About the Book
-
Author:
- Jordyn Taylor
- Voices:
- Cis Girl
- Straight
- White (Non-Specified)
Cover Story: Coming Into Focus
BFF Charm: Yay, Oda Mae Brown
Talky Talk: An Uncomplicated Conspiracy
Bonus Factor: Boarding Schools
Anti-Bonus Factor: Psychological Manipulation
Relationship Status: Running Partners
Cover Story: Coming Into Focus
Until you read the book you don’t know what is up with the V on the cover, though the two silhouettes at least are a nod to our two main characters. I’m not sure if the happy-ish blend of yellow and purple really gel with the tone of the book for me, personally.
The Deal:
Hardwicke Preparatory Academy has been around for decades with a storied history. While Eva didn’t choose to attend a boarding school and leave her family, she throws herself into finding friends and soon discovers she’s been tapped for an exclusive secret society…if she can pass the initiation trials. As she gets deeper into the group, she realizes it may have something to do with an incident that happened in the 1960s, where our second protagonist, Connie, is deeply concerned about a potential nuclear threat. Connie joins five other students in a fallout shelter under the school for a four-day trial of how to survive if a nuclear war comes to pass, but the things they have to do in that shelter don’t seem to make much sense…especially when things start to turn deadly.
BFF Charm: Yay, Oda Mae Brown
At first, Eva is desperate to be liked and will take any crumb of kindness offered to her, which is how she ends up being tapped for the Fives. I was definitely shaking my head, because those kinds of “friends” who will make you pass initiation tests before they’ll approve of you definitely aren’t the kind you need, but thankfully Eva’s journey is one of character growth, and she’s pretty awesome by the end.
I felt for Connie and her anxiety around a Cold War, because our fears aren’t always rational (not that it WASN’T a threat at the time, but I feel like she had an unreasonable level of worry about it to where it was affecting her day-to-day life). She’s also kind of a pushover and unwilling to rock the boat, which I’m sure many of us could relate to, but as a reader makes you want to shake her into action. Regardless of her potential character growth, she was stuck in an increasingly untenable situation and I was reading her parts through my fingers.
Swoonworthy Scale: 4
Connie is very interested in super popular and nice guy jock, Craig, which in no small part leads her to agreeing to this survival experiment. Meanwhile, Eva connects with her own jock in her timeline. Their interactions are cute and simple as romance isn’t really the main focus of this story.
Talky Talk: An Uncomplicated Conspiracy
Taylor’s writing is straightforward and uncomplicated, leading this to feel more like a “basic” story of secrets and lies than some. And I don’t mean that to be disparaging, because it was a decent book and moved along at a brisk pace, so even as I was thinking, “Well, I can kind of guess what is coming next”, I wasn’t glancing at my completion percentage and cursing how much further I had to go. It just, overall, had a “murder-mystery sanitized for actual teenagers” feel (which, again, is not a dig, because we are talking about YA and I am definitely the thing that doesn’t “belong” here). So if you or someone you know is a person who likes their “dark academia” not quite so dark, then this is a good pick!
Bonus Factor: Boarding Schools
Like many great YA settings before it, Hardwicke Academy is all classic brick buildings and beautiful grounds barely hiding the wealthy privilege and moral rot underneath. I don’t think there was anything so amazing about this particular boarding school that would warrant the kind of loyalty it inspired in certain people, but having its own hidden fallout shelter untouched since the ‘60s is kinda neat from an “urban explorers” perspective.
Anti-Bonus Factor: Psychological Manipulation
Watching people get manipulated or brainwashed and seeing how easily it can happen always feels very…uncomfy. And also makes me understand why my dad was always going on and on about “critical thinking skills” when I was a teenager—which is kind of ironic considering the political viewpoints my parents espouse, but that is mental trauma to be unpacked another day.
Relationship Status: Running Partners
Thanks for letting me keep pace with you as we went on our morning run, Book. You were easy to chat with and kept me entertained but I’ll have you know that running is not really for me, so I probably won’t see you out on the trails again. Keep safe!
Literary Matchmaking
If you want a boarding school read that’s a little more existential, then Belzhar by Meg Wolitzer fits the bill.
If you were excited about the mystery aspect of this novel, then try A Study in Charlotte (Charlotte Holmes #1) by Brittany Cavallaro.
If the awful educators made you rage and you want to see more evil people getting their comeuppance then try These Violent Delights by Victoria Namkung.
FTC Full Disclosure: I received my free review copy from HarperTeen. I received neither money nor peanut butter cups in exchange for this review. Don’t Breathe a Word is available now.
