Review: Happy Birthday To Me by Brian Rowe

Happy Birthday To Me by Brian Rowe

Release Date: April 13, 2011
Publisher: CreateSpace

Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 314
Source: from author for honest review
Buy the Book: Amazon 

Seventeen-year-old Cameron Martin has a huge problem: he’s aging a whole year of his life with each passing day. High school is hard enough; imagine rapidly aging from seventeen to seventy in a matter of weeks, with no logical explanation, and with prom, graduation, and the state championship basketball game on the horizon. That’s what happens to Cameron, a mischievous pretty boy who has never had to face a day looking anything but perfect. All he wants to do is go back to normal, but no one, not even the best doctors, can diagnose his condition.

When I was first contacted by the author to review this book I thought it sounded similar to The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, but maybe updated. Boy was I wrong. It was actually a really great read with lots of laughs and a few tears. I love when a book can draw you in so well and make you go through a few emotions along the way. 

At first I didn't like Cameron much - he was a snotty, self centered jerk. He's the star jock of the basketball team, dating the girl that everyone wants to be with and really just does what he wants no matter what the consequences. Cam actually has this thing where he goes to restaurants and pretends it's his birthday to get free deserts everywhere he goes - this time he may have tried pushing his luck to far with one waitress.

"It's harmless." I turned to my left to see the tray, the chocolate, the candle, the waitress. "If I could... I would celebrate my birthday every day of the year."

Suddenly the next morning he begins this intense aging process and cannot figure out why or how it has happened. The interesting thing is - as the days pass and Cam ages a year at a time, he seems to begin this incredible transformation into a more caring human being. He stops taking things for granted, startes treating people with the respect they deserve and really seeing the world around him.

This book made me cry while reading it and that in itself shows me that the author did his job well. I was completely invested in this character and felt that emotional pull of his situation. I cannot wait to get my hands on the sequel!