I have read two out of three of Emily Barr’s other YA books and I’ve always thought they were just OK. When The Write Reads contacted me asking if I wanted to take part in a blog tour for her latest, I was ready to give her another go, so I accepted.

Libby is a shy girl who has no idea who she really is and struggles with pretty much all forms of social contact -particularly around the beautiful Zoe. When the end of the world is announced, everyone spends the remaining months determined to live their best lives but Libby doesn’t know how to do that. Then she gets word from an American cousin, Natasha, who Libby had no idea about. Natasha is everything that Libby isn’t -sassy, confident and full of energy. The prospect of a last summer on Earth together could really bring Libby out of herself but who is Natasha really?

The end of the world has been brought about by the irreparable damage that humans have done to the planet. The air has become so toxic that it is now ready to poison Earth’s inhabitants, causing a horrific death to everyone at once. I really appreciated this acknowledgement of the severity of global warming and climate change. Of course, it is entirely plausible that this will bring about the endtimes, although I’m not confident that it will happen in quite this way!

I also loved this description of Libby’s social anxiety while at a party. It does feel like danger is ready to leap at you from all sides, when you’re forced into a social situation with people you don’t know. I’m not sure I’ve ever read it described as being surrounded by wild animals but it’s pretty accurate!

Libby chooses to take a long holiday in Spain with her mum and stepdad Sean. The house they rent sounds really beautiful and I could have quite easily rung in the apocalypse there. Libby spends her days swimming, reading and tending to tomato plants and I really enjoyed relaxing with her during these chapters. However, I was often wondering whether the end of the world was still impending. There wasn’t really much reference to it and I’m not sure whether the ease at which everyone was taking it was really true to reality.

I really disliked Natasha as soon as she arrived in the book. She comes across as an enthusiastic, typical American but Barr really doesn’t do the American teen girl stereotype any favours in this book! Natasha is literally all of the bad parts of the stereotype without any of the good parts. She’s irritating, self-important and there’s a real bad vibe about her. We eventually get answers to this but I think I wanted more clues to the big reveal before the truth came out. Somehow despite me not liking Natasha, the ending was still a bit of a bolt from the blue!

Libby is completely taken in by Natasha and sees her as a guide to discovering her inner confidence. However, older readers will clearly be able to see how Natasha is exceptionally controlling and that the relationship between the girls is as toxic as the air they’re all breathing. Towards the end of the book, Libby starts to see that Natasha isn’t all she seems and loses trust in her. The focus on the end of the world comes back too and in the last 50 pages start to feel like the thriller it was marketed as.

I did really like that Libby realised that being herself, even if that includes introversion, is the right thing to be. This does seem to be a resonating message that the book leaves readers with and I really appreciated that. Introverts are constantly being told to change to fit in within a society that is built for extroverts and they really shouldn’t.

Things To Do Before The End Of The World is a fun contemporary novel. If you go into it looking for a fast-paced thriller or dystopian centred around the world ending, you’re going to be disappointed. It really doesn’t read like a thriller until the very end, by which time you may have given up due to it not being what you expected. Also, I’m not sure the apocalyptic theme was really needed. The book would have worked just fine as it is without that element, so it was perhaps a strange choice to build the title around it. Overall, I did enjoy it -as a YA contemporary!

BOOK BITE

A slow burner of a novel which surprises and intrigues.

#Book Haiku

Libby is unsure
and anxious as the world melts
and a cousin charms.

Good Night To Read Review

Marketed as a dystopian thriller this book actually defies genres. It's more of a psychological study, travelogue and coming of age story with thought provoking observations about climate change. Barr's characterisation is strong perfectly capturing Libby's social awkwardness, chronic shyness and pangs of first love juxtaposed with her mysterious cousin's bolshiness and legerdemain. Only when acting the part of someone else does Libby feel alive.

The novel poses the question what would you do if the end of the world was nigh? Would you travel to places you'd never been before? Would you have endless parties? Would you tell your crush you loved them? Would you connect with lost family? As global warming spirals out of control and the atmosphere slowly chokes, Libby has some difficult decisions to make.

The reader armchair travels with her to Madrid and Paris as she starts to come out of her shell, discovers street magic and opens her eyes to the world and culture around her. But the threads of dark secrets are about to unravel. Is Libby's enigmatic cousin a true psychic? What is Libby's mother hiding from her? Who is her real friend? There are lots of clues to uncover as the story meanders through rich locations full of sights and sounds. Art appreciation, intriguing trickery and inner drama coming to life are at the core of 'Things To Do Before the End of the World' which is ultimately a story about believing in oneself and not letting others manipulate who you are.

Open its pages and go on a journey of discovery through cityscapes and diverse relationships..

Thank you to the fantastic @emily_barr @Write_Reads @WriteReadsTours @penguinplatform #UltimateBlogTour for including Good Night To Read on the 'Things To Do Before the End of the World' Blog Tour. Big shout out and massive thanks to #NetGalley for making an ARC available. I am delighted to have been able to read this book in advance of its release.

https://goodnighttoread.wordpress.com/2021/05/11/blog-tour-things-to-do-before-the-end-of-the-world-by-emily-barr/

I went into this book really excited thinking it was going to be this epic end of the world thriller. It didn’t take me long to realise that this book isn’t really that and I have to say I was a bit disappointed. However! I kept on reading because I was intrigued to find out that even though the world is ending, it still seemed normal. It was very interesting and different to see the months leading up to the end of the world and how everyone reacts to it.

Things To Do Before The End Of The World follows shy and socially awkward Libby through her last few months on earth. She desperately wants to fit in and be more confident so she can get the girl she’s always wanted. The beginning started off a bit slow for me as it is centred around Libby and her crush Zoe when I expected more dramatic end of the world situations. Yet, when she gets some news that her Dad’s brother has passed away and she has a long-distance cousin called Natasha, it starts to get more interesting!

It really started to pick up for me about halfway through and I am so happy that I stuck with it. Once Libby, her mum and her stepdad go on holiday to Spain to make the most of the ‘end times’. She finally meets Natasha after many months of emailing. I didn’t know what to think much of her character at first but I ended up loving her confidence and this connection she had to magic and the spirit realm. She is definitely unique and I was surprised by how suspicious and eerie she got so quickly. This is what made me really enjoy the book and read on. I had to find out what she knew and how she knew certain things.

Overall, to say I had a rocky start with it, I flew through this book. The writing style was really good, easy to follow and once I got over the fact the story isn’t really about the end of the world I really enjoyed it. Libby and Natasha really captivated me into the story and It was hard not to read when all the secrets started to come out!

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!

Thawing of the permafrost has unleashed The Creep, a massive cloud of carbon dioxide and other toxins, and there seems to be no way to avert disaster, not just for the human race but for all life on Earth. With nine months or so left, what would you do if you knew the end of the world was coming? For seventeen year old Olivia, it's step out of her shell and become the confident person she's always wanted to be, the person she can only become when acting on stage. She's always been the shy one, the one who doesn't have many friends or go to parties with the rest of the class, but now she wants to change - if only she knew how. Above all, she wants to pluck up the courage to speak to Zoe, the girl she likes.


Then through a quirk of fate, an unknown cousin, Natasha, gets in contact, and, saying she too was once unbearably shy, takes charge of Olivia's life, setting her a series of challenges, and promising that she'll soon be that outgoing, self-assured person she wants to be. At first these are small steps, just slightly out of Olivia's comfort zone, but when Natasha shows up out of the blue on Olivia's doorstep she doesn't seem quite the supportive friend she claimed to be. More like someone who wants to cause trouble, and drag her cousin on wilder and wilder adventures.

In this end-of-the-world thriller, shy girl Olivia is taken under the wing of bold, brash cousin Natasha, but while Olivia accepts her cousin at face value (particularly at first), the reader knows better and that Natasha cannot be relied on. While some of me was willing Olivia on, a huge part was thinking 'DO NOT trust Natasha!'.
It's this which made me want to hurry to the end, to rapidly turn the pages (or the e-book equivalent), to find out if Olivia saw through Natasha's fake friendliness and uncovered her plans before something went horribly wrong. And in the course of uncovering those plans, a lot of family secrets come tumbling out of the closet!


Oddly, it's the fate of Olivia and Natasha that matters more than the greater fate of the world, so if you're looking for a sci-fi armageddon story, of scientists battling against the odds to save everyone, this isn't it. It's a story of self-discovery, of learning to step out of one's shell and embrace the world, and as importantly to not accept others at their face value.

A super read. Fast moving and great characterisation. It may be YA but t was a fantastic read for this oldie!

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.

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.

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.

Genre: Young Adult | Science Fiction

Released: 6th May 2021



"What do you do at the end of the world?

1. Live your best life

2. Uncover family secrets

3. Trust no-one."



Olivia was avoiding the Christmas party when she got the news - the end of the world was really coming. She thought the only things she had to worry about were not having the guts to talk to the girl she liked and being too scared to audition for Juliet in the play, but none of that mattered now. Humans have done so much irreversible damage to the planet that breathable air is running out - scientists estimate a year at most before Earth is altogether unliveable.

Olivia thought she had all the time in the world to figure out who she wants to be and what she wants to do but now she's struggling to do anything. Until she meets Natasha - a long lost cousin who wants to reconnect with her family while she still can. She's amazing - beautiful, confident and so sure about who she is that it's giving Olivia hope in a hopeless world. As the two meet up to enjoy one last summer together, Olivia finds there's more nightmares coming her way than just mass extinction.



"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."



Things to Do Before the End of the World was a visceral, vibrant story about the end times that had such a unique charm and had me hooked. This was a strange version of the usual apocalypse stories that focused not on the end of the world itself, but the journey there. About the strange human tendencies to ignore and hide, about the things we do to cope; denial, religion, spiritualism, fighting and eventually acceptance.

Olivia was a nervous, quiet soul who resonated with me immediately - she was so relatable and loveable that I would love to have her as a my friend in the end of days. She found a way to find true beauty in the world and try to savour every moment as well as she could.

Hauntingly beautiful, wickedly sharp and devastatingly fun - this book is going to be living rent-free in my head quite possibly until the world ends.

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to Emily Barr, Penguin Random House UK and Netgalley for a reviews copy in return for an honest review.

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 fits 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 seems to be weird and have deeper meaning to them.
The books 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.

Who knew that YA pre-apocalyptic thriller was a genre I was missing? Apparently Emily Barr did because that was something I've never read before, and I found myself getting really into it!!

I'll be honest, I was expecting to be sceptical about this book. I was anticipating more YA 'finding yourself' story than thriller. Even better, the thriller part of the story very slowly creeps up on you. You know that something isn't quite right but, with something like the end of the world coming, you can imagine why someone might overlook some of the obvious tells ...

In fact, all of those elements - of the teenager who is cripplingly shy and anxious and is desperate to be a slightly different person but doesn't know how, the backdrop of the end of times creeping ever closer, and the young woman who isn't quite what she seems - somehow work perfectly together. The author is playing her own game of smoke and mirrors and misdirection by presenting all of these elements together so that you are so overwhelmed by what appears to be going on, that you miss everything else. And I've got to say, that's some pretty clever writing.

The impending apocalypse - the melting of the permafrosts and the irreversible end of a breathable atmosphere - and the world's reaction to time ticking away is also frighteningly believable. The majority of people are going about their daily lives, because perhaps the problem will be resolved before time is up, and what else can you do anyway? There seems to be a collective decision made that the last few months will be one epic 'see the world' party, but until then you go to school and you work each day and you hope it won't really happen.

Libby's own growth throughout the story is surprising and steady. Thanks to the arrival of her estranged cousin she is being forced to come out of her shell; to learn slight of hand street magic, to talk with people, to stand up for herself. But can she use those skills when it really matters? And when being with the people you love matters more than everything else?

Although the end of the world should be taking precedence, Libby's time with her family starts to raise questions - why is her mum distrustful of her cousin Natasha? Who is Violet? What happened between Libby and Natasha's dads? I can't really go into explaining the plot without giving it away. But it has TWISTS. Just like the end of the world (The Creep) these twists creep up on you too - you sort of know that they are there, and then bam! Surprise!

I would have liked to have seen more of the pre-apocalyptic element - we see some signs of the end of times, but a lot of people also seem to be behaving rationally and calmly. There is talk of looting and fires and rioting, but we don't see those as much as you might expect, particularly given that there are a lot of scenes set in Madrid, Paris and finally London. I can understand why we don't - Libby herself is actively trying to avoid knowing anything, her mum and stepdad are trying to keep her calm and happy and, with everything going on with her and Natasha, she would be quite distracted ... but still, I would have liked a little more.

But I also loved the UK setting - the references to college and Sixth Form. It all just made sense and (for this Brit reader) made the whole apocalypse feel understated and understandable.

A really pleasing 4.5 stars (rounded down to 4) for this book!

Where would you go if you knew the end of the world was coming in a few months?

Libby is an extremely shy British girl, who is in the last year of high school. It’s been announced that the end of the world is coming several months away. So Libby decides to throw caution to the wind and do some things before the world ends.

She finds out that her father had a brother that he never mentioned. Her uncle had a daughter, Natasha, who Libby starts emailing. They correspond for a short time before Natasha arrives on Libby’s doorstep. The book is a little slow up until this point. Does the author want the reader to get comfortable and believe that everything is going to be alright? It’s possible. When Natasha arrives, the pace picks up. Is it because Natasha seems brave and daring? Also, it’s a possibility.

Natasha tries to help Libby come out of her shell and to be more daring. According to Natasha, Libby should pursue the girl of her dreams and travel around the world while she still can. They travel to Spain and Paris. Everything seems wonderful. Natasha teaches Libby magic tricks and a bit about hustling people for money. Natasha and Libby see the sights and do amazing things.

Can Libby really trust Natasha? Natasha’s stories aren’t adding up but Libby can’t quite figure out the whole story. She knows that she should be more cautious with Natasha but she doesn’t want to let go of someone that pushes her to get out in the world and live her life.

If you like apocalyptic books with a sense of adventure and intrigue then you will love this book.

If you are too busy preparing your own bunker for the end of the world, you might be missing out on a really interesting book.

I received this ebook from NetGalley and Penguin Platform, as part of The Write Reads book tour. Thanks to all! All opinions are my own. Obviously.
Amazon affiliate links included in this post.
I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

This book was an exciting thriller that hade hooked throughout!

The plot followed a apocalyptic society. The air was soon going to become poisonous but when Libby Lewis finds her cousin Natasha, she is going to spend her summer enjoying her last days. But there are some family secrets uncovered that change everything!

The writing was full of tension and kept me on my toes. The characters and plot were really well done. I was very intrigued. The twists were thrilling but there were some disturbing elements that I didn't enjoy as much.

Overall this was a brilliant read and I would recommend it!

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the E-arc! All opinions are my own.

Curtains up for a production of Romeo and Juliet, echoing the final scenes. It sets the scene for the rest of the book rather well in a temper of melancholy, in a way that makes you want to hug Olivia and then look her directly in the eye to tell her to go on the adventure to discover the family she never knew she had, until now.
It is a weighty book, full of teenage angst and emotion, that her mum tries to assist with and tries to convince her to seek some extra guidance with all her social anxieties.

I kept hoping for something uplifting and hopeful within the book, something that would seem to have Olivia on-track with life, instead of seeing her feel like she is clipped and heaved back with her social anxieties. It takes some time, but seek and you will find some positivity, some of it in the form of Natasha, who befriends Olivia, who eeks her outside of her innerself.

The clever part isn't so much in the text within the text in each chapter, but the chapter headings themselves. That's where the "Things To Do Before The End of The World" really are, as they pointedly start to give readers a list that screams to do something and to live life. That's where the uplifting signs come from (except "Runaway". I wouldn't advocate anyone does that and "Don't Trust Anyone", although it does all fit well within the story). Some are also sensible and will be thought-provoking to teenagers as it reminds them to think about not wasting their time in education and also to think about their mum (or whoever takes care of them). The chapter headings really excited me, once I clocked onto what they were doing. These are what, more than anything, show teens about how to "live their best life", in a guidance sort of way.

As for the story itself, teens will be able to relate, but I have to say, I had a bit of a heavy heart to begin with, when reading it as I waded through much negativity about the world, but there is a turning point and my heart somewhat lightened. It is all there and these elements stand out more than most. On the other-hand it shows what living with anxiety can do to a person and their views on the world.
There are some pretty dark elements however, about hoping to be in contact with the dead and "playing" with tarot cards.

The travel between Spain and France provides a bit of light relief and elements of that fun with the shows they see, the fashion and some of things the friends get up to and the plans they want to make. This does help turn a corner in the story and it starts to show some uplifting elements. It also has some realism of how life just isn't all a straight line and there are ups and downs and some curveballs, but  and in someways this is a positive in a world where people have come to expect life to be either all up or all down and in reality its a whole mixture.

I think it will provide some thought-provoking elements for teenagers to hopefully be careful when they are abroad, but also to have some fun there and at home and to realise the world isn't all bleak.

Super grateful for being part of the blog tour for this title & as always, my opinions are honest and my own.

I ended up enjoying the book, I hoped to enjoy it even a little more, but it was very good, and the author’s style resonates a lot with me, even so, it was not entirely what I expected. The plot begins with a certain super catastrophic but at the same time intriguing promise that manages to keep you hooked from the first pages, but then begins to transform into a more than anything contemporary book of self-discovery, which wasn’t an impediment to my enjoyment, it was just different and unexpected. I adore the author’s style and how she always manages to give us a solid setting and relatable characters. In summary, I found a very interesting book to explore even though it doesn’t cover the full experience that I expected, nor does it have a very clear direction.


In this book, we follow Olivia, a highly introverted girl who’s trying to live her life as comfortably as possible, until one-day humanity recognizes the damage has done to the earth for thousands of years is irreversible, therefore there are only nine months left till the “end of the world.” Due to this tragic news, everyone is driven to start living their lives to the fullest and make the most of the time they have left as much as possible, which becomes a challenge for the shy Olivia who’s still not sure how she wants to live her last months. But then almost out of nowhere Natasha, a cousin that Olivia didn’t know, appears in her life and this will affect and change Olivia in ways she didn’t expect.


This is a very interesting plot to read, as I said before, I was expecting something denser in terms of the end of the world and this apocalyptic thing, you know, but instead, I found a point of view more focused on the contemporary side, and in the consequences or actions that this news has on people and how, above all, it affects the main character Libby (Olivia), who has always lived a little fearful and withdrawn from other people.This approach isn’t something negative as such, just something surprising for me, anyway I think it’s important to emphasize it in case any of you are interested in reading it and perhaps a contemporary plot isn’t what you’re really looking for.

I’d already read the author in the past, I read The One Memory of Flora Banks and although I know it’s an unpopular opinion, I loved it! So I was quite excited to read more about the author and even more to participate in this blog tour, which I don’t regret since I think she has a very unique ability to describe settings, to create interesting and relatable characters, such as also to give a unique touch to their stories that make them stand out from others, perhaps exploring issues that aren’t touched too much in the genre. This time I really liked the way the author gives personalities to the characters since both Olivia and Natasha and even the secondary characters, have very marked personalities and differ widely from each other, which puts the characters in difficult, uncomfortable, or even new situations, which makes the relationship between them help each of them to grow and develop, especially for Olivia this is an important factor since starting to interact with her cousin starts a strong journey of self-discovery and even acceptance for her.


Although I don’t care that the book is more focused on the story of the girls, and the things we would do if we knew that the world was going to end, instead of focusing more on the apocalyptic of the matter, I have to confess I’d have loved to have that point of view too, maybe something more dystopian where people make plans to try to survive or this kind of thing.

In this book, it’s rather a collective realization where everyone understands that although it’s difficult to assimilate, the reality in which they live is like this, and now they must hurry to do everything they have always wanted to do. There are simply so many points to explore in a plot as such, that I feel that they were somehow left aside to focus on the more contemporary and human aspects. It also gives me the sense that it is poorly resolved as such, especially towards the end it’s kind of messy as if the author didn’t know well what definition to give it, in any case, I highlight the revelations since they seemed well executed.

In summary, I think that when you give your book such a dark and urgent tone, maybe the focus should be more developed in that area at least for the first part of the book, and then transition to the worldly problems of the characters, even so, This is my opinion and as I always say, you don’t have to think the same.


As a contemporary plot, touches on extremely interesting and even important topics, such as revelations about the family, the search for who we are, and what we want to do with our lives. Why is it really worth fighting for? & the value of simply living fully, you know? What would you do if you knew that you only have nine months to live? I think it’s an extremely interesting and intriguing question to explore and is asked quite intentionally in this book.

I quite liked the book, I don’t think it’s a bad read at all, it’s not what I expected certainly, even so, it provides very unique moments, great characters and life lessons, as well as reflective moments that explore things in life we can all feel identified with. I recommend it? Of course! but only if you’re looking for a solid contemporary book with a plot focused on the existential as such rather than an apocalyptic plot, you know? in that case, it’s super easy to read, flows for the most part well as well and the characters are worth it. I’m still interested in continuing to read the works of the author since I really like her writing style.

This book, despite it's title is predominantly a coming of age story that is heightened by the impending apocalypse. As the introverted Olivia struggles to navigate the world around her the added pressure of an imminent climate catastrophe sparks an impulsive streak, aided by the appearance of a previously unknown cousin. The polar opposite of Olivia, Natasha offers a glimpse of an alternative life that Olivia can be part of if she'll only take a leap. A European 'tour' ensues filled with life changing consequences. Barr manages to elevate the narrative beyond the usual YA fair into a believable and heart warming tale that explores how keen we all are to follow and strive for an ideal version of ourselves.

Thank you so much to The Write Reads, Penguin, and Emily Barr, for allowing me to be part of this experience and for providing me with a complimentary digital copy in exchange for an honest review!

Before I get started, I want to give a fair warning–something many other bloggers stated in their reviews–that this isn’t your normal apocalypse thriller. The book does starts out with a newsflash that the atmosphere is going to become uninhabitable in less than a year due to human’s lack of care about their effect on the environment (sounds about right). But in a twist of events, humans have no idea what to do now that they’ve been confronted with their shortened life-span, so people kind of just decide to go about their lives exactly the same way as before, albeit with a few more risks, parties, and vacations thrown into the mix.

Rather than being a story about humanity falling apart at the end of the world, the plot instead focuses on a 17 year old girl, Olivia (Libby), who is desperate to break from her shell and truly live her life before she dies. She meets Natasha, a cousin she didn’t know existed, and takes off on a series of adventures that Natasha cooks up. As Libby gains more self-confidence, she begins to learn that her family tree is full of dark secrets. Why didn’t anyone tell her about her estranged cousin? What aren’t her parents telling her about their pasts? Is Natasha really as amazing as she seems to be?

While the book took a while to get started (the first 50% or so reads more like a contemporary than a thriller), the story continues with a second-half that kept me hooked and anxious to read more. I enjoyed the writing quite a lot (Barr embodied the teenage mind well), and somehow the plot managed to be both predictable and unpredictable at the same time. There are several plot points that are pretty obvious, yet Emily Barr kept throwing twists at me that I never even thought about.

Overall, I’m highly impressed with this book. I’ll admit that there were multiple aspects I didn’t like (unnecessary secrets, lack of parental authority, what I felt was a needless romance side story), but once I got to the end, I didn’t at all care. I was so caught up in how much I was enjoying the ride, that I completely forgot about any bumps I experienced along the way.

I’m definitely going to look into reading more Emily Barr books in the future! I’ve heard great things!

I have to admit that I’m not usually in to the whole end of the world/apocalyptic theme in books, but the book blurb sounded very promising, so when Dave told us about the tour, I made sure to sign up. I’m so glad I did, because I really enjoyed this book.

This wasn’t your typical end of the world story, which was obvious from the very beginning. Firstly, I want to point out that the cause of the end of humanity in Things To Do Before The End of The World is very possible, and if we don’t think about our actions and how they impact the planet now, it could all too soon become too late, and in the future this may become a reality. I liked the fact that it was realistic to what is happening in our world today, not like the usual meteor hits the earth or anything like that that you find in most end of the world stories. I also liked that everyone kind of carried on with their normal lives, and didn’t completely lose their minds (even though they would in real life), because honestly I’m too fed up with the chaos in the real world anyway. It was quite a refreshing way to view the end of the world.

The best thing about this book for me was that it becomes more of a story about Olivia finding herself, and also a sort of thriller, and it made it such a fun and enjoyable book to read. I loved following Olivia and Natasha on their adventures, especially because a couple of the places they visited are places that I would love to go myself.

I’m not sure how I felt on the views towards spiritualism, as it just seemed like they were making fun of it a lot of the time, and although I’m not overly spiritual, there are aspects that I do believe in, so I didn’t appreciate the way it was being approached. But that is probably my only complaint about the whole book to be honest.

Olivia was a lovely character. In some ways, I could really relate to her, but she was definitely way too naive. Her character development was an interesting one, but I’m hoping that there will be another book to follow, because I would love to see her grow more as a character. I’m also totally routing for her and Zoe!
Then there was Natasha… There was immediately something about her that I didn’t like, and that feeling continued to grow throughout the story. I didn’t trust her. Her behaviour towards Olivia was odd to say the least, and I don’t think she had any redeeming qualities about her.

The ending of the story was a joy to read. So much happens in those last few chapters, and it has you on the edge of your seat. There are so many revelations, some of which I saw coming, but others that were complete surprises, and I couldn’t stop reading. Overall, this is a great read, and I certainly recommend it.

I give Things To Do Before The End of The World a 4 star rating!

What would you do if one day you discover that you have nine months left? Not because of a disease, but because all humankind and other species will extinct. When news breaks that humans have done such damage to the earth and that it’s too late to repair it Olivia discovers that it is the time for her to start living her life. She was always a shy person who preferred to stay at home than socialize with people. Her social anxiety was always standing in her way to make new friends or tell the girls she loves about her feelings. Now she needs to decide if she will spend her last months living in a way she did before or be brave and live her life as fully as she can. However, it’s not as easy as it’s said.

Out of blue, she discovers that she has a long-lost cousin that she didn’t even know existed. She decides to contact her, and their relations get closer each day. Natasha is everything Olivia always wanted to be. Her ease and self-confidence affect Libby, that she trusts everything she says. She convinces her that she is the only person that can help her to make her life better. However, when she joins Olivia and her family on the family trip, she realizes that Natasha isn’t everything she first appears to be.

BOOK REVIEW

It’s a little bit hard for me to review this book since I was prepared for a completely different story than that. I thought it will be written more in a dystopian way, however, it was a more teen contemporary novel. As much as I enjoyed this book, I was also a little bit disappointed.

I think the story overall is very well written, the plot interesting and the mystery very well structured. In the beginning, I wasn’t sure if I will like the main character Olivia, however, it’s only because I didn’t see all the qualities that we can learn about her throughout the book. I loved to watch her open and grow up. She changed a lot thanks to Natasha, and as much as she hurt her at the end I think it was kind of worth it. She broke the limits and finally started living. She spent her summer abroad learning how to forget about her fear. I really enjoyed her and Natasha running through Madrid and Paris and showing the magic tricks to people. Honestly, I would like to do it myself. Just run away to a nice city and perform to make money for hotels and food.

Well, as good as it sounds, I knew from the start that there was something wrong with Natasha. There were a lot of signs on the way that were screaming at Libby “Run”. I was so surprised that her parents let her go with her to Madrid and then Paris when they knew that there was something wrong. I think this was one of these moments in the book that I could not understand, it was just so stupid. Besides, Natasha was a very sneaky person that knows how to sell her lies. On one side I dislike her for what she did to Libby for the faults of Natasha’s father. I could feel the anxiety coming from Olivia after what Natasha did to her. If I would be in her place, I would die from a heart attack. It would be so terrifying. However, there was this one side that even I wanted to believe that she is there with Olivia just because she wants to get to know her better. I wanted her to be like a sister to her because Libby deserves to have more people that love her in her life.

The aspect of the end of the world situation was shown in this book from the perspective of “how people would behave if they know that they have only nine months left. I think that even if the chaos I expected to find in this book wasn’t there, the whole situation hit me hard. Especially in the situations when many species just started dying. This kind of situation opens your eyes because you can clearly see that there’s no coming back, no solution that will help you to survive. It was a very interesting background to show the change in the person. However, it’s very upsetting that when Olivia finally gets to the point she wants to live, she loses her time for a person that only wants to trick her, instead of with people that she loves.

I would like to thank TheWriteReads, Emily Barr, and Penguin for inviting me to join this tour. I was enjoying reading this book a lot and I was happy to review it. I hope you guys enjoyed my review and will read this book yourself soon.