The Here and Now Book Review

The Here and Now
by Anna Brashares
Release: April 2014
Delacorte Press
I recieved a free cop of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Summary from GoodReads:

Follow the rules. Remember what happened. Never fall in love.

This is the story of seventeen-year-old Prenna James, who immigrated to New York when she was twelve. Except Prenna didn’t come from a different country. She came from a different time—a future where a mosquito-borne illness has mutated into a pandemic, killing millions and leaving the world in ruins.

Prenna and the others who escaped to the present day must follow a strict set of rules: never reveal where they’re from, never interfere with history, and never, ever be intimate with anyone outside their community. Prenna does as she’s told, believing she can help prevent the plague that will one day ravage the earth.

But everything changes when Prenna falls for Ethan Jarves. 

My Review:

 I've been trying to think of a way to describe this book for a while now, but I can't. Not really. I went in believing I was going to really enjoy it and I did to an extent, but really I think i was just more disappointed. It felt like the story had such great promise. You're dealing with time travel and the big question of do you change the present to save the future?
While reading it held my attention. It made me wonder who's life was the one to alter the future. But once I put the book down it was a "wait, why did I enjoy that so much" moment.
Prenna seems like a nice enough character. She has the makings of greatness and is the kind of girl you see changing the future, but she felt to wishy washy. I had a secret hope a certain sweatshirt would have made a bigger appearance too.