By the Time You Read This, I'll Be Dead

by Julie Anne Peters

First published 2010

Daelyn Rice has survived multiple suicide attempts, but she refuses to fail again. She spends her time on a website called through-the-light.com, where people who plan to complete suicide share their stories. Daelyn writes blog posts about her experiences, revealing how bullies have tormented her since kindergarten. At her private school, other students see her as the silent freak who keeps to herself. Everything changes when Santana, a boy from school, starts joining her during pickup time. He sits with her day after day, ignoring her obvious signals that she wants solitude. Santana persists despite her resistance. Daelyn faces a terrible choice. She has already decided her fate, but this unexpected connection threatens to derail her carefully laid plans. The question becomes whether human connection can reach someone who believes she is damaged beyond healing.

Genres: mental-illness, contemporary, young-adult

Vibes: dark, intimate, thought-provoking

Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family

Setting: Private School

Period: Contemporary

200 pages · Hardcover · Hyperion / DBG

Content warnings: suicidal-ideation, suicide

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