The Probability of Miracles, by Wendy Wunder

Release date: December 8th 2011
Published by: Razorbill
Genre: Contemporary (YA)
Rating: 5/5 stars
Find it on: Goodreads, Amazon











Dry, sarcastic, sixteen-year-old Cam Cooper has spent the last seven years in and out hospitals. The last thing she wants to do in the short life she has left is move 1,500 miles away to Promise, Maine - a place known for the miraculous events that occur there. But it's undeniable that strange things happen in Promise: everlasting sunsets; purple dandelions; flamingoes in the frigid Atlantic; an elusive boy named Asher; and finally, a mysterious envelope containing a list of things for Cam to do before she dies. As Cam checks each item off the list, she finally learns to believe - in love, in herself, and even in miracles.

A debut novel from an immensely talented new writer, The Probability of Miracles crackles with wit, romance and humor and will leave readers laughing and crying with each turn of the page.

My thoughts:

The Probability of Miracles is one of those novels that makes you feel so much while reading it, that makes you stop and change your perspective of life in so many ways. It's impossible not to be drawn by its premise: A dying girl who moves to a new town that's known by its miracles, and falls in love. It wasn't just the synopsis that caught my eye, however; it was the cover, the reviews, and the readers that cried their hearts out with Mrs. Wunder's story. Who doesn't want to feel emotional enough to cry over a book?

Cam Cooper was just the kind of girl I had expected. It's not that she didn't want to live... she just accepted that death is imminent, and that it's pointless to spend the rest of her life searching for an answer - a miracle - that doesn't exist. Her sarcastic personality seemed shallow at first, at least to me, but as I got to know her better, it became obvious how much she was suffering. Instead of whining and acting like a child, she hid behind sarcasm, which was fine by me, since her thick wall of indifference starts to crumble when she meets Asher. 

Ah, Asher, Asher... He was the responsible for my tears. Wendy Wunder created such a real, solid character in him. I could relate Asher to anyone in my life. It's nice to see a boy with a believable appearance, personality, actions, instead of someone stoic, mysterious, and sexy. Asher and Cam's story is full of angst, regret, pain... but it's also full of love. Their issues made me want to hug them at all times. And even when things were going downhill, they dealt with whatever came at them with their hearts, which was another positive point for me.

I always try to read a contemporary novel between heavier genres, like fantasy or historical fiction, to stay in touch with realistic stories that deals with the same kind of things we have to deal with in a current basis, like cancer. And though I knew how this book was going to end, it didn't left me in tears... it left me sobbing. I actually didn't expect it to mess up with me so much, but it did. 

The Probability of Miracles is not only a novel about cancer. It's about finding your first love, enjoying every moment you have, loving your family, and most of all, it's about learning peace, even when you're carrying a burden as heavy as a disease. This is one of the most beautiful novels I've ever read, and I admire Wendy Wunder for creating such a touching story. If you haven't read this book yet, do it. It has the potential to change you.