This book had a very unique storyline and is sweet and touching. Annie is diagnosed with cancer at the beginning of the book and endeavors to keep it a secret from her husband Sam who is described as this man child who is so kind, pure and loving but unable to look after himself. She worries that if she dies he will be unable to adequately look after himself so starts to write a How To life manual for him with reminders and tips as well as her wishes. I found this morbidly fascinating and some of the entries were funny and others were endearing.
When we are introduced to Sam he seems spoilt and we follow Anne’s journey with her illness as well as a crash course on adulthood that he is unknowingly undergoing. Sam and Annie’s relationship is so sweet each bring something to the relationship and are so compatible.
I loved the ending it wasn’t tragic like I expected. I won’t spoil the ending but the key takeaway is that we should not treat our partners as children like Annie does at times because it belittles the relationship itself and the insults them a times. Treat each other as equals which is important and when Annie realizes this Sam is able to grow as a person, a partner and as a father.
My favorite scene in the book is when Sam is given the manual by Annie’s mother and reads it. They are both finally at the same page and he finally knows what has been going on. It tugged at my heartstrings when he realizes how much she has gone through alone because he was unwilling to listen to her.
I enjoyed this book because it wasn’t about the romance but about the relationship between two people who love each other which isn’t common in the romance genre. It makes you consider what family truly means and the importance of trust and support. It had well developed characters and a unique and authentic writing style.
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