The Bucket List

June 15, 2018

At 25, sexy, single Lacey Whitman is on the fast track in New York City, juggling careers as a fashion trend forecaster and cofounder of a start-up clothing app. She's shocked to discover at a routine checkup that she has the gene for breast cancer, leaving her two choices: either have a double mastectomy or live screening to screening until something is potentially found. Fueled by wine and pizza, Lacey and her friends make up a Boob Bucket List, eight sexcentric things she wants to do with her boobs before their possible removal. Clark (The Regulars) comes back in full force with this laugh-out-loud, crude, graphic sexual awakening story, defining, on one level, the role breasts play in women's lives. From botched role play with an ex-boyfriend to public sex in a dungeon and a threesome in which the other participants are more interested in capturing it on social media, Lacey is brought to her knees as she learns to lean in, let go, and accept her fate. VERDICT Wonderfully eye-opening, clearly well researched, and handled delicately, this is sure to make summer a little hotter.--Erin Holt, Williamson Cty. P.L., Franklin, TN

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2018
When a 25-year-old go-getter is unexpectedly hit with major news about her health, she's forced to look at herself from a new perspective and ask what she (and her body) really wants.Lacey Whitman is a planner. Her job as a fashion trend forecaster requires her to live 10 steps ahead of now. So it's very much like Lacey to schedule a genetic screening to rule out certain health concerns. When that screening reveals she has the BRCA1 gene mutation, the "breast cancer gene," her carefully forecast future comes to a grinding halt. Lacey's mother died from breast cancer at age 31, so somewhere deep down, she knew this outcome was possible. It's a sobering thought: No one likes to think it could be them. Lacey's priorities shift from working on her startup project, Clean Clothes, "outfits that are on trend and ethically sound," to researching the pros and cons of a mastectomy--the Big M. This research opens doors to a community of women with the same gene mutation and whose outpouring of body positivity encourages Lacey to take charge of her situation. Enter the Boob Bucket List. Before she can confidently make the choice for preventative surgery, Lacey gives herself six months to enjoy her breasts to the fullest. While the contents of the bucket list are not the most imaginative, the list represents something greater than itself: a woman's right to choose what's best for her body. A focus on female sexuality and self-empowerment is not new for Clark (The Regulars, 2016, etc.), but this time it comes with a welcome dose of real-life gravitas. It's easy to overlook the fact that Lacey only checks off some of her must-dos thanks to a few inelegantly inserted plot devices because, in the end, it's really not about the list. Instead, we're left with the power of female support systems, the importance of self-care, and the sobering realness of Lacey's prognosis. The fashion scene and a cute, well-mannered hipster supporting character are added bonuses.A compelling, thoughtful take on a very real women's health issue; both confidently sexy and lighthearted at the same time.

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July 23, 2018
Twenty-five-year-old Lacey Whitman, an ambitious New York City fashion trend forecaster, tests positive for the BRCA1 gene mutation, which significantly increases her risk of contracting an aggressive type of breast cancer in Clark’s heartfelt and sexy story of surviving and thriving in the face of a potentially life-altering medical diagnosis. The decision to wait and see or to get a preventative double mastectomy looms, so Lacey and her best friend, Steph, create a bucket list for her breasts. In six months, Lacey will make a final decision about a mastectomy; in the meantime, she plans to indulge daring sexual fantasies. But a flirtation with Steph’s cute roommate, Cooper, and a wild, passionate affair with an older, in-demand fashion designer—not to mention the demands of her career—are overwhelming. Lacey must also come to terms with her fraught family history, including her mother’s death from cancer at 31, and her complicated relationship with her combative sister, Mara. Lacey is a funny and relatable narrator; her uncertainty and fear in the face of her diagnosis will resonate with readers. Clark balances the romance and sexual exploration with more sobering matters such as the financial realities of serious illness and when Bee, a woman Lacey meets in an online cancer support group, becomes ill after surgery and asks for her help.. Though the ending is pat, it is nonetheless a crowd-pleaser; Clark (The Regulars) navigates the reality that comes along with this type of diagnosis with sensitivity and wit.