Before I Die by Jenny Downham

I recently finished listening to Before I Die and I think that it was excellently written and performed. Sixteen year old Tessa is dying of Leukemia, and so in order to get the most out of what time she's got left, she makes a list of things that she wants to do, beginning with experiencing sex. Some of these things get her in trouble, but they help her cope. Tessa deals with not only her own fears and feelings, but also those of her friends and family. Her best friend Zoe is by turns angry at her and bored with her, her dad is protective and her mom has kept herself almost completely unaware of the particulars of Tessa's condition.

British (?) reader Charlotte Parry believably voices the characters and differentiates them well.

The story is emotional and touching, but not maudlin. I tend to avoid books in which the main character is dying, but I had heard such positive buzz about this that I was willing to try it and I liked Tessa very much. See if you do, too.