Summary: “Always be ready for the worst day of your life.”
This is the mantra that Becca Aldaine has grown up with. Her family are doomsday preppers, part of a neighborhood that prioritizes survivalist raining over trips to the mall or senior prom. They’re even arranging Becca’s marriage to Roy Kang, the only eligible boy in their community. Roy is a nice guy, but he’s so enthusiastic about prepping that Becca doesn’t have the heart to tell him that she’s planning to leave as soon as she can earn a full ride to a college far, far away.
Then a devastating accident rocks Becca’s family and pushes the entire community, including Becca’s usually cynical little sister, deeper into the doomsday ideology. With Becca’s getaway plans thrown into jeopardy, the only person she can turn to is Roy, who reveals that he’s not nearly as clueless as he’s pretending to be. When Roy proposes they run away together, she’ll have to risk everything — including her heart — for a chance to hope for the best instead of planning for the worst.
(Summary from book flap – Image is mine)
My Review: “In the end, I guess we can’t all have a fairytale. Some of us are just born on the wrong side of wonderful.”
Raised in an enclave of doomsday preppers, Becca Aldaine has acquired a very particular set of skills.
- How to survive hypothermia — Her parents forced her into a frozen lake.
- How to fight fires – Raise your hand if you’ve ever entered a burning building against your will!
- How to live on next to nothing – Who needs groceries when you have guns?
- How to survive underground – Cue being locked in a crawl space
- How to weather a nuclear apocalypse – Oh yes, there’s a bunker.
- And so. much. more.
As the daughter of the enclave leader, Becca must set a good example for the rest of the children, including her younger sister, Katie. Sick of pretending to believe the same things as her abusive father and fanatical mother, Becca wants out and she has a plan to leave. But when a horrific accident upends her entire world, can she muster up the courage to take the next step? And what should she do about Roy, the boy who seems so kind, yet so committed to the doomsday-survivalist cause?
The upside. First things first, I love the cover design of this book. It’s really eye-catching and definitely makes you want to pick up the book and learn more. Second, I loved the premise and setting. Doomsday preppers are a psychologically fascinating niche group and it was a bit thrilling to get a glimpse into what living in that community might be like. Of course, I have no idea if the portrayal is authentic (I doubt they would welcome the intrusion, should I attempt to visit) but it was definitely an intriguing and unusual setting. And finally, I enjoyed the relationships that Becca developed with several characters outside the enclave and the depth that gave to the story.
The downside. First, I could have lived without the profanity, which was plentiful for a YA novel, but probably realistic for the contemporary setting. Second, some of the characters lacked nuance and certain situations felt flat, forced, or over-the-top, even for the setting. Is it possible for fanatics to feel too fanatical? And finally, I didn’t feel a lot of chemistry between Becca and Roy, which would make sense initially but I never really felt it later on either. Their ‘love’ just came out of nowhere and didn’t work for me; as a result, I never felt fully invested in their story.
Long story short, I felt like Prepped had an interesting premise, but lacked something in the execution. It was an entertaining read, but not one I’ll be keeping for my ‘favorites’ shelf.
Note: This review is not meant to cast shade on run-of-the-mill survivalists and emergency preppers, but the characters in this book are definitely not doing the lifestyle any favors. They come off as straight-up ‘a la Educated‘ whackadoos.
My Rating: 3.25 Stars
For the Sensitive Reader: Plenty of profanity (for a YA novel), some making out (M/F), disrobing, and almost-but-not-quite-sex. Some underage drinking, partying, and teenage shenanigans. TW: Verbal, emotional, psychological, and physical abuse of children.
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