ARC, 416 pages
Release Date: August 27, 2024
Published by: Disney Hyperion
Read from: August 11-September 4, 2024
Stand-alone
Source: Tx Library Association Conference
Content Warning: Suicide Ideation, Climate Anxiety, Anxiety Spirals
For Readers Interested in: Romance, Coming of Age, Realistic Fiction, YASurvival Tip #1: The world is going to shit. Whatever you do, trust no one.
Sixteen-year old Niarah Holloway’s only goal in life is to get through it unnoticed. That, and to spend her first summer in LA building a doomsday bunker in her backyard. Because if the past few years have taught Niarah anything, it’s that the ocean levels are rising, minimum wage is a scam, and the people who are supposed to protect you will hurt you. Now the only thing that helps Niarah stay afloat amidst the constant waves of anxiety and dread that threaten to drag her under is her new mantra: Be prepared.
But Niarah wasn’t prepared for Mac Torres. Not for his disarmingly cute face, or for his surfer lifestyle, or for the way his smile resuscitates her heart. Mac is a bomb that blows Niarah’s world to pieces, but instead of disaster, he fills it with sunset bonfires, breakfast burritos, and new friends.
For years, Niarah’s life has revolved around ignoring the demons of her past, avoiding the problems of her present, and preparing for the catastrophes of the future. Now Mac—with his sunshine laugh and infectious optimism— is determined to show her another way to be. But in a world where the worst feels inevitable, can one summer be enough to light the way to a hopeful future? Can one summer be enough to fall in love?
*MY THOUGHTS*
This was a book I knew I was going to love. The author’s debut was one of my favorites last year, so I just knew that this was going to be amazing as well. And here we are proving myself correct. I loved this and I can safely say Jade Adia has placed herself on my favorite authors list.
Ok so I know some of you might have questions on why I added Climate Anxiety to the content warnings, but it’s a real thing. Especially if you’ve just experienced a natural disaster like I have. Even though she was nervous about earthquakes, with her explaining that these things are getting more frequent as well as worse, it really hit a nerve. As someone who experiences the threat of hurricanes every year and has read the same thing about those, this freaked me out. And after experiencing one this year and it being one we never saw before (a mostly wind hurricane where we had minimal flooding but there was so much wind damage) I know this couldn’t be more true. And because it got me, I just added it in case it would help someone else. This is the book I said reminded me too much of me because Lordt she was worried about earthquakes, but the way I related to this character and her worries was so real.
So basically I liked the characters, but I think the best part of this book was the fact that even though there is a great person she was learning to really like, there was no “cure” to this. Because in reality, most times there isn’t. And I loved that Adia didn’t shy away from her character’s feelings. They were raw and real. As someone with anxiety, I can honestly say I had to put this down a couple times because it was too much. And I thought it was really interesting to see the comparison of the two of them. The climate doomist and the climate optimist were an odd pair, but I enjoyed the two of them together. (And let me just say, Mac loved this girl lol And I loved that for the both of them. I think they both needed each other.) And the other person that was healing in the story….. I liked that Adia showed that that person’s timeline in healing wasn’t linear either. Because everyone’s story is different, and they all matter.
I will say I wish the pacing was different. The ending felt rushed. It was long and drawn out in the beginning and it felt like they literally just ran out of pages by the time they got there. I wanted more time to see her getting some help. We spent this whole time getting to know her, her anxious life, and when things got dire, it was like “so boom” this happened and it was over. I know help looks different for everyone, but I do wish we had a better look at the part where she gets the help she needs.
This book hit real deep in me. I don’t know I would have felt it as much if I hadn’t just lived through a hurricane and actually lived through at least 2 others in my lifetime that were detrimental to my house and my life. (Ike in 2008 and Harvey in 2017) I charge people to read this story and not feel for at least one of these characters. I was glad to have finished this book during Suicide Prevention Month. (If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, call or text 988 immediately. OR You can also chat with the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988lifeline.org.)
Overall I give this
