Don’t Die, My Love by Lurlene McDaniel | Rating: ★★★★★
“When you’re up against a superior enemy, sometimes it’s okay to just bow out gracefully”
I will always, always have a soft spot for Lurlene McDaniel’s books. She is, after all, one of the authors who truly got me into reading. Don’t Die, My Love is perhaps one of her most popular works and has all the love and tragedy that became her signature in fiction. Without over exaggerating, I need to tell you guys this: THIS is her best work, even decades later. It’s beautiful and tragic, yet oddly hopeful as she explores the touchy subject of first loves and the loss of your loved one.
Truly, Don’t Die stands the test of time.
Lurlene McDaniel approaches illness, death and the sudden loss with an undeniably realistic tone which shows us the tragedy of life and the difficulty of coping. It’s a perfect addition to any ones book collection, but in particular it’s excellent for preteens/teens, because of the touchy subject material.
This novel shows the harsh reality of life and illness. It isn’t easy and it isn’t pretty, but the strength you witness in her characters as they navigate these hardships is so inspiring. She can break your heart and put it back together within the span of her stories and there’s no way to possibly explain it.
Don’t Die, My Love follows Julie Ellis and Luke Muldenhower, a pair of teenage sweethearts who’s fate as lovers seemed to have been sealed many, many years ago. You see instantly that the two are crazy for one another — in love, supportive and genuinely sweet. Their romance has been blooming since childhood; the perfectly sweet path to love.
