★★★★★

This Is Not the End encapsulates everything that makes young adults interesting to read about. It kept me up at night, and when I didn’t have time to read, it was hard to keep myself from picking it back up.

The characters are rounded and varied. The main character has to realize that there’s a whole world outside of her bubble. There is laughter. There are tears. There are tragedies. There are blessings. There’s a sci-fi/fantasy element that keeps it all interesting.

Lake has had a lot thrust on her for a 17-year-old. Or, you know, for anyone.

She has the option to bring back one person from the dead when she turns 18 — via a scientific breakthrough called Lifeblood. Which would be really awesome, if she only had one person she wanted to bring back. Or if there wasn’t a little more to being resurrected than she’s led to believe.

The Beatles, death, love and impossible choices. That’s what this book is full of. It exposes adults that act like children and children who are mature beyond their years. It follows a character who was saddled with an impossible choice at a young age.

I don’t want to give too much else away. Suffice it to say, this book is great. It pulls you in, and the sci-fi/fantasy elements are such a small part of the world that you could almost believe it’s contemporary fiction.

Such a short review, but honestly I don’t want to give away any more details. I want you all to experience the book a little blindly, the way I could. Five stars from me, easy.

 
This Is Not the End comes out on August 8, so make sure to preorder it or pick it up when it’s out in the world! Book Depository has free worldwide shipping, so check them out!