Book Review: How to Pack for the End of the World by Michelle Falkoff

How to Pack for the End of the World Release Date: 10th November 2020
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The Breakfast Club meets We Are the Ants in this timely story for a generation of young activists.

If you knew the world was going to end tomorrow, what would you do?

This is the question that haunts Amina as she watches new and horrible stories of discord and crisis flash across the news every day.

But when she starts at prestigious Gardner Academy, Amina finds a group of like-minded peers to join forces with—fast friends who dedicate their year to learning survival skills from each other, before it’s too late.

Still, as their prepper knowledge multiplies, so do their regular high school problems, from relationship drama to family issues to friend blow-ups. Juggling the two parts of their lives forces Amina to ask another vital question: Is it worth living in the hypothetical future if it’s at the expense of your actual present?

I requested How to Pack for the End of the World kind of on a whim because I really liked the title, and I also like to plan for the apocalypse. I wasn’t really expecting this book to be so contemporary, but it is, and I still ended up very much enjoying it!

One of the reasons I enjoyed How to Pack so much was the boarding school setting. Rich people drama? Sign me UP. I used to love daydreaming about going to boarding school as a kid, and while I’m pretty sure it’s something parents could threaten their kids with if they’re misbehaving, I actually asked to be sent to one. Unfortunately, I was not a Rich Person.

I loved the dynamics between all of the main characters, as their friendships were developed so nicely and I loved that they all felt slightly differently about one another but were still very close. Also, I LOVED the main relationship! It wasn’t your usual ship and it was a little unexpected, so I thought it was pretty great.

In addition to loving the post-apocalyptic talk and discussions, I also loved the mystery elements throughout. The author pulled the mystery off very well and I was super impressed by it!

There was a lot packed (ha!) into this book and I was intrigued and immersed the entire time. I’d recommend it to all contemporary fans, and even people who enjoy some apocalyptic stories and cosy mysteries too!