REVIEW: TEN BELOW ZERO by Whitney Barbetti

“In here,” he said, pushing on the skin above my heart, “you're ten below zero. And you’re closer to death than I am.”
My name is Parker. My body is marked with scars from an attack I don’t remember. I don’t want to remember. I choose to live my life by observation, not through experience. While people are laughing and kissing and connecting, I’m in the corner. Watching them live. I’m indifferent to everything, everyone. The only emotion I feel with any kind of depth is annoyance, and I feel it often.
A text message sent to the wrong number proves to be my undoing.
His name is Everett, but I call him rude. He’s pushy, he’s arrogant, he crowds my personal space, and worst of all: he makes me feel.
He chooses to wear all black, all the time, as if he’s waiting to attend a funeral. Probably because he is.
Everett is dying. And he’s spending his final days living, truly living. In doing so, he’s forcing me to feel, to heal. To come face to face with the demons I suppressed in my memory.
He hurts me, he fulfills me, he completes me. And still, he's dying.

RULES
No drinking
Seat-belts
Everett is an asshole
We both pay
No falling in love
No talking about dying
No lying
no wearing all-black outfits
Sex all the time
Space
be open to new experiences
Be nice

FIRST OF ALL: THE COVER! It's gorgeous, and it portrays Parker and her story perfectly.
I never expected to love this book so much. I started reading it and couldn't stop. Parker is a bitch but she's difficult to hate. You can't help but love her, because she's real.

There was great character development and it took an original turn on a cliche topic.
It's not "Just a cancer story"
It's not "Just another road-trip book"
It's not about a broken boy and a broken girl healing.
It's so much more, and there's no way to make this book justice. 
It's Parker's and Everett's journey. It's how they make each other better and push each other out of their comfort zones.

Believe me, when you think you know where this story is going, the twists and turns will leave you shocked. I recommend this read to everyone. Be prepared for the emotional ride <3