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cafeyre's review against another edition
3.0
What would you do if one day you discover that you have nine months left? Not because of a disease, but because all humankind and other species will extinct. When news breaks that humans have done such damage to the earth and that it’s too late to repair it Olivia discovers that it is the time for her to start living her life. She was always a shy person who preferred to stay at home than socialize with people. Her social anxiety was always standing in her way to make new friends or tell the girls she loves about her feelings. Now she needs to decide if she will spend her last months living in a way she did before or be brave and live her life as fully as she can. However, it’s not as easy as it’s said.
Out of blue, she discovers that she has a long-lost cousin that she didn’t even know existed. She decides to contact her, and their relations get closer each day. Natasha is everything Olivia always wanted to be. Her ease and self-confidence affect Libby, that she trusts everything she says. She convinces her that she is the only person that can help her to make her life better. However, when she joins Olivia and her family on the family trip, she realizes that Natasha isn’t everything she first appears to be.
BOOK REVIEW
It’s a little bit hard for me to review this book since I was prepared for a completely different story than that. I thought it will be written more in a dystopian way, however, it was a more teen contemporary novel. As much as I enjoyed this book, I was also a little bit disappointed.
I think the story overall is very well written, the plot interesting and the mystery very well structured. In the beginning, I wasn’t sure if I will like the main character Olivia, however, it’s only because I didn’t see all the qualities that we can learn about her throughout the book. I loved to watch her open and grow up. She changed a lot thanks to Natasha, and as much as she hurt her at the end I think it was kind of worth it. She broke the limits and finally started living. She spent her summer abroad learning how to forget about her fear. I really enjoyed her and Natasha running through Madrid and Paris and showing the magic tricks to people. Honestly, I would like to do it myself. Just run away to a nice city and perform to make money for hotels and food.
Well, as good as it sounds, I knew from the start that there was something wrong with Natasha. There were a lot of signs on the way that were screaming at Libby “Run”. I was so surprised that her parents let her go with her to Madrid and then Paris when they knew that there was something wrong. I think this was one of these moments in the book that I could not understand, it was just so stupid. Besides, Natasha was a very sneaky person that knows how to sell her lies. On one side I dislike her for what she did to Libby for the faults of Natasha’s father. I could feel the anxiety coming from Olivia after what Natasha did to her. If I would be in her place, I would die from a heart attack. It would be so terrifying. However, there was this one side that even I wanted to believe that she is there with Olivia just because she wants to get to know her better. I wanted her to be like a sister to her because Libby deserves to have more people that love her in her life.
The aspect of the end of the world situation was shown in this book from the perspective of “how people would behave if they know that they have only nine months left. I think that even if the chaos I expected to find in this book wasn’t there, the whole situation hit me hard. Especially in the situations when many species just started dying. This kind of situation opens your eyes because you can clearly see that there’s no coming back, no solution that will help you to survive. It was a very interesting background to show the change in the person. However, it’s very upsetting that when Olivia finally gets to the point she wants to live, she loses her time for a person that only wants to trick her, instead of with people that she loves.
I would like to thank TheWriteReads, Emily Barr, and Penguin for inviting me to join this tour. I was enjoying reading this book a lot and I was happy to review it. I hope you guys enjoyed my review and will read this book yourself soon.
Out of blue, she discovers that she has a long-lost cousin that she didn’t even know existed. She decides to contact her, and their relations get closer each day. Natasha is everything Olivia always wanted to be. Her ease and self-confidence affect Libby, that she trusts everything she says. She convinces her that she is the only person that can help her to make her life better. However, when she joins Olivia and her family on the family trip, she realizes that Natasha isn’t everything she first appears to be.
BOOK REVIEW
It’s a little bit hard for me to review this book since I was prepared for a completely different story than that. I thought it will be written more in a dystopian way, however, it was a more teen contemporary novel. As much as I enjoyed this book, I was also a little bit disappointed.
I think the story overall is very well written, the plot interesting and the mystery very well structured. In the beginning, I wasn’t sure if I will like the main character Olivia, however, it’s only because I didn’t see all the qualities that we can learn about her throughout the book. I loved to watch her open and grow up. She changed a lot thanks to Natasha, and as much as she hurt her at the end I think it was kind of worth it. She broke the limits and finally started living. She spent her summer abroad learning how to forget about her fear. I really enjoyed her and Natasha running through Madrid and Paris and showing the magic tricks to people. Honestly, I would like to do it myself. Just run away to a nice city and perform to make money for hotels and food.
Well, as good as it sounds, I knew from the start that there was something wrong with Natasha. There were a lot of signs on the way that were screaming at Libby “Run”. I was so surprised that her parents let her go with her to Madrid and then Paris when they knew that there was something wrong. I think this was one of these moments in the book that I could not understand, it was just so stupid. Besides, Natasha was a very sneaky person that knows how to sell her lies. On one side I dislike her for what she did to Libby for the faults of Natasha’s father. I could feel the anxiety coming from Olivia after what Natasha did to her. If I would be in her place, I would die from a heart attack. It would be so terrifying. However, there was this one side that even I wanted to believe that she is there with Olivia just because she wants to get to know her better. I wanted her to be like a sister to her because Libby deserves to have more people that love her in her life.
The aspect of the end of the world situation was shown in this book from the perspective of “how people would behave if they know that they have only nine months left. I think that even if the chaos I expected to find in this book wasn’t there, the whole situation hit me hard. Especially in the situations when many species just started dying. This kind of situation opens your eyes because you can clearly see that there’s no coming back, no solution that will help you to survive. It was a very interesting background to show the change in the person. However, it’s very upsetting that when Olivia finally gets to the point she wants to live, she loses her time for a person that only wants to trick her, instead of with people that she loves.
I would like to thank TheWriteReads, Emily Barr, and Penguin for inviting me to join this tour. I was enjoying reading this book a lot and I was happy to review it. I hope you guys enjoyed my review and will read this book yourself soon.
blackveakai's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.75
elliemaiblogs's review against another edition
3.0
I went into this book really excited thinking it was going to be this epic end of the world thriller. It didn’t take me long to realise that this book isn’t really that and I have to say I was a bit disappointed. However! I kept on reading because I was intrigued to find out that even though the world is ending, it still seemed normal. It was very interesting and different to see the months leading up to the end of the world and how everyone reacts to it.
Things To Do Before The End Of The World follows shy and socially awkward Libby through her last few months on earth. She desperately wants to fit in and be more confident so she can get the girl she’s always wanted. The beginning started off a bit slow for me as it is centred around Libby and her crush Zoe when I expected more dramatic end of the world situations. Yet, when she gets some news that her Dad’s brother has passed away and she has a long-distance cousin called Natasha, it starts to get more interesting!
It really started to pick up for me about halfway through and I am so happy that I stuck with it. Once Libby, her mum and her stepdad go on holiday to Spain to make the most of the ‘end times’. She finally meets Natasha after many months of emailing. I didn’t know what to think much of her character at first but I ended up loving her confidence and this connection she had to magic and the spirit realm. She is definitely unique and I was surprised by how suspicious and eerie she got so quickly. This is what made me really enjoy the book and read on. I had to find out what she knew and how she knew certain things.
Overall, to say I had a rocky start with it, I flew through this book. The writing style was really good, easy to follow and once I got over the fact the story isn’t really about the end of the world I really enjoyed it. Libby and Natasha really captivated me into the story and It was hard not to read when all the secrets started to come out!
Things To Do Before The End Of The World follows shy and socially awkward Libby through her last few months on earth. She desperately wants to fit in and be more confident so she can get the girl she’s always wanted. The beginning started off a bit slow for me as it is centred around Libby and her crush Zoe when I expected more dramatic end of the world situations. Yet, when she gets some news that her Dad’s brother has passed away and she has a long-distance cousin called Natasha, it starts to get more interesting!
It really started to pick up for me about halfway through and I am so happy that I stuck with it. Once Libby, her mum and her stepdad go on holiday to Spain to make the most of the ‘end times’. She finally meets Natasha after many months of emailing. I didn’t know what to think much of her character at first but I ended up loving her confidence and this connection she had to magic and the spirit realm. She is definitely unique and I was surprised by how suspicious and eerie she got so quickly. This is what made me really enjoy the book and read on. I had to find out what she knew and how she knew certain things.
Overall, to say I had a rocky start with it, I flew through this book. The writing style was really good, easy to follow and once I got over the fact the story isn’t really about the end of the world I really enjoyed it. Libby and Natasha really captivated me into the story and It was hard not to read when all the secrets started to come out!
shelvesofstarlight's review against another edition
5.0
Libby was an interesting character to follow throughout the book and I really liked her as the protagonist, even if she was a bit naive at certain times about everything that happened with Natasha throughout the book. Natasha was very complex but she was quite fishy throughout the whole book so I knew that she would inevitably do something questionable. However, I did love seeing Libby change into someone more confident and come out of her shell in the style of a coming-of-age book which I did really enjoy reading because it added a sort of sad note to the book given that it was all happening just as the world was about to end.
The plot was, as I said a coming-of-age and that was lovely to read even with the growing threat of the Creep throughout the book. However, I thought that the idea of the end of the world could have been played up a little bit more to create a bit more of a dramatic atmosphere and more of a sense of sadness at the end of the book. Speaking of the end of the book I did think it was all handled very well, with the dramatic conflict between Natasha and Libby and then the Creep coming around.
The writing was very enjoyable and easy to read, keeping me engaged throughout the book. I think that there could have been more of a sense of tension around the Creep and then Natasha being fishy around Libby. I did like how the little clues about Natasha came back later to explain her actions and that is something that I appreciate.
I received this book through NetGalley as part of a blog tour in exchange for an honest review.
The plot was, as I said a coming-of-age and that was lovely to read even with the growing threat of the Creep throughout the book. However, I thought that the idea of the end of the world could have been played up a little bit more to create a bit more of a dramatic atmosphere and more of a sense of sadness at the end of the book. Speaking of the end of the book I did think it was all handled very well, with the dramatic conflict between Natasha and Libby and then the Creep coming around.
The writing was very enjoyable and easy to read, keeping me engaged throughout the book. I think that there could have been more of a sense of tension around the Creep and then Natasha being fishy around Libby. I did like how the little clues about Natasha came back later to explain her actions and that is something that I appreciate.
I received this book through NetGalley as part of a blog tour in exchange for an honest review.
rachiiebookworm2710's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
I listened to via BorrowBox,
I found it interesting and odd but overall good.
Read for reading challenges
3.75/5
I found it interesting and odd but overall good.
Read for reading challenges
3.75/5
desiree_s's review against another edition
2.0
I wanted more end of the world stuff and less other stuff.
frombethanysbookshelf's review against another edition
5.0
"What do you do at the end of the world?
1. Live your best life
2. Uncover family secrets
3. Trust no-one."
Olivia was avoiding the Christmas party when she got the news - the end of the world was really coming. She thought the only things she had to worry about were not having the guts to talk to the girl she liked and being too scared to audition for Juliet in the play, but none of that mattered now. Humans have done so much irreversible damage to the planet that breathable air is running out - scientists estimate a year at most before Earth is altogether unliveable.
Olivia thought she had all the time in the world to figure out who she wants to be and what she wants to do but now she's struggling to do anything. Until she meets Natasha - a long lost cousin who wants to reconnect with her family while she still can. She's amazing - beautiful, confident and so sure about who she is that it's giving Olivia hope in a hopeless world. As the two meet up to enjoy one last summer together, Olivia finds there's more nightmares coming her way than just mass extinction.
"You have to decide whether to go with it meekly like you usually do, or to do something brave, to live your last months with all the energy and bravery you can muster, to rage against the dying of the light."
Things to Do Before the End of the World was a visceral, vibrant story about the end times that had such a unique charm and had me hooked. This was a strange version of the usual apocalypse stories that focused not on the end of the world itself, but the journey there. About the strange human tendencies to ignore and hide, about the things we do to cope; denial, religion, spiritualism, fighting and eventually acceptance.
Olivia was a nervous, quiet soul who resonated with me immediately - she was so relatable and loveable that I would love to have her as a my friend in the end of days. She found a way to find true beauty in the world and try to savour every moment as well as she could.
Hauntingly beautiful, wickedly sharp and devastatingly fun - this book is going to be living rent-free in my head quite possibly until the world ends.
RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thank you to Emily Barr, Penguin Random House UK and Netgalley for a reviews copy in return for an honest review.
1. Live your best life
2. Uncover family secrets
3. Trust no-one."
Olivia was avoiding the Christmas party when she got the news - the end of the world was really coming. She thought the only things she had to worry about were not having the guts to talk to the girl she liked and being too scared to audition for Juliet in the play, but none of that mattered now. Humans have done so much irreversible damage to the planet that breathable air is running out - scientists estimate a year at most before Earth is altogether unliveable.
Olivia thought she had all the time in the world to figure out who she wants to be and what she wants to do but now she's struggling to do anything. Until she meets Natasha - a long lost cousin who wants to reconnect with her family while she still can. She's amazing - beautiful, confident and so sure about who she is that it's giving Olivia hope in a hopeless world. As the two meet up to enjoy one last summer together, Olivia finds there's more nightmares coming her way than just mass extinction.
"You have to decide whether to go with it meekly like you usually do, or to do something brave, to live your last months with all the energy and bravery you can muster, to rage against the dying of the light."
Things to Do Before the End of the World was a visceral, vibrant story about the end times that had such a unique charm and had me hooked. This was a strange version of the usual apocalypse stories that focused not on the end of the world itself, but the journey there. About the strange human tendencies to ignore and hide, about the things we do to cope; denial, religion, spiritualism, fighting and eventually acceptance.
Olivia was a nervous, quiet soul who resonated with me immediately - she was so relatable and loveable that I would love to have her as a my friend in the end of days. She found a way to find true beauty in the world and try to savour every moment as well as she could.
Hauntingly beautiful, wickedly sharp and devastatingly fun - this book is going to be living rent-free in my head quite possibly until the world ends.
RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thank you to Emily Barr, Penguin Random House UK and Netgalley for a reviews copy in return for an honest review.
elliephant's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
ewwemo's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
greete's review against another edition
4.0
See oli nii põnev. Ma pole ammu ammu ühtegi raamatut lugenud ja see oli hea. Pani mõtlema nii paljudele asjadele. Lisaks, kuna ma seda järjest lugesin, hakkas mulle tunduma nagu ma elaks ka seal maailmas, mis lõppema hakkab. Veits hirmus.
Libby oli äärmiselt meeldiv. Sain samastuda temaga. (Inimestega ON raske rääkida ja selles pole midagi halba, kui inimene on vaikne!!)
Tahaks kohe palju raamatuid lugeda nüüd.
Aa ja muidugi tahaks reisida ka. Neid kirjelsusi oli nii tore lugeda, et ma hakkasin lennupileteid vaatama.
Libby oli äärmiselt meeldiv. Sain samastuda temaga. (Inimestega ON raske rääkida ja selles pole midagi halba, kui inimene on vaikne!!)
Tahaks kohe palju raamatuid lugeda nüüd.
Aa ja muidugi tahaks reisida ka. Neid kirjelsusi oli nii tore lugeda, et ma hakkasin lennupileteid vaatama.