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Twenty-seven-year-old Daisy already beat breast cancer three years ago. How can this be happening to her again?
On the eve of what was supposed to be a triumphant "Cancerversary" with her husband Jack to celebrate three years of being cancer-free, Daisy suffers a devastating blow: her doctor tells her that the cancer is back, but this time it's an aggressive stage four diagnosis. She may have as few as four months left to live. Death is a frightening prospect - but not because she's afraid for herself. She's terrified of what will happen to her brilliant but otherwise charmingly helpless husband when she's no longer there to take care of him. It's this fear that keeps her up at night, until she stumbles on the solution: she has to find him another wife.
With a singular determination, Daisy scouts local parks and coffee shops and online dating sites looking for Jack's perfect match. But the further she gets on her quest, the more she questions the sanity of her plan. As the thought of her husband with another woman becomes all too real, Daisy's forced to decide what's more important in the short amount of time she has left: her husband's happiness - or her own?
Have you read other books by Colleen Oakley? If so, how did they compare?
I love her books. They are always infused with humor and wit, but also evoke deep emotions. I particularly loved The Invisible Husband of Frick Island & highly recommend it. It is utterly charming and very touching. It's one of those rare books you wish you could read again for the first time.
-Janie-Hickok-Siess
Overall, what did you think of Jane and Dan at the End of the World? (no spoilers, please!)
I am a big Colleen Oakley fan and absolutely loved this book! I devoured it because the story moved at a brisk pace and was full of twists, turns, and surprising revelations, while also being deeply thought-provoking and emotionally resonant. :star: :star: :star: :star: :star:
-Janie-Hickok-Siess
What are you reading this week? And what did you think of last week’s books? (1/15/2026)
I finished https://www.bookbrowse.com/bb_briefs/detail/index.cfm/ezine_preview_number/21574/the-sound-and-the-fury The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner. I'd read it many years ago but I'd forgotten how challenging it is. It's all stream-of-consciousness, first-person narration, and it can b...
-kim.kovacs
Jane and Dan at the End of the World by Colleen Oakley Discussion
Please join us for a discussion of Jane and Dan at the End of the World by Colleen Oakley.
-kim.kovacs
"Oakley expertly tugs at the heartstrings with well-rounded characters and a liberal dose of gallows humor." - Publishers Weekly
"Highly recommended for laugh-out-loud fans and the tearjerker set." - Library Journal
"This emotional novel will make readers laugh through their tears." - Kirkus
"Oakley has produced an affecting work that, while avoiding maudlin sentimentality, makes the reader care about Daisy and her determination to live while dying." - Booklist
"Colleen Oakley takes on the big three - life, death,and love - and delivers a jewel. Before I Go absolutely glows with humor, wit, and compassion. I adore Oakley's fresh voice and could hardly bear for the book to end." - Lynn Cullen, author of the national bestseller Mrs. Poe
"In Before I Go, Oakley address the oft-asked question: if you only had six months to live, what would you do? In her deft hands, what could easily turn maudlin becomes a funny and insightful journey with Daisy, and the love of her life, Jack. If you loved JoJo Moyes' Me Before You, this book is for you." - Catherine McKenzie, bestselling author of Hidden and Forgotten
"What would you do if you knew you were dying? This emotional debut and its gutsy heroine will have you laughing through tears and staying up late until you've reached the final, fully satisfying page." - Jennie Shortridge, author of Love Water Memory
This information about Before I Go was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Colleen Oakley is the USA Today bestselling author of The Invisible Husband of Frick Island, You Were There Too, Close Enough to Touch and Before I Go. Her books have been translated into more than 20 languages around the world and won multiple awards including Georgia Author of the Year and The French Reader's Prize. A former magazine editor for Women's Health & Fitness and Marie Claire, Colleen lives in Atlanta with her husband, four children, three chickens, and a mutt named Baxter.
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