Zac and Mia by A J Betts - review

Before you immediately view the synopsis of this book and compare it to The Fault in Our Stars, please don't. Yes, they both share the same premise but they are completely different. The Fault in Our Stars is a love story in which the characters happen to have cancer, whereas Zac and Mia is a cancer story where they happen to fall in love. The emphasis of this book is the cancer and the way the characters deal with it-not the love story.

Zac is a teenage boy who is bored stiff, stuck in isolation in an Oncology ward. His life suddenly becomes more interesting when the new girl Mia moves in next door. Their relationship starts off with a knock on the wall and develops through online messaging. When they both leave the hospital, they expect never to see one another again until Mia runs into some problems and seeks out Zac for some help.
This book is split into three sections based on the narrative voice, the first is narrated by Zac, the second section 'And', consists of a split narration and finally the third section which is narrated by Mia. The way the novel is split, gives it a unique touch and creates a sense of the two different worlds the characters live in and the impact when they cross paths. I very much preferred the first two sections of the book as Zac's voice was very easy to read and connect with. His perspective on his situation was very realistic and his charm and wit made him a very likeable character. However, reading Mia's point of view was slightly harder as I didn't like her character very much. Her tendency to run away from problems and insult those trying to help her really made me dislike her. For me, the main thing which pulled me through the last section of the book was the plot, not the narration or writing. On the other hand, Mia's voice did emphasise the type of person she is and is important to strong character building.
As for the story and plot, I found it very interesting. It wasn't some big climax which kept you clinging on for the next page to reveal the outcome, but was just a very realistic cancer story which makes you read on because you care for the characters, not the action. Also, the attention to detail the author has paid is brilliant and makes the emotions the characters feel seem genuinely real.
Overall, a fantastic book which made me laugh and cry! The writing style is great and the feelings that you develop towards the characters is spot on!

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