If I Make It

by Amelia Faith

What would you do if you had one year to live your dream?

Broadway.

It's the dream that keeps 17 year old Landyn King going, even on the hardest days. Since she was five years old, she's dedicated herself to the world of theatre; determined to make it in the big leagues. It's all she eats, sleeps, and breathes, and as soon as she turns 18, she's escaping her small town and moving out to the city to follow her dream.

But all of that changed in one single instant.

Even though, despite medical odds, she has been combating a rare form of Ridley's Disease since she was seven, a new tumor found on her brain gives Landyn approximately one year to live. She has one year to make it on Broadway and to achieve the dream that she has desperately wanted for almost her entire life.

Determined not to take any charity, she decides not to tell anyone about her disease. She is committed it making it the old-fashioned, pounding the pavement way.

The question stands however: will she make it before her time is up?

248 pages, Paperback

First published May 7, 2014

About the author

Amelia Faith is a 17 year old teenage author who has had a love of writing and reading since she was seven. Her first novel, “When Everyone Thinks You’re Gone”, was published when she was just 15 years old, and she hasn’t left the fictional world since. Her writing inspirations include Karen Kingsbury, Ally Carter, and best-selling indie author, Shelly Crane.

In addition to writing and reading, Amelia is also a strong Christian and enjoys spontaneously bursting into song (most often with showtunes), taking fabulous iPhone photography, and fangirling with the best of them. When not adventuring into the world of fictional characters, Amelia resides in the Middle of Nowhere (also known as New Hampshire) and attends a Christian high school.

Reviews

[Jacquelyn Eubanks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Summary:

17-year-old Landyn King has been battling Riddley's Disease for 10 years. After a routine check-up at the hospital, the doctor finds tumors on her brain and tells her she has one year left to live. She decides to spend the last year of her life chasing her dream of being a Broadway star, and so she moves to New York City in search of a role in a Broadway musical. Along the way she will encounter rejection, first love, reoccurring health problems, tough competition, and, eventually, victory.

I absolutely loved this book, perhaps because it captures a passion very close to my heart: Broadway. Ever since I was a little girl, my grandma raised me on the classic musicals and told me that one day I would be a star. I took voice lessons and acting classes since I was very young, have attend numerous theatrical productions, and definitely consider myself a theater geek. Even though I've yet to "be a star", this book really portrayed exactly what I envisioned it would be like to "pound the pavement", auditioning for plays in the heart of New York City. Reading "If I Make It" was like diving into a fantasy, MY fantasy, of being a Broadway star one day. It is perfect in every single way.
Amelia Faith did an excellent job with her character development. I loved Landyn - she is perseverant, optimistic, hardworking, and has a good sense of humor. I really like her cousin, Simon, too - he's very thoughtful and seems like the perfect best friend. And Levi, Landyn's love interest...their playful banter is totally adorable. I felt myself blushing and laughing with them.My favorite parts of the book would be when Landyn tries out for Hercules: the Musical and **spoiler** when she eventually gets cast as the lead Muse. I loved reading about Landyn's auditions, her rehearsals, and opening night (her big debut).

This book is a sweet, light-hearted, albeit cheesy (in the best way) romance about chasing your dreams and never giving up. I recommend it for any ya romance fans, or and ya contemporary fans, or theater geeks in general. I will defintely be passing my copy around to all of my theater friends. I'm sure they'll love it just as much as I did.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amelia Faith sent me an ARC copy of this book to review for my blog, so a big thank you to her for that!

I've been a fan of Amelia Faith since she wrote When Everyone Thinks You're Gone on Miss Literati, and then proceeded to get it published. Without her help, I wouldn't have been able to publish my debut novel, Switch. So when I say I owe a lot to Faith, I mean it. In more ways than one.

I finished this book in less than 24 hours, not because it was a quick read, but because I just couldn't get enough. I always wanted to read more. Amelia Faith just has a magical talent when it comes to catching your interest with such a gripping story. All in all, I was satisfied with this read. Another great job done by another great author!

This was just a small piece of what I had to say about If I Make It. Check out the complete review on The Book Bratz by clicking here!

[Kristine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting read, didn't want to put it down. I'm in awe that this book came from someone considered so young in the writing business. I enjoyed the characters and there relationships. It was fun, romantical, and a mystery all in one. I really enjoyed that it was a clean read, very family friendly for this day and age. the only reason I gave it 4 out of 5 stars was because I thought it ended a little abrupt and a little too fairy-tale-ish.
We're so proud of you Amelia. Love your Oregon family.

[Haley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is hands down one of my favorite novels I have read. The main character, Landyn, is easy to relate to and narrates the story really well. Even though there were some very serious points to the book, I loved how the author managed to slip a lot of humor into the story. There were some grammar mistakes (for example, when there was dialogue, there would normally be a period where a comma should go), but they weren't very noticeable.

If you are a fan of Sarah Dessen, John Green, or Broadway, you will love Amelia Faith's novel, "If I Make It."