This is my second time reading this book and I loved it just as much the second time as the first. This time I listened to the audiobook and I appreciated the dual narrators for the dual POVs and think it’s very well done!

Overall, there’s a bleakness that permeates this book which the author captures so well for the environment. Throughout, Jamie and Andrew are such bright spots in the dark, both when they interact and on their own. They have such distinct voices and my favorite part is just how incredibly normal these two teenage boys are in a brave new world. This world tests them as they navigate the conflict between what happens when the world is suddenly all in survival mode, with their own moral and ethical codes. At its core, this a quest tale, with their relationship flourishing the further south they get traveling down the east coast from Pennsylvania to Florida.






Would I go back in time and still read this book, knowing what I know now?
Already have! And this book has a special hard copy on my very selective physical shelf.




See below for the four criteria I use to decide whether and when to read a book


CHARACTERS: Not only are they such distinct voices (which I don’t find as often as I’d like in dual-POV), but I truly appreciated just how normal Jamie and Andrew are. For me I was able to easily place myself in their position and feel that their actions and decisions made sense. It’s so easy to root for them. Jamie is a little bit quieter and more serious, which is a lovely contrast to Andrew who loves the theatre and spends his time quoting pop culture and storytelling movies from his extensive memory of them. They’re adorable together, just two boys trying not only to survive, but also to find their reasons to keep surviving. They’re innovative and placed in impossible situations that leave their marks on these boys for some wonderful character growth.





PLOT: At the core, this is a quest story. Andrew and Jamie meet in Pennsylvania when Andrew, with his injury, stumbles upon Jamie’s cabin. The two end up spending weeks together while Andrew heals until external circumstances force them out. On the road together, you get the sense of a hero’s journey with two very everyday heroes just wanting to survive and continue following moral compasses to be the people they want to be in this new world. As they go, they’re faced with not only their own inner turmoil, but man vs. nature and man vs. man conflicts that have them coming up against that need for survival with following their internal ethics. There’s a marked physical endpoint and, like a giant race, rooting for them to make it is easy and had me cheering them on from the start.





EMOTIONAL INTENSITY: There is no good/bad here. Sometimes I just want a low-investment entertainment read whereas other times a high-stakes 'I need a therapist to recover' is what I need.


3:5/medium. The bittersweet nature of this one is handled so well. For all the high stakes and conflicts, the author does a brilliant job of creating a safe space for us to take this journey with these two lovable boys.



CATHARTIC FULFILLMENT: Is the emotional journey worth it? Do I finish this book feeling that I've crested the wave of the climactic moment and everything has been settled, leaving me settled and fulfilled?


100%. I truly think the author did a brilliant job. It’s a wonderful breath of relief by the end with just the perfect amount of denouement to leave me content.