Cover Image: Finding Balance

Finding Balance

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Member Reviews

Mari and Jase have a lot in common--their mutual attraction, their love for the camp they attend for a week each year, and the fact that they both had cancer when they were children. But while Jase can (and does) hide it, Mari, whose leg was amputated to save her from a life-threatening infection, can't. And while their attraction bloomed at camp, when Mari transfers to Jase's school, he's far more concerned about his secret getting out than pursuing his camp flirtation with Mari. But despite Jase's determination to stay away from Mari, something just keeps pulling him back in, and she can't help feeling the same way.

I was super hyped for BRAVE ENOUGH after reading the remise, but I found it disappointed in the execution. with FINDING BALANCE, Kati Gardner's second novel, she's really blossomed as a writer, and while BRAVE ENOUGH was realistic in its depiction of Cason's struggle with cancer, in FINDING BALANCE it's clear that Gardner left her heart on the page. All the characters were lovingly realized, and Mari's big, charming, and loving family was a joy to discover on every page they appeared. The arc of the story is predictable but enjoyable, and Gardner clearly laces Mari's experiences with her own as a cancer survivor and a disabled person. Mari's experiences are important for teens to discover, and I will absolutely be purchasing this for my collection.

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I picked this up just for the heck of it and total enjoyed it. It was a little predictable but all and all a good read.

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I enjoyed this book and the story of Mari and Jase. Although it wasn't as compelling as the first book it was nice to read about some of the other characters. I wish the two books had more interwoven though instead of completely separate novels.

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Mari is an amputee ever since her cancer took her leg. Jason is a leukemia survivor, but doesn't remember having cancer. And he doesn't want to. The only time he thinks of his cancer is at his yearly check up and during the summer when he goes to a camp for those who have/had cancer. There, Jason and Mari are like life long friends... with a little flirtation back and forth. When the summer camp comes to an end, Mari and Jason go there separate ways until Camp Chemo comes back around. When Mari transfers to Jason's school, he fears the worst possible thing can happen- his secret will be revealed to his entire school. A secret he has kept hidden from everyone.

My rating: 3.75/5 stars

My thoughts and opinions:

I am a total sucker for books that represent people with disabilities/illnesses. I devoured this book in a day. Society has this default of what every person should be like and having representation for those who don't fit into that default is so important.

I loved how this book showed how cancer continues to affect, both mentally and physically, someone's life even after years of remission. The impact of cancer goes beyond the diagnoses of cancer, and it was really nice to see that.

Jason, trying to keep his secret revealed, turned to anger which was pushed onto Mari. His rudeness and how he treated Mari, at times, was too much. Even when he realized his treatment towards her wasn't right, he still seemed to always disrespect her. I think his actions were caused by selfish reasons, to keep his secret safe, and were wrongly placed on Mari.

His character development throughout the book was slow, going back and forth between improving and not. His character development arch was after halfway through the book, making the end feel a little rushed. But his character development arch was really good. He was enjoyable throughout the whole book, he just had his "moments"... like we all do.

I really liked Mari. She was confident in herself. She didn't try to please the world by doing things she didn't want to do. At times, I felt like she forgave Jason too easily when he was very rude to her. But her character was great from start to finish. She was also a girl with curves which added to the representation. Mari's relationships with her family was very well written; it makes me feel good reading about a strong family bond.

I really enjoyed this book! It was a light read with just the right amount of "heavy feelings". I could definitely see this book as a re-read for me. It's flaws definitely didn't outweigh all of the things I loved about this book.

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Lovely story about surviving cancer as youngsters, that battle with telling the truth and people treating you differently or keeping ot inside and not being completely yourself. It was heartbreaking amd beautiful. A different view to what we usually see, now the aftermath is the center point.

The only problem is that at some points it was a bit slow and the author describes too much when sometimes is better to let the reader know.

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Finding Balance by Kati Gardner, 320 pages. Flux (North Star Editions), 2020. $12.
Language: R (117 swears, 10 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
High school is difficult enough to navigate with two legs and a healthy body, but Mari, a junior, and Jase, a senior, are pressing forward the best they can despite their trials. However, lies, secrets, and betrayal hurt the same for those people who don’t look like everyone else -- something Mari and Jase are learning the hard way.
Finding Balance is a cancer romance book, like a light-hearted The Fault in Our Stars. I discovered after reading it that this book is a sequel, but the first book is not required to understand Mari and Jase’s story. While there are some noticeable inconsistencies, I did my best to overlook those in favor of choosing to enjoy the story. I love the message of self-acceptance woven from Mari’s and Jase’s differing points of view. This life is about being you and being happy with that and about becoming the you you want to be by using your struggles as springboards. I’m not sure how I feel about the way the romance ended in the last couple chapters, though, which, unfortunately, marred my feelings about this book. The mature content rating is for underage drug and alcohol and for mentions of genitalia.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

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Thank you Netgalley and publishers for sending me this arc. I will be reviewing this book.properly in the near future with an honest teview.

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I really enjoyed reading this story. The characters are so well developed, they seem real. I love how they interact together. Truly an awesome book.

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AD | This advance copy was kindly gifted by NetGalley
and North Star Editions for an honest review.

Prior to reading Finding Balance, I hadn’t actually read of Kati Gardner’s books or heard of her work!

That has definitely changed now I’ve read this book and fallen in love with the characters she has created. When I saw this up for grabs on NetGalley, I knew I had to request it. It had such a intriguing plot and unique compared to most books out right now.

You not only have characters who have been through cancer, but you also have the main character Mari who lost a leg to it. It always makes me super happy when I see a disabled character leading the plot and I just loved the determination of Mari. She didn’t let missing a leg stop her from getting around. You felt enraged with her when she gets targeted for being different.

I related to this so much!

I also related with Jase as well in the fact that he tries to hide his differences and seem ‘normal’. I can safely say that being normal is over-rated! Finding Balance literally had me hooked from the first page and I had no problem at all reading the entire book in one day. I couldn’t put it down!

I’ll be making sure to find the first book in the series so I can be up-to-date.

Everyone should pre-order this book, especially if you’ve been through similar situations. You’ll find all of the characters really developed and that all of them have a vital role to the plot! Finding Balance will be released on 5th May so check it out!

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Finding Balance is a YA cancer book, but there is something different about reading it. It gave me a different perspective of people that are cancer survivors. Being a cancer survivor is part of a person's story whether they want to accept that or not, and the characters show us that. I honestly enjoyed this book so much because it was so unique in the story and the feelings of the characters.

Mari develops strong relationships with other cancer survivors that she meets at the camp and one of them is Jase. Their relationship is filled with a lot of ups and downs. This book shows how they both grow together with the challenges of cancer being part of their story. Both Mari and Jase are characters that you can relate to and see their struggles.


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But the one thing that really bugged me about this book at times was Jase. At times his character acted like an immature 3rd grader that was chasing around and bullying his crush, instead of just being nice. The thing about Jase is, he would know what he was doing when he said something mean, but he did it anyway. I think that is what drove me the most insane about this book. That's why I'm giving this book a slightly lower rating.

That being said, Mari's character brought new life into the cancer story genre. She has her problems, but she also has a full life. She's a cancer survivor that has a quiet strength about her. Not that she is always quiet, far from it actually. She's not afraid to stand up for herself and her friends. Her character gave me a new light on what it means to deal with a disability.

For me, this book was an exciting read that brought a breath of fresh air to the YA genre. It is a cancer read that is both full of hope and life. If anything it is the happiest of any book that covers cancer that I have read. Even though it is happy at times, that doesn't mean it doesn't cover hard issues. These teens are facing a challenging life after having to deal with one of the worst diseases.

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“‘I don’t do the impossible,’ she whispered hotly. ‘I live life as someone who is disabled. That is not worthy of any praise.’”
I received this copy as an e-arc from Netgalley in return for an honest review.
Mari has lived with one leg for a few years now, after contracting an infection after a limb-sparing surgery - an attempt to remove the cancer without taking the limb. During summer, she spends a week each year at Camp Chemo; a place where kids who have or have had cancer can be just kids. At Camp Chemo, her best friend is Jase. While they don’t keep in contact during the school year, each summer they settle back into familiar patterns. When circumstances necessitate that Mari change schools, she is excited that she will get to see Jase daily, but when she arrives at her new school, Jase - sorry, Jason - pretends not to know her. He has a secret to protect, after all: No-one at his school knows he had cancer as a child.
This book was great. OK, sure, Jase was a bit of a dick, but who isn’t? Having cancer, trying to be a “normal” teenager when you have a history of being bullied because of being “diseased”, going to an upper class school where looks and money matter more than who you are; who wouldn’t be worried about what people think?
I won’t try and excuse the way Jase - sorry, Jason - acted. He was a prick, and he treated Mari absolutely awfully. However, you’re not meant to like all the characters! I bet you a million that you do not get along with every single person that you meet. It’s just not how life works, and I have to say that I appreciate authors who put characters who are not perfect in their stories. I understand some people chose to stop reading because of Jason, and his behaviour, but personally, it was a non-issue for me. I liked that we left things not in the perfect happily-ever-after-all-is-forgiven stereotype that we so often find in books for children and teens. The messages we get from the media and movies where everything is perfect at the end - think every Disney movie, ever - is more harmful than helpful as we grow. Kati Gardner has done a wonderful service by writing characters who are flawed.
I read the acknowledgement at the back of this book. I love that the author acknowledges that she is not the be all and end all of being an amputee; that she took the initiative to have the story checked by others despite being an #ownvoices cancer amputee. I also love love love the cover; it's so rare to see a person with a disability visibly portrayed on a cover.
As someone with a medical background, I really appreciated the medical words without info - emesis, not puke; cardiomyopathy. It felt to me like a good way to potentially stretch the reader without being too overwhelming.
This book had me reaching for my highlighter (digitally, not on my actual book - I know some people would think I was a monster for writing in actual books… but that’s another post!). The author touched on many issues that able-bodied persons may not understand, including
“‘You know, the ‘the only disability is a bad attitude’ person.’ Mari rolled her eyes. ‘To quote Stella Young, ‘No amount of a positive attitude has turned a set of stairs into a ramp.’ ‘Inspiration porn,’ Paige interjected.’”
“‘I have a very different story as a mom of a cancer survivor, but I can never understand what it’s like to be a cancer survivor. I can never speak for you.’”
“It’s his story.’ She shrugged.’ I don’t mind you asking me questions; it’s how you learn. It only bothers me when strangers demand to know something really intimate’”
Content Warning: Medical discussions, hospital scenes, ableism
#ownvoices - Cancer Survivor, amputee
Rating; 5/5

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An incredibly sweet story of love of all kinds, and a fantastic ownvoices portrayal of cancer and disability. The main characters have great chemistry, and Mari’s voice is unflinchingly strong. Sweet and steely all at once.

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~~I have received the ARC thanks to NetGalley in exchange for my honest review~~

This is my first ARC copy I have received, and it was a book I have read that was going to come out this year and I wanted to read it, so I was excited.

While reading the book midway through it I was thinking how detailed the description of the amputation and the knowledge about how she manages in her life. So I checked to see the background of the author and discovered she herself is an amputee and cancer survivor I just understood and started reading the book with a complete point of view, and just took it as a life experience of a real individual not just another book about an illness.

The book gives you a perspective to how life for them is. I learned that they don’t want to be an example, and I myself am guilty of just placing them as a life example, this changes my whole perspective. I liked how it show two different point of view of two types of cancers and how it affected their life’s in different ways. It mentions the struggles of Health Care and the costs of it, touching the reality of so many people out there in the United States and other countries that have the same issues.

Regarding the love story it does have some clichés but it’s pretty warm and it does have self-love making the female protagonist have independency and not agree on all of what the male says even do she is completely in love of him.

In resume I loved this book it was a nice warm book and I am eager to read Brave Enough that is the previous saga book. I give this book 4 stars

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This is an enjoyable read, despite the dark themes within. Being able to move on is a luxury that Jase has and wants to keep. Mari was not so lucky and has a constant physical reminder of what she has been through. Despite their different experiences love blossoms and changes them both. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC egalley.

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it did not disappoint! Though I had some issues with Jase, there was so much good about this book that I can overlook it.

I really liked how it dealt with cancer. It was very realistic without it being a downer and controlling the whole story. Besides cancer, Jase and Mari are just two teenagers with a complicated relationship and I'm all for it.

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**I received a free ARC copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

This. Book. Was amazing. I can't say I know what it's like to be a cancer survivor, but I'm the sister of an ulcerative colitis warrior and the daughter of a thyroid cancer survivor, and cancer in various ways has affected my family and friends. I, myself have ADHD. I know what it's like to want to prove people wrong and to do things just because someone says you can't. Mari wears her cancer diagnosis on her sleeve - or leg - literally. She's an amputee. Jase, on the other hand, has very little memories of his time as a cancer patient when he was three. He makes sure to keep that little secret tucked away - it happened so long ago that the only time he brings it up is for that one week in the summer at camp. Their friendship is so easy and those sparks are flying before we even meet them. I laughed at this book so many times and I wanted to throw something at Jase's face and yell at him just before Mari took words right out of my mouth! 5 starts 10/10 would recommend. It's a lighter cancer read, if that's a thing. There is a HEA and the characters are pretty well developed. I haven't read the first book (Davis's story) but he's in this book quite a bit as well so characters overlap which I like.

(Mini rant here about the assistant principal from a special education teacher)
I DO have to say that not only as a decent person but as a special education teacher, Mari's assistant principal should be fired.He REALLY does not know his place. In no way should an education professional EVER try to force a student to buy an expensive prosthetic or a wheelchair OR be given the ultimatum of that or being placed in a self-contained classroom when the student is cognitively and developmentally reaching or exceeding the standards. First off, you can't just place a student in a self-contained classroom without a ton of data and second - in what world would a student who is developmentally and cognitively on the same level as her able-bodied peers want to be in a self-contained classroom? Good for Kati for writing Mari's parents as the best advocates <3

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Finding balance by Kati Gardner .

Mari is an adolescent cancer victim attending High School. Due to her illness she has had a leg amputated but due circumstances her choice is not to wear a prosthetic limb and she copes really well with the every day life of a teenager . She is knocked over by 2 boys fighting in the corridor, then later that day slipped on a grape dropped on the floor. The school tell her she must wear a prosthetic or leave the school & all her friends. She leaves having obtained a scholarship to a private high school . On arriving there she sees an old friend who didn’t know they attended the school, who ignores her & she doesn’t know why. It transpires that Jase is also had cancer & is in remission but no one knows. It’s a journey about friendship and Mari's fight not to be treated with pity and seen as a victim.

A very well written book about adolescence and it’s hidden pitfalls and a journey of friendship.

Loved it and it makes you think about society & how we treat people who are slightly different through no fault of their own. Very enjoyable

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3.5 Stars

Wow, Finding Balance has a lot going on throughout.
I found the writing of her amputation to be handled with understanding, care, and compassion.
I personally learned a lot too, as I know nothing about that type of amputation.
The author excels in the descriptions of how it effects everyday life.
As for the relationship, wow. This is a tough one.
I wanted to kick Jace's ass a lot of times, but I also understand where he was coming from.
Jace and Mari are both complex characters and their relationship is extremely complicated.
Their story is emotional and will take the reader throw the ups and downs.
It's a meaningful story and I definitely enjoy it.

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Wait, before you close out of this tab, you need to know that this isn't your typical cancer story. It is so much more. It is a story of overcoming your past. It is a story of choosing how to see life. It is a story I won't forget.
The characters were fantastic. Their thoughts and emotions were expressed so clearly and I felt like I knew them in real life.
One thing that I loved seeing was the Bible verses subtly woven throughout.
My only complaint about this book is the language. It could have easily done without it.
This book is technically the second book of the series but works well as a standalone.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to find the first book of the series.

Rating: 5 Stars
Content: 2 Stars

*I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher. All thoughts are my own and a positive review was not required.

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It is an incredible book. Each page is filled with raw emotions. My stomach was in knots the whole time I was reading it. The novel makes a reader feel everything as if it all was happening with him/her.
Finding Balance shows us how the main characters deal not only with cancer but also with stupidity, ugliness, hardheartedness and ignorance of real world.
Moreover, it is a very beautiful love story. Not easy, not predictable, without any cliché manwhore-billionaires and damsels in distress.
In my opinion, it is a must-read for everyone and one of the best emotional books of 2019.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

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