Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I almost skipped this book because of the title, but the synopsis didn't match it so I gambled on it. I was 80% right. Nick, our 15 year old protagonist, has just found out he has leukemia and immediately starts chemo. He is a math genius and less comfortable socially. He does have a crew, though, his Dungeons and Dragons game group that meets weekly. They come from both sides of the tracks and Nick is more in the middle. A girl has recently joined the mix. We are given stream of consciousness insight into Nick’s mind. This is very well done. You feel the adolescent determination, scattered thoughts, and tendency to jump into situations without thinking through possible consequences. D&D plays heavily into the story and things in the game start to mysteriously mirror real life. There is a time travel element that drives the plot. Without saying too much, I really enjoyed the story as a light read until it got much darker with real life drug dealers, violence, and death. It's almost like two different books. The story could have gone a different direction, keeping the main elements while staying less serious and graphic, and it would be a much better read. There are expletives and profanity sprinkled throughout.