Last Wish of Sasha Cade

by Cheyanne Young

The day Raquel has been dreading for months has finally arrived. Sasha, her best friend in the whole world, has died of cancer. Overwhelmed and brokenhearted, Raquel can't even imagine life without her. And then a letter from Sasha arrives. Has she somehow found a way to communicate from beyond the grave? In fact, Sasha spent her final weeks planning an elaborate scavenger hunt for the friend she would have to leave behind. When Raquel follows the instructions to return to Sasha's grave, a mysterious stranger with striking eyes is waiting for her. There's a secret attached to this boy that only Sasha - and now Raquel - knows. This boy, Elijah, might be just who Raquel needs to help her move on from her terrible loss. But can Raquel remain true to herself while also honoring her friend's final wish? Cheyanne Young's compulsively readable breakout novel offers abiding friendship and forbidden romance, along with an incisive look at how class differences shape who we are and who we grow to be. AGES: 14 to 18 AUTHOR: Cheyanne Young lives in Texas and is the author of several books for teens. When she's not writing, you can find her sipping coffee and petting dogs.

• ISBN13: 9781525300042
• Publish Date: 1 December 2018 (first published 2 October 2018)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: CA
• Imprint: Kids Can Press
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 320
• Language: English

Reviews

[Sam@WLABB]

If you look at my Goodreads updates, you will see that I spent a good part of the beginning of this book in tears, but it was all worth it. Believe me, Young paid me back ten-fold for all my tears with that ending.

• Pro: Though Sasha died in the beginning of the book, I still felt like I got to know her so well via her letters, videos, and the flashbacks. I could absolutely see why she was Raquel's best friend, and was able to understand what a huge hole was left in Raquel's life without her.

• Pro: Sick kids will always elicit a strong emotional response from me, but that part was short-lived in the book. Most of this book was a celebration of the friendship Raquel and Sasha shared. It was quite sweet, heartwarming, and endearing.

• Pro: I really liked the romance. These two were so adorable together. It was a slow burn, but when it finally happened, I was all sorts of giddy.

• Pro: I LOVED Elijah! I have a soft spot for those, who are able to overcome tough situations or who don't allow difficulty to hamper them or harden them. Elijah's circumstances could have played out in a negative way, but he looked for the silver linings, established some goals, and tried his hardest to work towards them.

• Pro: The whole story was steeped in hope, and helped along by the auxiliary characters. Young assembled a fantastic supporting cast, who actually gave a lot of support to both Raquel and Elijah. Raquel's parents, her boss, the Reinharts (seriously, that couple put the heart in Reinhart), they were all top-notch.

• Pro: The ending!!! It is well-known in these parts, that I need a lot of closure, and Young gave me an ending with so many answers. I was jumping for joy at the conclusion, and left with happy tears wetting my face.

Overall: I may have started this book with tears of pain, but I ended it with tears of joy. A beautiful and heartwarming tale of love, friendship, and those bonds that last forever.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

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