#BookReview ~ How to Pack for the End of the World by Michelle Falkoff

Book Review, Author Interview, and Giveaway

My Thoughts

I really wasn’t sure what to expect from this book, and though it’s probably a bit odd, I rarely do more than glance at a synopsis. Actually, I like to learn and discover as I read. So that’s just what happened with this story. I pretty much went in blind. I had no idea what to expect. So here’s what I learned.

Amina suffers from anxiety as she watches the news and observes the chaos throughout the world. Her way of dealing with it is by continually researching things that could help her cope in case of a disaster. In an effort to help their daughter, it is decided that she will attend Gardner Academy, a once prestigious boarding school,  that is trying to regain society’s trust.

This feels like more anxiety to Amina. However, early on she manages to meet four school mates who show up for a club meeting. A club that proves unique and perfect for Amina’s personality. 

As for the reader. The new friends are sure to pull you further into the story. Jo is short on words, mysterious, and only wears black. Chloe is a popular blogger and social influencer, Hunter is into athletics, and Wyatt is the person responsible for starting the club. Each member is in charge of one meeting, which is composed of a survivalist-type game. And it is here that each character’s personality shows through.

The character development is quite interesting and I had a hard time putting the book down. It’s a story about growth, understanding, and friendships. 

My Concerns

I sometimes had to question where the story was headed and why? And I still do. Though I felt it was more personal taste than the story running amuck. 

What I Liked Best

I especially liked the choice of characters and watching their true personalities and concerns become exposed.

The story easily kept me interested. I rarely read a book twice, but this is one that I would consider doing just that.

Though this is not something that was in the book, I’m going to include one more thing. I love the quote from Michelle’s Q&A. She was asked if there was anything else she wanted her readers to know about the book.

Just that it’s more about people and their relationships than it is about the actual end of the world—it’s a little bit of a mystery about real life, not some potential future.

My thanks to iReadBookTours and the author for a copy of this book. My review and rating are only my opinions, of which I was free to post.

My Rating   ☆☆☆☆/5

Meet the Author and Author Interview

Michelle Falkoff is the author of Playlist for the Dead, Pushing Perfect, Questions I Want to Ask You, and How to Pack for the End of the World. She is a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and currently serves as director of communication and legal reasoning at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law.

1. How do you come up with ideas for your books?

I tend to ask myself a lot of questions, and the more interesting questions linger, and the books let me try to answer the questions for myself and for my characters. For example, this book came from the very literal question of me wondering how teens were managing the complexity of the world we’re living in right now, with all its attendant complications. It’s one thing to be an adult, with some experience and resources that help me navigate, but it was hard for me to imagine what it might be like to be experiencing some very real issues we’re facing right now. The book was my attempt to address my own imaginative difficulty.

2. How many books have you written? Which one is your favorite?

I’ve written more books than I’ve published, but I’ve got four books in the world at the moment. Picking a favorite book seems like picking a favorite child, so I’ll just say I’m closest to my current book at the moment—it allowed me to explore some complicated feelings about the world we’re living in right now, and it let me think about how that world is affecting people beyond myself, something I think it’s very important to do.

3. What’s different about this book than your others?

Very few grownups! Writers of young adult novels know that one of the biggest challenges is how to deal with the adults. The characters need to learn to solve their own problems, but that doesn’t mean adults don’t matter, and I tried to complicate that question in my previous books. For this one, I gave myself a break—the characters are at a boarding school that’s pretty hands-off when it comes to the adults around them, and it gave me a little more freedom.

4. What are you hoping readers will take away from this book?

I try not to go into writing with goals about what readers might take away, just because I avoid being overly message-driven when I’m constructing narrative. That said, by the end there’s always something coming across, whether I want it to or not. For this book, there are a couple of things I’m hoping might translate: the importance of friendship and being open with our friends, as well as the importance of taking a stand for things we believe in, rather than just worrying about possible outcomes. I believe in being proactive rather than reactive wherever possible, and I hope that comes through.

5. Is there anything else you want us to know about your book?

Just that it’s more about people and their relationships than it is about the actual end of the world—it’s a little bit of a mystery about real life, not some potential future.

Connect with the author:   website  ~  twitter  ~  instagram ~ goodreads

Tour Schedule:

Nov 3 – Deborah-Zenha Adams – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
Nov 3 – Splashes of Joy – audiobook review / guest post / giveaway
Nov 3 – Stephanie Jane – book spotlight / giveaway
Nov 4 – Literary Flits – book spotlight / giveaway
Nov 5 – Gina Rae Mitchell – book review / author interview / giveaway
Nov 5 – Book Corner News and Reviews – book review / giveaway
Nov 6 – Rockin’ Book Reviews – book review / guest post / giveaway
Nov 9 –Jazzy Book Reviews – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
Nov 10 – fundinmental – book spotlight / giveaway
Nov 10 – Corinne Rodrigues – book spotlight / giveaway
Nov 11 – Pick a Good Book – book review / author interview
Nov 12 – Books, Tea, Healthy Me – book review / author interview / giveaway
Nov 12 – Instagram:. All Booked Up Reviews – book review
Nov 13 – Viviana MacKade – book spotlight / guest post
Nov 16 – She Just Loves Books – book review / giveaway
Nov 17 –Westveil Publishing  – book review / giveaway
Nov 18 – JulzReads – book review
Nov 18 – 411 ON BOOKS, AUTHORS, AND PUBLISHING NEWS – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
Nov 19 –100 Pages A Day – book review / giveaway
Nov 20 –Books and Zebras @jypsylynn – book review
Nov 20 – Lamon Reviews – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
Nov 23 – Writer with Wanderlust – book review / guest post / giveaway
Nov 23 – My Fictional Oasis – book review / giveaway
Nov 23 – Locks, Hooks and Books – book review / giveaway

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