Whatever Doesn't Kill You

By Elizabeth Wennick

Jenna Cooper was only a few days old when her father was murdered and her family was shattered. Now fifteen, she daydreams of a picture-perfect sitcom family as she struggles with the gritty realities of her life. When Jenna finds out that Travis Bingham, the man who shot her father, has been released from prison, she becomes obsessed with tracking him down and confronting him. But her search reveals that there may be more to her father's murder than she has been led to believe—and will her relationships with her family and friends survive her obsession?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
• Release date: Apr 1, 2013
• ISBN: 9781459800847

Elizabeth Wennick

Elizabeth Wennick grew up in Germany and Burlington, Ontario, and spent a number of years on Canada's east coast before moving back to Ontario. She has written two novels, a weekly newspaper humor column and many short plays, and she has co-written two musicals. Elizabeth currently lives in Brantford, Ontario, with her husband, two sons, two cats, a dog and varying degrees of chaos.

Reviews for Whatever Doesn't Kill You

[kpolhuis_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

While I am usually bummed out by this kind of fiction (teenage angst), I was still engaged in the story, and cared for the characters. I wanted to know how it would all turn out. Despite getting a raw deal in life, our female protagonist shows initiative, creativity, loyalty and a strong sense of responsibility. It's important to see that she has her own style and her own interests that do not coincide with every other teenager on the planet, and that she's not scared to be herself. These are all traits that are good for young adult girls need to read about, because it sends them a message they need to hear.

[mrsgardner-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The story of a teenage girl who is determined to meet her father's murderer (recently released from prison), this novel is full of intrigue. A quick and easy read, it kept me turning the pages. Jenna's father was killed when she was only a few days old. She is now fifteen, and her world is rocked when she sees a picture of her father's killer in the local newspaper. Over the course of the week, she finds out there is more to the story of her father's death than she's been told all of her life. As a result, she learns how to deal with the revelation, then accept and appreciate her not-so-perfect family. It's a realistic portrayal of modern teenagers and families. I enjoyed reading it & look forward to sharing the book with my students this fall.

[tzacek_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Jenna has had to live with the reality of a broken family for some time now. When her father was murdered when she was just an infant, it sent her mother into a spiral of depression. After an attempt at suicide, her mother is left partially brain damaged and her eldest brother is responsible for holding the family together. Jenna's older sister is a single mom who is in and out of her son's life, again leaving brother, Simon, and Jenna to do the rearing. Almost 16 years later, her father's murderer is released from prison and moves into a home close to where Jenna lives, and she begins delving into the events that led to her father's murder all those years ago. There were parts to this story that I found engaging and well-written and parts that were just ok to me. The characterization of Jenna's friends in the beginning was somewhat annoying to me. I get a little weary of the trope that all misfits are really awesome people while all popular kids are jerks. That's... not really how it works in real life and you can't make me believe your protagonists are heroes just by saying so. Jenna's friends are in actuality pretty cruddy people. You need to show me WHY these people are good, not just insist they are so. But the story itself moves (and reads) quickly and once I got into it, I was mostly interested in the outcome of Jenna's search for The Truth. While the big reveal was a bit easy to spot, it didn't deter from my enjoyment. There are parts that are truly gritty, but sometimes they get lost in fluff.

[mvthebookbabe · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Due to copy and paste, formatting has been lost.Honestly, Whatever Doesn't Kill You just wasn't a book for me. I probably knew this in the first chapter, but I read on, because I had started it; and I just have a hard time not finishing books that I start. So, as I did that, I learned many things.I learned that I don't connect with Jenna as a person. She felt very flat to me, and I didn't understand 98% of her problems, because I haven't come from a home like hers. In general, I have problems believing most books about people who are teased, their dad's dead and they can't let it go when it happened at six days old.You see, that just seems a little far-fetched to me. Chances are that Jenna would've never even had the chance of "meeting" her father's murder.Not only that, but I hate that Jenna blames all of her problems on one pivotal moment that happened when she was six days old. Oh, Travis Bingham killed my dad and that's why I'm teased. Oh, Travis Bingham killed my dad and that's why my sister's on drugs. Oh, Travis Bingham killed my dad, and that's why my mom is in a nursing home and my brother is stuck in a dead end job.Do you see what I mean? She just goes on and on blaming him for everything that has ever gone wrong in her life. I don't understand that mentality, to be honest with you. Nobody is responsible for anything that happens to you except you. Sometimes situations are different, but most of the time it's all you.I liked the mystery of why Travis killed her dad, but it was resolved in such an anticlimatic way-- I didn't feel like we really got the whole story there. I was very surprised about what he had to say, though.All in all, Whatever Doesn't Kill You just wasn't a book for me. I think that maybe you should give it a shot, though!

[kimpiddington · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this face paced book. Although it had some of the usual teen angst elements ( my friends hate me) it also had a fresh plot with a great twist.

[sheilacornelisse · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was a quick read and an enjoyable story. The summary leads you to believe that it is a much deeper tale; however, it would probably be suitable for anyone in Grade 6 or above. The conflicts seemed to be resolved too easily but the fickleness of teenage friendships was well portrayed. To an adult, the ending was fairytale and predictable but a younger reader would be able to relate. The cover and title will definitely draw in the readers and the story should keep them entertained.

[kulmona · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Both the title and blurb of this novel piqued my curiosity. Jenna Cooper lost her father when she was only days old. The murderer, Travis Bingham, has been released after serving his time. Much to the chagrin of her friends and family,Jenna is consumed with finding and confronting him. She needs to know exactly what happened because nobody else will tell her. Her older brother and sister think she should let bygones be bygones and move on. Her mother, who resides in a treatment facility, is mentally disabled.The story is narrated by Jenna, now 15. I found the writing style to be very readable. The language and voice is true to the protagonist's age.Overall, although the topic matter is serious, I found this to be an easy read. The plot progresses well and is not predictable. The characters are realistic, each with his/her own strengths and weaknesses. The descriptions are just detailed enough. The ending is satisfying yet not sappy.

[franuary · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I read this book as part of the LibraryThing Early Reviewers Program. This is an Orca book, a publishing house known for producing books for reluctant readers. In Whatever Doesn't Kill You, Jenna's father died when she was an infant in a robbery gone wrong. 15 years later, her father's killer has been released from prison, and Jenna feels the need to confront him in order to move on from the past. Although this was in many ways an "issue" book (as many of Orca's books are, to my understanding) and the improvement of Jenna's life by the end of the book doesn't feel at all realistic, I also feel that teens could learn from the book's message. I would feel very comfortable recommending this book to reluctant teen readers.And my one petty gripe: I had Kelly Clarkson's Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You) in my head every time I saw the book cover. That was a little annoying, but this could have been a purposeful association on behalf of the publishers.

[elizabeth_hurlburt_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this book. The story was a nice realistic YA fiction with a bit of mystery tossed in. I felt like Jenna was actually a believable teenage girl, most books I've read with characters this age aren't realistic. With most you can tell it's an adult writing about a teenager, this book you can't really tell.

[shadow123_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is clearly YA, but I found the reading level to be more middle-grade. Since the subject matter is so squarely in the PG-13 area, I would classify this book as a good hi-lo read for high school students, which is great - would definitely buy it for my library. The writing is solid and the characters are relatable. And the plot twist at the end is perfect - twisty enough while still being completely believable. Two solid thumbs up.

[love_of_books · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Jenna Cooper’s life has never been a bed of roses. She was only 6 days old when her father was murdered and her family started to fall apart. Her mother has been institutionalized for a mental disorder and her sister is a wreck but at least she has her older brother who’s taken care of her through the years. Now 15, Jenna has a few friends who provide a support system. These friends are a ragtag group of outsiders – the ones who are the butt of jokes at school.Jenna is somewhat reminiscent of Sarah Dessen’s Ruby in Lock and Key. Her older brother is her salvation, much like Ruby’s older sister. However, Jenna’s brother may be hiding secrets from her about the death of their father. Now that the killer has been released from prison, Jenna begins to dig for the truth and learns things may not have been as she was lead to believe. The dialog rings true and the writing style flows easily. The characters are the typical outsiders – geeky, poor, overweight, smart, and strangely dressed. The secret about Jenna’s father’s death holds the reader’s interest as Jenna plots to confront the murderer. If the book fails in any way, it might be the ease with which the characters change according to their circumstances. Travis, the murderer, makes a smooth transition upon his release from prison. The change of heart of one of the girls who has bullied Jenna and her outcast friends is also a little too convenient as is the turnaround of Jenna’s older sister. The friends seem to be one-dimensional and not fully fleshed out.As a whole, teens should enjoy the story and Jenna’s determination. Her slightly crude barbs traded with her brother sound like real sibling taunts. The book moves quickly and should not disappoint.