“An immensely entertaining [and] moving” (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) work of women’s fiction, this emotionally rich debut novel follows a young woman with terminal breast cancer who embarks on an extraordinary—and heartbreakingly human—mission to secure her husband’s future after she’s gone.
At twenty-seven, Daisy thought she had beaten breast cancer for good. On the eve of celebrating four years cancer-free with her husband, Jack, she receives devastating news: the cancer is back, and this time it’s aggressive stage four. With only months left to live, Daisy is forced to confront her mortality—but her greatest fear isn’t dying. It’s leaving behind the man she loves, a brilliant but endearingly helpless husband who has always relied on her.
Unable to rest until she knows Jack will be okay, Daisy decides she must do the unthinkable: find him another wife. With determination, humor, and aching vulnerability, she searches coffee shops, parks, and online dating sites for the woman who might one day take her place. But as Daisy’s plan grows more real, so does the emotional cost, forcing her to question whether ensuring her husband’s happiness means sacrificing her own.
Tender, funny, and profoundly heartfelt, this novel explores love, marriage, mortality, and the impossible choices we make when time runs out. It’s a powerful meditation on what it means to love selflessly—and when to finally choose yourself.
"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."
"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."
"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.”
“Brilliant in its simplicity, beautiful in its sentiment, heartbreaking in its honesty, Colleen Oakley’s Before I Go takes on one of life’s ultimate cruelties, death before one's time, and makes us believe.”
