Before I die

OK here goes trying to stir up a bit of a debate about a book I recently read.
It is "Before I die" by Jenny Downham. I can hardly say I enjoyed this book because the subject matter was quite depressing. What can you say about a terminally ill teenager who is working her way through a list of excesses before she dies ?
I thought it was not very well written anyway, but my main problem was the morality of the main character: sex, drugs, petty crime are high on her list of things to achieve before she dies.Her friends, the boys in her life do her no favours until she meets Adam, the 'boy next door'. I do not know if this is the way a terminally ill teenager would think or behave, but I do think that this was not sensitively handled and in parts was quite gratuitous.
I would struggle to recommend this to pupils not because of the subject matter (there have been several excellent books about death and young people recently e.g. Skin and Ways to live forever) but because of the lack of hope in the main character. Okay, what hope does a dying person have ?I can believe in a rebellious reaction to a terminal illness but her recklessness makes Tessa very unlikeable for me. If anyone else has read this what do you think ?
Tell me I am being too hard on this book and that teenagers will love it !
Who might you expect to read this ?