a really good job with writing them. Mia may have seemed unlikeable to me at first, and she may have done things that I couldn't understand, but she was dealing with a life-changing and deadly disease. Everyone deals with pain and grief in their own ways, and I liked that the author gave Zac and Mia such different personalities, and showed just how differently people react to the same problems.

I thought the novel was well-written and I enjoyed the character development - Zac's mostly. Though not a pleasant topic, the author still did a good job of including small bits of humor, which kept the book from getting too dark.

[Leah]

When I got an email from Netgalley, telling me that because I had loved Eleanor & Park, they were offering me the chance to read Zac & Mia, I was quite pleased. I’ve never received an email like that before, and I thought Zac & Mia sounded super interesting. And I did love Eleanor & Park, so I was excited to read something similar. I couldn’t wait to get stuck in, and it is a similar sort of novel to Eleanor & Park, and also The Fault In Our Stars (which I haven’t read – yet).

Zac is a 17 year old boy, being treated for leukaemia and he knows everyone on the ward – so when a new girl arrives, a girl who blasts Lady Gaga at ear-splitting volume and doesn’t seem to have many visitors, Zac is entranced. He finds out her name is Mia, and when she friends him on Facebook they start chatting at 3am, when neither of then can sleep, but Mia is afraid of what’s happening to her, and she just wants to be normal again, and the two end up not seeing each other for a while, until Mia rocks up at Zac’s home one night…

I was a bit afraid Zac & Mia would be your typical cancer storyline – the two make friends, fall for each other, and one of them dies, just to be cruel. It happens, a lot, and as Zac points out, 1 in 5 people with cancer don’t make it. (Which is depressing. That’s an awful, awful statistic, right up there with 1 in 2 people get cancer in the first place.) But I was surprised by Zac & Mia, I won’t say what does happen, but it worked for me… Which is always a plus.

I was entranced by the novel from the start. Zac has such an awesome voice, whether he’s reciting statistics or being all chill about his situation, Zac is the dream cancer patient, let’s be honest and I loved his refreshing honesty. I loved his compassion, that saw him try and help Mia again, and again, even though she resisted and resisted. It takes a special kind of person to put aside their own problems and help someone else, but that was Zac all over. He barely knew Mia but he wanted to make sure she was okay. It was so, so sweet. On the other hand, I struggled to warm to Mia, she’s cold and prickly, and rails against the world. And it took a very long time for me to trust her. I understood her frustration, but she could have been a bit kinder to those around her, instead of treating them like the enemy.

Zac & Mia is such a wonderful, uplifting novel. The rapport between Zac & Mia is second to none, and when Mia let Zac in, the sparks were there, the chemistry was there. I just wish she was less pricklier. You never knew what kind of mood she would be in. But Zac – where can I get me a one of him? Eternally optimistic, loves statistics, happy to help anyone in need… *swoons* Even at his worst he still had that snarky way with words and I loved it. It’s just such a delightful novel, with two fabulous narrators, and a must read for all contemporary YA fans.

[meowstina]

I received an advanced reader copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fantastic book that explores two opposing personalities and how the people around you can be just what you need, even if all you want is isolation. Zac and Mia are extremely different people, which is seen in their thoughts and the way they react to similar situations. That’s why I like that readers get a glimpse into each of their first person narratives. The narratives are strong and distinct, which is great. I also love how the book is set up in its different parts, it really lends to the story and makes sense. Though both characters seem kind of uncharacteristic in the last part, I can see why it’s done. It brings everything full circle, which I really like. It’s satisfying and adds a lot of depth and meaning to the novel.

What I really like about this book is how it tackles Zac and Mia’s bond. They are perfect supports for each other and they need each other, but not in a romantic way (mostly). Their personalities complement one another, and each knows what the other needs, even if it involves conflict. It’s so refreshing to read about.

I really like this book. It tackles relationships and support, and is told with engaging, relatable, and poignant narrative. The characters and writing are vibrant, which makes for a great read. This book brings two completely different people into the same realm to teach each other the value of perseverance and the people around them.

[Kelly]

4.5 Stars
http://www.divabooknerd.com/2013/11/zac-mia-by-aj-betts.html
The story of Zac and Mia was one of the biggest challenges I've ever had the privilege of reading. It was funny, heartbreaking and poignant. A coming of age novel where two teens from different worlds, find themselves both battling cancer. I had read a few reviews before beginning Zac and Mia and the similarities between this and John Green's The Fault In Our Stars, as both were written in the same time frame, but apart from both basing the storyline around two teens with cancer that's where the similarities end. Zac and Mia is based in Australia, written by an Australian author and I found I could relate far more to the characters. It's not just the highs of beating a disease or the lows of Mia being in denial, but it was a far more thoughtful and positive storyline. It touched upon not only how each teen coped, but their families, how life changes and whether others see you as a victim or a survivor.

A.J Betts beautifully crafted a positive storyline, that felt realistic. I loved Zac's character, his attitude and outlook was intelligent beyond his years. The banter between Zac and his mother was simply brilliant. Zac asks for a hat similar to that of Ryan Reynolds, mum purchases one as worn by Burt Reynolds. I would love to see where Zac and Mia are in a few years, and unlike The Fault In Our Stars, you won't be left a hysterical mess.