Things to Do Before the End of the World, blog tour

Hello loves!

Today I have a blog tour post for you lovely people, this time it is for Things to Do Before the End of the World by Emily Barr for the tour organise by The Write Reads over on twitter. This is a dystopian, YA thriller type book (I honestly don’t really know what category this book falls under lol) that focuses on Libby and the list her cousin gives her of ten things to gain confidence as they travel through Europe for the last summer that 70% of the world will see.

I really liked this book once I had gotten past the fact that the end of the world wasn’t that big a feature of the story, because it was all about growing up and becoming more confident in yourself. And, the main character’s full name was Olivia which is always a fun little addition for me.

Thank you so much to The Write Reads and Penguin for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review as part of this tour.

Summary

What would you do when you hear the news that humans have done such damage to the earth that there might only be a limited amount of safe air left – a year’s worth at most?
You’d work through your bucket list, heal rifts, do everything you’ve never been brave enough to do before?

Olivia is struggling to do any of this. What it is she truly wants to do? Who do she wants to be?

Then out of the blue comes contact from a long-lost cousin Olivia didn’t even know existed. Natasha is everything Olivia wants to be and more. And as the girls meet up for a long, hot last summer, Olivia finds Natasha’s ease and self-confidence having an effect on her.

But Natasha definitely isn’t everything she first appears to be . . .

Rating

ESCAPE score:

Thoughts

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 appreciated.

You can purchase the book here if you want to! (the blackwells link is affiliate).

Blackwells / Waterstones / Amazon

Author Bio

I started out working as a journalist in London, but always hankered after a quiet room and a book to write. I managed, somehow, to get commissioned to go travelling for a year, and came home with the beginnings of a novel set in the world of backpackers in Asia. This became Backpack, a thriller which won the WH Smith New Talent Award, and I have since written eleven more novels for adults, one novella, and three book for Young Adults, published in the UK and around the world. I live in Cornwall with my husband Craig and our children.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/emily_barr

Website: https://www.emilybarr.com/