Upheaval

by Suzanne Perazzini

While Nyeta is kayaking on a river in the wilderness with her schoolmates not far from the outdoor pursuits school they attend, a massive quake turns the earth inside out, cracks it wide open.

Cold, shocked and terrified, the six surviving students set off on a terrifying journey to find help.

Kindle Edition

First published June 3, 2013

About the author

My name is Suzanne Perazzini. I am a nutritional therapist specializing in irritable bowel syndrome and the low Fodmap diet (certified by the Monash University on the low Fodmap diet), qualified teacher, award-winning author and fulltime low Fodmap diet coach. My website, www.strandsofmylife.com features low Fodmap recipes, videos and articles on IBS and the diet. I have been featured on numerous podcasts, I have articles on several large health websites and have had many of my recipes published in hard copy magazines. I have suffered from IBS all my life and after having my life transformed by the low Fodmap diet, I now dedicate my days to coaching others on how to eliminate their IBS symptoms once and for all.

Reviews

[Laura Masciarelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently read and reviewed a book, Fierce Mind, which I loved so much that I downloaded another of the author’s books, hoping for the same level of thought-provoking entertainment. Upheaval did not disappoint. It’s another five-star, incredible book! Within pages of the opening there is a devastating earthquake in New Zealand that leaves seventeen-year-old Nyeta and five classmates stranded alone in the wilderness.

The book chronicles the teens’ interactions as they make their way towards the nearest city, hoping to find their families untouched by the devastation. They pass through farms and small towns, all in ruins. They deal with life-threatening injuries, encounter sinister looters, and experience the horror of coming across the dead victims of the earthquake. Nyeta and her friends have to handle decisions that will decide whether each of them lives or dies. Their only hope, as they forage through rough terrain, is that they’ll find help in the city when they reach it. They have an inkling that all is not well in the city when they witness airliners crashing, running out of fuel when they can’t find a place to land.

The book moved along quickly and kept me at the edge of my seat as the story drew me in, into the shock and fear of the situation. The way the survivors of the surrounding towns quickly organized, becoming defensive and ready to kill for the remaining resources, could easily have turned Upheaval into a nightmarish story. But, the kindness between the teens and the sweet, caring romance that developed between Nyeta and Darryl made Upheaval more a story of friendships that strengthen through adversity.

Survival stories don’t usually appeal to me. When I think “survival story” I think of Gary Paulson’s books. His books, although engaging and well-written, never grabbed my interest, probably because I think of them as “boy books.” And, there aren’t many ”boy books” out there. So many teen novels are written from a girl protagonist’s point of view and involve subject matter that truly doesn’t interest boys. So, as I was reading Upheaval, it occurred to me that although it is written from a girl’s point of view, teen boys would love this book.

Besides having universal appeal, I enjoyed how each character’s personality unfolded as their challenges brought out their strengths. And, I especially grew to love Marsh as he started out as a self-centered jerk, but became a staunch protector of the group.

Things I liked: The protectiveness and caring among Nyeta and her friends, the suspense as the teens near the city, James, the unusual character they encounter, and the thought-provoking, moral decisions Nyeta has to make.

Things I didn’t like: I was somewhat irked by Nyeta’s fixation on finding adults who would care for them. But, I suppose if I were seventeen, I might be looking for adults and assuming they’d help too.

Overall: Truly terrific, ultra-engaging book that would appeal to teen boys as well as teen girls, but is also a crossover book that adults would love too.

[Dana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, the author edited her own book. Bad idea. Really bad. I found many, many errors, which distracted from the story. The story has an interesting concept - Nyeta is a student at an "outdoor pursuits" school and is kayaking with other students when a huge earthquake sets off a couple of volcanoes and triggers the end of the world as they knew it. Nyeta survives and together with several other surviving students they make their way through the dangerous wilderness trying to get to "the city" where their families live. "The city" is never named and the setting is never really identified, which is a bit annoying. They see lots of dead people, get guns to defend themselves, and Nyeta's first aide skills that she knows because her father is a doctor makes her the nurse/doctor whenever anyone is injured. It is a rather typical YA dystopian novel with a little romance and lots of death defying action, but the large amount of editing errors and lack of description of the setting detracts from the story. I hope that the author hires an actual editor for future books because that is really necessary. I received this book free to review from Netgalley.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not my normal genre but was a excellent book. Makes you think for sure. I got this for free I recommend it to everyone at that price.

[Twist · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one. It really shows the strength of youth, even while showing that they are still very young, and sometimes act it. It shows a glimpse of the negatives of a world gone crazy, but it doesn't dwell there. There is hope. The hermit plays an important role, even if he is only visible for a brief period of time. There is a lot of death, but it doesn't dwell on it. I do recommend this book.