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Book Review of The Lighter Side of Life and Death

The Lighter Side of Life and Death
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Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com

On the night after a great performance in his high school play, Mason Rice finds himself having a wonderful time celebrating. Little did he expect to find himself having sex with his best friend, Kat. He's always been attracted to Kat, but so has their other best friend, Jamie. Which is the main reason why neither guy has ever made a play for Kat. No one wanted to mess up their solid friendship.

But the aftermath of their encounter effects all of their mutual friendships. Mason finds himself cast into the unknown and discovers how lonely he is. So he is taken by surprise when he meets Colette, a friend of his future step-mother. Though Colette is only in her early 20's, it's a wide gap from Mason's sixteen years.

Soon, Mason and Colette are "running into each other" at a local coffee shop. It isn't long before they are meeting secretly at Colette's apartment. From the beginning, Colette and Mason admit it can never be anything more than it is. But that doesn't stop them from taking things further. Mason knows there's another guy in Colette's life, but he doesn't care. Or does he?

As the spring of Mason's school year is winding down, Mason comes to terms with what is happening around him, and he forces himself to confront his friends and the situation he currently is in.

The title, THE LIGHTER SIDE OF LIFE AND DEATH, leads the reader to believe that the story will be just that - "light." But there is a deeper story between the covers that the reader will discover as they venture into Mason's turbulent life. As with other works by Ms. Martin, the story is deep and real and heartfelt.