Cover Reveal: Side Effects May Vary by Julie Murphy

Yesterday, the cover for Julie Murphy’s debut novel Side Effects May Vary was revealed, and it looks wonderful!

What if you’d been living your life as if you were dying—only to find out that you had your whole future ahead of you?

When sixteen-year-old Alice is diagnosed with leukemia, her prognosis is grim. To maximize the time she does have, she vows to spend her final months righting wrongs—however she sees fit. She convinces her friend Harvey, whom she knows has always had feelings for her, to help her with a crazy bucket list that’s as much about revenge (humiliating her ex-boyfriend and getting back at her arch nemesis) as it is about hope (doing something unexpectedly kind for a stranger and reliving some childhood memories). But just when Alice’s scores are settled, she goes into remission.

Now Alice is forced to face the consequences of all that she’s said and done, as well as her true feelings for Harvey. But has she done irreparable damage to the people around her, and to the one person who matters most?

Julie Murphy’s SIDE EFFECTS MAY VARY is a fearless and moving tour de force about love, life, and facing your own mortality.

If that’s not enough to convince you to add Side Effects May Vary to your to-read list, here’s a teaser:

Harvey laughed to himself in a sad way and rubbed his eyes. “You want me to help you with a list of things you won’t disclose to me.” He leaned forward and bit the skin around his thumb. “Classic.”
“You won’t regret it.”
“But—”
“Harvey,” I said, my voice low. “Trust me.”
I knew what this looked like. It looked like I was using Harvey. But here was the reality of the situation: the minute my life went from semi-permanent to most likely temporary, I decided to latch on to everything in my world that had always been permanent, and for me, Harvey was so permanent he was concrete.

I’ve been hearing so many good things about this book from many different book blogs, so I can’t wait to read this! The plot reminds me a bit of the beginning of Paper Towns by John Green (which I love), it’s non-linear and told from both Harvey and Alice’s perspective (which is perfect; I always find myself wondering what other characters are thinking too), and the author seems adorable and quirky, which is sure to come across in her writing.  March 2014 cannot come soon enough!