Optimists Die First

Susin Nielsen

Petula has avoided friendship and happiness ever since tragedy struck her family and took her beloved younger sister Maxine. Worse, Petula blames herself. If only she'd kept an eye on her sister, if only she'd sewn the button Maxine choked on better, if only...
Now her anxiety is getting out of control, she is forced to attend the world’s most hopeless art therapy class. But one day, in walks the Bionic Man: a charming, amazingly tall newcomer called Jacob, who is also an amputee. Petula's ready to freeze him out, just like she did with her former best friend, but when she’s paired with Jacob for a class project, there’s no denying they have brilliant ideas together – ideas like remaking Wuthering Heights with cats.
But Petula and Jacob each have desperately painful secrets in their pasts – and when the truth comes out, there’s no way Petula is ready for it.

Reviews

"Hilarious, heart-warming and beautifully unexpected – a real keeper"
Lisa Williamson

"I fell for Optimists Die First like I was curled up with a familiar favourite – offbeat charm, with a bittersweet romance at its sorrowful heart."

"Optimists Die First will make you feel bigger in every way. Bigger in courage to face a dangerous world; bigger in feeling; bigger in love; bigger in your ability to put yourself back together after something that should break you; and yes, bigger in optimism"

"Susin Nielsen has produced a richly comic story featuring a cast of mismatched, engaging characters"
Guardian, The Best New Children's Books supplement

"Entertaining but also poignant"
Irish Times