Cassie is a NICU nurse who really needs a vacation. The constant pressure of a high stress job has left her with persistent headaches and lingering fatigue, and a trip to Hawaii with her wonderful boyfriend sounds like the perfect escape for her troubles. While enjoying an excursion on their last day in paradise, Cassie has an accident that leads to a terrible discovery… an inoperable brain tumor has been causing her symptoms and she doesn’t have more than a few weeks to live. The story focuses on how Cassie, along with her family and friends, chooses to spend the last days of her life.
Just Once More is a moving Nicholas Sparks-esque novel about a young woman with only a short time to live. This book is absolutely a tear jerker. Knowing that from the start makes it easier to appreciate Cassie enjoying the remainder of her life. Many of the characters are just flawed enough to be realistic. For example, the way her parents deal with the tragic news is heartbreaking, even shocking at first, but understandable. While everybody around Cassie has very real responses to the worst possible news, Cassie’s own reactions feel clichéd and it is difficult to get a clear sense of who she is. However, the book is about her end of life choices, so that really doesn’t change the beauty of the novel.
Tera Lyn Cortez has given the world a delicate story that is both painfully raw and achingly beautiful. Grab a box (or two) of tissues and prepare to fall in love with Just Once More.
