Meet June Parker. She works for L.A. Rideshare, adores her rent-stabilized apartment in Santa Monica, and struggles with losing a few pesky pounds.

But June’s life is about to change.

After a dark turn of events involving Weight Watchers, a chili recipe and a car accident in which her passenger, Marissa, dies, June finds herself in possession of a list, “20 Things to Do By My 25th Birthday.” Even though they barely knew each other, June is compelled by both guilt and a desire to set things right to finish the list for Marissa.

The tasks before her range from inspiring (Run a 5K), to daring (Go braless), to near-impossible (Change someone’s life), and as June races to achieve each goal before the deadline, she learns more about her own life than she ever bargained for.

I liked the cover on this one, so I decided to find out more. After skimming the back cover, I decided to give it a whirl.

The story starts in a dark place–June starts off by admitting that she killed a person–but the author doesn’t stay there. Instead, she dives into how June’s trying to make amends for the tragedy. That leads her into uncomfortable situations that stretch her as a person; that stretching actually ends up expanding her social network in fun, unexpected ways.

The book jumps back a few times (not really flashbacks but explanations) that I’m not a fan of, but the rest of the plot and the characters are so engaging that it didn’t pull me out of the story. I just kept reading and enjoying the story. There were sad parts and fun parts but nothing that resembled the absurd (which I appreciated). My only other beef with the book–I wish there’d been more romance! There’s a bit, but this romance-loving girl would have liked more.

If you enjoy Katherine Center and Jill Mansel, I think you’ll like this book.

Rated PG-13 for some swearing and adult themes. Get your copy here!

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