Saving Jessica

by Lurlene McDaniel

Jessica McMillian and Jeremy Travino are a perfect couple.   But now Jessica has been diagnosed as having kidney failure.   She is on dialysis three days a week and is so depressed that she's not sure she wants to live.  Her one hope for a normal life is a kidney transplant, but she's an only child and her parents aren't suitable donors.   Jeremy is determined to donate one of his kidneys to her, but his parents are terrified of losing their only child.  Will Jeremy find the strength to go against his parent's wishes and do what he must to save Jessica?

Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Realistic Fiction, Teen, Young Adult Contemporary, Contemporary, Childrens

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Lurlene McDaniel (born c. 1948) is an author who has written over 50 young adult books. She is well known for writing about characters struggling with chronic and terminal illnesses, such as cancer, diabetes, and organ failure.


Other places to find her are...
https://www.facebook.com/lurlenemcdan...
http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/aut...
http://www.youtube.com/user/LurleneMc

Reviews

[Madison ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute book.
NOTE: This review is being written after the second read.
Anyway, let's get on with the review!
For starters, I seriously hate this cover. I know the cover doesn't determine the story, but ugh. I hate when books have covers/titles that make you embarrassed to read them in public.
Oh, well.
There isn't much to say about this book other than it was really really cute. Jeremy is amazing, of course. Jessica is okay. All the other characters are pretty fetch.
The plot was fast-paced and adorable.
Jeremy's persistence was amazing. I was actually shocked about how dedicated he was. He didn't really have any flaws (other than extreme stubbornness), so that's interesting. A perfect 16-year-old. Yeah... I need one of those.
Jessica was okay. She didn't annoy me (though all she did was complain. But I can't blame her: If I were in her position, I'd probably complain too).
I love the ending. Jeremy's dad is pretty awesome. He has a great reason to not want Jeremy giving up his kidney.
All-in-all, awesome book. I read it because it was short and I felt behind on my 2013 challenge (I'm not, but eh). It's a great book.
Jeremy, if you ever get tired of Jessica.. *stage whispers* call me.

[Brandie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Saving Jessica by Lurlene McDaniel is a book about a young girl named Jessica McMillan and her boyfriend Jeremy Travino. When Jessica’s life suddenly changes when she is diagnosed with kidney failure. She is put on dialysis and it doesn't go well and now her only hope is a kidney transplant.
This book is definitely worth reading because it really shows all the struggles with someone kidney failure. It also shows how hard it can be to find a transplant and the struggles with kidney failure. It shows how fast someone's life can change so fast. The book really tells it how it is with dialysis and hard it really can be to deal with. In this book you should expect the unexpected.

[Amy *Sparks Fly* · Rating 5 out of 5]

So far this book is super good.It's about this girl who is having kidney failure and she is 18.Her name is Jessica. Her boyfriend,Jeremy wants to save her he would rather halve himself in Jessica's place. Basically he would rather be having kidney failure instead of Jessica.He loves her so much and that is pretty much what he is proving. Jesica has to go through dialysis and is doing so well the first couple of times. Jeremy wants to come up with a solution to help her survive. It turns out that he wants to donate one of his kidney's to her because the waiting list for donnors is so long. And if they put it on that list it could take up to 3 years to get a kidney. Jeremy doesnt like that idea so much. He wants to donate one of his kindey's to Jessica.So it is her birthday and Jessica and her family are all in the hospital room.Jeremy gives her a box with a bean in ti. She thinks 'A bean??'. He then tells her that it means that he is donating one of his kindeys to her. She cant believe it and her parents are all happy and proud of Jeremy but Jessica isnt feeling the same way.The parents leave the room and she talks to Jeremy about how risky this really is and just stuff like that.But I dont think that Jeremy really understands how risk taking this is.Although he has already talked to Jessica's doctor,Dr.Witherspoon he feels super save. But one reason that this might not happen is beacause Jeremy is only 16 years old (almost 17) and he is not incharged of making the final decision. His parents are. So the night he gets home from the hospital he talks to his parents and they totally freak out. Will he be able to donate his kindney??? It is a big decision for the parents will they let him??? Read the rest of the book to find Out!

[Traceylee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why

These books they say are got teenager but I am 54 and love every one of them. I wish there were more.

[Lauren Deal · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just … boring because it was so predictable, I guess? Of course Jeremy was a match. And if it’s a match and things are going smoothly at the 30% mark in a Lurlene McDaniel book, you know something’s going to go very wrong - and of course it does. And then it’s complicated and works out and everyone lives happily ever after, or it’s complicated and there’s a sudden turn for the worse and everyone ends feeling very sad and the person will be memorialized forever and ever, and they (spoiler, spoiler) obviously weren’t going to let Jessica die in a field somewhere, so it’s the happily-ever-after variety.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

SUPER fast read, but pretty good. Lurlene McDaniel is a good author for books that are short and emotional. Think lifetime movie network med dramas but in book format. This one is one of my favorites, and I've read several of hers. It's a little cheesy, since it was written in the mid 90s, but overall it's got a good message and an interesting plot.

[Calleigh Vander · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I started reading this book I thought it was going to be an ok read but as I kept reading I fell more in love with the story. By the end I couldn’t put the book down I felt like I was living in the story and I had to know how it ended. Truly a great story that I could read over and over again.

[*Weebles* · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super awesome read! I highly recommend it. I fell in love the minute I started reading. Lurlene McDaniel is an amazing writer!

[Penny Ramirez · Rating 2 out of 5]

YA Lit class

[Holland · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars..

This just seemed..a little to dramatic. Jeremy especially. Of course the main topic and premise is serious but he was so dramatic. Definitely my least favorite.

[Audrey Kane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Corny! But for the most part accurate tbh haha I liked it

[Nina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Saving Jessica is the 1st book by Lurlene McDaniel that I have read and it won"t be the last!

[Danielle Kinderknecht · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lurlene has writes tear jerkers! Love it!

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Saving Jessica by Lurlene McDaniel talks about how sixteen year old, Jeremy deals with Jessica’s kidney failure after his brother, Tom’s death in a car accident. Without having any scratch from the accident, Jeremy feels like he was responsible for the incident therefore, he wants to help save Jessica’s life. Jeremy goes through extreme measures including going through a lawsuit against his parents to gaining emancipation after knowing that he is eligible to donate one of his kidney to Jessica (however, his parent’s strongly disagreed). While reading this book, I was surprised by the events that occurred because the reader would have that Jeremy might have actually listened and tried to find another way to help Jessica while gaining approval from his parents. On the other hand, in the book, Jeremy went against his parents, not in a way that average teenagers would have approached it, but rather in a way that “alerts” the readers and other characters in the story such as Jeremy’s father. In addition, just when things are starting to get better, another tension arises at the end when Jessica went missing for almost a week which makes the reader want to read on and find out what happens.

[diary.of.a.hobbit · Rating 2 out of 5]

Saving Jessica is a young adult novel that follows the story of Jessica McMillian and Jeremy Travino. It's a fairly short book that I managed to finish in one day (I've read it before years ago, but wanted to reread it as I could barely remember the plot).

It's a very average read in my opinion and I found the dialogue too cringy (particularly at the start). The characters weren't well-fleshed out. Jessica was quite likeable overall, but pretty bland since she was written without any flaws. Jeremy switched between being immature to being rational without proper xharacter development or arc.

Two things in particular bugged me.

At the start of the book, Jessica mentions that her parents were going to have a powwow with her doctors (the use of that word in this context is cultural appropriation).

Then at a later point, Jeremy argues with his father and basically states that human life is more valuable than that of animals, a stance that I don't agree with.

In general, the themes presented in this book are important, but I feel that they weren't executed well and the above mentioned points didn't improve the matter.

CW: kidney failure, description of dialysis & other medical procedures, death of a sibling due to a car crash

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

When Jessica is diagnosed as having kidney failure near the end of her senior year in high school, her boyfriend Jeremy, nearly two years younger but only a grade behind, wants to be her kidney donor. Dialysis is not going well for Jessica, her doctor says she is not a good candidate for a cadaver donor, and her parents, who had Jessica late in life, both have too many health problems to be suitable living donors. When Jeremy turns out to have compatible typing, it seems the solution is obvious. Unfortunately, Jeremy’s parents, who lost their other son in a car crash a few years earlier, are not willing to risk losing their only living child on the operating table. Jeremy decides to take on his father, a high-powered D.C. attorney, in court to win the right to be Jessica’s donor.

This book reads like a common soap opera. While it is full of flaws (Jessica and Jeremy are both highly unrealistic teens in almost every way), it’s a simple read that will appeal primarily to girls looking for a sad story with a happy ending. Readers who enjoy this book will enjoy McDaniel’s many other books where teens triumph over life-altering situations thrown their way. Ages 12+.

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a pretty good book in itself, but I wouldn't consider it one of my favorites of Lurlene McDaniel. It had romance, a person in danger, tension between some characters, and hope. It gave a great message, and it was sweet how Jeremy fought so much and so hard to help save Jessica.

The thing about Lurlene McDaniel's works, is that they always give you such insight about different diseases. I know from reading almost every Lurlene McDaniel book that she does her research about the topic she's writing about. This book was no different. I got to read about, if only such a short amount, what a patient, especially one so young, might feel and go through with kidney failure.

I read this book because I wanted a little break from the other book I was currently working on, and boy did this do the trick! I started it and finished it in the same day, and it was a short and sweet read. I am glad to have picked it up.

Rating:

90/100

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book! Lurlene McDaniel is an amazing author who has such real life situations in her stories it really impacts you no matter what ending. I could understand how Jeremy's parents felt. But it is Jeremy's body and his girlfriend was dying. They should allow him to help Jessica. I'm glad they did in the end. Jeremy went so far in this fight to save Jessica and won. I could tell he really was deeply in love with her by how he went to extreme lengths like almost divorcing from his parents in order to keep Jessica alive. Because of him she's still alive and her parents are grateful to Jeremy. I thought since Jeremy's brother Tony died his parents would be understanding of Jessica's parents situation and would allow Jeremy to donate his kidney to her. But instead they feared for their son's life of dying because he donated that kidney and that they'd lose him like they did Tony. This story was so real and moving I just loved it. Simple as that.

[Hadley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read a lot of Lurene McDaniel books. This one was not her best but not her worst. I thought it was a cute story line. I had sad feelings when she found out she had kidney failure. I also felt very happy when she finally got what she wanted. :)

In the story a girl named Jessica who was having a great life, has a boyfriend named Jeremy and is just living life getting ready for senior year of high school. When Jessica is in the hospital and finds out she has kidney failure. She starts to see everything change .From type of food she eats to spending her time hooked up to a dialysis machine. All the while her boyfriend watches as Jessica starts to get depressed and wonders why she still should live. Jessica's only wish is to find a kidney transplant and once her parents can’t donate Jeremy wonders if he can. Will Jessica get her kidney?? Read and find out!

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

During Jessica's senior year she had been diagnosed with kidney failure that was cause by a late treatment of strep. The only available option of survival is a dietary change, an extensive variety of medication, and a lifetime of dialysis. But what happens when the medication doesn't take? Jessica is becoming more ill by the day. Will anyone save Jessica, or is she doomed to fall?

This is honestly my least favourite book of Lurlene McDaniel's up to date. The emotional depth of this novel seemed next to none, unless you consider whiny to be an emotion. In my own opinion the characters were less than likable, and the story was to the point. It would have been nice to see some character development and plot twist (before I hear about how Jeremy's parents 'I know, I'm trying for the main characters here').

I give this a whopping 1.5 stars out of 5.

[Paige V · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read Saving Jessica by Lurlene McDaniel. I gave this book five stars because it was a great book. It was about a girl named Jessica who is really sick in the hospital and the doctors don’t know what is wrong with her. She sits there everyday waiting for results. Finally one day the doctors figured it out. They found that her kidneys were not working properly and the only two ways she would live is if she was in dialysis her whole life of if she could find a donor. Her boy friend Jeremy offers to give his kidney, but his parents won’t let him. So he decides that he is going to fight them in court to get rights over his body. Will he win the trial? Will Jessica survive? Read the book to find out.

[Cierra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about two teenagers falling in love and going to great lenghts for their love. Jessica has kidney failure and isn't doing very good at all. She doesn't have much time left, she hates dialysis and it isn't working anyways. Her parents aren't a match for her, and she is along ways down on the waiting list. Her only shot of making it is her boyfriend Jeremy giving is kidney to her. But, his parents won't approve of him giving his kidney away. Will he be able to get his kidney to Jessica before she runs out of time? This is a cute book of true love and how powerful love really is. If you like some young romance this is the book for you. If your not in to teenage romance i wouldn't read this.

[Zoey Dowdell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Saving Jessica is a great book its based on a girl name Jessica who has a very bad kidney failure and for the rest of her life she would have to be on a machine what is called Dialysis. She goes to Dialysis three day a week. During her dialysis she had to watch what she ate and watch on how she drink. Jessica also date this young man name Jeremy. Jeremy new that Jessica condition would never get better,she would never get to live a normal life. So Jeremy decide that he would like to give her one of his Kidneys. but Jeremy family don't agree to it. This book is good for those who love to help out another person and give up something for them ,even if they are not family. I Really enjoyed this book. Find out if Jeremy would go against his parents to save Jessica life.

[Brittany Kammerer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm rating 2.5 stars. I think years ago when I first started to read Lurlene McDaniel's books I loved them. I enjoyed the way she wrote, but now that I am older I am finding that the books aren't as enjoyable as they once were. I think "Saving Jessica" is my least favorite books of the many I have reader. Not only was there really no emotional build up but the characters at many points in the story were too whiny for me to handle.

[Rebecca Rolfe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the 3rd time i have read this book i love all Lurlene Mcdaniels Book.... i may be 29 now and a parent but it still causes Tears in my eyes this is a WONDEFUL READ.... it is well written.... and it gives you get insight to what a person having Kidney Failure has to go thru every day to stay alive....

[Ariel · Rating 2 out of 5]

i thought this was one of lurlene's lower class novels, with the girl tragically with a death threat and her loving boyfriend wanting to help her--at any cost. it was so anticlimatic and too much arguing (selfish people, i might add) for my taste.

[Jacquelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and I loved the emotional factor of this book. Lurlene really knows how to write emotional books! Although, I do wish we could see more of the events that occurred between the transplant and the prom. The end seemed a bit rushed in my opinion.

[Aasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I dont remeber much about this book i just remeber it was really really good, and i liked it.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing and it shows what someone who really loves someone will do in order to help the person they love.

[Caroline · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was quite straightforward--girl needs kidney, boy wants to give her kidney, boy's father does not approve, boy eventually gives girl kidney. Not really my type.