This was a highly emotional read for me. 27 yr. old Daisy is in her second dance with "lots of cancer" and things aren't looking good for a successful outcome. This story hit close to home for me and the author does a great job of putting the reader inside Daisy's anguished life.

Can you imagine knowing you're dying at age 27? Knowing you'll never be able to have the children you dreamed of with the husband (Jack) you love...a husband you hate to leave alone? So what does Daisy decide to do? Find someone who can fill her shoes and be a companion for Jack.

Only it's not as easy as it seems. The struggles Daisy deals with (everything from her failing memory to the waiting game of her trial drugs) end up being little compared to what Jack is privately dealing with - a great flip-side to this story. Getting a glimpse inside what this poor man is going through is as heart-breaking as what Daisy is facing.

This is a great, emotional, heart-felt story! ( )

Emotional and realistic…Daisy Richmond receives the devastating news that her cancer is back, and it is a particularly aggressive one. She does not think her husband Jack can take care of himself. So, it becomes her mission to find a new wife for her husband before she dies. But can she handle seeing him fall in love with another woman? There were times that Daisy comes off as hard and pushes people away. But perhaps that is a normal reaction. She had to struggle with letting go or holding on. I really felt like Oakley portrayed Daisy’s emotions with realism, and she made me feel them also. She made me think about what I would do if I knew I was going to die…soon.

The characters are likable, believable, and well-developed. I became emotionally invested in these characters. Daisy’s best friend Kayleigh provided just the right amount of comic relief, so the story was not overly depressing. In fact, it is ultimately a feel-good story. Oakley finds just the right balance. The love between Daisy and Jack and between Daisy and Kayleigh filled my heart.

The emotions expressed are so realistic they are likely to bring on a good cry, so keep tissues close. It was a beautiful journey.

This was a good read, and I recommend it to others. ( )

Before I Go by Colleen Oakley is a bittersweet, emotional and surprisingly humorous novel. It is a thought-provoking and riveting story about a twenty-seven year old cancer survivor who is stunned by the news her cancer has returned and she only has months to live.

Just as Daisy Richmond and her husband Jack are about to celebrate another Cancerversary, their world is turned completely upside down by her shocking diagnosis. The couple try to keep their lives as normal as possible but Daisy soon finds herself consumed with worries about how Jack will go on without her. She devises a plan to find him a replacement wife, but Daisy is surprised by her reaction when it looks like she might have succeeded in finding him the perfect woman.

Daisy is an über organized, strong and capable woman and she does not let her diagnosis defeat her. Her reaction to the news is believable and she definitely goes through all the stages of grief (albeit at an accelerated rate). She tries to maintain her regular routine, but her worry about how Jack will go on without her is soon uppermost in her mind. Daisy turns to her best friend Kayleigh for dating advice, and they concoct a somewhat harebrained but well-intentioned scheme to find Jack a new wife. In the process, Daisy pushes Jack away and in his helpless, absentminded way, he lets her. Daisy eventually figures out the reasons behind her actions, but is it too late for her to repair the damage to their relationship?

Before I Go is an incredibly heartwarming and realistic novel that is a perfect blend of heartache and humor. The cast of characters is appealing and beautifully developed with relatable flaws and imperfections. Colleen Oakley has an engaging writing style but it is the unique storyline that makes the story so captivating. Despite its serious subject matter, it is an overall light read that I absolutely loved and highly recommend. ( )

Daisy is a young girl in her late twenties. She recovered from breast cancer; she is married to a veterinarian on the verge of his degree and life seems to be smiling at her. But then life turns out to be laughing, but a particularly nasty and cruel one. Cancer has returned, and even more so, the situation is difficult, and the doctors leave little hope.
And what was she doing, Mrs. Daisy? Not concentrating on fighting the disease, not the treatments, not the struggle, not even the last moments of enjoying the pleasures of life-assuming she had lost hope. No, It turns out that she is troubled by one thing only (hold on tight): how will her husband, the ultimate geek, who doesn't even know how to cook soup, wash and also remove the pile of dirty socks? What a mess. So what is she doing? Daisy, an irrational altruist, decides to take upon herself the task of her life: to find a new love for her husband. Do you think it makes sense? To me, it seemed stupid. But even if we leave the unreliability of the plot for a moment, the book is weak by the scheme. ( )

I kind of felt....what an odd book because we HAVE to already know "the ending." But Oakley knew what she was doing when she created this story with such an appealing set of characters. ( )