Title: The Boy and Girl Who Broke the World
Author: Amy Reed
Pages: 400
Publisher: Atom
Release Date: 9th July 2019
Blurb from Goodreads:
Billy Sloat and Lydia Lemon don't have much in common, unless you
count growing up on the same (wrong) side of the tracks, the lack of
a mother, and a persistent loneliness that has inspired creative
coping mechanisms.
When the lives of these two loners are thrust together, Lydia's cynicism is met with Billy's sincere optimism, and both begin to question their own outlook on life. On top of that, weird happenings including an impossible tornado and an all-consuming fog are cropping up around them - maybe even because of them.
With a unique mix of raw emotion, humor, and heart, the surreal plotline pulls readers through an epic exploration of how caring for others makes us vulnerable - and how utterly pointless life would be if we didn't.
My Review:
*I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Thanks to Little, Brown Book Group UK and NetGalley*
Billy Sloat has no
friends, no parents, and lives with his mean grandma. Despite this,
Billy is an optimist and always manages to put a positive spin on
everything.
Lydia Lemon is a
cynic with a chip in her shoulder. She lives with her dad in an
apartment behind his bar and keeps her love for dancing a secret.
Billy and Lydia are
opposites, yet they soon become friends.
Then weird things
start happening, like fog consuming everything, Billy's house falling
apart, and Lydia being followed by something.
Why are these things
happening?
Are Billy and Lydia
causing them?
I was going to start
by saying that The Boy and Girl Who Broke the World is not your
average YA contemporary, but I'm not even sure that it is a
contemporary book given the fantastical elements.
I loved Billy
straight away - he was so sweet and upbeat that it was hard not to
like him. He lived a very lonely life until he met Lydia, and I
wanted so badly to give him a hug and maybe even take him home so
that I could look after him.
I liked Lydia too,
especially reading her interactions with Billy. They were funny
together and helped each other.
The plot was
interesting and held my attention, but I felt like the pacing could
have been better in the middle as it did drag a little.
The fantastical
elements were really intriguing and made the book unique, but it was
the themes of friendship and family and how they were
handled/explored that made the book for me.
The writing style
was engaging and easy to follow.
While I did enjoy
this book, it didn't blow me away or have me on the edge of my seat.
Overall, this was an
enjoyable, unique read.
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