Until yesterday, twenty-one-year-old Phoenix Collins had it all figured out: she was going to live forever. Not literally of course; nobody lives forever-she knows that, she’s learned it the hard way-but bearing a mythical name had convinced her that someday she’d have a fresh start, her life back on track. Therefore, when she wakes up in a hospital bed to learn that she has twenty-four hours … hours to live, she’s utterly confused, if not in complete denial. A big scar stretches across her stomach, but she has no recollection of the previous days’ events. As she races against the clock, anger and frustration threatening to overtake everything in their way, Phoenix crosses paths with Gabriel, a young widower. Meeting him completely upends her plans to figure out why she’s dying, for the more she gets to know him, the more she remembers what it really means to live for the day¿even if this is the only one she has left.
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24 Hours of the Phoenix
von Caroline Bertaud
BooksGoSocial
Cover:
magically beautiful
Review:
„Can you start your life over again the day you learn you’re dying?
Until yesterday, twenty-one-year-old Phoenix Collins had it all figured out: she was going to live forever. Not literally of course; nobody lives forever—she knows that, she’s learned it the hard way—but bearing a mythical name had convinced her that someday she’d have a fresh start, her life back on track.
Therefore, when she wakes up in a hospital bed to learn that she has twenty-four hours to live, she’s utterly confused, if not in complete denial. A big scar stretches across her stomach, but she has no recollection of the previous days’ events.
As she races against the clock, anger and frustration threatening to overtake everything in their way, Phoenix crosses paths with Gabriel, a young widower. Meeting him completely upends her plans to figure out why she’s dying, for the more she gets to know him, the more she remembers what it really means to live for the day…even if this is the only one she has left.“
What if you find out that your life will only last 24 hours? Do you only live from moment to moment? Or are you trying to live those 24 like your life without thinking about it? Phoenix has received a diagnosis that she only has 24 hours to live. What if you do not even have the time to understand and process this diagnosis? Are you still sitting down and writing a list of things that you really wanted to experience? Or are you plunging into sadness and depression? You wake up in a hospital, can not remember anything and have a huge scar on your stomach. That’s what happened to Phoenix and she overhears a conversation that clearly states she has only 24 of her life left, maybe even less. She flees the hospital as soon as possible because she does not want to spend the last hours of her life there. Her thoughts are only about two things, she’s trying to figure out why she has so little time left and what happened to her and, secondly, to grasp the number of moments she still has. A woman who will die at the end of the day, named after a mystical bird that dies time and time again, what an irony. One of the first things that goes through her head, because the impending death confuses her thoughts and upsets everything. Some things from her past come to mind and others are not. The time before your stay in the hospital is completely gone. She starts a race against time to find out what happened and what’s going on with her. until she meets gabriel at the most inopportune time. Gabriel, who just wants to teach her how valuable life is and teach her to finally do it … live. Shit timing or what do you think?
This book was really eventful and really very revealing to read. An experience that not only Phoenix but also I did. Because there is clearly a difference between not wanting to die and wanting to live. Have you ever thought about it? No? You should really do it sometime. Maybe we are spending too much of our time living in fear of dying too much. After all, we do not know when he comes to us and why should we then throw away the time we have left with the fear of it instead of meaningfully using and enjoying it?
But maybe we are just too afraid of life itself to accept what it is like to chase after things we can not reach or change?
A brutal reality.
I do not want to reveal how the story of Phoenix evolves, but I can just recommend this book to everyone. Just read it and think about it.
I give the book 5/5 stars and recommend it gladly. I am extremely grateful to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for providing me with the ARC of ‘24 Hours of the Phoenix‘ in exchange of an honest review.
This book messed up with my mind a big time. I am overly analytic, therefore this book didn’t make sense for the most part, of course once I reach the end, it all makes sense! Simply Brilliant! I’m glad I didn’t give up and finish the book.
The narrative is fluid and you feel like Finn is talking to you all along, it’s an active first person voice. I love Gabriel and what he means and represents for Phoenix. This is a book that defies logic and its about second chances.
“I realize how much the lack of love loosens our strength to live”.
I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Many Thanks BooksGoSocial, Caroline Bertaud and Netgalley for the opportunity.