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Although the subject matter was compelling and a great idea to write about, I had trouble liking this book. The characters were sooooooo mainstream, they almost read like caricatures. I realized midway through that I just didn't like Mara or her storyline. Her husband was unbelievably perfect. I mean that literally. I did not believe in his character--nobody is that perfect to begin with and certainly not in dealing with a stressful disease. I also hated how much the avoidance of embarrassment was a motivator for Mara, especially when it came to her 5 year old daughter. The way she apologized over and over to her 5 year old (about having fallen down in front of said 5 year old's classmates, due to having HD) sickened me. Another thing that wasn't realistic was Mara's ridiculously over-the-top independence. There's no way that Mara, as a lawyer who worked over 50 hours a week and was married to a doctor who likely worked just as much, cleaned her own house or cooked dinner every night. There just wouldn't have been time for it. So when she was incapacitated by HD, even if she wouldn't have wanted to have been coddled, she still would've had a housekeeper/maid and/or the practice of ordering in take-out food, if nothing else.

I liked Scott a lot better, but his wife was a total pill, and if this were real life, they'd be divorced in two years.

I was afraid that Mara would not

Spoiler

be able to go through with killing herself and I was so relieved when she did (and not because I didn't like her character, but because I think, at a certain point, there's so little quality of life with diseases like this one and it's honestly better for everyone that the affected person not have to live through it all to the end). I didn't believe in Scott's wife's turn-around, but at least it made for a nice ending. Scott loved Curtis so much; I was glad he got to be a father to him.

I received a copy of this book through Penguin's First To Read program for my review.

Three stars means "I liked it," right? I did like this; I even cried at some parts. It was a great perspective on what it's like to live with Huntington's Disease. It sounds like a horrible disease and there are plenty of reasons for Mara to go ahead with her plan after diagnosis, but personally couldn't agree with her decisions. Then there's also the perspective of Scott, who just finished a 12 month temporary guardianship of an 8 year old boy with his wife. I think this story was the most uplifting. The two characters are connected because they both met through an online forum for unusual families. That's their only connection. If it wasn't for that, these two stories could be stand alones. And besides my own personal issues with suicide, having two separate characters live two separate lives within one book just doesn't make sense to me.

Any time a book can drag a tear or two out of me I think it is good. There were some parts that I thought dragged on a bit, and some things that weren't really important or necessary. But I overall did enjoy it.

Another ‘wow’! This one caught my interest from the beginning and held it the entire time! The story revolves around two characters; Mara, a woman suffering from Huntington’s Disease, a degenerative neurological disease which has no cure and results in death, and Scott, a teacher who has been raising a foster child for the past year. They both have FIVE DAYS LEFT!; Mara to live with her disease before her self-imposed deadline to take things into her own hands, and Scott to live with Curtis, the foster son, before he has to return him to his mother. Mara and Scott live in different regions of the country and have no connection to each other except through an anonymous internet adoption forum that they visit for support.

I think anyone who has ever watched someone progress through Huntington’s Disease, ALS, Alzheimers, or a similar degenerative disease will recognize the emotions expressed by Mara. I thought the portrayal of her fear of becoming an invalid and her desire to end her life on her own terms was very realistic. I also thought the conflicting emotions Scott showed in selfishly wanting to keep Curtis with him but ‘knowing’ that reuniting the family was the ‘best option’, were portrayed realistically.

You knew from the beginning there could be no fairy tale ending here. No matter what Mara decides, we know that eventually she will die. And no matter what family Curtis ends up with, someone will experience loss. But even though there was no ‘happily-ever-after’ ending, the ending was realistic, and for that reason it is satisfactory. This is an emotional story, but a very good story! This will make a great book club selection, with discussion topics ranging from suicide, adoption, foster care, and others. You can visit the Penguin web site to find discussion questions or read an excerpt of the book.

My Rating: ★★★★1/2 4-1/2 Stars

I received an advanced review copy of this book through the Penguin First To Read program and have written an honest review.

I received an ARC of this book as a part of Penguin's First to Read program, which I highly recommend! This is the fourth book I've been able to read early as a part of the program, and I couldn't be happier with the process.

From the beginning, you know there is not going to be a happy ending for Mara. But what the rest of the novel shows you is that, while she is the Huntington's patient, she is not the only one suffering as a result. Her entire family is affected, and as you follow Mara through her final five days, you realize that she has to accept their feelings and allow them to feel their own emotions if she wants them to accept her decision.

The other side of the story, the couple in Detroit that takes limited guardianship of a young boy that grows to so much more, is tied in only insomuch as Mara and the husband are online friends. This is the only thread of the novel that I found to be heartbreaking in the end because, while Mara and her sticky notes tackle goodbyes to everyone she knows in the real world, her cyberpals don't get the same treatment.

I was incredibly surprised that I didn't cry more while reading this book. There were of course sections that made me tear up, but overall Mara was so matter-of-fact about things that I didn't burst into tears like I usually do when terrible circumstances befall one of my new friends. Julie Lawson Timmer's novel was deeply moving, and I look forward to reading more of her work.

I just couldn't get over all the selfish women in this book. I really really wanted Mara to change my mind to see she was making the right decision. I just couldn't see it.

Oh, ick. I don't know who recommended this to me or why I picked it up at the library, but this is a lousy book. I'm interested in the passage of dying, coping with loss, so I went into this hoping to learn something. Instead, I found a sappy, cliched novel and sophomoric writing. Very disappointing.

Full disclosure: I only made it through Part I - 82 pages - before I skipped to the end to skim the conclusion. As I'd feared, it was predictable. One loses, one doesn't. Surprise, surprise.

As reviewed on www.dineanddish.net

It’s hard for me to say I enjoyed this book because it was heartbreaking… but I love books that make me cry, and this one certainly did. My friend Aggie told me about this book (she also shares GREAT book reviews so follow her.)

Five Days Left is about two people…Mara and Scott. Mara has been recently diagnosed with Huntington’s Disease and decided at the time of her diagnosis that once she gets to a certain symptom, she will commit suicide on her next birthday. Scott is the foster parent of a little boy whose mother has promised to take the little boy back once she cleans up her act (her son was poorly neglected and not well taken care of). Scott has become extremely attached to the little boy.

The story unfolds in parallel as both Mara and Scott, who know each other through an online parenting forum, come down to their final five days…Mara of her life and Scott with his little boy. This book will rip your heart open, but it is so good.

I really enjoyed reading this book. For the second time in as many months, I have read a book by a debut author and never would have known it. I love debut novels, I feel like I'm in on a discovery and I look forward to reading more by this author.

This book contains two very different stories with barely a connection, but it works. I liked Scott's story more than Mara's for different reasons. I won't go into the details because I don't want to spoil it for other readers. Scott is about to lose his foster son, who is being reunited with his mother. Mara has Huntington's Disease and has decided to commit suicide before the disease ravages her beyond all recognition. They have five days left.

I loved the characters in this book and felt a connection with them right away. Not a small feat for an author. The emotions evoked by this book are very real and I shed more than a few tears while reading it. To me it had all of the things I look for in a good story. I would recommend it to anyone.