Everyone dies, someday and somehow. Sixteen year old Allie is dying of cancer. More than anything, she wants to be a normal teenager. But pretending is exhausting and the lies pile up. With a chance at first love and true friends, Allie must choose between maintaining the pretence or risking everything with the truth. Can Allie open her heart and embrace love? If you liked 'The Fault in Our Stars' by John Green or 'A Walk to Remember' by Nicholas Sparks, you'll love Awakening to Life.

“Love’s like a bullet. It’s fast. It’s furious. Sometimes you can’t see it coming. You can run from it. But you can’t dodge it. Unless someone stands in your way…” Growing up, Callie Tollson had always admired her older brother, Clay, for being exactly who he wanted to be…despite the consequences he faced doing so. With their roles reversed, Callie had always been the one to stand up for Clay when he was in harm’s way. She always thought this was enough. She thought she was able to protect him. That is until he turned the tables and unleashed harm back on those who had done it to him. She couldn’t understand why, being the one who stood up for him the most, she was the one he picked as the receiver for the final bullet in his gun. Now she’s the most feared girl in school with a haunting family tie to keep her stuck in the halls of Riverton High. As she tries to survive the rest of her junior year as the sister of the boy who brought a gun to school, she soon realizes she owes nothing to the boy who turned on her and everything to the boy who saved her life.