Jessica Koosed Etting | Fade Into The Bright

The Book:

Fade Into The Bright by Jessica Koosed Etting and Alyssa Schwartz
Published April 27, 2021 by Delacorte Press
Date read: April 21, 2021

The Characters:

Abby and her sister Brooke
Friends Ben, Lucy and Curtis

Buy it on Bookshop.org | Amazon

The Plot (from Goodreads):

Abby needs to escape a life that she no longer recognizes as her own. Her old life–the one where she was a high school volleyball star with a textbook-perfect future–has been ripped away. Abby and her sister, Brooke, have received a letter from their estranged dad informing them he has Huntington’s disease, a fatal, degenerative disorder that you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy. And when the sisters agree to genetic testing, one of them tests positive.

Fleeing to Catalina Island for the summer, Abby is relieved to be in a place where no one knows her tragic history. But when she meets aspiring documentary filmmaker Ben–tall, outdoorsy, easygoing, with eyes that don’t miss a thing–she’s thrown off her game. Ben’s the kind of guy who loves to figure out people’s stories. What if he learns hers?

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The Review:

If you’re looking for a good cathartic cry, this gorgeous YA read is for you. While the topic is not an easy one, the book is hopeful overall and encourages readers to live their best lives without worrying about what the future may hold.

These characters are beautifully written. I don’t know how I would deal with what Abby goes through, but I enjoyed reading how she came to terms with the news. Her friend group was amazingly supportive, as well as Abby’s aunt and uncle.

Prior to reading this book, I had only heard about Huntington’s disease when Olivia Wilde’s character got it in the TV show House. I really enjoyed learning more about the disease. To me it felt well-researched and very informative.

QOTD: In this book, Abby and Brooke have to decide whether to find out if they have the HD gene or not. Would you want to know, given that there is no treatment? Or would you want to live your best life in whatever time you have?

My thoughts are that I would want to know before having children and potentially passing the disease down, but I would want to delay finding out as long as possible and not live with that shadow. It would be such a hard decision, though! I’ve had so many great discussions about this–I love a book that starts conversations.