Things to Do Before the End of the World
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- Create Date：2021-08-29 08:51:37
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Emily Barr
- ISBN：0241345278
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Summary
Timely and powerful; the new coming-of-age thriller from the bestselling author of The One Memory of Flora Banks。
One minute you're walking in the park， hiding from a party。 Then you discover that the next nine months will probably be your last。 Everyone's last。 You realise that you happen to be alive at the time when your species becomes extinct。
You have to decide whether to go with it meekly like you usually do， or to do something brave， to live your last months with all the energy and bravery you can muster， to rage against the dying of the light。
Olivia struggles to live her real life as fully as she wants to。 She plans out conversations and events in her head but actually doing them and interacting with other people is hard。 When the news breaks that humans have done such damage to the earth that there's only nine months of safe air left everybody makes bucket lists and starts living their best lives - everyone， that is， but Olivia who is still struggling to figure out who she wants to be。
Then out of the blue comes contact from a long-lost cousin Olivia didn't even know exsisted。 Natasha is everything Olivia wants to be and more。 And as the girls meet up for their last summer on earth Olivia finds Natasha's ease and self-confidence having a effect on her。 But what if Natasha isn't everything she first appears to be 。 。 。 ？
One minute you're walking in the park， hiding from a party。 Then you discover that the next nine months will probably be your last。 Everyone's last。 You realise that you happen to be alive at the time when your species becomes extinct。
You have to decide whether to go with it meekly like you usually do， or to do something brave， to live your last months with all the energy and bravery you can muster， to rage against the dying of the light。
Olivia struggles to live her real life as fully as she wants to。 She plans out conversations and events in her head but actually doing them and interacting with other people is hard。 When the news breaks that humans have done such damage to the earth that there's only nine months of safe air left everybody makes bucket lists and starts living their best lives - everyone， that is， but Olivia who is still struggling to figure out who she wants to be。
Then out of the blue comes contact from a long-lost cousin Olivia didn't even know exsisted。 Natasha is everything Olivia wants to be and more。 And as the girls meet up for their last summer on earth Olivia finds Natasha's ease and self-confidence having a effect on her。 But what if Natasha isn't everything she first appears to be 。 。 。 ？
Reviews
Cláudia
，
I liked this a lot more than the other YA books from Emily Barr。 I still think anyway that she should go back to her adult books ;）An interesting story and characters。A bit strange， 50 degrees in Madrid… and even yesterday （14 Aug 2021） I heard Spain had hit its highest temperature ever - 47，2C。
Mehek （The critiques of a Fangirl）
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DNF @ 53%
Lidia
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omg， this book was awful。 There is almost everything I hate in a book: annoying pick me main character that is very shy and is not like other girl， it was way to long with so many unnecessary discriptions， it was therefore also way to long and I was so bored。 I atleast thought the romance might entertain me but nope。 The main plot was so boring and that the world was ending didn't contribute to the story。 I don't know why that was in the book。 Also the character of Natasha was awful。 The end wit omg， this book was awful。 There is almost everything I hate in a book: annoying pick me main character that is very shy and is not like other girl， it was way to long with so many unnecessary discriptions， it was therefore also way to long and I was so bored。 I atleast thought the romance might entertain me but nope。 The main plot was so boring and that the world was ending didn't contribute to the story。 I don't know why that was in the book。 Also the character of Natasha was awful。 The end with the 'plot twists' were so strange。 Anyway thanks for reading my rant。 。。。more
ajga
，
Zakończenia się nie spodziewałam
Lexy
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I haven’t read anything by Barr for a very long time。 Things to do before the end of the world was a great reintroduction to Barr。 So what would you do before the end of the world？。 9 months to make the most of your time left。 Libby （the lead character ） an anxious， awkward teenager takes the opportunity to reach out to her cousin after the death of her uncle。 Her Cousin Natasha is cool and outgoing- everything Libby believes she isn’t。The book charts how their relationship develops and their ad I haven’t read anything by Barr for a very long time。 Things to do before the end of the world was a great reintroduction to Barr。 So what would you do before the end of the world？。 9 months to make the most of your time left。 Libby （the lead character ） an anxious， awkward teenager takes the opportunity to reach out to her cousin after the death of her uncle。 Her Cousin Natasha is cool and outgoing- everything Libby believes she isn’t。The book charts how their relationship develops and their adventures together。 Really well written。 Short punchy chapters will keep you turning the pages。 Great depth of storyline。 I thought I had got the storyline sussed but then Barr chucks in a curveball。Great book。 Thanks for giving me the opportunity to read this book。 。。。more
A Voracious Reader （a。k。a。 Carol）
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Book source ~ TourIt’s the end of the world。 Or soon to be。 There’s only so much safe air left to breathe and you’d think people would be panicking， rioting， living it up。 But they aren’t。 For the most part they’re just going about things， business as usual。 Even though there’s less than a year left before everyone croaks。 Weird， right？ Olivia is an introverted teenager who decides it’s time to break out of her shell。 A little bit。 But then her long lost adventurous and confident cousin shows up Book source ~ TourIt’s the end of the world。 Or soon to be。 There’s only so much safe air left to breathe and you’d think people would be panicking， rioting， living it up。 But they aren’t。 For the most part they’re just going about things， business as usual。 Even though there’s less than a year left before everyone croaks。 Weird， right？ Olivia is an introverted teenager who decides it’s time to break out of her shell。 A little bit。 But then her long lost adventurous and confident cousin shows up from the US and Olivia suddenly wishes she could be more like Natasha。 No， Olivia。 You really don’t。I received this book as part of The Write Reads tour （now long over） and had a hard time with it。 I eventually just did a spotlight for the tour， but the book was lingering on my “currently reading” shelf so I decided to just finish it。 While nearly all of the bloggers on the tour liked， even loved， this book， it was not for me。 I could not connect with Oliva at all and I loathed Natasha as soon as she hit the pages。 I was also expecting more of an apocalyptic setting， but it focuses on Olivia in London then Spain and eventually Paris as she goes about living the rest of her limited days。 There’s nothing wrong with this type of narrative。 Like I said， I couldn’t connect with the characters。 So my rating is purely my feelings about the book and not about the writing which is actually pretty good。 Don’t let my disappointment get in the way of picking this up though。 You may find you love it！ 。。。more
Charleigh
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I love Emily Barr’s writing， The One Memory of Flora Banks is one of my favourite books。 I was thrilled to be accepted to read this book and I couldn’t wait to get stuck in。 The end of the world will apparently happen in 9 months and shy， socially awkward Libby decides she wants to throw all her energy into making it the best nine months of her life。 Then， she meets Natasha， a long-lost cousin she didn’t know existed and as they meet up for probably the first and last time ever， something just d I love Emily Barr’s writing， The One Memory of Flora Banks is one of my favourite books。 I was thrilled to be accepted to read this book and I couldn’t wait to get stuck in。 The end of the world will apparently happen in 9 months and shy， socially awkward Libby decides she wants to throw all her energy into making it the best nine months of her life。 Then， she meets Natasha， a long-lost cousin she didn’t know existed and as they meet up for probably the first and last time ever， something just doesn’t feel right， like Natasha is not who she says she is。 All the same Libby becomes enthralled with her new friend and is sucked into her positive， manipulative energy。 I can’t explain how much I loved this book。 I could climb inside of Libby’s head， feel what she felt， experience everything as she did。 She reminded me of me - anxious， always feeling on the outside of everything， not happy or comfortable with who she is。 Natasha was actually such a terrifying character。 She seemed to know all the right things to say and do， but you could always tell she had an underlying motive， that there was something darker behind her actions。 I didn’t trust her one bit， but even I didn’t work out her true intentions until they were thrown into my face。 It was also scary - a plot near to a potential future with climate change and humans not looking after the world as they should。 I love how the book wasn’t revolved around that - it was about what Libby chooses to do before the end， little things that might not seem big to others but to her they were。 The writing just drew me in。 I could relate and I was dragged into the story and not let go until the very end。 It was addictive and beautifully put together。 It took me on a journey through the protagonist’s eyes。 All the characters were fully fleshed out and felt like real functioning people who I could easily relate to and like and dislike。 Thank you to Netgalley， the author and publisher， for a chance to read and review this book。 I can’t wait to read more of Emily Barr’s work。 。。。more
Muzmuz
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I started this book knowing that it would be about self-discovering， reaching for the stars， and just letting go of your shackles and fly。Needless to say that i have found those elements in the book which fit our heroine Olivia with her soft and shy personality， her struggles to lets go of her anxiety and fears， and to just live in the moment for whatever time left there is to live on this dying planet。Watching Olivia grow as she discovers more of herself with the help of the people around her e I started this book knowing that it would be about self-discovering， reaching for the stars， and just letting go of your shackles and fly。Needless to say that i have found those elements in the book which fit our heroine Olivia with her soft and shy personality， her struggles to lets go of her anxiety and fears， and to just live in the moment for whatever time left there is to live on this dying planet。Watching Olivia grow as she discovers more of herself with the help of the people around her especially her cousin is heartwarming， even if at times things seem to be weird and have a deeper meaning to them。The book is a nice quick journey through the last year on earth with Olivia traveling through different stops around the world， discovering bits and pieces of herself， of her past and her present。Both the writing styles and pace were perfect for the book’s tone and there is no time to get bored as the author hardly wastes words and doesn’t exaggerate things in order to make the plot appealing， since the characters and the setting of the book does it by itself。If you are into stories about self-discovering and overcoming your weakness then i would suggest this book to you。 。。。more
Mani
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I found this book to be an interesting read， I enjoyed most of the plot but occasionally felt things were not quite in keeping with the theme of the book and at times thought the plot was a little silly and unbelievable。 But at the same time something in the writing kept me wanting to know more。It may be the easy to read writing style used by the author。 For me the pacing was a little off in places， more so during the first half of the book。 The pacing in the second half felt more steadier and m I found this book to be an interesting read， I enjoyed most of the plot but occasionally felt things were not quite in keeping with the theme of the book and at times thought the plot was a little silly and unbelievable。 But at the same time something in the writing kept me wanting to know more。It may be the easy to read writing style used by the author。 For me the pacing was a little off in places， more so during the first half of the book。 The pacing in the second half felt more steadier and more to my liking。I found the whole “The Creep” thing really interesting but feel that Barr needed to go into it in a bit more detail as we don’t really get to know much more about it except for what we learn at the beginning of the book。 The characters were an interesting lot。 I thought Barr has done a great job with them。 I liked how we saw them develop as the book progressed。 Especially the main character Olivia （Libby）。 Natasha， Libby’s long lost cousin， on the other hand， was a character I could decide if I liked or not。 Especially as I found her behaviour to be a little weird at time and I wasn’t entirely sure whether to trust her or not。Although I had a few issues with this book， it was definitely intriguing and fun read。 This was my first book from this author but I will be looking into reading more from this author in the future。 。。。more
Desirée
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I wanted more end of the world stuff and less other stuff。
Jenna
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I love Emily Barr， and this book has only made me love her more。The combination of the thriller， impending dystopia and the sapphic love story makes for a stunning ya novel。I found Olivia to be a really relatable character， and the way she both wants and doesn't want to change was so well written。The setting of summer in Europe was dreamy， even if the events taking place weren't！ I love Emily Barr， and this book has only made me love her more。The combination of the thriller， impending dystopia and the sapphic love story makes for a stunning ya novel。I found Olivia to be a really relatable character， and the way she both wants and doesn't want to change was so well written。The setting of summer in Europe was dreamy， even if the events taking place weren't！ 。。。more
Rosie
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Whilst I was incredibly intrigued by the summary， at first I wasn’t quite sure how I felt about Libby and the whole situation， however， before I knew it， I had devoured the entire book within two hours！ I was so gripped by Libby and her cousin， Natasha， as well as whether the world would truly end on the 17th September that I just couldn’t bring myself to put it down or go to sleep until I had finished the book。 Libby is an incredibly shy 17-year-old who has been struggling to find herself or wh Whilst I was incredibly intrigued by the summary， at first I wasn’t quite sure how I felt about Libby and the whole situation， however， before I knew it， I had devoured the entire book within two hours！ I was so gripped by Libby and her cousin， Natasha， as well as whether the world would truly end on the 17th September that I just couldn’t bring myself to put it down or go to sleep until I had finished the book。 Libby is an incredibly shy 17-year-old who has been struggling to find herself or where she belongs， and now she has the added pressure of the fact that she may only have nine months to live before ‘the Creep’ poisons the atmosphere。 I liked that， although she tried to push herself out of her comfort zone when she first came to terms with ‘the Creep’， that her personality didn’t change completely。 She was still shy and still struggling。 This felt much more realistic and caused me to feel much more endeared to Libby。 Despite this she was still trying her best to become the person that she wanted to be， so much so that when she found out she had a cousin around her age that she enlisted her help in becoming more confident。 I wasn’t sure how I felt about Natasha from the start， there was just something ever so slightly off about her and in her interactions with Libby， but I couldn’t quite put my finger on what it was。 She seemed very kind and very helpful， and although she just lost her Dad， she didn’t seem to be that affected by it。 However， everyone grieves differently so it was impossible to tell what was really going on。 When Libby and Natasha were finally able to meet， I loved seeing the two interact together and to see how different they both were。 It was nice to see someone cheer Libby on even if I was questioning her motives a lot of the time。 Libby seemed to be becoming more confident which was lovely to see。 The mystery surrounding Natasha truly kept me gripped， the way Barr presented her was done so cleverly， in a way where you were constantly second guessing yourself。 Is there more to her than we think or is she just thrilled to find family before the world ends？ I also enjoyed the way that Barr tackled the subject of ‘the Creep’ – it was always there in the background， getting closer， but never completely the sole focus which lived up to its moniker。 The pacing of the novel was also incredibly well done。 I liked how we would miss chunks of time but still understand what happened in that time。 I thought it was a great way to show how insignificant the time they have left is and how quickly it flies by， regardless of whether you are doing everything you can to ensure survival or by living the best life you can in the time that you have left。 Overall， I really enjoyed this novel and it had so many layers and depths to it that I wasn’t initially expecting that made it such a captivating read。 It is also a great take on the current climate crisis and has the ability to really get readers to take notice of one of the many possibilities， regardless of how terrifying they might be。 。。。more
Jessica Gilmore
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3。5It's really hard to know how to review and rate this book because it's really two books in one， one of which works better than the other。 The first is a thriller， set in the heat of a European summer， a coming of age story of identity， trickery and subterfuge， the other asks the question， if you know when the world will end， what will you do with the time that remains？Libby is shy， quiet， full of feelings she can't express， happier hanging out at home than with her peers， although she longs f 3。5It's really hard to know how to review and rate this book because it's really two books in one， one of which works better than the other。 The first is a thriller， set in the heat of a European summer， a coming of age story of identity， trickery and subterfuge， the other asks the question， if you know when the world will end， what will you do with the time that remains？Libby is shy， quiet， full of feelings she can't express， happier hanging out at home than with her peers， although she longs for the girl she loves to see the real her， when the the World Health Organisation announces that it's too late， the atmosphere is poisoned beyond compare and in a few months all humans will die。 This news is so big that most people seem to be frozen in disbelief: exams go on as usual， people still go to work and little changes for Libby although she does sign up for the college play。 Far more life changing is the death of an America uncle she didn't know existed and the subsequent appearance of a glamorous， confident， hypnotic cousin， Natasha， who lures Libby away from her safe home for a last summer of travel and hedonism。 I enjoyed Libby's adventures and as always Barr gets under the skin of the adolescent psyche making Libby live and breathe。 But the end of world part seemed underplayed， maybe because Libby is our narrator and like most teenagers concentrated on the here and now， and more of a distraction than an integral part of the plot which is a shame because it's an intriguing concept and one I would like to have seen brought to the forefront of this compelling book。 。。。more
Becca
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Omg this book。。。so I'm definitely a feeler rater and this book made me feel so anxious the entire time I was reading it （which wasn't very nice to be honest）。 But given the genre I guess that means it's a good book。 So an average rating for me。So the book follows a girl called Olivia （goes by Libby） after it is announced that humans will die less than a year later due to some weird climate / environmental stuff。 Just so happens that Libby discovers she has a cousin she's never met who lives in t Omg this book。。。so I'm definitely a feeler rater and this book made me feel so anxious the entire time I was reading it （which wasn't very nice to be honest）。 But given the genre I guess that means it's a good book。 So an average rating for me。So the book follows a girl called Olivia （goes by Libby） after it is announced that humans will die less than a year later due to some weird climate / environmental stuff。 Just so happens that Libby discovers she has a cousin she's never met who lives in the States， Natasha， and the two exchange messages before meeting in Spain after Libby's mum and step-dad decide to have a last hoorah over there。 So the end-of-the-world thing ended up being irrelevant for the most part - nothing seemed to have changed much other than people were having more parties。 I expected it to be more chaotic than that。 But the main focus of the book was Natasha and Libby's growing friendship， and the fact Natasha is just really。。。dodgy。 Honestly the whole thing made me feel so anxious to see Natasha and Libby conning their way around Madrid and Paris just knowing things were going to go super wrong for poor Libby。I really liked Libby's character - I related a lot to her anxiety and social awkwardness and her family dynamics， especially at the beginning of the book。 Her unsent emails to her crush Zoe served as frequent reminders that she's just a kid really， which only added to my anxiety because I felt super protective of her。 Overall this book was super weird。 Not sure how I feel about the ending， it's very open and I feel like it was a bit rushed。 Still not sure if it deserves a higher rating because it made me so uncomfortable but this will do for now。 Never going to re-read it！！！ 。。。more
Bobby
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"I never worked out how to be myself in a way that I could bear。 I never knew how to trust the world when it was outside my control。"I really quite enjoyed another of Emily Barr's books， The Girl Who Came Out of the Woods， which was released in 2019 and one I was approved for on Netgalley （you can check out my review for that book here） so when I spotted her new release on there I knew I had to request it。 Things to Do Before the End of the World is a mash-up of genres。 The kind of overlyi "I never worked out how to be myself in a way that I could bear。 I never knew how to trust the world when it was outside my control。"I really quite enjoyed another of Emily Barr's books， The Girl Who Came Out of the Woods， which was released in 2019 and one I was approved for on Netgalley （you can check out my review for that book here） so when I spotted her new release on there I knew I had to request it。 Things to Do Before the End of the World is a mash-up of genres。 The kind of overlying theme is that the world is essentially ending pretty soon。 Like in 9 months soon。 Our main character Libby is a shy teenager who is struggling with her feelings for another girl at school and now has to deal with the fact that everything could be over in a matter of months。 Adding to this her long lost cousin appears suddenly in her life and takes her under her wing， giving her a list of things to do before the world ends in the hopes of boosting her confidence。So we've got a sci-fi/dystopian kind of set up， with some contemporary themes regarding the characters but with a few thriller elements thrown in for good fun as well。 Somehow it does manage to work though and whilst for the majority of the story it mainly feels like a contemporary， those other elements ramp up the stakes and intrigue of the plot。 The world ending debacle is definitely a background portion of this as a way to set up other parts sort of like a chain reaction but I kind of liked that it wasn't the main focus as it allowed for the plot to move forward but not overshadow anything else。 I also liked the settings too， the way the story moved from Winchester to Madrid to Paris， Barr did a great job of bringing those cities to life on the page。 Libby is an interesting character， one that I can see some people being frustrated with due to her naivete and her trusting nature。 I found a lot of my teenage self in her though， her struggle to show herself to the world and her natural instinct to retreat from any kind of social scene。 We also both did school plays！ I wasn't overly sold on her character as I felt she was maybe a bit too subservient but by the end I was really attached and fairly protective over her。 It's difficult to talk about her cousin Natasha's character without giving away spoilers so I'll just say that she definitely brought the entertainment factor to this book。 It was fun to read about the two of them running around Madrid and Paris performing magic tricks for money， if only it could've stayed that way！My main issues were with the pacing。 In the first half we jump forward in time a fair bit。 We go from December to July within about 100 pages， everything happening in those months goes by so quickly。 Whereas in the second half we're pretty much solely in the month of August and the time period is over two or three weeks。 I also felt that nothing much happens in the first three quarters of this book whilst it's setting up the characters and the relationship between Libby and Natasha， it was just dragging so much。 It does redeem itself in the last quarter though as that's where things really get going and suddenly I was racing through in order to find out how it ends。 It also targeted my anxiety so much， my heart was racing at the situation Libby found herself in。 I could be persuaded to up my rating by half a star but I just didn't find myself invested in the storyline or the characters up until that last section。 Barr is a great YA writer though who does a terrific job of blending contemporary with different genres and I'd be up for reading more of her work in the future as well as one of her previous books that I already own。 * I received an ARC copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 Any quotes included in this review are subject to change。 Massive thank you to Penguin for providing me with a copy。 。。。more
Kerry Park
，
This book was outside of the ‘usual’ books I read。 It was an enjoyable story - with a continuing sense of doubt throughout。 I had great sympathy for the main character， and I was desperate for things to ‘come right’ in the end！ A great YA read with a main character that grows throughout the book。
Tricia
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End of the world thriller with a twist…
Sammie
，
You can find my full review on my blog， The Bookwyrm's Den， here。Many thanks to Penguin and TheWriteReads for an eARC in exchange for an honest， unbiased review。I’m a sucker for any sort of apocalyptic setting。 Cheesy end-of-times movie？ Bring it on。 World ending in literature？ Yes， please！ That’s what immediately drew me to this book， for better or worse。 The idea of potentially dark and dangerous secrets was an added bonus。Things to Do Before the End of the World is a contemporary coming-o You can find my full review on my blog， The Bookwyrm's Den， here。Many thanks to Penguin and TheWriteReads for an eARC in exchange for an honest， unbiased review。I’m a sucker for any sort of apocalyptic setting。 Cheesy end-of-times movie？ Bring it on。 World ending in literature？ Yes， please！ That’s what immediately drew me to this book， for better or worse。 The idea of potentially dark and dangerous secrets was an added bonus。Things to Do Before the End of the World is a contemporary coming-of-age story about a shy， introverted girl who finds herself as the world is ending。 It’ll leave readers with plenty of things to contemplate about how people approach the end differently。I think this was a case of this book not being for me。 I had thought the sci-fi， apocalyptic elements would play more of a role， and they didn’t。 It was just kind of a convenient backdrop to set up the coming-of-age story。 It’s also not much of a thriller。 It’s really just a contemporary coming-of-age， and I think it holds a lot of promise for people who enjoy that genre。 Unfortunately， that’s pretty much my least favorite genre， so it just didn’t work for me， which is more of a problem with me than the book。My Thoughts:- What would you do if the world were ending？ Barr presents a series of interesting and varying approaches that will leave readers with plenty to think about。 I love books that make you think， and this is no exception。 Barr has such a lovely way of writing， especially deep， philosophical passages that get at the heart of the struggle。 I mean， imagine finding out that you have nine months before everyone likely ceases to exist。 The emotions！ The turmoil！ It’s absolutely delicious and delicate and precious。 There were times I was frustrated with how people were handling the end times， but it’s so true to real life。 Not everyone approaches it the same way， and there will always be those who refuse to admit it’s happening。 Barr captures all the complex， raw， emotional aspects of facing the end of the world。- This book is perfect for fans of coming-of-age stories。 Libby really comes out of her introverted shell， and her journey is enjoyable to read。 I don’t think it’s going out on a limb at all to assume that most of you reading this are introverts。 At least a good portion of you？ So it might be easy for you to relate to Libby and her reluctance to go to parties or travel or exist in crowds。 That seems reasonable to me， at least。 Throughout the book， Libby is forced to come out of her shell or go to her death carrying all sorts of regrets。 Not a particularly nice choice， but also not a particularly difficult one。 It was nice seeing her become more confident and growing not only into herself but into the idea that she may not have long to live。- Despite having a depressing backdrop， this story manages to be wonderfully uplifting and ends on a perfect note。 You know how I usually say I hate open endings？ Well， the semi-open ending of this book is absolutely *chef’s kiss*。 This is an example of it working absolutely perfect。 This book is not all doom and gloom， which is pretty impressive。 There are plenty of absolutely beautiful moments that really tug at your heartstrings。 The world doesn’t exactly just give up and cease to function just because it’s likely going to cease to exist。 People have very different philosophies， and it leads to some beautiful scenes as people struggle to make sense of it all。 That’s not to say there aren’t dark moments， because there are， but the overall feeling is one of hope rather than resignation。Sticking Points:- The plot relies on an awful lot of conveniences， not all of which made sense to me。 There were a lot of scenes where I thought， okay， but WHY did that character do that/believe that？ I mean， obviously the plot required it， but I wanted more solid reasoning。 This was mostly a problem in the last 25% or so of the book， where it felt like every time something new was set in motion， I didn’t understand how or why the characters had gotten there。 I questioned a lot of character reactions， which made it hard for me to fully buy into all the things that happened。 I wish there’d been a little more build-up around this part of the book， since this was the culminating part and it felt a bit rushed and not well justified or grounded。 The plot twists were also pretty obvious from early on， which just made me wonder why it took the characters so long to reach the same realization that I had 100 pages ago。- If the inability to have more kids is a sensitive issue for you， I would caution you about picking up this book。 This may have triggers for you。 Of course， it may not。 It may have just been me。 I still want to caution anyone to go in with a degree of caution if this might bother you。 Libby really doubles down on the idea that she’s miserable about who she is， and she would definitely be a different， more capable person if only she’d grown up with a sibling。 This is brought up multiple times and is a repeated mantra for Libby。 Putting aside the idea that it’s just false in general （which was annoying enough for me to start with）， it’s a perspective that really frustrated me and a potential trigger。 。。。more
Kay Cugini
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I found this book to be very unusual， I don't remember ever reading a book quite like it！Set to the backdrop of the world ending （Im no scientist but the explanation of toxic gases escaping from melting permafrost which will smother oxygen sounds mind boggling！） this is Libbys' story， she is painfully shy and unsure of herself， then Enter Cousin Natasha， who proceeds to pull Libby out of her shell by the scruff of her neck。Full disclosure I loathed Natasha from the start， as Im sure the writer i I found this book to be very unusual， I don't remember ever reading a book quite like it！Set to the backdrop of the world ending （Im no scientist but the explanation of toxic gases escaping from melting permafrost which will smother oxygen sounds mind boggling！） this is Libbys' story， she is painfully shy and unsure of herself， then Enter Cousin Natasha， who proceeds to pull Libby out of her shell by the scruff of her neck。Full disclosure I loathed Natasha from the start， as Im sure the writer intends， but all the characters are complex and interesting， as are the twists of the plot。（No spoilers） Im slightly confused by the ending though， was I meant to be？Very very good YA read， I found it a great plot， really well written。 。。。more
Rajiv
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[Blog]::[Youtube]::[Twitter]::[Instagram]::[Pinterest]::[Bloglovin] I was smitten with the story from the first page。 Imagine knowing that you only have one year to live your life。 As someone who gets stressed over managing daily tasks， I can’t even imagine what a mess I would be。 I’m sure I would regularly panic if I were in Libby’s situation。I loved Libby from the start and could relate to her feelings。 It’s challenging to feel positive when you see so much negativity around you。 That’s why [Blog]::[Youtube]::[Twitter]::[Instagram]::[Pinterest]::[Bloglovin] I was smitten with the story from the first page。 Imagine knowing that you only have one year to live your life。 As someone who gets stressed over managing daily tasks， I can’t even imagine what a mess I would be。 I’m sure I would regularly panic if I were in Libby’s situation。I loved Libby from the start and could relate to her feelings。 It’s challenging to feel positive when you see so much negativity around you。 That’s why I adored Natasha’s character。 Natasha is vibrant， complex， and unpredictable。 I loved the instant rapport Libby shares with Natasha and how Natasha encourages her to get past her fears and shyness and live her life。 I also liked the way the author wrote about Natasha’s psychic personality， which makes her intriguing。The author beautifully writes the tale， where you don’t know how it would turn out。 Some of the scenes that stood out for me were how Libby’s mother reacts when Natasha mentions Violet or when Libby’s attitude changes towards Natasha after what she hears。 Moreover， I loved the various highlights the author makes of Spain， like The Prado and Prosecco， and highlights of Paris， like the Louvre。 She brought the locations to life and made me feel close to the characters。The author paces the story nicely towards the end， wondering how things will turn out for the two in Paris。 Speaking of which， the last few chapters of the events that transpire in Paris blew me away。 It became a roller-coaster ride that I didn’t expect and made the story so memorable。Overall， I found “Things to Do Before the End of the World” beautiful and bittersweet with a mix of an adventure thriller， and I loved it！ 。。。more
Kerri
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Thank you to Dave @ The Write Reads， the publisher， and Netgalley for providing me with a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review！I’m going to be honest with y’all right now… I went into this book thinking it was a straight up contemporary。 Why？ Because I clearly forgot about that fact after signing up and I like to go into books without really reading the synopsis。 So imagine my pleasant （if somewhat confusing） surprise when， as I read the book， I started getting those distinct， thriller vi Thank you to Dave @ The Write Reads， the publisher， and Netgalley for providing me with a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review！I’m going to be honest with y’all right now… I went into this book thinking it was a straight up contemporary。 Why？ Because I clearly forgot about that fact after signing up and I like to go into books without really reading the synopsis。 So imagine my pleasant （if somewhat confusing） surprise when， as I read the book， I started getting those distinct， thriller vibes！This story follows our main character， Olivia， who is a painfully shy young woman who is trying to come to grips with the fact that the atmosphere of Earth will become unlivable in a few short months。 She doesn’t know what to do or， rather， she knows she’d like to travel and come out of her shell， but she feels powerless to do so。 Enter Natasha， her mysterious cousin who Olivia didn’t even know existed。 Soon， she’s taking risks she never would have before and trying to live it up as best she can before the world ends。 But Natasha isn’t everything she seems to be。Even though I went into this book with the completely wrong mindset， I found myself enjoying it！ I loved the sinister tone that flows throughout the story。 It made reading this book an adventure in tension， lol。 There were several times that I could feel myself getting anxious as we followed Olivia and Natasha on their adventures。 I loved it， though！ I also really enjoyed the writing。 It flowed rather well and made this book an incredibly easy read。 I flew through the pages！ If you’re looking for a fast and compelling book that you can more than likely read in a day， this would be a good pick。I also thought that Olivia was a fantastic character。 She came to life on the page！ I could feel her anxiety and all her varying and wavering emotions。 I did have the urge to shake her a few times， but it was intriguing watching her relationship with Natasha develop。 It was just fascinating and， I think， my favorite part of the book！I will say that a lot of the plot was pretty straight-forward。 I saw most of it coming， which isn’t ideal for a thriller， but I still had a good time reading it。 And the fact that I really enjoyed Emily Barr’s writing makes me want to give her other books a go。Final thoughts: This was a tense， dark young adult thriller that is fast-paced and intriguing。 Though the plot is pretty straight-forward and the twists weren’t all that surprising to me， I still found myself really enjoying the writing and the complex main character。 Emily Barr has a way with words that will make you feel almost as anxious as Olivia as you follow her story！ If you enjoy thrillers that also feature a coming-of-age plotline， I think you would really enjoy Things to Do Before the End of the World！ 。。。more
Sarah Benjamin
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I love an apocalyptic novel and picked up this book for this reason 。I was initially disappointed that the end of the world elements were not as significant to the storyline as many other books 。Instead the impending doom lends a sense of panic and otherworldliness to what otherwise could be a story of teenaged rebellion and angst 。Setting the story as it was in an overheating world adds a sultriness heat and degree of threat which makes the resulting story more exciting and plausible We’ve all I love an apocalyptic novel and picked up this book for this reason 。I was initially disappointed that the end of the world elements were not as significant to the storyline as many other books 。Instead the impending doom lends a sense of panic and otherworldliness to what otherwise could be a story of teenaged rebellion and angst 。Setting the story as it was in an overheating world adds a sultriness heat and degree of threat which makes the resulting story more exciting and plausible We’ve all thought what we would do if we were told we would all be dead by the end of the summer 。I suspect most of us would not do as the family in the story does and hire a holiday villa on Spain to see out the end of the world 。Reading this as I did in the uk in the midst of a viral pandemic when travel is impossible for now makes this idea seem entirely sensible As A YA novel their is the predictable love story although this one is a lesbian relationship which was rather delightful 。。。more
Kimberly
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Many thanks to Emily Barr， NetGalley， and The Write Reads Blog Tours for providing me with a digital copy of Things To Do Before the End of The World with a request for an honest review。I’m not going to lie。 My initial excitement to read Things To Do Before the End of The World dissipated a bit when I’d heard friends say the book wasn’t for them。 But， I did not need to worry。 Emily Barr tells a wonderful story that hooked me from the first chapter。Olivia is a shy teenager longing to break out of Many thanks to Emily Barr， NetGalley， and The Write Reads Blog Tours for providing me with a digital copy of Things To Do Before the End of The World with a request for an honest review。I’m not going to lie。 My initial excitement to read Things To Do Before the End of The World dissipated a bit when I’d heard friends say the book wasn’t for them。 But， I did not need to worry。 Emily Barr tells a wonderful story that hooked me from the first chapter。Olivia is a shy teenager longing to break out of her shell。 She has a huge crush on Zoe but doesn’t have the guts to send emails that she writes in secret。 Then she meets her cousin， Natasha， who seems too good to be true。 And， all this happens as the world awaits mass extinction。The novel is great。 I adored Olivia and Zoe。 Olivia relates well with her parents and stepparents。 And the stepparents are good people。 It is nice to have a teenager with four parents who love her and treat her well。 Olivia’s father is a bit standoffish， though。 She struggles with the closeness she wishes she had with him。 It is still clear that he adores her。 However， Natasha is awful。 From her first introduction， I felt she was pure evil。 I adored the Spanish setting。 The house they rent in Spain is darling。 I could see the pool and the back garden in my mind’s eye。 When Olivia nurtures Harry the tomato and his pals， it is darling。 When she finally bit into the juicy， ripe tomato， I could taste it。 The Paris setting had me on edge。 I knew it would be a terrible place for Olivia。 So I didn’t enjoy the descriptions of the city as much as I could have had I not worried about Olivia’s welfare。This story has everything it needs in the familial drama alone。 The end of the world premise wasn’t necessary。 Yet， it added just the right element to make the book even more exciting。 I am happy to award Things To Do Before the End of The Word 4 out of 5 stars。 If you enjoy young adult， coming-of-age stories with a bit of an edge， you will enjoy this novel。 。。。more
Gillian
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YA dystopia。 An anxious girl （Olivia） is convinced to go to France with her very extroverted cousin， and the book didn't really need or consult the fact that the world was ending at all。 I didn't feel that France or Spain were convincing for me， I've been to both countries and it was sort of imagined more than researched。 This book me off the book quite a lot actually， but a weak expected ending ruined it completely！ YA dystopia。 An anxious girl （Olivia） is convinced to go to France with her very extroverted cousin， and the book didn't really need or consult the fact that the world was ending at all。 I didn't feel that France or Spain were convincing for me， I've been to both countries and it was sort of imagined more than researched。 This book me off the book quite a lot actually， but a weak expected ending ruined it completely！ 。。。more
phee ！
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Everyone has thought about what it would be like to die， how it would happen， how it would feel。 The biggest fear and question is when is it going to happen？ For Olivia， and the rest of the world， they know when。 In nine months time， the world will come to a halt and they will cease to exist。 All of them。 17-year-old Olivia has barely had the time to figure out who she is or what she wants to be by the time the world is informed of their death date。 She’s socially inept， very shy and crushing on Everyone has thought about what it would be like to die， how it would happen， how it would feel。 The biggest fear and question is when is it going to happen？ For Olivia， and the rest of the world， they know when。 In nine months time， the world will come to a halt and they will cease to exist。 All of them。 17-year-old Olivia has barely had the time to figure out who she is or what she wants to be by the time the world is informed of their death date。 She’s socially inept， very shy and crushing on a girl that she can barely speak to。 The only way she really gets to speak to her is through emails that she never sends， or when she’s playing a character。 With the end of the world looming， Olivia wants to put herself out there， to experience living before she isn’t able to anymore， but for some reason she just can’t。 Enter， Natasha。 The cousin Olivia never knew she had， and the person she never knew she needed。 Natasha is everything Olivia wishes she could be; illusive， bold， brave， conversational， out there。 Except， of course， things aren’t always as they seem to be with Natasha。 When are they ever？ Natasha thinks she can communicate with the dead， and with her dead dad no less， and soon everything starts to unravel。 Natasha wants Olivia to do this， Natasha wants Olivia to do that， and Olivia doesn’t know how to say no。 She just wants to keep her cousin happy and interested， because it’s her only way of getting herself out there before she dies。 Before they all die。 But how can Olivia trust Natasha to make her the person she wants to be， when she’s not sure that Natasha is the person Olivia thinks she is？ I was provided an ARC by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 As an avid fan of Emily Barr and her writing， I had high hopes for this book。 I’ve previously read every single one of Barr’s other published works， and raved about all of them。 Things To Do Before You Die is no exception to that！ I went in pretty blind on what the book was about， only knowing that I loved the author and the style of writing from her other books， and I was so pleasantly surprised。 The relationship between Natasha and Olivia was toxic at best， and manipulative and frightening at it’s worst。 Every chapter I was more and more suspicious of Natasha， and more and more fearful for sweet， unsuspecting Libby。 Right up until that big plot twist in the last 30% of the book。 Overall， I was so enticed the entire way through。 I went in expecting one thing， and came out having experienced several things I didn’t expect， all in a good way。 I don’t think I’ll be over this book for a while。 Rating this book a cumulative 4/5 stars！ Thoroughly enjoyed， and I can’t wait to see what Emily Barr does next。 。。。more
Connie
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I read this book as part of a book tour with The Write Reads， with thanks to them and Penguin Platform for the opportunity。 This book begins on a normal December night， with parties， cold， people everywhere but then that night goes from normal to horrific when everyone simultaneously receives a message that the world is going to end。 Nine months。 That's it。 Nine months and everyone would be dead， how would you deal with that？ Hide in the hills？ Carry on as if nothing has happened？ Live out your I read this book as part of a book tour with The Write Reads， with thanks to them and Penguin Platform for the opportunity。 This book begins on a normal December night， with parties， cold， people everywhere but then that night goes from normal to horrific when everyone simultaneously receives a message that the world is going to end。 Nine months。 That's it。 Nine months and everyone would be dead， how would you deal with that？ Hide in the hills？ Carry on as if nothing has happened？ Live out your bucket list？ For Libby Lewis， she carries on largely as normal， taking smaller risks such as joining the school play of Romeo and Juliet， but outside of that she lives her life as normal。 When her estranged uncle dies， she is put into contact with her cousin Natasha who throws her stable normal life in a loop， and when they meet in Europe， her family holiday turns into a whirlwind of magic， fraud and deception。 I read the One Memory of Flora Banks a few years ago， so when I was asked to take part in this tour I was ecstatic as I thoroughly enjoyed that book and Barr's style of writing。 I think this book would be a great summer read， dark and gritty but it also sits comfortably within the "find yourself" genre too。 I do think the main character's narrative was a little bland at times， but as that was literally described as her character I couldn't be too mad。 This was a really well throughout and consistent book that flowed well and gripped my attention well too。 。。。more
Anj Cairns
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A great blend of Emily Barr’s excellent thriller writing skills and YA slant against the background of a human-made environmental apocalypse。 Nicely done。
Lou
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Things To Do Before the End of the World is a young adult dystopian thriller novel set over the course of an increasingly hot summer before the apocalypse， in Britain， Spain and France。 Olivia has always been shy。 When global events take away her future plans， and a previously unknown cousin arrives from the US， she realises she needs to seize life while she still can。 But is anything quite as it seems？ And who can she really trust？ One minute you're walking in the park， hiding from a party。 The Things To Do Before the End of the World is a young adult dystopian thriller novel set over the course of an increasingly hot summer before the apocalypse， in Britain， Spain and France。 Olivia has always been shy。 When global events take away her future plans， and a previously unknown cousin arrives from the US， she realises she needs to seize life while she still can。 But is anything quite as it seems？ And who can she really trust？ One minute you're walking in the park， hiding from a party。 Then you discover that the next nine months will probably be your last。 Everyone's last。 You realise that you happen to be alive at the time when your species becomes extinct。 You have to decide whether to go with it meekly like you usually do， or to do something brave， to live your last months with all the energy and bravery you can muster， to rage against the dying of the light。 Olivia struggles to live her real life as fully as she wants to。 She plans out conversations and events in her head but actually doing them and interacting with other people is hard。 When the news breaks that humans have done such damage to the earth that there are only nine months of safe air left everybody makes bucket lists and starts living their best lives - everyone， that is， but Olivia who is still struggling to figure out who she wants to be。Then out of the blue comes contact from a long-lost cousin Olivia didn't even know existed。 Natasha is everything Olivia wants to be and more。 And as the girls meet up for their last summer on earth Olivia finds Natasha's ease and self-confidence having an affect on her。 But what if Natasha isn't everything she first appears to be？ This is a compelling， imaginative and enthralling read， and although it isn't as much about the dire situation on earth as it is about Olivia as a person; about her finding her voice， being brave， and travelling in the sunshine it is still a compelling tale。 Themes Barr explores are adversity， love， loss， the power of friendship， identity， finding a place you feel you belong， LGBTQ+ rights and sexuality， which are all woven into the fabric of the story seamlessly。 Protagonist， Olivia， suffers from social anxiety and insecurity， and I adored the way in which the author imbues her with the power to overcome it。 It's well written， thought-provoking and easy to immerse yourself within the story and it gets you ruminating on exactly what you would do if you only had 9 months left on the planet。 Woven into the narrative and at the heart of this book is the ubiquitous and urgent issue of climate change and the gradual warming of the planet。 A highly entertaining， timely and riveting read with a slew of secrets， many lies， betrayal and deception about to be revealed。 。。。more
Rowena Andrews
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Unfortunately， this turned out not to be the book for me。 I can certainly see why other people have enjoyed it， but I'm not sure whether I went in expecting something different or if there was a disconnect， but I struggled to finish this one despite the excellent writing and a very interesting take on the end of the world。 Unfortunately， this turned out not to be the book for me。 I can certainly see why other people have enjoyed it， but I'm not sure whether I went in expecting something different or if there was a disconnect， but I struggled to finish this one despite the excellent writing and a very interesting take on the end of the world。 。。。more
B。S。 Casey
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