Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.43 AVERAGE
3.43 AVERAGE
Couldn’t put this book down! I needed to see where Olivia’s journey would take her. The story became less and less about the fate of the world to me as the book went on. I was so focused on Libby and her personal growth and who and where she would be when the last days of humanity arrived. (I liked that we didn’t find out exactly what happened past that)
Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this great book.
Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this great book.
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
4/5 stars
Emily Barr is the sort of author whose books get better and better, although I certainly think that Barr's YA books are not for everyone. I liked the end of the world setting, and I thought that it did almost feel like it felt very fitting for the events of the last year, although I know that the release of this book was held back a year. Anyway, in this book, the world is forced in a situation where there will be no safe air to breathe by September 17, and the main character, Olivia, is trying to work out who she is while travelling Europe. It's not too heavy on the apocalyptic stuff, so I would recommend this to someone who maybe enjoys light sci-fi or wants to get into the genre. It's also written very well.
Things to Do Before the End of the World is marketed as a thriller, although it isn't necessarily what you would expect for a thriller. The "thriller" element is quite slow and builds up quite gradually, and is not the main focus of the story. I actually tend to like thrillers that creep up on you like this one does, but they are definitely not something that everything would enjoy. We do get hints throughout the story (from around the 180 to 200-page mark) that something isn't quite right, but it isn't thrown into action until almost the 300-page mark. I often find YA thrillers a difficult genre to find a book that I like in, but as this really isn't a conventional YA thriller with all the ridiculousness and repetitiveness they contain, I did enjoy it a lot. However, I do understand that this type of thriller isn't the sort of thing everyone would like, as it isn't a thriller in a way that is like a murder mystery for example, which is something that does fall under the thriller genre.
Overall, I did enjoy this book, and I will of course be reading another book by Emily Barr in the future. This is probably my favourite young adult book by her out of the four she's written so far (I have read them all).
Emily Barr is the sort of author whose books get better and better, although I certainly think that Barr's YA books are not for everyone. I liked the end of the world setting, and I thought that it did almost feel like it felt very fitting for the events of the last year, although I know that the release of this book was held back a year. Anyway, in this book, the world is forced in a situation where there will be no safe air to breathe by September 17, and the main character, Olivia, is trying to work out who she is while travelling Europe. It's not too heavy on the apocalyptic stuff, so I would recommend this to someone who maybe enjoys light sci-fi or wants to get into the genre. It's also written very well.
Things to Do Before the End of the World is marketed as a thriller, although it isn't necessarily what you would expect for a thriller. The "thriller" element is quite slow and builds up quite gradually, and is not the main focus of the story. I actually tend to like thrillers that creep up on you like this one does, but they are definitely not something that everything would enjoy. We do get hints throughout the story (from around the 180 to 200-page mark) that something isn't quite right, but it isn't thrown into action until almost the 300-page mark. I often find YA thrillers a difficult genre to find a book that I like in, but as this really isn't a conventional YA thriller with all the ridiculousness and repetitiveness they contain, I did enjoy it a lot. However, I do understand that this type of thriller isn't the sort of thing everyone would like, as it isn't a thriller in a way that is like a murder mystery for example, which is something that does fall under the thriller genre.
Overall, I did enjoy this book, and I will of course be reading another book by Emily Barr in the future. This is probably my favourite young adult book by her out of the four she's written so far (I have read them all).
This is a story about the impending apocalypse, but not in the way one might expect. A familiar concept is turned on its head as the narrative centres upon well developed characters and complex family dynamics, all taking place within an interesting variety of vibrant settings and a fast-paced plot that takes a long time to catch fire before ending on a high.
Rather than depicting an oppressive dystopian society at the end of its existence, that premise is merely a plot device acting as a backdrop to what is perhaps more of a contemporary with some minor elements of a thriller. That and the lack of genuinely high stakes for most of the book made it a neat little spin on the genre, and while it might not have been altogether successful, it was certainly an enjoyable enough read.
The news has just broken that the planet has suffered irreparable damage and everyone only has approximately nine months to live. There are many things Olivia wants to do before it happens, but she is too anxious and lacking in confidence to achieve any of them, instead taking comfort in spoiling her half-siblings and writing unsent emails to the girl she is secretly in love with.
But then she is informed of the news that her uncle who lived in the United States has passed away in a car crash, leaving behind a cousin she never knew existed. She immediately makes contact with Natasha, who comes across as self-assured and with a very positive frame of mind, everything that Olivia aspires to be.
The two eventually meet on holiday in Spain and under Natasha’s influence, Olivia becomes much more at ease with herself and around others. They soon begin to dress the same and perform magic to earn money from fellow tourists, but after spending increasing amounts of time in her cousin’s company, she begins to realise that Natasha is not what she seems.
While there is a lot said about the upcoming end of the world and the actions of the characters are largely dictated by it, this theme does not actually have a huge effect on the story as a whole. Many of the events that happen here could have taken place without the presence of that entire sub-plot and it would not have made much of a difference, although the way the author presents the doomsday scenario is intriguing.
There is no mass hysteria or desperate attempts to reverse the fate of the planet; just a general acceptance that there is not much time left and therefore everybody can live with a degree of freedom. As for the plot itself, certain elements were predictable but it really gets going towards the end, where there are plenty of questions to resolve and the odd unexpected twist.
The entire book is told in the first person from Olivia’s point of view, and the author does an excellent job of capturing her shy personality and feelings of awkwardness. This made her relatable in some ways and there is an effective contrast made between her and Natasha, who by comparison is larger than life. Despite everything she encounters and the influence Natasha has on her, Olivia’s heart is always in the right place and we get a further insight into her thoughts with the observations that are written in brackets.
Natasha’s exuberance is clear to see right from the start, but as soon as she actually meets Olivia and her family in Spain doubts about her true nature creep in and she always comes across as deceitful. All the magic tricks, fortune-telling, and her supposed ability to communicate with the dead were part of the mystery surrounding her, but for me this did get a bit too strange and also slightly tiresome.
However, she is not the only character who is hiding something. Olivia’s parents have also not been totally honest with her during her lifetime even though they seem like good people, and the sub-plot about Violet was as fascinating as it was enduring. My favourite member of the supporting cast meanwhile was Zoe, who was really kind and her relationship with Olivia becomes adorable.
The fast pace of the story means many of the settings are experienced without pausing for breath, but in spite of that the author still manages to pack in an impressive amount of detail and give everywhere a sense of place. I especially felt transported to the serene atmosphere of Moralzarzal and also the lavish hotel where Olivia and Natasha stay when they arrive in Paris.
In terms of the ending, a lot happens in a short space of time but this part of the book was rarely anything less than entertaining. There were one or two revelations which I did not see coming and some things are left to the reader to make their own interpretation, but for Olivia it turns into a journey of understanding and self-discovery.
Overall, there are a number of ideas and concepts involved in this story and they have varying degrees of success. The writing is good with Olivia’s perspective more or less spot on, and Emily Barr once again spoils us with the exotic settings. Quite whether the end of the world plotline works well is open to debate, but what cannot be denied is that it does provide an added dimension.
Rather than depicting an oppressive dystopian society at the end of its existence, that premise is merely a plot device acting as a backdrop to what is perhaps more of a contemporary with some minor elements of a thriller. That and the lack of genuinely high stakes for most of the book made it a neat little spin on the genre, and while it might not have been altogether successful, it was certainly an enjoyable enough read.
The news has just broken that the planet has suffered irreparable damage and everyone only has approximately nine months to live. There are many things Olivia wants to do before it happens, but she is too anxious and lacking in confidence to achieve any of them, instead taking comfort in spoiling her half-siblings and writing unsent emails to the girl she is secretly in love with.
But then she is informed of the news that her uncle who lived in the United States has passed away in a car crash, leaving behind a cousin she never knew existed. She immediately makes contact with Natasha, who comes across as self-assured and with a very positive frame of mind, everything that Olivia aspires to be.
The two eventually meet on holiday in Spain and under Natasha’s influence, Olivia becomes much more at ease with herself and around others. They soon begin to dress the same and perform magic to earn money from fellow tourists, but after spending increasing amounts of time in her cousin’s company, she begins to realise that Natasha is not what she seems.
While there is a lot said about the upcoming end of the world and the actions of the characters are largely dictated by it, this theme does not actually have a huge effect on the story as a whole. Many of the events that happen here could have taken place without the presence of that entire sub-plot and it would not have made much of a difference, although the way the author presents the doomsday scenario is intriguing.
There is no mass hysteria or desperate attempts to reverse the fate of the planet; just a general acceptance that there is not much time left and therefore everybody can live with a degree of freedom. As for the plot itself, certain elements were predictable but it really gets going towards the end, where there are plenty of questions to resolve and the odd unexpected twist.
The entire book is told in the first person from Olivia’s point of view, and the author does an excellent job of capturing her shy personality and feelings of awkwardness. This made her relatable in some ways and there is an effective contrast made between her and Natasha, who by comparison is larger than life. Despite everything she encounters and the influence Natasha has on her, Olivia’s heart is always in the right place and we get a further insight into her thoughts with the observations that are written in brackets.
Natasha’s exuberance is clear to see right from the start, but as soon as she actually meets Olivia and her family in Spain doubts about her true nature creep in and she always comes across as deceitful. All the magic tricks, fortune-telling, and her supposed ability to communicate with the dead were part of the mystery surrounding her, but for me this did get a bit too strange and also slightly tiresome.
However, she is not the only character who is hiding something. Olivia’s parents have also not been totally honest with her during her lifetime even though they seem like good people, and the sub-plot about Violet was as fascinating as it was enduring. My favourite member of the supporting cast meanwhile was Zoe, who was really kind and her relationship with Olivia becomes adorable.
The fast pace of the story means many of the settings are experienced without pausing for breath, but in spite of that the author still manages to pack in an impressive amount of detail and give everywhere a sense of place. I especially felt transported to the serene atmosphere of Moralzarzal and also the lavish hotel where Olivia and Natasha stay when they arrive in Paris.
In terms of the ending, a lot happens in a short space of time but this part of the book was rarely anything less than entertaining. There were one or two revelations which I did not see coming and some things are left to the reader to make their own interpretation, but for Olivia it turns into a journey of understanding and self-discovery.
Overall, there are a number of ideas and concepts involved in this story and they have varying degrees of success. The writing is good with Olivia’s perspective more or less spot on, and Emily Barr once again spoils us with the exotic settings. Quite whether the end of the world plotline works well is open to debate, but what cannot be denied is that it does provide an added dimension.
Book source ~ Tour
It’s the end of the world. Or soon to be. There’s only so much safe air left to breathe and you’d think people would be panicking, rioting, living it up. But they aren’t. For the most part they’re just going about things, business as usual. Even though there’s less than a year left before everyone croaks. Weird, right?
Olivia is an introverted teenager who decides it’s time to break out of her shell. A little bit. But then her long lost adventurous and confident cousin shows up from the US and Olivia suddenly wishes she could be more like Natasha. No, Olivia. You really don’t.
I received this book as part of The Write Reads tour (now long over) and had a hard time with it. I eventually just did a spotlight for the tour, but the book was lingering on my “currently reading” shelf so I decided to just finish it. While nearly all of the bloggers on the tour liked, even loved, this book, it was not for me. I could not connect with Oliva at all and I loathed Natasha as soon as she hit the pages. I was also expecting more of an apocalyptic setting, but it focuses on Olivia in London then Spain and eventually Paris as she goes about living the rest of her limited days. There’s nothing wrong with this type of narrative. Like I said, I couldn’t connect with the characters. So my rating is purely my feelings about the book and not about the writing which is actually pretty good. Don’t let my disappointment get in the way of picking this up though. You may find you love it!
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
You have five minutes left to live. What will you do?
Thank you @netgalley and @penguinukbooks for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Life is way too short when it comes to misunderstandings and ego. It becomes even more shorter when global warming decides to act out. Things come into perspective when we become aware of our time left on this world, and everything not said and not done become the sole purpose of our existence.
'Things to do before the end of the world' is a book that talks of ethics, living life to the fullest, and how we're killing our planet on a daily basis. Libby is an introverted college teen who goes into an existential crisis when she finds out that the world as she knew it was coming to an end. She sets out to discover family secrets, explore Europe, learn about the street world, and invariably gets hurt in the process.
Libby had such an amazing character arc, and so did all the characters in the book! The most important takeaway would be that life is unpredictable and it's upto us to live it like no other.
Heartwarming, quick and light, this book is perfect for when you're in a slump or otherwise!
Thank you @netgalley and @penguinukbooks for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Life is way too short when it comes to misunderstandings and ego. It becomes even more shorter when global warming decides to act out. Things come into perspective when we become aware of our time left on this world, and everything not said and not done become the sole purpose of our existence.
'Things to do before the end of the world' is a book that talks of ethics, living life to the fullest, and how we're killing our planet on a daily basis. Libby is an introverted college teen who goes into an existential crisis when she finds out that the world as she knew it was coming to an end. She sets out to discover family secrets, explore Europe, learn about the street world, and invariably gets hurt in the process.
Libby had such an amazing character arc, and so did all the characters in the book! The most important takeaway would be that life is unpredictable and it's upto us to live it like no other.
Heartwarming, quick and light, this book is perfect for when you're in a slump or otherwise!
I was hoping that this would be a survival novel with post apocalyptic living but it really want.
This was far more about learning to live before you die and fulfilling your true potential.
As a character study it was good but not what I was hoping or expecting and I will admit that I got bored with the lack of action.
For fans of Holly Bourne and Cathy Cassidy but not really my cup of tea.
This was far more about learning to live before you die and fulfilling your true potential.
As a character study it was good but not what I was hoping or expecting and I will admit that I got bored with the lack of action.
For fans of Holly Bourne and Cathy Cassidy but not really my cup of tea.
Ever since Flora Banks, anything by Emily Barr is a must-read for me and this one didn't disappoint. I was so immersed in the book that I almost started to believe it was really happening! At first I thought this might not be the best type of story to read about with the current situation (not mentioning the C word...) but it is written so well and in some ways it is actually quite comforting.
Despite knowing this is a thriller and it's about the end of the world, it lulls you into a false sense of security. I got caught up in Olivia's excitement of all the new places she was visiting and experiences she was having. Then around halfway through the slightly sinister feeling really starts ramping up. I must admit I was surprised at how little the end of the world affected everyone and how smoothly the world kept running. This was kind of explained but not completely satisfactorily, though I kind of liked that it didn't focus on it too much.
This is exactly the kind of book that is perfect for a buddy read or book club because you'll want to discuss all your theories with someone. It also really makes you think about a lot of things, just like Olivia does. The importance of enjoying life while you can and taking a few risks sometimes. A little friendly warning here, you should prepare yourself for the ending!
adventurous
tense
fast-paced