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The End of the World as We Know It
The Breakfast Club meets The War of the Worlds in The End of the World as We Know It, the latest release from Alloy Entertainment (The Vampire Diaries, Pretty Little Liars, 666 Park Avenue, Gossip Girl)
They wanted to party like it was their last night on earth. They just might get their wish….
Meet the four most unlikely heroes ever:
Teena McAuley: Queen Bee, first-class problem solver, resident heartbreaker.
Leo Starnick: UFO conspirator, pizza delivery boy, all-around slacker.
Evan Brighton: Baseball all-star, extreme virgin, Teena-worshipper.
Sarabeth Lewis: Straight-A student, weekend hermit, enemy of the color pink.
When Teena locks Leo, Evan, and Sarabeth in the basement during her biggest party of the year, she doesn’t plan on getting trapped in the Loser Dungeon herself. She can barely imagine a night with these dweebs—let alone a lifetime. But when an alien invasion destroys their entire Midwestern suburb, it looks like these unlikely friends are the last people on earth. Now, it’s up to them to save the world….
They wanted to party like it was their last night on earth. They just might get their wish….
Meet the four most unlikely heroes ever:
Teena McAuley: Queen Bee, first-class problem solver, resident heartbreaker.
Leo Starnick: UFO conspirator, pizza delivery boy, all-around slacker.
Evan Brighton: Baseball all-star, extreme virgin, Teena-worshipper.
Sarabeth Lewis: Straight-A student, weekend hermit, enemy of the color pink.
When Teena locks Leo, Evan, and Sarabeth in the basement during her biggest party of the year, she doesn’t plan on getting trapped in the Loser Dungeon herself. She can barely imagine a night with these dweebs—let alone a lifetime. But when an alien invasion destroys their entire Midwestern suburb, it looks like these unlikely friends are the last people on earth. Now, it’s up to them to save the world….
303 pages, Paperback
First published July 17, 2012
11 people are currently reading
678 people want to read
About the author
Iva-Marie Palmer
11 books270 followersIva-Marie Palmer is the author of the young adult novels Gimme Everything You Got and The End of the World as We Know It. She also wrote the Gabby Garcia's Ultimate Playbook series and Oh My Dog! for middle grade readers, as well as the books Romeo, Juliet and Jim and the Edgar Award-nominated The Jules Verne Prophecy with co-writer Larry Schwarz. Christmas People is her first adult novel.
Before writing professionally, Palmer worked as an award-winning community news reporter in Chicago's South Suburbs and as a web editor for the Walt Disney Company. She also got to know many a Christmas person working at a Hallmark store through high school and college.
Palmer now resides in Burbank, California with her husband and two sons.
Before writing professionally, Palmer worked as an award-winning community news reporter in Chicago's South Suburbs and as a web editor for the Walt Disney Company. She also got to know many a Christmas person working at a Hallmark store through high school and college.
Palmer now resides in Burbank, California with her husband and two sons.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
April 28, 2015
"And then she said the sentence no one should ever utter: 'What's the worst that could happen? '"
*Happy dance.* There really needs to be more books like this out there. Okay, so it isn't exactly the end of the world, but four teens have their lives changed in an extremely sudden and horrifying manner. The world will never be the same for any of them. The part of this book I loved the most was the humor. In most world ending books there is so much intensity and seriousness, which is good, but not always what I like. In The End of the world as we Know It, the seriousness is covered with humorous fun. Leo's humor was my favorite, he is always dropping something to laugh about at the most inappropriate times. I had to stop reading a couple times to laugh at the unexpected things that kept happening. This book is a little predictable, but the unexpected bits totally make up for it. I hate to say I really haven't read a huge number if amazing alien books, but I'm happy to share that this one is definitely near the top of my list. Can't wait to share this with my friends.
*Happy dance.* There really needs to be more books like this out there. Okay, so it isn't exactly the end of the world, but four teens have their lives changed in an extremely sudden and horrifying manner. The world will never be the same for any of them. The part of this book I loved the most was the humor. In most world ending books there is so much intensity and seriousness, which is good, but not always what I like. In The End of the world as we Know It, the seriousness is covered with humorous fun. Leo's humor was my favorite, he is always dropping something to laugh about at the most inappropriate times. I had to stop reading a couple times to laugh at the unexpected things that kept happening. This book is a little predictable, but the unexpected bits totally make up for it. I hate to say I really haven't read a huge number if amazing alien books, but I'm happy to share that this one is definitely near the top of my list. Can't wait to share this with my friends.
March 10, 2017
4.5 stars
holy shit. loved this so so so much. so surprised by this book.
holy shit. loved this so so so much. so surprised by this book.
May 6, 2016
I don't know whether this novel is even worth an in-depth review. I kind of just want to write something along the lines of "this book is too crap for words; avoid at all costs". But I should probably attempt to justify why I didn't enjoy it, and why I think it is terribly written and slightly problematic.
Firstly, I'm sure Iva-Marie Palmer is a great person. Her bio at the end of the book made her sound lovely and interesting. But if The End of the World As We Know It is anything to go by, she cannot write for shit. I feel like the only way to adequately describe how bad it is, is to just directly quote some stellar examples from the novel itself.
Secondly, the characters are repulsively stereotypical. They are cardboard cutouts that could have come from practically any teen soap opera of the early 2000s. And actually, if you take the aliens out of this book, a pathetic soap opera is all it would be. You have the cool laid back guy that smokes pot. You have the blond haired, blue eyed, all-American, Christian sports star. You have the pretty, sexy, popular "bitch" (that's rich and blonde, because what else could she be?) and the lanky red-haired "nerdy" girl (who actually has really pretty eyes and is model height, but like, no one ever noticed). And OF COURSE they have to pair off together by the end of the book. There had to be two romances, not one, because you can't have a single guy and a single girl in the same group by the end of the story! Obvs! And yes, there had to be a love triangle involved. Because you just CAN'T have a teen novel without a love triangle.
Problem: From the very first chapters in the book it is painfully obvious which characters are going to be together by the end of the book. Which means that every bloody attempt at romantic "tension" throughout this novel was pointless and just plain grating to read. And it went on, and on, and on. I wanted to scream at whoever's job it was to edit this redundant drivel for not sending back the "final" draft with some much needed criticism. Something along the lines of:
The reader already knows the blatantly obvious outcome, you're not fooling anyone. Don't bother. Instead of trying to maintain the charade of a love triangle, how about focusing on actual character development? Or making the characters less boring in the first place? Or making the aliens actually make sense? Thanks in advance.
I feel like I could write a few more nit-picky paragraphs, about why the kids' attitudes towards cigarettes was problematic, about the stereotypical portrayal of both women and men, about the womanising, about the dull and repetitive "action" scenes, about the treatment of religion*, about the sickly sweet conclusion in which all their pre-invasion family problems are inexplicably solved by getting rid of some aliens... not to mention the half-assed explanation at the end of it all.
But I won't. As it is, I'm feeling horrible for having to write so negatively about a novel. So I'll quickly conclude.
I hated this unimaginative, cut-and-copy, cliched piece of crap of a novel with a passion. If I wanted to experience poorly written, unrealistic teen drama I would just watch some Degrassi. Throwing aliens into the mix may have made this book mildly interesting, but it sure as hell didn't save it. Bad characters. Corny dialogue. Lack of character development. Predictable plot. Poor writing. If I hadn't read Eat, Pray, Love this year, it would have no contender for worst book I've read in 2016. As it is, I don't know which was worse.
*I am not at all religious, nor am I even fond of religion... but I found the representation of the Christians in this book to be over the top. They were like Ned Flanders, but they weren't there for comedy. The representation was entirely serious. And they weren't meant to be part of some weird culty section of Christianity. They were from a modern church. Which is ridiculous. Because most Christians do not act like that.
Firstly, I'm sure Iva-Marie Palmer is a great person. Her bio at the end of the book made her sound lovely and interesting. But if The End of the World As We Know It is anything to go by, she cannot write for shit. I feel like the only way to adequately describe how bad it is, is to just directly quote some stellar examples from the novel itself.
Secondly, the characters are repulsively stereotypical. They are cardboard cutouts that could have come from practically any teen soap opera of the early 2000s. And actually, if you take the aliens out of this book, a pathetic soap opera is all it would be. You have the cool laid back guy that smokes pot. You have the blond haired, blue eyed, all-American, Christian sports star. You have the pretty, sexy, popular "bitch" (that's rich and blonde, because what else could she be?) and the lanky red-haired "nerdy" girl (who actually has really pretty eyes and is model height, but like, no one ever noticed). And OF COURSE they have to pair off together by the end of the book. There had to be two romances, not one, because you can't have a single guy and a single girl in the same group by the end of the story! Obvs! And yes, there had to be a love triangle involved. Because you just CAN'T have a teen novel without a love triangle.
Problem: From the very first chapters in the book it is painfully obvious which characters are going to be together by the end of the book. Which means that every bloody attempt at romantic "tension" throughout this novel was pointless and just plain grating to read. And it went on, and on, and on. I wanted to scream at whoever's job it was to edit this redundant drivel for not sending back the "final" draft with some much needed criticism. Something along the lines of:
The reader already knows the blatantly obvious outcome, you're not fooling anyone. Don't bother. Instead of trying to maintain the charade of a love triangle, how about focusing on actual character development? Or making the characters less boring in the first place? Or making the aliens actually make sense? Thanks in advance.
I feel like I could write a few more nit-picky paragraphs, about why the kids' attitudes towards cigarettes was problematic, about the stereotypical portrayal of both women and men, about the womanising, about the dull and repetitive "action" scenes, about the treatment of religion*, about the sickly sweet conclusion in which all their pre-invasion family problems are inexplicably solved by getting rid of some aliens... not to mention the half-assed explanation at the end of it all.
But I won't. As it is, I'm feeling horrible for having to write so negatively about a novel. So I'll quickly conclude.
I hated this unimaginative, cut-and-copy, cliched piece of crap of a novel with a passion. If I wanted to experience poorly written, unrealistic teen drama I would just watch some Degrassi. Throwing aliens into the mix may have made this book mildly interesting, but it sure as hell didn't save it. Bad characters. Corny dialogue. Lack of character development. Predictable plot. Poor writing. If I hadn't read Eat, Pray, Love this year, it would have no contender for worst book I've read in 2016. As it is, I don't know which was worse.
*I am not at all religious, nor am I even fond of religion... but I found the representation of the Christians in this book to be over the top. They were like Ned Flanders, but they weren't there for comedy. The representation was entirely serious. And they weren't meant to be part of some weird culty section of Christianity. They were from a modern church. Which is ridiculous. Because most Christians do not act like that.
January 5, 2013
This book was part of a blog tour and I was given a copy in exchange for my honest review.
When I got the e-mail for the tour of this book I was really excited to read the book, I loved the synopsis and the storyline seemed original and different from the usual YA novels. The book is the story of four teens that are left after the end of the world. They all come from different social groups, but all of them are invited to the same party, they get locked in a room and end up being the only ones left. I could not get into this book; my expectations of this book must have been too high, because I was really disappointed. The entire book seemed to be a cheesy eighties montage of horror flicks and teen angst movies. I pictured The Breakfast Club being turned into a horror movie. I thought that the characters were to clique cliché and the situations were ridiculous. There were a couple things that did save this book from being a one star, it was fast paced and humorous which bumped it up to two stars. However, some of the situations that I thought were funny probably were not supposed to be. The writing itself was good, so I am interested in seeing other books by this author.
When I got the e-mail for the tour of this book I was really excited to read the book, I loved the synopsis and the storyline seemed original and different from the usual YA novels. The book is the story of four teens that are left after the end of the world. They all come from different social groups, but all of them are invited to the same party, they get locked in a room and end up being the only ones left. I could not get into this book; my expectations of this book must have been too high, because I was really disappointed. The entire book seemed to be a cheesy eighties montage of horror flicks and teen angst movies. I pictured The Breakfast Club being turned into a horror movie. I thought that the characters were to clique cliché and the situations were ridiculous. There were a couple things that did save this book from being a one star, it was fast paced and humorous which bumped it up to two stars. However, some of the situations that I thought were funny probably were not supposed to be. The writing itself was good, so I am interested in seeing other books by this author.
March 6, 2014
This book is like a movie, complete with voice-over. A ridiculous over-the-top story about four teenagers battling an alien invasion with gun, body-glitter – oh and spandex.
It works as long as you go with it.
The End of the World as We Know It is narrated as third-person, alternating between the four protagonists. Teena (Miss Popular), Sarabeth (the smart one), Evan (star athlete) and Leo (stoner). Iva-Marie Palmer does elaborate on those stereotypes, for example Evan and his religious stepfather. While on the surface it’s all straight forward I liked that Iva-Marie Palmer didn’t make it completely predictable.
There is character growth, plus the girls lead equally (if not more) as the boys. The group dynamics work and I liked the little bit of romance.
So if you’re in the mood for an otherworldly-cheesy-epic-adventure read, grab some popcorn because The End of the World as We Know is for you.
It works as long as you go with it.
The End of the World as We Know It is narrated as third-person, alternating between the four protagonists. Teena (Miss Popular), Sarabeth (the smart one), Evan (star athlete) and Leo (stoner). Iva-Marie Palmer does elaborate on those stereotypes, for example Evan and his religious stepfather. While on the surface it’s all straight forward I liked that Iva-Marie Palmer didn’t make it completely predictable.
There is character growth, plus the girls lead equally (if not more) as the boys. The group dynamics work and I liked the little bit of romance.
So if you’re in the mood for an otherworldly-cheesy-epic-adventure read, grab some popcorn because The End of the World as We Know is for you.
September 6, 2012
Great, fun read! I loved the banter and Pop Culture references. Picking up this book was like curling up on the couch on a Wednesday night, flipping through channels and finding 16 Candles on. You snuggle down deeper in the cushions and watch until the end and you sigh wistfully when you see Jake Ryan standing next to his car.
March 8, 2014
An over-the top gore-fest between slimy purple aliens and four teenagers. Funny, cheesy, disgusting and I loved it. I haven't smiled that much in ages!
July 27, 2017
This was such a light and fun read with equal amounts of humour, action and sexual tension. I'm still not sure what possessed me to pick this book out of the many books on my shelf but it really helped me get out of my reading slump 😆
hoping to write a full review someday
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hoping to write a full review someday
Blog | Twitter | Instagram | Tumblr
March 18, 2017
While reading this book, I wasn't sure if I should laugh or get nightmares. It was kind of weird, but not too bad. Sometimes the story was a little confusing and I feel like it was a bit cheesy and forseeable.
I think it would be a good plot for a fun movie, but I wasn't really convinced from the book.
I think it would be a good plot for a fun movie, but I wasn't really convinced from the book.
July 28, 2019
This book till this day remains my absolute favorite. Although I have shifted to philosophy now I still very much love this book. I can still remember the first time I read it the only time I closed it was to get some sleep even though I barely got any. Reading this book was the best thing I did back in 2016. I wasn't much a book reader back then but it all changed that day. I recommend this book to just about anyone Miss Palmer's writing is incredible. ❤️
January 14, 2015
Sarabeth Lewis is smart but far from a popular teen. In fact, she has a journal that has mostly entries about things that she'll never do or experience. Her twin brother Cameron is the opposite, extremely confident and popular. When she receives an invite to Queen Bee Teena McAuley's annual biggest party of the year, aka the Casimir Pulaski Weekend Party, She knows she probably got it because Teena has the hots for her brother. Even so, she decides why not go. At least she'll be less bored and have something to write about. Little does she know that Teena has an ulterior motive. The same is true for straight arrow Evan, stepson of a local minister who is pompous and a complete blowhard. Then there's musician and druggie Leo who hooked up with Teena countless times over the summer, even though they're about as opposite as they could get.
As each one arrives at the party, Teena cons them into going down to the huge basement which has a keypad and swipe-card lock. She plans to leave them down there for a few hours while the party is in full swing, but when she tries to get Evan to descend the stairs, Leo and Sarabeth are at the bottom. She's angry and Leo's holding the rarest and most expensive bottle in her father's wine collection and is threatening to open it. Teena panics and by the time she realizes that she left the card in the lock, the door closes, she's trapped with three angry classmates.
When Leo and Teena fight over possession of the rare wine bottle, he lets go and it crashes to the floor. The resulting explosion seems to be way more that any of them expect from a lousy bottle of wine. By the time they realize that something horrible has happened upstairs, everyone else at the party is either in bits and pieces or has disappeared, while the house is pretty much destroyed.
It's a real challenge to get out of the basement, and an even bigger one to navigate around their mangled friends. Most of the cars are also destroyed, but the embarrassing pink van that Sarabeth got stuck driving to the party is intact. They head out, intent upon trying to find someone they can tell about the horrible mess that was Teena's house a short while ago. Leo, who is a lot smarter than most think (Sarabeth had already figured that out as a result of them both being in the school orchestra), tells the others that aliens have invaded Earth, something he's been expecting for a while. The others scoff until a horrific purplish creature with razor claws attacks them. End of disagreement about alien invasions.
What happens for the remainder of the book is funny, tightly crafted and entertaining as all get out. The Sarabeth, Leo and Evan have to learn how to get past being mad at Teena, learn to cooperate and figure out who is attracted to whom. All this while trying to decide what happened to everyone else in town and how to defeat the nasties, while rescuing the rest of the population. This book, if made into a movie might be described as Attack of the Killer Tomatoes meets Mall Rats. It's witty, has a great plot and there are scenes, like the one at Toys R Us, that are brilliant. I really hope this book gets picked up by a lot of public and school libraries because it's such a neat read.
As each one arrives at the party, Teena cons them into going down to the huge basement which has a keypad and swipe-card lock. She plans to leave them down there for a few hours while the party is in full swing, but when she tries to get Evan to descend the stairs, Leo and Sarabeth are at the bottom. She's angry and Leo's holding the rarest and most expensive bottle in her father's wine collection and is threatening to open it. Teena panics and by the time she realizes that she left the card in the lock, the door closes, she's trapped with three angry classmates.
When Leo and Teena fight over possession of the rare wine bottle, he lets go and it crashes to the floor. The resulting explosion seems to be way more that any of them expect from a lousy bottle of wine. By the time they realize that something horrible has happened upstairs, everyone else at the party is either in bits and pieces or has disappeared, while the house is pretty much destroyed.
It's a real challenge to get out of the basement, and an even bigger one to navigate around their mangled friends. Most of the cars are also destroyed, but the embarrassing pink van that Sarabeth got stuck driving to the party is intact. They head out, intent upon trying to find someone they can tell about the horrible mess that was Teena's house a short while ago. Leo, who is a lot smarter than most think (Sarabeth had already figured that out as a result of them both being in the school orchestra), tells the others that aliens have invaded Earth, something he's been expecting for a while. The others scoff until a horrific purplish creature with razor claws attacks them. End of disagreement about alien invasions.
What happens for the remainder of the book is funny, tightly crafted and entertaining as all get out. The Sarabeth, Leo and Evan have to learn how to get past being mad at Teena, learn to cooperate and figure out who is attracted to whom. All this while trying to decide what happened to everyone else in town and how to defeat the nasties, while rescuing the rest of the population. This book, if made into a movie might be described as Attack of the Killer Tomatoes meets Mall Rats. It's witty, has a great plot and there are scenes, like the one at Toys R Us, that are brilliant. I really hope this book gets picked up by a lot of public and school libraries because it's such a neat read.
January 3, 2013
When I was first offered the chance to be part of the blog tour for The End of the World as We Know It, I jumped at the chance. It seemed like a funny book, one that had a lot of potential. Plus I loved the premise. The end of the world and four teens left to figure out what happened? That's not something I see a lot of in YA...at least in the books I read. Thankfully, The End of the World as We Know It ended up being a hilarious and fast paced book.
The End of the World as We Know combines the stories of Leo, Teena, Evan, and Sarabeth, four teens at very different ends of the social spectrum. It all started when Teena, the queen of mean of their high school, invited Leo, Evan, and Sarabeth to her party of the year. For each person, their reason to go varied. For Leo, he viewed the party as a chance to hook up with Teena one last time after their summer of fun. Evan, on other hand, viewed the party as the time to finally make his move on Teena and to apologize for getting her into so much trouble in school. Sarabeth went to the party mostly to get her mom and brother off her back about her lack of social skills. However, when they all get to the party, they end up locked in a room together, and eventually left to face the end of the world. What will happen? Will they end up being able to figure out what's going on? Only time and more pages can tell!
The End of the World as We Know It reminded me of one of those corny scary movies, and I mean that in the best way possible. It combined a lot of the typical funny scary tactics, but managed to branch off and become it's one at the same time. I really enjoyed the plot to tell the truth. It contained a lot of twists and turns and life-or-death moments. Best of all, I loved how Iva-Marie brought everything together in the end. It wasn't what I was expecting at all, but it was simply hilarious as well as bizarre.
The characters were decent as well. They were the typical high school stereotypes, and while that would bother me usually, I enjoyed their stories as well as how Iva-Marie switched from person to person throughout. My favorite character of the bunch, though, would have had to been Sarabeth. She was funny and smart, and I loved that for the most part, she was the one who came up with most of the good ideas. Leo was also a great addition. He was a tiny bit swoon-worthy, and I loved seeing his relationship with a certain main character grow. Evan and Teena were a little too much for me to tell the truth, but as the story progressed I ended up liking them more and more.
Iva-Marie's writing was decent too. I felt like she did a great job for a debut author. The only problem I had was that I felt that some of it could have been watered down. Other than that, I'm pumped to read more by her!
In all, The End of the World as We Know It is a faced, past read perfect for fans who like their contemporary with a touch of sci-fi.
Grade: B
The End of the World as We Know combines the stories of Leo, Teena, Evan, and Sarabeth, four teens at very different ends of the social spectrum. It all started when Teena, the queen of mean of their high school, invited Leo, Evan, and Sarabeth to her party of the year. For each person, their reason to go varied. For Leo, he viewed the party as a chance to hook up with Teena one last time after their summer of fun. Evan, on other hand, viewed the party as the time to finally make his move on Teena and to apologize for getting her into so much trouble in school. Sarabeth went to the party mostly to get her mom and brother off her back about her lack of social skills. However, when they all get to the party, they end up locked in a room together, and eventually left to face the end of the world. What will happen? Will they end up being able to figure out what's going on? Only time and more pages can tell!
The End of the World as We Know It reminded me of one of those corny scary movies, and I mean that in the best way possible. It combined a lot of the typical funny scary tactics, but managed to branch off and become it's one at the same time. I really enjoyed the plot to tell the truth. It contained a lot of twists and turns and life-or-death moments. Best of all, I loved how Iva-Marie brought everything together in the end. It wasn't what I was expecting at all, but it was simply hilarious as well as bizarre.
The characters were decent as well. They were the typical high school stereotypes, and while that would bother me usually, I enjoyed their stories as well as how Iva-Marie switched from person to person throughout. My favorite character of the bunch, though, would have had to been Sarabeth. She was funny and smart, and I loved that for the most part, she was the one who came up with most of the good ideas. Leo was also a great addition. He was a tiny bit swoon-worthy, and I loved seeing his relationship with a certain main character grow. Evan and Teena were a little too much for me to tell the truth, but as the story progressed I ended up liking them more and more.
Iva-Marie's writing was decent too. I felt like she did a great job for a debut author. The only problem I had was that I felt that some of it could have been watered down. Other than that, I'm pumped to read more by her!
In all, The End of the World as We Know It is a faced, past read perfect for fans who like their contemporary with a touch of sci-fi.
Grade: B
March 9, 2014
*4.5 stars*
Aliens invade a classic American suburbia, and four stereotypical Breakfast Club are left alive in the aftermath; I was all over this! It promised humour, fighting intergalactic beings and dealing with old grudges and boy did it deliver! There was a good balance between the gross sci-fi alien stuff and the comic relief, however inappropriate it may be, but I loved it.
The story was told with alternate perspectives between all four characters, which allowed for different thoughts, and as they split up, different places across town and in the spaceship. Each character is a high school stereotype but I never felt annoyed with that fact, maybe because we were each of their heads, or because Palmer proved to show that they were each more than their labels. Either way, I adored each of them, even as they annoyed me or did the wrong thing. I especially loved Sarabeth, with her smarts, logical thinking and shy nature. There was continuous banter and pop references, which was very entertaining and gently broke up the near-death experiences and alien goop. The story was also occasionally interrupted by a omniscient narrator, which was interesting and very funny, especially when it is revealed who it is.
I adored this book and practically ate it up, with its odd mix of characters and scary encounters with giant aliens. Teena, Even, Leo and Sarabeth proved they were worth their moxie in an end of the world scenario, got past their fear and managed to work past their differences and past cliques to find out what has happened to their town. From the sweet budding romance and rekindling old friendships, to gunning down aliens and discovering the dead bodies of neighbours, I highly recommend this funny, cool and scary book.
Aliens invade a classic American suburbia, and four stereotypical Breakfast Club are left alive in the aftermath; I was all over this! It promised humour, fighting intergalactic beings and dealing with old grudges and boy did it deliver! There was a good balance between the gross sci-fi alien stuff and the comic relief, however inappropriate it may be, but I loved it.
The story was told with alternate perspectives between all four characters, which allowed for different thoughts, and as they split up, different places across town and in the spaceship. Each character is a high school stereotype but I never felt annoyed with that fact, maybe because we were each of their heads, or because Palmer proved to show that they were each more than their labels. Either way, I adored each of them, even as they annoyed me or did the wrong thing. I especially loved Sarabeth, with her smarts, logical thinking and shy nature. There was continuous banter and pop references, which was very entertaining and gently broke up the near-death experiences and alien goop. The story was also occasionally interrupted by a omniscient narrator, which was interesting and very funny, especially when it is revealed who it is.
I adored this book and practically ate it up, with its odd mix of characters and scary encounters with giant aliens. Teena, Even, Leo and Sarabeth proved they were worth their moxie in an end of the world scenario, got past their fear and managed to work past their differences and past cliques to find out what has happened to their town. From the sweet budding romance and rekindling old friendships, to gunning down aliens and discovering the dead bodies of neighbours, I highly recommend this funny, cool and scary book.
May 3, 2016
Fun fact: Casimir Pulaski Day this year fell on my birthday. That's probably happened quite a bit during my 41 years on the planet, given that it's the first Monday in March, and my birthday happens to be March 7. So it was pretty cool back when I was elementary and high school, because, as a Chicago-area resident, this meant I got the day off.
What does that have to do with this book? Quite a bit, actually. Read it and find out.
Now, I mentioned my age earlier for one simple fact - I am not the demographic for this book. This is, make no mistake, a YA novel, complete with crushes, flirting and prom dates being made. It also features a lot of people getting wiped out in somewhat gory fashion early on, and a ton of alien ass-kicking. So it's not your average YA novel, or novel period. And it's a ton of fun, even for old people like me. (I've seen a few John Hughes movies and an awful lot of "Doctor Who" in my time, so really, this isn't out of my wheelhouse at all.)
I suppose this is where I should mention that I know the author, and that I share commonalities with her in regard to growing up in Chicago's south suburbs, so all the "Tinleys" and "Orlands" brought a nostalgic grin to my face, even if she changes the names a bit. But bias aside, if you're looking for a fun, page-turning genre/YA read with a clever take on sci-fi/teen tropes, give it a try.
Format note: I'm a Luddite, so I ordered a print copy from the U.K. via Amazon, but it's an e-book first and foremost.
What does that have to do with this book? Quite a bit, actually. Read it and find out.
Now, I mentioned my age earlier for one simple fact - I am not the demographic for this book. This is, make no mistake, a YA novel, complete with crushes, flirting and prom dates being made. It also features a lot of people getting wiped out in somewhat gory fashion early on, and a ton of alien ass-kicking. So it's not your average YA novel, or novel period. And it's a ton of fun, even for old people like me. (I've seen a few John Hughes movies and an awful lot of "Doctor Who" in my time, so really, this isn't out of my wheelhouse at all.)
I suppose this is where I should mention that I know the author, and that I share commonalities with her in regard to growing up in Chicago's south suburbs, so all the "Tinleys" and "Orlands" brought a nostalgic grin to my face, even if she changes the names a bit. But bias aside, if you're looking for a fun, page-turning genre/YA read with a clever take on sci-fi/teen tropes, give it a try.
Format note: I'm a Luddite, so I ordered a print copy from the U.K. via Amazon, but it's an e-book first and foremost.
December 21, 2012
This book is full of major whit, adventure, and a total joy to read...And its about an alien invasion!?! Iva-Marie knows how to make an alien invasion fun and make you want to join in on the action!
Our heros are Leo (the burnout), Teena (the most popular girl in school), Evan (the preachers son), and Sarabeth (loner/ straight a student). After a prank by Teena the four are locked in the wine cellar at the most talked about party of the year. Little did they know that Teena's prank would end up saving their lives and leaving them the only ones to defend their little town from an alien invasion.
Right from the get go there is this amazing tone to the book. Almost a Breakfast Club vibe, who the most unlikeliest of people come together for a united cause. The characters are their steryotypes and so much more. I love that Iva-Marie gives each character depth and you realize that they all bring something important to the table. Another thing I loved most was the banter between them all. At times they had me right out laughing, which is always a good thing but something I totally did not expect when I thought Alien Invasion. LOL
Over all this book is light hearted and a major hoot to read! I enjoyed it very much and I can not wait to see what the Ive-marie puts out next.
Our heros are Leo (the burnout), Teena (the most popular girl in school), Evan (the preachers son), and Sarabeth (loner/ straight a student). After a prank by Teena the four are locked in the wine cellar at the most talked about party of the year. Little did they know that Teena's prank would end up saving their lives and leaving them the only ones to defend their little town from an alien invasion.
Right from the get go there is this amazing tone to the book. Almost a Breakfast Club vibe, who the most unlikeliest of people come together for a united cause. The characters are their steryotypes and so much more. I love that Iva-Marie gives each character depth and you realize that they all bring something important to the table. Another thing I loved most was the banter between them all. At times they had me right out laughing, which is always a good thing but something I totally did not expect when I thought Alien Invasion. LOL
Over all this book is light hearted and a major hoot to read! I enjoyed it very much and I can not wait to see what the Ive-marie puts out next.
August 25, 2015
DNF. The boys incessantly think about the girls, the girls are always fighting over one of the boys - like they're in the midst of a fight for their lives and all they can think about is whether they can hook up or not. The boys' chapters are full of sexist language and objectifying women - "this is strange - I, someone who repeatedly bagged Teena easily (emphasis on easy), was being a wuss when it comes to beating up aliens, but Evan, who actually seems to respect girls, and is probably a boring virgin, is surprisingly brave when it comes to fighting the aliens as we try to survive. Who would have thought that someone so unmanly could possibly be so good at helping us survive?" (Possibly paraphrased.)
Or just random sentences, weird use of language. "He's right. We need her. She may be a bitch but she's the only bitch we've got." I am not sure how her qualities as bitch are actually necessary.
Unimaginative science fiction. The aliens suddenly have jet packs. Why jet packs? Just...why a lot of things, really.
Or just random sentences, weird use of language. "He's right. We need her. She may be a bitch but she's the only bitch we've got." I am not sure how her qualities as bitch are actually necessary.
Unimaginative science fiction. The aliens suddenly have jet packs. Why jet packs? Just...why a lot of things, really.
May 21, 2015
Though "The Breakfast Club meets War of the Worlds" description is apt, I found this entertaining novel to be more like Edgar Wright's The World's End, by way of Christopher Pike. I loved the switching perspectives, the injections of fun & teenage romance angst mixed in with compelling action & some really delightful and abundant gore. The only thing I wish had been better resolved (and this is slightly spoilery so either stop reading or continue & deal with the consequences): what happened to the cat?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 30, 2013
I really waited far too long to read this book after I bought it for my Kindle. I ended up saving it for my vacation and what a perfect pool and airplane read! I fell for the characters, loved the setting, and enjoyed the sci-fi meets teen movie plot. In fact, I really hope this becomes another teen movie that as an adult will see on opening night! I can't wait to read more from the author and hope to see her name in lights soon!
August 27, 2012
I heard of the book The End of the World as We Know It, from my twitter friends,So i decided to read it. I really don't like to read about monsters or aliens,But this book was different.I started reading and i just couldn't put it down.I Was surprised that I loved this book.
It has Friendship,Romances,and Aliens.I really liked this book! And I will recommended this book to all my friends.
It has Friendship,Romances,and Aliens.I really liked this book! And I will recommended this book to all my friends.
September 2, 2012
As a fan of Breakfast Club and other rad 80's movies, I got sucked right in to The End of the World As We Know It. Witty dialogue, great characters and those aliens keep the adventure coming. A seriously fun read.
December 21, 2012
I really really enjoyed this book! It's like The Breakfast Club with an alien invasion of purple, coffee-smelling creatures. If you like The Breakfast Club then you'll love this book!
Review to come soon!
Review to come soon!
August 27, 2012
My family loved it!
August 27, 2012
A great read..very funny and I can't wait to read more from this author. make it a fun book to read!
September 11, 2012
this book was hilarious!
December 22, 2012
I love this book! If you love a good laugh, you will not be able to put this one down!
January 3, 2013
Awesome. Scary. Intense. Gross. Witty. I loved the characters and the writing. Full review up on blog.
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April 11, 2014This fairly great the some betters made crige but that was really it.
*reacived to review from the publishers.
*full review up soon.
*reacived to review from the publishers.
*full review up soon.
August 9, 2015
This book was so much fun! It's a really, really fast read and very light despite it being about the end of the world in a way, but it is like a light-hearted turn on it, and it is just a lot of fun.
September 3, 2014
I really enjoyed this book I liked it's take on things and even though the italics bits were a bit weird. All in all I really liked it.
November 15, 2017
Well, to be honest, this book is quite cliché. About a group of teens survived when the spaceship crashes, get tangle up romance here and there during the process and finally of course saves the day.
But I got to give Iva credit for the storytelling though. She made it so easy to get by and funny at the same time. It made me think that the author herself is a fun and happy go lucky person. Well, not that it even matter for the book, I reckon.
I was hoping for a plot twist but what I imagine will happen at the end, happen after all. A bit disappointed, though. But nonetheless, this book is quite feasible to the eye. Not boring. The characters was all spot on and I'm happy to have this book.
So, 4 stars from me.
nice job, Iva Marie!
But I got to give Iva credit for the storytelling though. She made it so easy to get by and funny at the same time. It made me think that the author herself is a fun and happy go lucky person. Well, not that it even matter for the book, I reckon.
I was hoping for a plot twist but what I imagine will happen at the end, happen after all. A bit disappointed, though. But nonetheless, this book is quite feasible to the eye. Not boring. The characters was all spot on and I'm happy to have this book.
So, 4 stars from me.
nice job, Iva Marie!
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