The Here and Now

Ann Brashares

An unforgettable epic romantic thriller about a girl from the future who might be able to save the world . . . if she lets go of the one thing she’s found to hold on to.

Follow the rules. Remember what happened. Never fall in love.

This is the story of seventeen-year-old Prenna James, who immigrated to New York when she was twelve. Except Prenna didn’t come from a different country. She came from a different time—a future where a mosquito-borne illness has mutated into a pandemic, killing millions and leaving the world in ruins.

Prenna and the others who escaped to the present day must follow a strict set of rules: never reveal where they’re from, never interfere with history, and never, ever be intimate with anyone outside their community. Prenna does as she’s told, believing she can help prevent the plague that will one day ravage the earth.
But everything changes when Prenna falls for Ethan Jarves. (from Netgalley)

My Thoughts

Prenna was ingrained with all the rules just like her fellow time travelers. When she finally decides to trust Ethan, everything she believes in falls apart.

What an entertaining and thought provoking YA novel. I thought the author used this interesting premise to write about what might happen due to global warming and how much we all take for granted. From that perspective, this story was rather frightening. But at it’s heart, this really is a love story. And I liked that the author didn’t give me the ending that I wanted. I think that would have been the easy way out. Good job Ms. Brashares!

Thank you to Random House, via Netgalley, for allowing me to read this in exchange for an unbiased review.