The Life List: A Novel

This story kept me in tears, hopeful and in wonder. I learned that you need lo live your life courageously or you will miss so much. Wonderful book that I recommend highly.

Having recently viewed the movie inspired by this book, I was delight see the book on Book Bub. And while I did enjoy the book, I enjoyed the film more. Admittedly, the cast of actresses and actors contributed greatly, but also the characters were better developed and dialogue was rich. The plot seemed more streamlined and effective. I loved the idea of the adolescent made list, and I loved even more that her mother saved the list knowing the purity of that daughter needed to resurface for her own happiness to be achieved. Solid read, and then watch the movie on Netflix.

Can’t put this book down! Breathtaking!! Life’s greatest joy!! When your heart opens to others, your love only grows stronger!

I enjoyed this novel very much. It's not the genre I usually read, but I'm very glad I purchased it! I was intrigued by the sample I downloaded on my Kindle Fire, then interested to see where the story went. The characters are enjoyable, believable and people I might like to know. I enjoyed the novel right to the very end. The story is thought provoking. What if we all had a list of dreams or things we wanted to experience before the seriousness of life and its committments made it impossible to follow through on some or most of them? The story made me think. I was inwardly cheering on the lead character and always curious about the whys behind her mother's decisions.

Some books are just good reads and some you just devour - can't put down, stay up way too late, ignore our family, don't walk the dog - The Life List by Lori Nelson Spielman was the later type of book for me. I'm not sure why I downloaded this book in September or who recommended it but for some reason I decided to pick it out of my TBR pile last night. I started it last night and finished this morning! One of my favorite authors - Susan Elizabeth Phillips- wrote a blurb recommending it so maybe that's why I downloaded it to my Kindle. The main character, Brett Bohlinger, is reeling from the death of her mother and discovers that her mother has found Brett's childhood list of goals and makes her complete these goals before she receives her inheritance. The book is quirky enough to hold your attention and just when you think it's going to be totally predictable - the book takes a different path than you thought! The book made me think about my childhood goals would be at the age of fourteen and if I've accomplished them. The book also made me think about what my mother's dreams for my life where and if I've fulfilled them or if there are some things on "my list" that she would still want me to pursue. I will be recommending this book to my book club and to people who are looking for a great women's fiction book - 5 stars from me!!

I loved the premise of the book which led me to buy it, that and for the first time ever I created a life list similar to the one in the book. I was actually looking for a book or journal which would let me list my long term and short term goals, and I stumbled upon this.I thought why not, since this year would mark my first ever time I made a Life List for myself and I though this would be a good book to read to help motivate me with my own life list. It was a bit hard for me to get into the story at first bit after the first hundred pages I started liking what I was reading even more. The book really has something about it that makes you think, especially for those who abandoned their childhood dreams at an early age. (Spolier alert, do not read at all if you don't want to spoil the plot for reading) The main character, Brett has her work (and her life) cut out for her upon the death of her mother, and with it her expectations to inherit her mother's position as CEO and the life she thought she wanted. Instead she get's a surprise that completely and literally turns both her world and her attitude of life upside down - She needs to complete a set of wishes she had made as a fourteen year old teenager in order to get any share of inheritance from her mother. Unfortunately, her mother sets a time limit, complete the list by September next year, or get nothing at all. The story follows Brett as she goes from reality, and practical based to someone more loving, kind, and tenderhearted as she tries to complete her list before the deadline. I loved reading the story, and I do agree with one reviewer, that it gets a little bit predictable, and the whirlwind romances that she included keep you guessing and hoping, but I feel as if they could have been fleshed out a bit more and that there were a little more to the ending than was given as it felt as if she was trying to end the story as fast as she could and only briefly hit the last few items on the list through good "coincidences" that left me feeling that it was a bit lacking. But if you were to ask me if I would read this book again, I would gladly say, "Yes!" For now, I give this book Four Stars!

Elizabeth Bohlinger. an Extraordinary woman, mother, grandmother, and friend, was a remarkable woman who touched so many lives so profoundly. And now she was gone, her diagnosis and death had come so quickly. Brett, age 34, is the only one of the Bohlinger children who is single. Brett assumes she will become president of Bohlinger Cosmetics and she is not feeling confident that she can handle it. The company had become a mutltmillion dollar enterprise largely because of Catherine, Brett's sister-in-law, who was vice president and very competent with a good head for business. Brett is humiliated when the will is read and Catherine inherits her mother's shares of Bohlinger Cosmetics, making Catherine the CEO of the company. But, the biggest shock is when Brett finds out she must complete a life list before she receives her inheritance - a list of goals written by Brett when she was 14 years old - a ludicrous list that will mean major life revisions. And the story unfolds --- Brett was a lovable character with a genuine sweetness about her, but her life seemed to be lacking a basic human need called love. Her mom took a huge gamble, trying to fix Brett's life. She wanted to ensure Brett's happiness and was calling all the shots for each scene in her life by forcing Brett to venture out of her comfort zone and complete this list. Quote from the book - "There will be another sky, my love, just you wait." This beautifully structured story touched my heart. The story was brought to life by the unique characters and I enjoyed the splashes of humor spread throughout. I also felt the sadness of Brett's loss of her mother - very poignant. And all the loose ends were tied up neatly at the end. Just an incredible debut novel by an amazing writer! Most definitely a favorite for 2013 with a 5 star rating. Don't miss this one.

Thirty-four year old Brett Bohlinger, grieving over the loss of her beloved mother to cancer, is stunned when the will is read. Brett's two brothers are given their share of the substantial estate with no strings attached. Brett, however, must accomplish a list of ten things within one year, or she will get nothing. This list was actually something Brett herself had written (and totally forgot about) when she was 14, and retrieved from the waste basket by her mother. What was her mother thinking?? The two of them had been so close, and now Brett feels totally blindsided. Some goals will be fairly easy to accomplish (like "Get a dog"). But, what about "Fall in love"? And, "Have a baby"? All within 365 days? You've got to be kidding! Brett was very angry and confused, but slowly, after accomplishing some of the goals on the list, she begins to appreciate her mother's wisdom. This is a feel good book. It was an enjoyable, easy read. I was thinking for sure it was a 4 star book... So why have I only given it 3 stars? I got really bored the last several chapters as she was attempting to check off the "Fall in love" requirement. The story turned from a young woman who was finding herself, to all about finding Mr. Right. I found the first search much more interesting. The book went from entertaining to mundane. Not a bad book, just a bit of a let down. If I come across another book by this author, I'll give it a try.

Netflixの新着映画の原作なので、読みました。 好みにもよりますが、私は映画よりこちらの方が、ずっとよかったです。 荒唐無稽の設定ですが、主人公が自分らしい生き方を求めていく話は、 軽い読み心地ながら、心に響くものがありよかったです。

One of the best books I have ever read

Eine junge Frau mit dem Männernamen Brett verliert ihre geliebte Mutter durch Krebs und von diesen Zeitpunkt an scheint ihr Leben sowohl privat als auch beruflich aus den Fugen zu geraten. Beim Notar erfährt sie, dass sie (im Gegensatz zu ihren Brüdern, die sofort mit großen Geldummen und Firmenanteilen bedacht werden) ihr Erbe erst dann zugeteilt erhält, wenn es ihr binnen eines Jahres gelingt alle Lebensziele zu erreichen, die sie sich als 14jährige gesetzt und schließlich vergessen hatte. Als Leser leidet man mit Brett mit, als sie in der Folge dieser unverständlichen und als ungerecht empfundenen Erbschaftsauflage, einen Tiefschlag nach dem anderen einstecken muss. Sie verliert nicht nur ihren Job sondern auch ihre Unterkunft und muss feststellen, dass sie sich wohl auch in ihrer Beziehung getäuscht hat. Jede Niederlage führt aber schließlich dazu, dass Brett an sich wieder Stärken und Interessen entdeckt, die sie jahrelang verdrängt hatte, und wodurch sie nach und nach Punkte der zunächst unerfüllbaren "Life List" abhaken kann. Jede positiv bewältigte Aufgabe wird durch einen vom Notar vorgelesenen Brief ihrer Mutter belohnt, den diese bereits vorausschauend vor ihrem Tod verfasst hat. Diese sehr berührenden Briefe zeigen Brett (durch das Vorlesen fast wie in einem Zwiegespräch mit ihrer Mutter), dass ihre Mutter sie viel besser kannte als sie sich selbst und dass ihre Mutter ihr mit der LIfe List nur helfen wollte, ihr nur scheinbar geregeltes Leben wieder glücklicher und selbstbestimmter in den Griff zu bekommen. Man begleitet Brett gespannt durch die vielen Irrungen und Fehlschläge, leidet mit ihr mit und freut sich, wenn es ihr gelingt wieder ein Stück näher an die Erfüllung ihre Lebenswünsche zu gelangen. Auch wenn es in manchen Punkten ein bisschen märchenhaft und unrealistisch zugeht, so handelt es sich um ein unterhaltsames und berührendes Buch, das man nicht aus der Hand legen will, bis man weiß, wie es wirklich ausgeht------

The Life List I absolutely love this book and the quality of this book cause I already watched the movie life list and i really loved the movie and after watching the movie....I ordered this book cause I absolutely loved the story ....thank you soo much ❤️✨

Libro carino, un po' diverso dal film. Buona impaginazione e lettura piacevole.