Life After

*Watty Awards 2022 Shortlisted Story!*

When we close our eyes we see with our hearts.

Jessica, ex queen bee and bully, lost her sight a year ago in an accident caused by her careless attitude. While she mourns the loss of her best friend, she hides away, eating share size packs of chocolate and drowning in a boat load of guilt.

At an appointment in the hospital, she meets Keegan, who walks in on her in a not so flattering position. Despite the fact she has never read a book in her life, and doesn't really want to, he ends up inviting her to a book club.

There, she meets some new friends, and learns they all have their own struggles, including Keegan who's battling Lupus.. They all band together to save the little old book shop and manage to have some fun along the way.

While Jessica starts to see life from a new perspective, she learns new things about herself, and Keegan begins to show her how to love life again after losing her sight. The more time she spends on the back of his motorbike, the more she falls for him.

But Jessica doesn't realise that the boy she's growing close to has a secret.

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People with disabilities are the largest minority group on earth, yet are still under represented in many sectors of society. This heartwarming book follows a diverse range of young people who have disabilities and chronic illness, and it shows the struggle some of them face.