Maggie's List

by Brittany Severn

She thought she was just completing her sister's bucket list, but with every tick off the list, she moved closer to finding herself… and her dream guy.

When Ivy loses her twin sister, Maggie, she is pushed adrift, grappling with the void created by her sister's absence. A chance discovery of Maggie's unfinished bucket list becomes a lifeline, guiding her on a soul-stirring journey across continents.
Fate leads Ivy to Evan, an attractive Scottish man who helps her downsize the list, and a connection is sparked between them. But Ivy is torn between her sister's memories and her own chance at happiness, and she realizes she must first work through her grief before opening her heart to love.

Can Ivy find herself and the life that is truly meant for her?

129 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 31, 2023

Reviews

[Sandy Monterrosa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never knew a book can make you cry within the first few pages. The story of Ivy and Maggie was so sweet and heartwarming. I honestly felt like I was Ivy. I loved every bit of this book. Her travels, the people she met, her heartbreak and grief. It was well written that I couldn’t stop reading. The book is full of grief, loss, adventure, love and finding yourself.

The book is fast-paced and well written. I would recommend this book to anyone in need of a pick me up. As a reader I found myself rooting for ivy. Would love another book to see how her life continues, but then the book ended so good that maybe that’s the best ending. Who knows!

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Following Maggie’s death (FMC’s sister) Ivy tries to handle and conquer her grief through an interesting way. Different trips added on her to-do list helps her get through it. I wanted to see a bit more of an arc in her personal growth though!

[Hayley Anderton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really lovely and emotional read. I had to stop a few times because I had tears in my eyes! As a twin myself, the story about losing her sister felt close to home. The grief in the story was perfectly handled and felt tender without overwhelming the rest of the story.
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the romance in this book. I’m not much of a romance girl, but Evan was charming and sensitive (and Scottish 😍) so he felt like a perfect match for the grieving MC. I also enjoyed the travel aspects of the story. And while bucket list stories aren’t anything new, I felt this tale stood on its own two feet! The MC gets up to some really fun stuff and I loved seeing her journey unfold. A great short read!

[Judy & Marianne from Long and Short Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

Every day is a fresh page in the book of life.

Some of the most memorable scenes were the ones that showed how many loose ends surviving relatives must tie up after someone dies. This can be something as simple as cleaning and organizing a bedroom all the way to far more complex tasks like, say, finishing a bucket list. I was especially intrigued by the way Ivy’s grief leaked through sometimes as she checked these tasks off her to-do list. This was such a realistic approach to the process of grieving and healing after a terrible loss.

I would have liked to see more character development in this novella. While Ivy was an interesting protagonist, there wasn’t enough time spent exploring how she changed as a result of her sister’s death and the trips she took after the funeral. There was plenty of material for her to work with. I simply needed to see more examples of her personal growth in order to feel comfortable giving this a higher rating.

The romance was handled nicely. Grief can be all-consuming, especially when someone as young as Maggie dies, so I was curious to see how the author would balance Ivy’s grief for her twin with her budding romance with Evan. Luckily, the romantic scenes were handled sensitively and gave Ivy plenty of time to say goodbye to her sister before she thought of what she wanted to do with her life next. It was also cool to see space left for a possible sequel. I don’t know if Ms. Severn has one in the works, but I’ll happily read it if she does!

Maggie’s List made me smile.

[Bethany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Indie Visible Events (@hayley_a_writes) and the author for an opportunity to read this book!

Oh my lord, what a lovely book! Do you want to break your heart in a flood of tears but also smile, laugh and feel a cheeky smirk take your face?

Ivy's sister has died from cancer and now she's alone. Alone with just the bucket list that Maggie wants her to finish. So Ivy braves up and does it. She meets Trevor in South Africa and has some naughty (kind of illegal!) fun. She goes to Canada, London... But most importantly, she goes to Scotland. She meets Evan. And that's where this story isn't just about completing a bucket list anymore. This story looks at grief and love in all the heart breaking and heart warming ways. It's look at grieving while loving, loving while grieving, being happy despite facing a loss that will live with you forever. Its about acceptance... not necessarily moving on, but learning to live while managing the loss.

Despite the elements of grief that will hit hard on your heart and may spring tears from your eyes, this book is so sweet. It's funny, it's a great adventure, and it might make you want to shoot off on your own holiday! It'll warm your heart.

Heavy themes indeed, be prepared for that, but well the worth the read. A very memorable story, plus quite a short one so can be enjoyed in a day or two.

[lauren catherine english · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was everything I didn’t know that I needed and more!

Ivy’s story and watching how she deals with the loss of her sister was so moving and portrays her grief in such a realistic way! I loved the concept of this as I personally haven’t read anything like it before

I loved seeing Ivy grow within herself as the story progressed, she went from being Ivy, Maggies twin sister to being just Ivy - her own individual person which she had to learn to be without Maggie by her side

I would love to see more of Ivy and Evans story so fingers crossed for a sequel!

[Miranda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I honestly can't say a bad thing about this book! It's a short read but the details were all there to avoid it feeling rushed & the plot moved along perfectly! It checked so many of many of my favorite tropes (which I LOVED)! This book really gives light to grief without feeling like a somber story. I'm not easy to get 5 star ratings from but this one just really deserves it!! Highly recommend!

[Dinah Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tale of learning to live after loss

Fascinating premise of a young woman being asked to fulfill her dead sister’s bucket list, and learning to live her own dreams as a part of what started out to be her sister’s adventure. Along the way, she feels her sister’s guidance on the journey, and works through her own grief to discover her own new life.
While it deals with the awkward topic of grief, it does so in a thoughtful, bold way. I would recommend it.

[Mariah Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was super cute and heartfelt. It did make me sad at times because the stages of grief were written so well but I enjoyed it a lot.

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so good had me in my feels

[Angela Hodge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely

This was a quick read. My gosh, it was good from the beginning! I don’t think I’ve cried this much in less than a hundred pages in quite sometime! I loved the main characters and although the story was short it was detailed in such a way that it didn’t feel that anything was missing. Well done!

[Gabriella Geran · Rating 3 out of 5]

a really sweet story! i enjoyed the travelling and i love that Ivy moved to Scotland!

[Kriti | Armed with A Book]

Maggie’s List is a beautiful tale about a twin sister on a singular mission to fulfil her decreased sister’s bucket list. Maggie and Ivy were probably closer than most twins because they were in their own tight circle - their family, friends and relatives had little contribution to their lives. But when Maggie’s cancer returns with a vengeance and ultimately takes her life, Ivy is left with a massive hole in her life, an emptiness in her apartment and no one she wants to talk to more than the person no longer with her. Maggie knew her twin and left her with a ‘finish list’ of seven items that wanted to do herself, in the hopes that Ivy would do them. The extrovert twin has created the conditions to nudge the introvert to blossom.

Experiencing things Maggie wanted to, Ivy is filled with wonder at the majestic creatures like whales that inhabit the seas, the brilliant aurora lights that illuminate the skies and the breathtaking beauty of cities around the world. She makes new friends and finds love in an unexpected place. Maggie’s list leads her on a path to question what she wants to do in life and what stops her from taking the leaps to be happy.

Interlaced between an adventurous narrative is a deep sense of loss and grief. I connected with Ivy at that level. I understood the exhaustion of following Maggie’s list and not being able to experience it with her. Not all loved ones leave behind a bucket list but the hopes and dreams that they shared continue to live on with us, and should we choose to, we can live for them. Ivy’s journey in her grief was beautifully written. She learns to accept help when it is given and remember Maggie through people they both had in their lives.

I enjoyed Maggie’s List. It was a short insightful read and I liked the insight into mourning someone loved dearly. Having experienced a similar magnitude of loss, I saw another way of celebrating people who are no longer with me. It is uplifting, real and hopeful.

Many thanks to the author for a copy of the book for an honest review.

- Kriti, Armed with A Book | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

[Karli Rodriguez · Rating 3 out of 5]

sweet short read. loved the ending of this book

[Grace Hayden Brock · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was full of emotions and fun. I was heartbroken for Ivy. I thought the story line was great and the characters in this book were relatable. I loved the idea of a bucket list, and it was exciting to live through someone else's even if it was in a story. I always think it is a great idea to write about real life events and how other people relate to or feel in situations. I felt this book did a great job expressing grief and love and how to move on after sadness.

This book was received as an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

[Lenisha Long · Rating 5 out of 5]

📝 Maggie’s List 📝


📝Scottish MMC
📝Adventure
📝Travel Romance
📝Self Discovery
📝Emotional Scars
📝brief mention of death

Talk about an emotional rollercoaster 😭 from the beginning I was absolutely torn up inside for Ivy. I’m close with my sister like soooo close I felt how torn up Ivy was inside and out for losing her TWIN SISTER !!!
There was some heart breaking moments for me that I honestly don’t think I could’ve dealt with. For example not being close with annnnny of your family??? Like mom and dad?? Not close to either one??? And the part about her dad not even checking on her when she reached out to him like ??? Gosh I cried guys because family is everything to me.
Trevor was a dream lolol love how just down for anything he was & I thank him for Ivy for introducing her to Evan.
Evan was a DREEAAAAAM !! His mannerisms are nothing like you find around these parks anymore but where he’s from and raised explains why.

My favorite parts:
* After the shower 🥵🥵🥵
* After the whales 😭
* The mayor 😂🥰
* The entire book 🤷🏽‍♀️

I truly thank Brittany for allowing me to read this book ! I’m honestly going to probably read this book again it was sooo dreamy . This is my personal review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶️🌶️/ 5

[Kim Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a powerful read this was. I felt like I was on a roller coaster from start to finish. The beginning was so sad with Ivy losing her twin sister, the emotions continued throughout the story and were written very well. The bucket list adventures were lovely to read about and made you feel like you were there, enjoying the surf and swimming with the sharks (and that's about as close to that feeling that I would want to get 😅). The pace of the story was so well done you didn't dwell on the sad bits for too long but didn't forget why she was on this big adventure. It made me wish I had visited more places in Scotland when I went there for a holiday a long time ago. What a lovely read. I would read more from this author.

[Lucy Appadoo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this heart-warming story of Ivy who travels to a couple of different countries to fulfil her deceased sister's bucket list. Whilst on her journey, she works her way through grief but manages to tick things off Maggie's bucket list. She meets a few people, and becomes romantically involved with Evan, a tour guide. Given she lives in the Unites States and he lives in Scotland, it is a challenging relationship. The story is true to her grief and Ivy appears to have grown throughout her travels, coming a little out of her shell to be a bit more adventurous, like her sister, Maggie. Well worth the read.

[Michaela Trueman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is fast-paced, light on details and descriptions, and full of adventure with a sweet romance. It's very easy to read, flowing nicely around the world and bobbing along Ivy's journey with grief.

I liked the premise of the book and wide range of locations Ivy visits as well as the people she meets along the way.

[Peggy · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW!! Highly recommended read! This was a little on the tear jerker side for me though as I know what losing someone to cancer is like.