I hadn't actually heard anything about this book until I saw the cover reveal, and despite that old saying "don't judge a book by its cover" I decided I HAD to read it because that cover, it's BEAUTIFUL. And when I read the description I was rather intrigued because despite all of the books about what happens AFTER the world ends, there really weren't any books about JUST BEFORE the world ended. In fact, I have a story idea that sounded a lot like this book, so I was at once both excited and somewhat disappointed because if someone already did it I can't do it. Now that I've finished the book I'm not worried at all about not being able to go forward with my idea because this book wasn't really what I was expecting. The book follows three teenagers through the week leading up to an asteroid hitting the Earth. No one really knows what will happen once it hits Earth, but the consensus is that it's not good. I think I was expecting more action and more substance. The whole book really revolved around the teenagers and followed the ins and outs of their days, including love, family, and death. If the book were something different I think it might have gone over a little better with me, but the fact that everyone seemed so calm in the face of the world possibly ending was really hard for me to believe, I mean, here in America we have riots if a sports team loses. I expected there to be more swearing and sex and crying and drinking, maybe some explosions and big confessions, but what I found wasn't that. It was really more of a contemporary book, which is fine, I just think it's maybe masquerading as something it's not. The other problem I had was I just, I didn't care. I didn't care about the characters AT ALL, and the ending left me REALLY unsatisfied. Maybe my hopes were too high for this book and I know I went in expecting something different, but although the cover is beautiful I can't highly recommend this book. It was an enjoyable read it just wasn't enjoyable enough for me to love it and go yelling to the sky about it. If you do pick up this book be warned that it's not a dystopian in any way, shape, or form, but more of a contemporary, and maybe if it had been pitched that way I would have been happier. As a contemporary though I feel like it had some really good parts and a good message in the end though, so for that, and the tri-POV I commend the author for her work.
Out September 17, 2013
3.5/5 dust spirits
*Thank you to Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) for providing me with an e-galley of this book in return for an honest review
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