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Full disclosure, I was intrigued by the premise of this book because 1. it sounded promisingly introspective and 2. it sounded similar to The 100. I am so transparent at times, honestly. Anyway, We All Looked Up is a fairly unique novel that discusses the idea of humanity going the way of the dinosaurs. An asteroid is discovered to be heading toward a direct collision with Earth; its arrival almost certainly means the instant extermination of nearly all life on the planet (or as I like to call it, ‘the beginning of a potentially great apocalyptic novel’). Scientists predict its arrival/the end of the world in two months time; the story follows a group of teenagers in the aftermath of this news as they try to come to terms with their suddenly tiny life span.
The book uses multiple POVs to tell the story – there’s Peter, a popular high school athlete type, Eliza, the aloof, beautiful social outcast, Andy, the slacker who’s fond of recreational drug use, and lastly Anita, the overachiever. The characters are…okay, for the most part. I didn’t find any of them particularly compelling, and honestly I’m not fond of characters that are created out of stereotypes – Andy was especially annoying in this way. I liked some more than others; Eliza particularly had the potential to be more interesting, given her supposed promiscuity and indifference to social conventions – I would’ve liked to have seen her end up with Anita because come ON, what better time than the end of the world to abandon heteronormativity?
The plot is essentially about a party that takes place on their last night on Earth, but there’s also ~romance~ that I thought was unnecessary and boring. The kids watch as the world collapses all around them – governments fall, the internet goes dark, and anarchy more or less begins to rule the streets. All of that was actually pretty engaging in a way but I found the kids’ individual stories tedious. Anita’s felt very tacked on and rushed, and there is a definite imbalance between the kids because of the focus on Peter/Eliza (lawd). As you might able to tell I was not a fan of the romantic relationships.
I mean, I thought this was an okay read, nothing more, nothing less. It wasn’t dull, but ultimately I do feel like this is a forgettable book which is a shame because it does have a pretty great premise that could’ve built up to a brilliant story. ALSO, what was that ending? I read the entire book and you leave me with that? The ambiguity was annoying and very jarring considering the premise of the book.
Cynthia says
Hmm, I have been interested in this one. I am sorry you didn’t enjoy it more! I may still give it a shot though.
Hannah says
Busy reading this at the moment! I love the premise, but the characters certainly have their flaws.
Lisa @ Bookish Broads says
I had a hard time reviewing this book because of the reasons you highlight at the end. It was good. The premise was neat. But nothing REALLY sucked me in, you know? It was an interesting idea that had some lackluster b-plots and characters, but the idea behind it was enough to keep me going.
Rita says
The cover of this book is GORGEOUS but I think I’ll be avoiding it… If the romance isn’t too good and the story forgettable, I don’t think I’d enjoy it! Great review!