Love, Life, and the List

Written by Kasie West

Narrated by Caitlin Kelly

What do you do when you’ve fallen for your best friend? Funny and romantic, this effervescent story about family, friendship, and finding yourself is perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen and Jenny Han.

Seventeen-year-old Abby Turner’s summer isn’t going the way she’d planned. She has a not-so-secret but definitely unrequited crush on her best friend, Cooper. She hasn’t been able to manage her mother’s growing issues with anxiety. And now she’s been rejected from an art show because her work “has no heart.” So when she gets another opportunity to show her paintings, Abby isn’t going to take any chances.

Which is where the list comes in.

Abby gives herself one month to do ten things, ranging from face a fear (#3) to learn a stranger’s story (#5) to fall in love (#8). She knows that if she can complete the list, she’ll become the kind of artist she’s always dreamed of being.

But as the deadline approaches, Abby realizes that getting through the list isn’t as straightforward as it seems . . . and that maybe—just maybe—she can’t change her art if she isn’t first willing to change herself.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Dec 26, 2017
• ISBN: 9780062823151

Kasie West

Kasie West lives with her family in central California, where the heat tries to kill her with its 115-degree stretches. She graduated from Fresno State University with a BA degree that has nothing to do with writing. Visit her online at www.kasiewest.com.

Reviews for Love, Life, and the List

[Cynthia · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

My fave - loved Abbey and Cooper. Good YA reading - story of friendship, self- discovery, family dynamics and love.

[Ashley Schertler · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

not gunna lie my heart broke a bit for abby at many parts but so happy for the friendship and ending !

[leigh ann · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The narration was good, it really helped me enjoy the story more than I thought I would. The reason why I'm giving the book a three (3.75) is because there are parts wherein I felt that Abby was acting a bit selfish and stubborn for her age. I find it frustrating, and a little unjustified, but overall, it was fun. A good listen, nonetheless.

[Dovilė Grickevičiūtė · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

It was not horrible, but quite borring. The worst of Kasie West books so far

[Becca Michelle · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Oh my god! This book had me laughing and angry and crying. I got in to it and could really see and feel how each character felt! Again this book was the best I have read in a while.

[starlielc · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Only this past year have I got into Kasie West books. This is the third one I've read ("By Your Side" and "Lucky in Love" being my prior reads) and boy, did she not disappoint. I loved everything about this story, from the setting, the plot, to the characters themselves.I loved seeing the story from the artist (on her way to being professional in my opinion) Abby's point of view. She seemed real, with real struggles. I pictured Cooper as a surfer type of guy, even though he was more into quad racing. But this is a realistic beach-y teen love story. A must for fans of teen contemporary romance, and definitely a must for fans of Kasie West's books.

[Ella Roberts · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of my favorites. I loved it so so much

[Veronica · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

My favorite new Kasie West book. Funny and heartbreaking at times, I loved Abby and her sense of humor. Highly recommended!

[Jaliyah Brown · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book I the best it has everything readers love?????❤️❤️❤️❤️

[Diana Martínez Trejo · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

2.5 no estuvo mal pero la verdad es que no estuvo muy creíble la historia y el galán me dejó muy molesta, muy poco justificable toooodos los argumentos que daba.

[Cassidy Russell · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Enjoyed it. Rooted for the characters. Interested in seeing what else the author has written.

[completely_melanie · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I listened to the audio book of this. I went into this book expecting it to be a 3 or a 3.5 for me, but I liked it a lot more than I thought I would. I really like the idea of a heart list. This story was super cute. It is about a girl that is an artist and she really wants to get her art displayed in this show, but the person in charge of picking who gets to be in the show tells her that though her work is technically good it lacks heart and life experience and wasn't good enough for the show. So she creates this heart list of things/experiences that she could try to help her grow as an artist. It seems to be working....or is it?

[tjsjohanna_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Abby needs to breath some life into her art, so she comes up with a list of experiences to do just that. Of course she is in love with her best friend but he is oblivious for whatever reason. I liked Abby's relationships and her desire to make things happen. Entertaining.

[untitled841 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Intriguing story with more depth than I expected, pleasant surprise. And I really like the idea of the list that she works through.

[stilesismybatman · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Super cute, like all of her other books!

[kerilynned · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I had pretty high expectations for this book since I have heard such amazing things about it and Kasie West. This is the first book I have ready by this author and I enjoyed it just not as much as I enjoy other authors such as Cassie Mae and Kelly Oram. It may just be that I am not much of a fan of unrequited love stories? I will read more of Kasie West to see if I like any of her other books better. Abby was a good main character and I enjoyed her journey to find more "heart" for her painting. I did like the ending for the most part but I do felt it could have been a little better.

[simplykelina · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I tend to really enjoy Kasie West books, but I have been holding off on this one for some reason. There was so much hype around this release, and I did not want to be disappointed. I was starting to get into a reading slump though, and I needed something fun and light so I thought I would try this.This is probably my favorite Kasie West book yet. It was just such a cute and fun romance, but with a little more depth to the story than most of the other books of hers (that I have read). This one deals with family and a romance. It is about facing your fears, looking into things at a deeper level, and personal growth. I loved seeing Abby grow as a character. I also really enjoyed her friendship with Cooper.This also deals with family and mental illness. I loved the email communication with Abby’s father (he is deployed), and her banter with her grandfather. The scene at the end with her father and the rock and making up with her grandfather…melt my heart! Her mother is dealing with a mental illness as well. I wish the story would have went into a little more detail around her diagnoses, but I still liked what it brought to the story. Over all, this ended up being exactly what I needed right now, and I loved it.

[heatherlinc · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

have been very disappointed with some of West's more recent books, but "Love, Life and the List" was a cute, fun, holiday read and perfect to take to the beach on a hot, summer's day.

[emeliz21 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I went into this in the mood for a sweet, fluffy contemporary – which was exactly what I got. I probably most liked all the art-related stuff: scenes where Abby was painting, for example. I was most intrigued by Elliot's character and wish we could've seen more of him.

None of the characters were particularly developed, which made the story feel rather shallow – many secondary characters felt interchangeable, while each main character seemed to have one "thing" to differentiate them, but that was all. Abby = painting, Cooper = quad racing, Lacey = acting, Elliot = sculpting, Abby's dad = soldier, Abby's mom = agoraphobe, etc. But a surface-level read is a fast read, and I read it in just a few hours, which was nice.

Overall: a sweet, fluffy, summery read.

[sennebec · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

After having her hope for a romance with her best friend shattered when she tells him how she feels, Abby builds a wall around her feelings. Would that the wall be strong enough, but it isn't. Add in her mother's increasing inability to leave the house, her father's absence while serving in the Middle East and her getting turned down for entry in an art show at the museum where she works and you have the beginnings of a great story. Deeper and a slower read than Kasie's previous books, it's well worth reading to find out how Abby sorts everything out.