After absolutely falling in love with the Cal Lovett series, I was sceptical as to whether or not I’d enjoy this stand alone. I wasn’t sure that the change in genre was for me… boy was I wrong! This blew me away! Absolutely brilliant a big fat 5 stars from me!
Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publishers for my ARC

It’s kind of weird to read a pandemic novel after 2020 and all that year brought. In some ways it’s still so fresh in the memory, and so traumatic, you don’t want to relive it. It would even be cathartic, I suppose, if COVID wasn’t still so very much with us, and still killing people. Nevertheless—we love to read about disasters, right?

We are thrust directly into the action as readers—in media res: there’s a spreading virus, parts of the world are already incommunicado, and we meet the British PM’s press secretary, and sometime lover, Marianne, as London falls. Marianne is also suddenly and without planning to be, part of an underground movement to save children by sending them out to the countryside (reminiscent of the Blitz, and WWII); in the process, she saves Maia, who is the main character for the rest of the novel.

We watch Maia grow up in an evacuation camp on a remote farm, and learn about all the ways the community finds to survive. But eventually, after many years, the question becomes inescapable: did anyone else make it? Is there life outside the camp?

There’s so much that’s lovely about this novel, and the beginning is truly thrilling. But then… The middle does drag and lose its way a bit. (It could probably do without roughly 75 pages of the narrative.) I felt another thrill near the end, so things did pick up—enough for me to give *The Tomorrow Project* a high rating.

There are so many end of the world stories; what sets this one apart? Well, the protagonist for one: she grows up with no real knowledge of the old world except the tiniest memory of her mother, that’s the thing that eventually drives her to leave the camp. Another thing is how much thought Critchlow put into imagining how a group of people might survive in isolation—made more real, of course, now, by COVID. I also enjoyed the post-apocalyptic parts of the novel: there are no easy or pat answers, which is as it should be. There’s cooperation, but also conflict between the survivors, which is also realistic.

I think a lot more thought went into writing the female characters than the males; one male in particular came across as creepy *throughout* the novel, but that seemed to peter out at the end….? for reasons unclear. My favourite character is a mother figure—a teacher who takes Maia under her wing; I thought she was the most well-written side character.

So, themes? Post-Apocalypse. Like I’ve said already, how humans survive, cooperate, and fight each other. The enduring bond between a daughter and her mother, and how a very similar bond can be made between women and children who are not their own. Oh, and governmental ineptitude and corruption, undoubtedly still at the forefront of everyone’s mind after 2020. Finally, coming-of-age in a time of chaos.

Really very decently executed, and a very good read. Thank you to Canelo and NetGalley for DRC access.

Thank you to NetGalley and Canelo for the ARC!

I am very disappointed that this book does not have more recognition. It was AMAZING. I am so impressed by the story-building, the feelings that take over while reading, and the never ending intrigue. I will definitely be purchasing a physical copy for my "trophy" shelf. Furthermore, I already have a couple friends in mind that I know would absolutely love this book as a gift.

Holly Collins

what an amazing book, it’s set in the future but is there a future?
it’s a scary thought of what could change in an instant and of course life did with covid for most of us and it’s hard not to draw comparisons.
a well written story that i have already recommended

Best novel about the downfall of human civilization I’ve read in a very long time

Thank you, Canelo and NetGalley, for providing me with an ARC of H Critchlow’s, The Tomorrow Project.

Is there anything I don’t like about H Critchlow’s, The Tomorrow Project? Hell no!
All characters were so vivid: main characters Marianne and Maia, and side characters.
Fast paced but never rushed. Many twists that I didn’t see coming. This is the best novel about the downfall of human civilization I’ve read in a very long time.
Accessible dystopia that doesn’t resort to a shoot-’em-up ruckus, but concentrates on the human story. Reminding me of classics like The Day of the Triffids and The Chrysalids by John Wyndham, but of this day and age. Maia and Marianne will stay with you long after you finished this novel.

I dearly hope H Critchlow will write more science fiction novels, she’s bloody good at it.
5 stars (6 in my own system) for H Critchlow’s, The Tomorrow Project and on my ‘Want to read again’ stack. And I pre-ordered a hard copy.

A perfect masterpiece of dystopian fiction. The Tomorrow Project is a mash-up of Louise Welsh's Plague trilogy meets Robert McCammon's Swansong. The Tomorrow Project will live rent free in your head long after you have devoured the final page. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Canelo for providing this book, with my honest review below.

The Tomorrow Project was heart wrenching and disturbing in the ways you’d want from a story set in the future during a global pandemic that devastates all infected.

The structure of the story is so well done, starting at one kind of ending, the world as we know it, and continuing giving us some context to just before that point before jumping to the future and a new kind of beginning. The main characters of focus at different points are Marianne, the press secretary to the Prime Minister, who we follow as she discovers the pandemic has reached England’s shores, a vaccine isn’t ready, and that the message she has been repeating to parents that all children are entered into a lottery to seek refuge for the summer from the virus isn’t quite true. From there, while we see other characters grapple with the end, we meet Maia, a young girl who grows up in one of these camps.

The setting and events are well rendered and this all feels a little too close for comfort, but the story and writing are so compelling that you don’t really have the option of putting this down. There are many lessons here and H Critchlow makes sure that they resonate.

A thought provoking and terrifying story of a society decimated after a world wide pandemic. Excellent world building and characters, it reminded me a little of the old.tv series Survivors.

Wow!
Beautifully written, it was heartbreaking and yet hopeful. I devoured it with tears streaming down my face.

I have rarely had a jump scare from a book, but I was so absorbed that my husband wondered what was going on.

I won’t give you any spoilers but this dystopian novel will stay with me for a long time.

Thank you for NetGalley and Canelo for the copy to review. I will be buying a copy with beautiful spredges to reread…

Thank you NetGalley and Canelo for this eCopy to review

As I read The Tomorrow Project I found myself immersed in a chillingly plausible future. Set in the 2050s, the story unfolds in a world where a deadly virus has reshaped society. The narrative alternates between two compelling perspectives: Marianne, a government press secretary who uncovers the devastating truth behind the official response to the pandemic, and Maia, a young girl navigating life in an evacuation camp.

Marianne's journey is one of heartbreak and redemption. Her realisation of the system's flaws forces her to make impossible choices, sacrificing her own safety to help others. Meanwhile, Maia's story is a poignant exploration of resilience and hope. As she grows up in the camp, she begins to question the safety of her confined world and yearns to discover what lies beyond.

The novel's strength lies in its emotional depth and vivid world-building. The characters are richly drawn, and their struggles feel achingly real. The pacing is gripping, with moments of tension that kept me on edge.

The Tomorrow Project is a powerful tale of humanity's capacity for both destruction and hope. It left me reflecting on the choices we make in the face of crisis and the resilience of the human spirit.

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.