The Lighter Side Of Life And Death

The Lighter Side Of Life And Death

By: C.K. Kelly Martin

Sixteen-year-old Mason Rice is having the night of his life. He's just delivered an incredible performance in the school play, basked in celebratory afterglow vibes at the party of the year, and lost his virginity to one of his best friends—the gorgeous but previously unobtainable Kat Medina. His dreams are coming true, and the future looks golden.

Unfortunately, Kat sees things very differently. Crossing the friendship line was a big mistake, and all she wants is to forget it and move on, even if that means forgetting Mason altogether. What's a guy to do? Well, if you're Mason, you hang your hopes on the first attractive twenty-three-year-old you cross paths with. At first Mason wonders if he's imagining the chemistry . . . until Colette invites him over to her apartment. Suddenly Mason's living in a whole new world.

summary from book

My Rating: 3.5/5

Once again, C.K Kelly Martin has written a complex and gripping novel etched in honesty and realism. The Lighter Side Of Life And Death revolves around Mason as he deals with many new obstacles in his life that have been presented . Like Martin's other novels, there is much more to this book than the summary alone dictates. As well as the lust that surrounds Mason's relationship with Colette there are also family and friend conflicts that manifest through this novels progression that add substance and complexity to the characters, especially Mason, the sixteen year old protagonist.

As regular readers of my blog may already know, I am a huge fan of C.K. Kelly Martin and look forward to all of her novels. Much like her past two books, I read The Lighter Side Of Life And Death rather quickly, engrossed in the happenings of Mason's life. I'd never read a YA novel that dealt with extreme lust between an older character- in this case Colette- and a much younger one. I have to say the entire situation kept me on edge while reading. I had no idea what was going to result from such a "relationship" and of course, I feared for Mason as I didn't know if he and Colette would be called out, their affair uncovered and so on. This book gets pretty hot and heavy in parts but I admire the author's honesty in portraying what fit and needed to be detailed given the specific storyline.

Although I enjoyed this book, it wasn't my favourite. I found it beyond interesting but the main storyline between Mason and Colette just didn't always click for me. My favourite aspects of this novel actually dealt with Mason and his budding problems with Kat and his friend Jamie as well as the conflict between him and his new live in step family.
 
I also have to commend Martin once more for writing so perfectly through the mind of a teenage boy. She captures them so perfectly and accurately which makes reading through their perspective that much more enjoyable.

Overall: The Lighter Side Of Life And Death incorporated familiar concepts in YA literature such a family and friends but with a twist and emphasis placed on lust and a risky relationship. It definitely keeps you engrossed and entertained for its entirety.