Should old acquaintance be forgot? I guess it REALLY depends on the acquaintance. Considering the story I'm featuring today, it's a little bit of both. But I digress...today we're saying GOODBYE to 2024, and HELLO to 2025. It's here whether we're ready or not...and hopefully you're more ready than not...but if you're reading list isn't ready, I've got another for your TBR right here. It's a YA lit Dystopian title set to release January 7th via Delacorte Press, and it's one of those stories you can't help but be caught up in, yet the exact why is illusive. Ready for more? Here we go! Ladies and gents, today's ebook of choice...
by
Lily Braun-Arnold
9780593899489
Delacorte Press
About the book...
The world is about to end. Again.
Ever since the first Storm wreaked havoc on civilization as we know it, seventeen-year-old Liz Flannery has been holed up in an abandoned bookstore in suburban New Jersey where she used to work, trading books for supplies with the few remaining survivors. It’s the one place left that feels safe to her.
Until she learns that another earth-shattering Storm is coming . . . and everything changes.
Enter Maeve, a prickly and potentially dangerous out-of-towner who breaks into the bookstore looking for shelter one night. Though the two girls are immediately at odds, Maeve has what Liz needs—the skills to repair the dilapidated store before the next climate disaster strikes—and Liz reluctantly agrees to let her stay.
As the girls grow closer and undeniable feelings spring up between them, they realize that they face greater threats than the impending Storm. And when Maeve’s secrets and Liz’s inner demons come back to haunt them both, they find themselves fighting for their lives as their world crumbles around them.
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Have you ever read a book where nothing much happens and yet EVERYTHING happens? It's not a mover and shaker type of story, and yet you can't turn away from it. I think it's the humanity in the writing, and the eeriness of the reality painted before our eyes that really caught me in its spell. I could step back and see that we hadn't moved very much in the story, and yet I couldn't care less. I was caught in the here and now, but also the glimpses at the past as we gradually build the history of what happened in the world and in HER world. The her in that statement is Liz. I could easily see myself in her place, and while I'd like to say that I would have had a more Maeve take on the change in circumstances, meaning that I could keep things light, keep moving, and do what was needed whenever needed, I think I'd really be more of a Liz whereas I would want to preserve what I could of normal everyday life, and try to make a go of things where I was at versus taking on the newly changed world. The thing is the place that they've landed isn't even their final destination because everything that's already happened is about to come back again in possibly an even worse way. The good news, they've been through some of it at least before so they know what to avoid, but the bad news is that a world in turmoil tossed into MORE turmoil doesn't always take that change kindly. Some fight back...and sometimes the one with more bite wins.
This was an incredible story that kept me turning pages. I needed to know what happened before, but I wanted to see what would happen in the present. Honestly, I'm still curious what would happen in the days to come, but I'm not certain this is the type of story that would benefit from an additional release. I think it's meant to leave you with the feelings built during the story, while making you imagine what might still occur. I'll warn you the feelings do get heavy, and some scenes are definitely more traumatic than others, but I wouldn't miss out on the experience for the world. If you enjoy Young Adult Fiction with a Fantasy/Dystopian flair, this is wholeheartedly the story for you.
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About the author...
Lily Braun-Arnold is currently an undergraduate at Smith College studying English. When she isn’t writing, she can be found working at her local independent bookstore, Watchung Booksellers, or daydreaming about living in outer space.
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Special thanks to the Random House Children's team for the approval on NetGalley for review. (THANKS!) For more information on this title, the author, or the publisher, feel free to click through the links above. This title is set to release January 7th, 2025 via Delacorte Press, so mark your calendar, or preorder your copy today!
Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT...
...and wishing you and yours a happy new year!
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