Review - The Boy and Girl Who Broke the World by Amy Reed

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.

Goodreads | Amazon UK | Amazon US

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.