Terri's Review: The Here and Now by Ann Brashares

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 Ann Brashares, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series, The Here and Now is thrilling, exhilarating, haunting, and heartbreaking—and a must-read novel of the year.

ebook, 288 pages

Expected publication: April 8th 2014 by Delacorte Press

 

Terri's Thoughts:

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a story geared towards the YA audience and could be classified among the paranormal that is dominating the genre at this time.  The focal point is a group of people who have travelled back to the past in the hopes of finding a better future.

I must admit that this was no literary masterpiece however it was an entertaining story particular for the young teen audience.  The story seems to go by very fast and there is not a whole lot of time spent on character development.  That being said the story of Prenna and Ethan was very cute.  Watching them explore their feelings was the highlight of the story for me and I enjoyed their banter.  I just wish there was more lead up to their relationship.  It felt like the majority of it occurred "off-screen" before the story started. 

The premise of the story was interesting and I think it was potentially left open for a sequel.  I can see many directions future instalments could take with this story.  Although I probably wouldn't recommend this to my age group I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to their children.  It was a nice read.

About the Author

Ann Brashares grew up in Chevy Chase, Maryland, with three brothers and attended a Quaker school in the D.C. area called Sidwell Friends. She studied Philosophy at Barnard College, part of Columbia University in New York City. Expecting to continue studying philosophy in graduate school, Ann took a year off after college to work as an editor, hoping to save money for school. Loving her job, she never went to graduate school, and instead, remained in New York City and worked as an editor for many years. Ann made the transition from editor to full-time writer with her first novel, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Ann and her husband live with their three children in New York.

Website:  http://annbrashares.com/

Twitter:  AnnBrashares