ARC Review: The Last Boy and Girl in the World by Siobhan Vivian

Title: The Last Boy and Girl in the World
Author: Siobhan Vivian
Kindle, 320 pages
Published: April 26th 2016
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Genre: YA - Contemporary, Romance
Source: via Edelweiss

From the critically acclaimed author of The List comes a stunning new novel about a girl who must say goodbye to everything she knows after a storm wreaks havoc on her hometown.

What if your town was sliding underwater and everyone was ordered to pack up and leave? How would you and your friends spend your last days together?

While the adults plan for the future, box up their possessions, and find new places to live, Keeley Hewitt and her friends decide to go out with a bang. There are parties in abandoned houses. Canoe races down Main Street. The goal is to make the most of every minute they still have together.

And for Keeley, that means taking one last shot at the boy she’s loved forever.

There’s a weird sort of bravery that comes from knowing there’s nothing left to lose. You might do things you normally wouldn’t. Or say things you shouldn’t. The reward almost always outweighs the risk.

Almost.

It’s the end of Aberdeen, but the beginning of Keeley’s first love story. It just might not turn out the way she thought. Because it’s not always clear what’s worth fighting for and what you should let become a memory.

Purchase at: Amazon | B&N | TBD | Kobo

  I received an eARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through Edelweiss.

  The Last Boy and Girl in the World was a very confusing read for me, not because of the story itself, but because of how I feel towards the book. I'm so conflicted because when I started reading this, it didn't seem like my type of read, And then, after a few chapters, things got better, and I was more interested in reading it, and then it drifted off again. Mostly, the book felt boring to me, but these little moments that were very much amazing to me would pop out all of a sudden and my feelings about the book would get out of whack again.

  The Last Boy and Girl in the World is narrated by Keeley, but the story is more than hers. It's about the small town of Aberdeen, which has become an environmental hazard and has required everyone to leave the town. However, Keeley's father refused to leave their hometown, and from there, the story develops. 

  The Last Boy and Girl in the World has elements of family, friendship and romance. But more than that, I love how this book showed me that there are times for having fun and trying to make the best out of situations, but there are also times when you just have to accept that things are bad and let yourself feel bad about it. I also loved how it showed that things don't work out in some aspects, but work perfectly in others. 

  I learned a lot of things from this book, and it was a heavy, emotional read for me just because I could relate so much to the main character. Keeley sometimes tries to get others to have some fun, but gets in trouble for it. And sometimes she just tries to make things better, but actually manages to ruin everything. And that's another thing I love about this book - how full of flaws the main character is, because that's what makes her real. She made a lot of mistakes, and the book wasn't full of lessons in the form of direct words. I loved how the book showed those lessons instead of just told.

  Overall, I liked a lot of little things and moments from this book, but I didn't like it as a whole. It was so hard for me to decide which rating to pick, but I finally settled on picking something in the middle. This book is not bad at all, I just can't say that it was good. However, it's also the type of book that I didn't like, but wish so hard that others would actually be able to appreciate. That doesn't make sense at all, but that's just how I feel.

I liked it. Would maybe recommend.