Review (28): Radiate by Marley Gibson

Radiate

by Marley Gibson

Series: None

Other Reviewed Titles: None

Release Date: April 3, 2012

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Pages: 395

Source: NetGalley ARC

Challenge: None

Author Website

My Review: 

This is the story of Hayley Matthews, a high school senior who has just made the varsity cheerleading squad at her school when she is diagnosed with cancer. The first half of the book is dedicated to the cancer discovery and treatment. Most of it is set in the hospital where she stays for a lengthy period of time because of the various surgeries she has to undergo, chemo and radiation. The author goes into great detail about all three, which is great, but it was also a little confusing at times because there was just too much to remember.
The second half is about her transition back to school and her new life as a cheerleader. She seems to be ready to put the cancer behind her and move on, but unfortunately there are still some side effects she has to deal with along the way. There is a really great positive message about never giving up and always pushing through no matter what life throws at you which was definitely the best part of this book.

Haley is a really inspiring protagonist. She handles everything that is thrown at her head-on and with an attitude that most teenagers would not possess if faced with the same challenges. My only issue with her was that she seemed to be obsessed with getting to cheer camp (and just cheerleading in general) even though there was clearly a much more important issue at hand. 

The cover is perfect for this book. It is a cheerleader surrounded by bright, happy colors which is exactly who Hayley is. 

Fun Fact: Radiate is a fictionalized version of the cancer that author Marley Gibson went through as a teenage cheerleader (from author website).

Rating: * * * 1/2