''Side Effects May Vary'' is a 2014 young adult novel and the literary debut of Julie Murphy. The book was first published in hardback by

Balzer + Bray HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News Co ...

on March 18, 2014 and a paperback edition was released the following year. An audiobook narration was performed by Cassandra Campbell and

Kirby Heyborne Kirby Heyborne (born October 8, 1976) is an American actor, musician, singer, songwriter, narrator and comedian. He is known for his work in films centered around the culture of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Heyborn ...

. ''Side Effects May Vary'' focuses on a teenager that has been recently diagnosed with

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ' ...

and has decided to take revenge on her enemies. Murphy wrote the book as part of

National Novel Writing Month National Novel Writing Month (often shortened to NaNoWriMo ) is a U.S.-based nonprofit organization that promotes creative writing around the world. Its flagship program is an annual, international creative writing event in which participants att ...

around 2010. While writing Murphy chose to have her character of Alice behave in a way that she felt might alienate some readers, justifying this decision by stating that "A book is always going to be about the best or worst part of a character’s life. Sometimes we shine. Sometimes we don’t. Alice definitely does not, but by the end she’s begun to find her road to redemption."

Synopsis

Alice is sixteen and has been diagnosed with leukemia. She's been warned that she may not have long to live, so Alice has decided that she's going to use her remaining time in order to accomplish things she's always wanted to do, even if doing so may come across as cruel or unkind. Her friend Harvey has agreed to assist her during this process and together the two manage to exact revenge on her ex-boyfriend and enemies, while also taking part in positive things like revisiting her past. However just as she's managed to complete her plans for revenge, Alice discovers that she's in remission - and will live. Now she has to deal with the fallout from her actions and try to find a way to deal with what she's done and her complicated feelings for Harvey, who has always loved her.

Reception

Critical reception for ''Side Effects May Vary'' has been mixed and the book has received praise from the ''

School Library Journal ''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with ...

'' and '' Booklist''. The '' Horn Book Guide'' and Commonsensemedia were both mixed in their opinions, as they enjoyed the work but felt that the shifting between past and present could be seen as confusing or excessive. The ''Horn Book Guide'' also stated that the book had the potential to appeal to fans of ''

The Fault in Our Stars ''The Fault in Our Stars'' is a novel by John Green. It is his fourth solo novel, and sixth novel overall. It was published on January 10, 2012. The title is inspired by Act 1, Scene 2 of Shakespeare's play ''Julius Caesar'', in which the noble ...

''.

References

External links

* {{official website, http://juliemurphywrites.com/books/ 2014 American novels Novels about cancer American young adult novels 2014 debut novels Balzer + Bray books