Thank you to NetGalley and Canelo for the eARC!

This story has terrific writing and world building. It was also the saddest book I've read this year, and maybe ever. I think I cried the entire way through the first third of the book. I ALMOST gave up on it, but I'm so glad I pushed through - Critchlow does some really interesting things with her dystopia. The twists near the end were so good and well done. I did feel like there were a couple of avenues that merited further exploration (I'm looking at you, Bart).

But I think this was a brilliant exploration of what the end of the world might look like and feel like. And the writing really absorbed me.

What a surprise this one was!

I absolutely love the Cal Lovett series so wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I read the synopsis for this one, seeing that it was so different.

What I found was a story I just couldn’t put down. It’s the future, a virus hits the world, the people turn to their government to help save them, a vaccination is in the pipeline, but is it too little too late?
Marianne, Downing Streets press secretary thinks she is helping, doing the right thing, but does she really know what’s going on? As she helps a young Maia escape the city, she doesn’t realise just what the future holds for them all.

This is something unique and unforgettable. It will have you questioning humanity, questioning your own ability in the face of an apocalyptic change in the world.

I love the way it is written, the development of characters as they grow and change with the world. The author is such a good story teller, luring you in and holding your full attention right up until the end. The detail is fantastic, I really felt like I was there, within this new world, seeing things as the characters did, fully imagining this changed world and how nature takes back what belonged to it in the first place.

Maybe the author thought it was a risk to create something so diverse from what she is known for, but definitely a risk worth taking!

My advice, read it!!

I couldn't put it down.
Its thrilling, its heart-breaking and its beautifully written.
No-one imagined we would live through a global pandemic in 2020 so now when reading dystopian novels you wonder 'could this happen next'...

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this book from NetGalley. Thank you to them and H Critchlow for allowing me to read and review their excellent work.

Blurb:
When the end comes, what will you wish you had done?

In 2050s London, fear grips like a vice as a deadly virus sweeps the globe. The British prime minister tells her people to remain calm. A vaccine will be available soon, and as a precautionary measure children will be whisked away to undisclosed locations, kept safe until the storm passes.

Marianne, Downing Street press secretary, doesn’t realise the futility until it is far, far too late. When the truth hits her, Marianne is forced to choose: stay with her family, or do whatever she can to help the doomed survive.

As London falls, seven-year-old Maia is one of the last to escape the city. In an evacuation camp, she binds herself to Finn: in the absence of everything she knew, he becomes her everything.

Yet as the years roll on and hope fades, Maia sees the bubble of safety is also a prison. She realises there is only one choice: to leave the camp and find what remains on the outside.

A compelling and unforgettable tale of humanity, resilience and the lengths we will go to for love. For fans of Station Eleven, The End We Start From.

An immersive and deeply affecting story set during a deadly pandemic that sweeps the globe. The story was incredibly well written and researched, the plot was well paced and the characters were so well drawn I almost forgot they weren't real. This should be on every ones tbr list this summer.

A haunting story that could easily have been what happened during COVID that turns the world of 25 years from now into a dystopia..

The Tomorrow Project was enthralling and immersive, set in a world where a horrific pandemic has swept the globe. It’s a story of resilience and love, following a few different characters through several years. Overall, I recommend it for anyone interested in dystopian/science fiction.