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If Tomorrow Doesn’t Come by Jen St. Jude – The Write Reads Ultimate Blog Tour: Book Review
About the Book
We Are Okay meets They Both Die at the End in this YA debut about queer first love and mental health at the end of the world-and the importance of saving yourself, no matter what tomorrow may hold.
Avery Byrne has secrets. She’s queer; she’s in love with her best friend, Cass; and she’s suffering from undiagnosed clinical depression. But on the morning Avery plans to jump into the river near her college campus, the world discovers there are only nine days left to an asteroid is headed for Earth, and no one can stop it.
Trying to spare her family and Cass additional pain, Avery does her best to make it through just nine more days. As time runs out and secrets slowly come to light, Avery would do anything to save the ones she loves. But most importantly, she learns to save herself. Speak her truth. Seek the support she needs. Find hope again in the tomorrows she has left.
If Tomorrow Doesn’t Come is a celebration of queer love, a gripping speculative narrative, and an urgent, conversation-starting book about depression, mental health, and shame.
Content warnings: discussions of depression, suicidality, apocalypse, homophobia and religious trauma.
Add it on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62039307-if-tomorrow-doesn-t-come
Genre: Young Adult, Queer, LGBT, Romance, Science Fiction
About the Author
Lambda Literary Fellow Jen St. Jude (she/they) grew up in New Hampshire apple orchards and now lives in Chicago with her wife and dog. She has served as an editor for Chicago Review of Books, Just Femme & Dandy, and Arcturus Magazine. When she’s not reading or writing, you can find her cheering on the Chicago Sky and Red Stars. If Tomorrow Doesn’t Come is her first novel.
What I Thought
Well, I’m writing this review as I wipe away tears from my eyes but surprisingly ones that feel hopeful and not just sad.
A book featuring discussion of suicide and an impending apocalypse would not be the top of people’s feel good reads but oddly enough this story has all sorts of beauty in it.
Our narrator Avery is ready to die, until it turns out all her loved ones are too. What follows is both countdown (to an asteroid collision) and count back (to when her depression materialised) and when things went wrong between her and the love of her life Cass.
This is the ultimate high stakes book, but its inevitable outcome is challenged time and again, creating a tense read at times, but with plenty of time for reflection too.
I loved the exploration of a multitude of different ways that humans decide to face the end and the powerful hope there is in clinging to the idea of survival.
Our main band of characters were all drawn so well (and we even get a YA book with two living parents) but it is Avery that shines. Avery who doesn’t believe her life is worth living who gives so much to those around her. But will she see it for herself in time? Can she hold on until the end? Would she hold on if the end never came?
All in all this was a wonderful read.
If you knew an asteroid was hurtling to earth what would you do? And once you’ve determined that why wait because what if tomorrow doesn’t come?
Thanks to The Write Reads and the publisher for the gifted ARC. As ever opinions are my own. Do check out the rest of the tour. Everyone is loving this one.
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Unanimity (Spiral Worlds) by Alexandra Almeida – Blog Tour Giveaway
Today’s blog tour is introducing you to the start of the Spiral World science fiction series – Unanimity.
About the Book
The road to hell is paved with good intentions.
Shadow is a reluctant god with a broken mind and a death wish. He used to be Thomas Astley-Byron, an affluent young screenwriter whose creativity and idealism saved a world from the brink of collapse. Together with Henry Nowak, an AI expert, Tom created heaven on earth by inventing a Jungian simulated reality that helps humans confront their dark sides. The benevolent manipulation platform turned the two unelected leaders into beloved gods, but now everything is failing. The worlds suffer as a sentimental Tom descends into his own personal hell, becoming the embodiment of everything he despises and a shadow of his former self.
His journey from an optimistic, joyful Tom to a gloomy Shadow is paved with heartache and sinister interference from emerging technology. Humans and bots fight for his heart, but their aims differ: some want to own it, some to dissect it, and others to end its foolish beat. Still, the biggest threat comes from within—none of the sticky stories that steer Tom’s life end well.
Who’s pulling on Shadow’s heartstrings? Are their intentions malign or benign? It’s all a matter of perspective, and Shadow has none left.
Now, a young goddess—Estelle Ngoie—has been appointed to replace him, and unlike Shadow, Stella takes no prisoners, and her heart bleeds for no one.
About the Author
Alexandra Almeida has over 25 years of experience in technology, strategy, and innovation. In her role as Chief Transformation Officer, she acts as a senior advisor to enterprise executives. Alexandra is an experienced speaker at events such as SXSW, and the Women in Tech Series.
For the time being, and to protect her creative freedoms, Alexandra prefers to write using a number of pen names.
Her debut fantasy novel, released under another pen name, has received the following awards and recognition:
Reader’s Favorite Awards – Gold Medal Winner – Young Adult – Fantasy – Epic
Reader Views Awards – 1st Place – Fantasy
CIPA EVVY Book Awards – 2nd Place – Fiction – Mythology
B.R.A.G. Medallion Recipient
Eric Hoffer’s Da Vinci Eye Awards Finalist for Best Cover Artwork
The Wishing Shelf Book Awards Finalist – Books for Adults
Awesome Indies Approved
Following the self-publishing path by choice to retain full control of her IP, Alexandra invests in the best editors available in the business to match publishing quality standards.
Giveaway
Head to my Twitter – @kirstyes – Find the giveaway post. Like and RT and I will pick one person randomly on Friday 27th Jan (U.K. only).
This post is part of The Write Reads tour. Check out the tour by following #Unanimity #TheWriteReads
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The Miraculous Sweetmakers: The Frost Fair by Natasha Hastings – The Write Reads Ultimate Blog Tour Book Review
About the Book
An amazing and captivating, curl-up-on-the-sofa debut about a magical frost fair and the lasting power of friendship.
It’s a cold winter during the Great Frost of 1683. Thomasina and Anne are the best of friends, one running her father’s sweet shop and the other the apprentice at the family apothecary – together they sell their goods on the frozen River Thames. When a family tragedy turns Thomasina’s world upside down, she is drawn to a mysterious conjuror and the enchanted frost fair.
But soon the world of Father Winter threatens to claim everything she holds dear. Will they be able to solve the magical mysteries that surround them . . . ?
About the Author
Natasha Hastings started developing The Miraculous Sweetmakers: The Frost Fair while studying history at Cambridge University, where she focused on gender and mental illness. While exploring these topics, she became determined to have the lives of working women, as well as their experiences of mental illness in this period, form the heartbeat of her debut book, The Frost Fair.
What I Thought
This reminds me of dark autumn Sunday evenings watching the BBC adaptations of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe and The Box of Delights with my family.
The wintery setting is reminiscent of both of those tales too and there’s dark and spooky vibes right from the shocking end of the first chapter.
Thomasina is an appealing protagonist, her drive and ambition contrasted by the guilt and grief she carries. When she is made a miraculous offer we can see why she grasps at it.
Her friendships give her hope, and the story does really get quite bleak so it’s good that she has Henry, Anne, and their business idea, to cling to.
There was a very touching scene with the parsnip seller that made you root (lol) for Thomasina even more.
With discussions of female madness/‘hysteria’, representation of asthma and exploration of the multitudes of ways people deal with grief this is not a light middle grade but it is magical. Both the Frost Fair and the Other Frost Fair are exquisitely drawn and I would love to see this come to laugh as a Sunday BBC family series one day.
Thanks to TheWriteReads and the publisher for the eARC for the purposes of an honest review. Check out the hashtags to see what everyone else on the blog tour thought. #TheMiraculousSweetmakers #TheFrostFair
kirstyes 