Life as We Knew It: The NYT Bestselling Post-Apocalyptic Thriller - A Young Adult Journal of Survival and Hope (Life As We Knew It Series Book 1)
New York Times bestseller! A heart-stopping post-apocalyptic thriller that's "absorbing from first to last page."*
When a meteor knocks the moon closer to earth, Miranda, a high school sophomore, takes shelter with her family.
Told in a year's worth of journal entries, Life as We Knew It chronicles the human struggle to hold on to the most important resource of all--hope--in an increasingly desperate and unfamiliar world.
As August turns dark and wintery in northeastern Pennsylvania, Miranda, her two brothers, and their mother retreat to the unexpected safe haven of their sunroom, where they subsist on stockpiled food and limited water in the warmth of a wood-burning stove.
I guess I always felt even if the world came to an end, McDonald's still would be open. Like one marble hitting another, when the moon slams closer to earth, the result is catastrophic. Worldwide tsunamis wipe out the coasts, earthquakes rock the continents, and volcanic ash blocks out the sun.
Life as We Know It is an extraordinary series debut. The companion novels are: The Dead and the Gone, This World We Live In, and The Shade of the Moon.
(*Publishers Weekly, starred review)
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Community Reviews
Originally reviewed on Cyn's Workshop
Life As We Knew It follows Miranda as she navigates a world in catastrophe when a meteor hits their moon, knocking it into a closer orbit.
Storytelling & Voice
Life As We Knew It is a unique take on the dystopian genre. It follows the events of a meteor knocking the moon closer to Earth through the eyes of a teenage girl. Written in a diary format, the tone grounds the reader in the events through Miranda’s eyes.
Miranda’s voice was one the strongest as it is her voice that drives the story forward, her voice that is writing the journal entries. But Pfeffer did not just stop there. Pfeffer focuses on building up those familial dynamics as she sets the stage for the story. A major catastrophe has occurred and is affecting the Earth, their home, and the planet in ways no one could have predicted. From massive tsunamis, unusual volcanic activity, long winters and hotter than hot summers, and rolling blackouts, Miranda lives in the middle of nowhere, leaving them with just each other to look out for and trust in.
It is a high-tension story seen through the eyes of a young girl, and to not only be able to capture that tension but bring it to life with such realism is an accomplishment. The story feels so real when reading it that it is easy to forget that it is a work of fiction. But then again, natural disasters are not uncommon, which is part of what makes the struggle for survival here even more compelling. Yes, they are trying to survive a new world where the moon is closer to the Earth, but tsunamis, lightning storms, floods, and cold winters are actual events with devastating effects, and to see them play out here, grips the reader.
Miranda’s voice, her bonds with her family, and her understanding of this new world all work together to bring the story alive. We see the stress in her mother; we understand it, even if the teenage mind does not. But the fact that Miranda just wants to be a kid and does not quite understand this new world initially makes the story believable. Miranda is a kid, and it is essential for the story’s believability for her to sound like a kid.
Final Thoughts
Pfeffer did a fantastic job with Life As We Knew It. This is one of the most believable dystopian novels out there, as it perfectly captures the tension and voice of the characters.
See more reviews at Cyn's Workshop and follow me on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Spotify Podcast | YouTube | BookBub | Goodreads+ | LinkedIn
Life As We Knew It follows Miranda as she navigates a world in catastrophe when a meteor hits their moon, knocking it into a closer orbit.
Storytelling & Voice
Life As We Knew It is a unique take on the dystopian genre. It follows the events of a meteor knocking the moon closer to Earth through the eyes of a teenage girl. Written in a diary format, the tone grounds the reader in the events through Miranda’s eyes.
Miranda’s voice was one the strongest as it is her voice that drives the story forward, her voice that is writing the journal entries. But Pfeffer did not just stop there. Pfeffer focuses on building up those familial dynamics as she sets the stage for the story. A major catastrophe has occurred and is affecting the Earth, their home, and the planet in ways no one could have predicted. From massive tsunamis, unusual volcanic activity, long winters and hotter than hot summers, and rolling blackouts, Miranda lives in the middle of nowhere, leaving them with just each other to look out for and trust in.
It is a high-tension story seen through the eyes of a young girl, and to not only be able to capture that tension but bring it to life with such realism is an accomplishment. The story feels so real when reading it that it is easy to forget that it is a work of fiction. But then again, natural disasters are not uncommon, which is part of what makes the struggle for survival here even more compelling. Yes, they are trying to survive a new world where the moon is closer to the Earth, but tsunamis, lightning storms, floods, and cold winters are actual events with devastating effects, and to see them play out here, grips the reader.
Miranda’s voice, her bonds with her family, and her understanding of this new world all work together to bring the story alive. We see the stress in her mother; we understand it, even if the teenage mind does not. But the fact that Miranda just wants to be a kid and does not quite understand this new world initially makes the story believable. Miranda is a kid, and it is essential for the story’s believability for her to sound like a kid.
Final Thoughts
Pfeffer did a fantastic job with Life As We Knew It. This is one of the most believable dystopian novels out there, as it perfectly captures the tension and voice of the characters.
See more reviews at Cyn's Workshop and follow me on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Spotify Podcast | YouTube | BookBub | Goodreads+ | LinkedIn
Honestly, this book was rough for me. I didn't finish it but got about 2/3 of the way through. I just couldn't put myself through it anymore than I already had.
The Characters:
I didn't enjoy the main character. That's where the problems start. I felt as if the main character was quite selfish and rude and did not have the best priorities, kind of one of those "But Mommy, I love him!"-types. The other supporting characters were okay from what I got of them, though they all felt a bit bland. The mother character was quite a depressing character, always thinking they were going to die and such. Speaking of going to die...
The Plot:
This is where my real issues with this book shine. All the things in the description of what I thought this book was going to be like didn't show here at all. In fact, nothing really showed. Everything was told about, we never really got any first-hand experiences with the character herself. Everything was being told to her by other characters, or news broadcasts, or stories. Nothing that the book was hyped up to be about (volcanoes, earthquakes, flooding, disasters) happened first-hand to our main character. I feel like if this story were told by someone who had to evacuate from the floods or lost their family to an earthquake, we would have a much more interesting tale then the one we got, this girl and her family sitting around and starving. There's a loss of power and a lack of food but the characters could be interchanged with anyone else and it would all be the same. Overall, I just felt like a whole lot of nothing happened in this book from what I read.
The Writing:
This entire book is written in journal entries from the main character. So if you don't like her, you likely won't like this book. The journal entries are written as if she's always the one that's right, "Well I don't care what Mom says I'm going to go down to the lake anyway" and things like this. It does make for quite a quick read but I felt as though quite a few parts just dragged on as far as certain scenes went.
I guess that's pretty much all I have to say about this book. If you enjoyed it, that's great, this is just my personal opinion.
The Characters:
I didn't enjoy the main character. That's where the problems start. I felt as if the main character was quite selfish and rude and did not have the best priorities, kind of one of those "But Mommy, I love him!"-types. The other supporting characters were okay from what I got of them, though they all felt a bit bland. The mother character was quite a depressing character, always thinking they were going to die and such. Speaking of going to die...
The Plot:
This is where my real issues with this book shine. All the things in the description of what I thought this book was going to be like didn't show here at all. In fact, nothing really showed. Everything was told about, we never really got any first-hand experiences with the character herself. Everything was being told to her by other characters, or news broadcasts, or stories. Nothing that the book was hyped up to be about (volcanoes, earthquakes, flooding, disasters) happened first-hand to our main character. I feel like if this story were told by someone who had to evacuate from the floods or lost their family to an earthquake, we would have a much more interesting tale then the one we got, this girl and her family sitting around and starving. There's a loss of power and a lack of food but the characters could be interchanged with anyone else and it would all be the same. Overall, I just felt like a whole lot of nothing happened in this book from what I read.
The Writing:
This entire book is written in journal entries from the main character. So if you don't like her, you likely won't like this book. The journal entries are written as if she's always the one that's right, "Well I don't care what Mom says I'm going to go down to the lake anyway" and things like this. It does make for quite a quick read but I felt as though quite a few parts just dragged on as far as certain scenes went.
I guess that's pretty much all I have to say about this book. If you enjoyed it, that's great, this is just my personal opinion.
I am a person who reads fairly quickly. It took me three darn weeks to read it. Why, you may ask? Because it was so depressing. Yes, i get the message...be grateful for what we have...no matter how small or insignificant. The ending was like..."what?! that's the ending?!?!?!" I didn't enjoy this because it was like beating a dead horse with a wet noodle. Like come on and get some action into it.
This book really evoked a sense of the end of the world. And as the journal of a teenage girl, it was a fictional apocalyptic Anne Frank. Miranda and her family bravely face the natural disasters triggered by the movement of the moon closer to earth. Truly engaging and thought provoking.
I read this book back in January/February so bare with me.
I give this book a 3.5 out of 5 stars, and this still stands after i've had some time to think about it.
What did I like about this book?
1. The Premise. Yes, the premise about this book sounded so interesting to me, and i had to read it right away. For those of you who don't know, this a book about an asteroid hitting the moon and knocking a little closer to earth, therefore, throwing everything off. NOW HOW COOL IS THAT? Eh. This is pretty much all i liked about this book other than...
2. The Writing. Yes, i enjoyed the writing very much, and it kept me reading. I was itching to find out what happens next. Plus the book was written in diary entries and i love that.
What did i DISLIKE about this book? (everything else)
1. The Characters. The main character who i don't even remember her name, yup, that's about as much as i liked her. She was very whiny to me and very meh. She kept feeling sorry for herself and the rest of her family was very chill (about as chill as you can get when the world is pretty much ending). I just... couldn't. She cared too much about herself and juvenile things. Her mom was also annoying YELLING AT HER FOR EATING CHOCOLATE CHIPS LIKE OK?? She was probably worse than the main character. Her brothers were the only good ones in the family to be honest... they helped out without complaints and were overall realistic instead of pessimistic. NOW my favorite character was their neighbor she was such a sweet old lady and i loved her like she was my own (weird...)
2. The Plot. NOTHING HAPPENED. the end.
3. The End. I HATE HOW IT ENDED. IT WAS SO STUPID.
4. INSTALOVE.
I do not recommend this book.
I give this book a 3.5 out of 5 stars, and this still stands after i've had some time to think about it.
What did I like about this book?
1. The Premise. Yes, the premise about this book sounded so interesting to me, and i had to read it right away. For those of you who don't know, this a book about an asteroid hitting the moon and knocking a little closer to earth, therefore, throwing everything off. NOW HOW COOL IS THAT? Eh. This is pretty much all i liked about this book other than...
2. The Writing. Yes, i enjoyed the writing very much, and it kept me reading. I was itching to find out what happens next. Plus the book was written in diary entries and i love that.
What did i DISLIKE about this book? (everything else)
1. The Characters. The main character who i don't even remember her name, yup, that's about as much as i liked her. She was very whiny to me and very meh. She kept feeling sorry for herself and the rest of her family was very chill (about as chill as you can get when the world is pretty much ending). I just... couldn't. She cared too much about herself and juvenile things. Her mom was also annoying YELLING AT HER FOR EATING CHOCOLATE CHIPS LIKE OK?? She was probably worse than the main character. Her brothers were the only good ones in the family to be honest... they helped out without complaints and were overall realistic instead of pessimistic. NOW my favorite character was their neighbor she was such a sweet old lady and i loved her like she was my own (weird...)
2. The Plot. NOTHING HAPPENED. the end.
3. The End. I HATE HOW IT ENDED. IT WAS SO STUPID.
4. INSTALOVE.
I do not recommend this book.
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