Teen cancer stories have become quite ubiquitous, so it's noteworthy when authors find a new twist on the type. Most notable about this book is that Tremmy is a bit of a jerk. He isn't pure and inspirational. He doesn't teach his peers to embrace life. He forces them to address death. He's also coming to terms with the negatives in his personality, using the last of his time to try to be better. This is what Stewart was aiming for, and certainly addresses some of these things. The level of privilege is pretty startling, though, and is likely difficult for the average reader to understand. And the ending goes rather off the rails.

Actual rating: 3.5 out of 5 (this is the kind of 3.5 that deserves to be rounded up lol)


tw: death, harassment, suicide, sexual assault, Medical Assistance In Dying

Tremmy Sinclair went from being that kid who’s rich and hot, looked up to student to being that kid who’s sick and dying. He doesn’t want to go out without a bang and he wants everything to go back as it was even though he’s dying and things around him are changing, fast.

I knew I was gonna like this book just from reading the book description. Not gonna lie, I kind of got nervous in the beginning because I was struggling a bit to get sucked into the book. But I eventually got through that part and I couldn’t put the book down anymore.

It was a hard read because it tackles a lot of hard to read issues and also because of how annoying the character got and how much they made me want to go inside the book and smack them in the face so they would realize how privileged they are. Even Tremmy made me feel like that. He definitely got better as the book went on but he was never shown to change so much that he’s perfect. Which is a good thing because that makes the story real.

The ending was a little confusing but it got me sobbing and sad and emo and even a little angry. I think that last part really showed what a person who’s terminally ill really goes through. It makes you understand them and the things they might want to do to have some control in their own lives.

I wanted to love this book but I just found myself annoyed. I get it. Tremmy is a pretentious privileged kid who doesn't give a shit about things/people that don't affect him and I get it - his diagnosis is supposed to teach him to be better. But I just felt like he was made too unlikeable and his "redemption" just didn't matter because I wasn't rooting for him. I couldn't forgive him for what he used to believe.

Tremendous (Tremmy) Sinclair is a 17 year old rich white jerk, just like all of his friends at a weird sci-fi boarding school with drone wars and AI helpers. That is, until he is dying of brain cancer. This is not your typical book about dying young, even the cover hints at the different approach to this topic. I was unsure about this book when I first picked it up but ending up enjoying it quite a lot and finishing it really quickly.

What initially turned me off was how much I didn't like the characters but there grew to be a couple who I kind of liked and more importantly, the story worked because I didn't like the characters. The main character is a total jerk and even though he's trying to be less of a jerk and help his friends to be better people, he's never really likeable. This allows for a quite graphic depiction of a cancer patient that definitely goes beyond what I'm used to seeing in books. More importantly, it allows for a discussion of the issues around his death rather than just the emotional component (which does eventually kick in a bit and I got choked up but I never all out cried). There are some very thought-provoking discussions in here about doctor assisted suicide and how old you need to be to make medical decisions. Tremmy's struggle to die with dignity and at the time and place of his choosing is weaved throughout the whole book and his discussions and internal dialogue on this topic are quite hard hitting. This plays well off the dislikeable characters and weird backdrop to make it not feel like a heavy emotional read despite the topic.

Another thing I really appreciated about this book was that it didn't shy away from the fact that the characters were jerks and no one miraculously stopped being a jerk just because Tremmy was sick. This is not that feel good story and it was refreshing to see this different spin on a fairly familiar premise. Tremmy realizes he's a jerk and tries to do better but never gets there all the way and while his friends have some good moments, most of them are still terrible people at the end. It's a dark but realistic twist on your typical sad high school storyline.

The drone wars and AI stuff and other random school traditions were gloriously ridiculous and a nice relief from the heavier topics. But they are definitely a little weird and could turn off some readers.

Overall, I enjoyed this one and think readers with an open mind who don't get scared off by the cancer/dying/death/doctor assisted suicide triggers should give it a try.

**I received a free eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

This was an interesting book. I honestly didn’t know what to expect. Tremendous (Tremmy) has been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer in his senior year of school. He faces many trials and tribulations that are typical of cancer, but also unique to his situation. At the heart of this story is a person’s ability to acknowledge their privilege and how they can use it for good. Tremmy goes from your typical f-boy to a person who finally gets “it”. And that ending. What a shocker!!

I read this book in one sitting. I thought I was going to be a young adult, light hearted read about a boy who was dying. I thought it was going to be, at most, a three star read. I was so, so wrong. This book had me sobbing in my bathroom. It does not sugarcoat the experience of dying from cancer, nor how people treat others who are dying from cancer. But it goes beyond that. It speaks on hard hitting subjects. It details how death shows a piece of shit guy how bad he treated other people and encourages him to try and prevent his friends from continuing the pattern. From murder to rape to racism to class differences, this book hits on it all and, in such a wonderful and impactful way.

I was given this book by Netgalley for an honest review, so thanks very much to Netgalley and The Publishing House for giving me the opportunity to read this book before it is out on June 14th!!

I'm not entirely sure where to start with the review for this book because it is definitely a doozy. I'd like to start by saying that this books is definitely not something I would have picked up, but was drawn in by the cover and decided to read it very spontaneously, that being said, for the first half of the book I did not feel like I was the target audience, and therefore, did not enjoy it as much. Although the story has the potential to be heart-wrenching, there are very small points within the plot where my heart was wrenched. There were some quotes within the book that made me stop and re-read because they were profound, but the rest of the book, not so much, which made these quotes feel out of place. As I passed the 50% mark, I began to enjoy this book more, as there now was less filler and more difficult conversations, especially between the characters of Margot, Audra and Tremendous. I then began to enjoy the brief moments of hilarity for the breaks they provided in a book with such a heavy subject matter.

My biggest qualm with this book is that some of the characters are grossly underdeveloped, which then means I did not form a connection with them, moreover, characters are introduced and then never spoken about again, instances like the crossbow incident or the almost rape happen and then are not brought up again which made the story feel a little disconnected.

This book was shocking in the way that it showed just how evil teenagers could be, especially rich, white, male, cisgender-the "quadfecta"--without even realizing it, and because of this, I was let down by the ending. Although I did not expect a happy ending and knew that we would read about the passing of Tremendous, I was so invested in his self-growth journey it did not even occur to me that Jenkins would not follow the same path. The ending was jarring, and made me think about what the implications were--are some people just not redeemable? What was the core difference between Jenkins and Tremmy that they could not experience the same arc? How was Tremmy able to decide that Jenkins was unredeemable?

Overall, this is a great book, albeit one that starts off slowly and definitely worth checking out for some profound quotes, but expect to be left with questions.

Loved the premise though it makes this a very hard read, and one that's hard to rate. Not a fan of the toxic masculinity here - I know it's a huge problem in boys' schools but that could have been addressed, rather than it being normalised.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book. :)

In The Momentous Expiration of Tremmy Sinclair by Michael F. Stewart, the reader has no choice but to face their own doom. Or at least think about their own mortality for an uncomfortable amount of time.

It’s impossible not to, as we watch private high school student Tremmy accept his own mortality and the startling realization that his life will be cut short after being diagnosed with a fatal illness. We follow his final year of school at an elite institution filled with super rich kids who have no reason to think about morals, death or how they should be dealing with his upcoming ‘expiration’. Even the adults in his life don’t seem to fare much better, but maybe this is Tremmy’s chance to make a change.

After reading the premise of this book, I was truly excited to see a character with limited time and his interactions with the people around him and I think the essence of this was captured really well, but unfortunately the elite school aspect made it incredibly difficult to relate to or root for any of the characters. Beside their initial identities, we don’t find out too much about their personalities and none of them really managed to stick with me since I’ve read it, so the plot doesn’t hit as hard as I would have wished for. This doesn’t negate the effect completely though and I still managed to get very invested and even shed a few tears.

Overall it was an emotional yet funny and at times ridiculous experience, I would recommend to people looking for some angst that still manages to be lighthearted and introspective.

3.5 Stars

Imagine knowing when you are going to die? Tremmy Sinclair does.
He has cancer, and there is no cure, and suddenly at 17 years old, when he thought he had everything; looks, friends, power & money, he doesn't;t have the thing that is most important to him... time.
Realizing he will die comes with questions and thoughts about dying and why it is so frightening, and why he realizes he doesn't like who he is.

Trigger Warning: mention of sexual assault & attempted SA, assisted death, cancer, white privilege, racism, discrimination, rich privilege, sexism, the white hero trope (which I hated) & death.

This book has honestly some fascinating angles and topics that I appreciated being discussed. As a character, Tremmy wasn't really good, even when he was trying to change because he was dying, I will only give him a little tiny bit of an excuse that he didn't have time -except when it came to Margot & Franklin, he didn't help fast enough and should have given franklin up knowing what he was capable of.
It really opened the topic of death up and compared what certain countries have and how we have desensitized our community now to death, especially with young people.

Pros:
-portrayed the horrors that white, rich people have and can get away with, cases after case is mentioned; the sexual assault, the discrimination, the attempted murder with the crossbow.
-I really enjoy the drone aspect that was added and the strategy planning, it gave me a competitive Battlestar vibe, and I would be interested in a book about team competing with this!
-I'M HAPPY FRANKLIN GOT WHAT WAS COMING TO HIM (I refused to use the name in the book he went by more as he hated his real name, and I dislike him)

Cons:
- Tremmy didn't change as a person as much as I would have hoped for or liked; he let Franklin get away with attempted murder and covered/prevented him from sexually assaulting someone (I'm happy he stopped it but not that he never talked to him further about it or reported it or I don't know warned people about him)
-Toxic masculinity was heavy in this book and was sometimes viewed and portrayed as fine, or the topic was touched to discuss, but nothing came through.

Tremmy Sinclair has barely a few months to live because of his brain tumor, and he wants to spend it at his private school. Tremmy is trying to get medical assistance in dying, but he faces laws and rules that keep him from it. In protest, he instigates conversations about life, death, and mortality.
I’m an absolute sucker for private school books. Tremmy and all his friends are extremely privileged, and that monologue is mildly headache-inducing. However, I enjoyed seeing Tremmy grow and become self-aware, with the guidance of Margot. I really love Margot’s character. At first, she seems like another ‘not like other girls’ character, but as the book progressed she became much, much more.

The author tackles a sensitive subject superbly especially for a YA book. At times it takes a while for the horrors to sink in because of the author’s writing style.

“How do you live a life time in four months?”

Tremmy Sinclair is a privileged jerk and a bully who has just been given the news that he has months to live. His parents drop everything and agree to go on a world tour with Tremmy. However, just before leaving he changes his mind and decides to live his life as if nothing has changed so he goes to school. None of his friends are aware that he is dying and he wants to keep it that way.

The book is heartbreaking and will leave you a crying sobbing mess. For me this was a somewhat difficult read because of the subject matter and because I’m a mother of two but still I couldn’t put it down.

Pjtched as an upper YA novel - which I think is the right age group - this powerful novel addtess many heavier topics well but sometimes doesn't allow for the reader to connect as emotionally to the characters as they need to.

I borrowed this for the cover because OMG it is stunning! But I was ultimately let down. I thought this would be some sort of mystery given the cover, but I found it lacking in more ways than one. I couldn't get into the characters or the story, and I found the book to be disjointed.

Thank you for the e-arc.

“They can challenge and change things because they hold privilege, but they don’t because changing things means bringing the whole thing tumbling down.”

Tremmy Sinclair finds out he has a brain tumour and only has 4 to 6 months to live. He is extremely privileged and goes to a boarding school for (extremely!!) rich kids where he tries to make the most of his last months.
This book handles a lot of very deep and complex subjects in a light-hearted way, which made it very easy and entertaining to read! Tremmy realises (albeit too late) that him and his friends (and mostly everyone at his school, including the adults) are all terrible people. They’re sexists, racists and classists that aren’t aware of their privileges and are terrified of losing it. It’s difficult to actually like a character, even Tremmy says some things that feel too real to be backhanded or “as a joke”.
I felt that some subjects, including death, suicide and Medical Assistance In Dying (MAID) among others were handled nicely and had enough nuance to feel all-encompassing. Other subjects (for example sexism or racism) were only talked about briefly, which usually meant it was missing something to feel like it was significant. The characters usually made up for what was missing in their dialogues, where they clearly show how horrible and prejudiced they are, even if ultimately, I would have enjoyed a bit more on those subjects so that they felt less “surface-level”.
I actually really enjoyed the ending that went somewhere I wasn’t quite expecting!

All around a good book! It probably won’t stick with me, but I couldn’t put it down (Michael’s writing style is so captivating!) so it was a lot of fun while it lasted!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

“Obituaries are packs of lies. Here’s mine.”

When the opening lines of a book are so phenomenal, you know that the book is going to be a phenomenal one too. The book is equal parts hilarious and thought inducing. It starts with a rich white boy writing his own eulogy, which is funny up to the part where he starts writing about why he deserves his death, mainly because he is a privileged white boy who used his privilege in the wrong way. This beginning is a pretty good summary of the journey Tremmy Sinclair takes us through.

The only thing amiss about the book is the writing style, which is confusing at times and it lacks the cohesiveness of a well narrated book.

If you find it irritating to encounter privileged high school boys, you’ll find it even more irritating to read about them. The author did a good job portraying teenage boys, the real version, not the glowed up Augustus Waters version who we all love but can’t seem to find in real life. Jenkins, Tremmy’s best friend, from the very first chapter was a pig headed jerk. Tremmy too, fell in this category, despite his impending death giving him the new self awareness only someone going through a devastating life changing event can acquire.

The book wonderfully depicts the hopelessness that surrounds death and how the characters go about trying to overcome it. Death doesn't only affect the dying, this book reminds us. Everyone deals with their own loss in different ways, and Tremmy chooses to forge his own path, doing what no other person has done before. The character growth in the book is amazing to see, they grow from being annoying jerks to actual human beings capable enough to take care of the dying. Tremmy emulates the philosophy he described to his peers, “Sketch out your tombstone and carve for yourself what you want on there, and don’t let anyone do it for you. I don’t really like the concept of living like you could die at any moment. Instead, let’s live like nothing stands in our way.”

“Endings are the most important parts.” And the ending of Tremmy’s story will leave you shaken to the core, it’s brutal in its honesty and poignantly hard hitting in its humanity. It’ll make you wonder about death, and what eulogy you’d write for yourself and the people around you, teach you a thing or two or a hundred about compassion and friendship, and it will make you cry while saying goodbye to the most irksome character you’ve read but still somehow grown a soft spot for.

3.9/5⭐: Wow, this book was so hard to read but in a good way. It tackled grief and dying, which is hard enough but even worse for a seventeen year old. In this story, we follow Tremendous "Tremmy" Sinclair after his diagnosis finds him with only months to live. Now, he must struggle with how will live and die well, and how his death will make a difference to the ones left behind.

I was crying all throughout this book. I thought it was so heartbreaking but beautifully written. I didn't even like Tremmy much (I think you weren't suppose to) and I was super invested in the narrative style. I'm usually not a fan of first person narratives but this one took the cake. I thought it handled the issue of medical assisted suicide when facing terminal illness really well.

That being said, some of the book irritated me which is why I can't give it five stars. First, I didn't really understand Tremmy's fight a whole lot and what he wanted to get done didn't really make sense to me. Also, Margot was suppose to be like the relatable girl we like but she was just so annoying to me. In fact, all the friend caterers (especially Audra and Jenkins) were super unlikable which made me care less that Tremmy was leaving them behind. For once in a book, I really liked the parental figures and I thought the way they dealt with grief was so powerful.

Minus one point also for the ending (no spoilers), like I understood Tremmy's decisions and that was fine but I just didn't get what he was trying to do with Jenkins like it seemed drastic and for shock factor so he can surprise the audience before we get the ending we expect. I thought it was harsh and took away from book, it needed a more powerful last breathe then that (at least I think so)

Whoa. This book is intense. So many themes were looked at alongside the main story of Tremmy and his untreatable brain tumour. Death, Assisted Dying, Privilege, Bullying, Consent, Justice.

At first, it took me a little while to get into, these rich privileged kids acting like complete knobs - ugh! But that is the point, to try to understand Tremmy's feelings and decisions you have to see where he has come from, where his friends still are.

Tremmy's interactions with his friends, and in particular Jenkins and Margot, really make you stop and think. They are deep, intelligent, and revealing of their privilege or lack thereof. His relationship with his parents is evocative and emotional.

As Tremmy reflects on his previous actions and behaviours you can see why he behaves as he does now with his diagnosis.

I enjoyed (is that the right word for this book?) the plot, it is poignant and powerful, the ending whilst incredibly sad is spectacular!

Prepare to have your heartbroken and be inspired at the same time.

Thank you to Netgalley and The Publishing House for the e-arc to review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.

Within the first few chapters, I genuinely thought this was going to end up on my Did-Not-Finish shelf. I hate to say that. I hate to say I didn’t finish any book. Thankfully, “...Tremmy Sinclair” did end up finished, and I have to say I did enjoy it.

At the very beginning, we are introduced to Tremmy himself, and then those he is surrounded by. The others around him are privileged ( and so is he ! ) and I had such a dislike for so many of them, including Tremmy himself. I had to consider if I wanted to go on.

There is immense character growth as Tremmy’s numbered days dwindle down and we see him try to make the most of his life, what’s left of it that is. He makes the choice to go to school instead of to travel the world and have unbelievable experiences ( courtesy of rich parents ) and he wants to be surrounded by his friends and some semblance of normalcy ( — on this topic, ouch. That’s all I can say ).

By the end, I liked Tremmy, or at least who he’d become and what he tried to do. I also really, really liked the side characters, the head girl and his art class friends. These things made it worth finishing.

Also, I shed a tear. I won’t go into the circumstance, but anyone with a heart bigger than the Grinch’s likely will too!

3.00 stars / 5.00 stars

When your chapters are 'xx days to demise' and your main character has an inoperable brain tumour, you know you're going to have a brutal and emotionally shattering reading experience. That's the case with this book but I adored it.

Tremmy Sinclair is not a light read but it was surprisingly hilarious given its subject. It was refreshing to see that the writer avoided the clichéd strategy of raking the tragedy and misery for every ounce of tear-jerking pity. Yes, Tremendous is dying of cancer, but that's not all the story is about. You see the pitfalls of teenage relationships, the flawed nature of all of us and the harsh, often brutal reality of what it must be to know you're dying.

This book will make some people sob. But it should also make them laugh out loud and marvel at the resilience and humour that exists within all young people.