Calm

by Susan Baker

Genres: Dystopia, Young Adult

384 pages, Paperback

Published April 22, 2025

Reviews

[Elisha Jachetti · Rating 5 out of 5]

CALM by S.J. Baker is the YA Dystopian novel we’ve been missing! Ever since publishing decided this genre’s market was saturated, we haven’t gotten a truly good story in this space in years, but Baker has finally relieved the dry spell. In CALM, the government has maintained control over the citizens by introducing a drug in the water supply that makes people docile and compliant. However, there are some folks whom the drug doesn’t work on, and others who resist taking it. Those people are enemies of the state, just like Owyn and Tiegan, our dual p.o.v. protagonists. When we meet them, they are quickly forced on the run for different reasons, and attempt to head north, where they hear it’s safer for people like them. However, getting there is dangerous, and not everyone will survive.

Baker is not shy to force her characters into very difficult experiences that are bleak but realistic to the circumstances. When reading, I never knew who would be safe by the end of this story or what was coming next, just like real life. Because of that, I was often on the edge of my seat and deeply rooting for the characters.

There are also major plot twists in the book that I absolutely did not see coming, and really love, which is a testament to how well Baker developed the narrative. What’s most important about a dystopia is for readers to be able to see how easily our world could descend into something like theirs, and how truly terrible that would be, which Baker alludes to when allowing us to glimpse at the snowballing events.

Overall, CALM puts the pedal to the metal and never lets up. I strongly recommend it to all the Hunger Games and Divergent fans from the 2010s who want another good dystopian. Unfortunately, the publishing company for this book recently closed, but hopefully someone else will pick it up, because a sequel is very much needed!

Review originally published on YA Books Central: https://yabookscentral.com/calm/

[Sonia Carvill · Rating 5 out of 5]

CALM by S.J. Baker
Imagine an apathetic society controlled by the state. Water is no longer the elixir of life but has become a means of lulling the population into a state of calm. Oppression abounds, but a few brave souls resist. Owyn is new to the game, but Tiegan has been a resistor all her life, and together our two young protagonists are determined to fight back.
This is a fast-paced speculative thriller that’s hard to put down. A daring plot. Superbly written, a must for YA readers. Chilling and emotive.

[A.K. Adler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Compelling action and vibrant, multi-faceted characters make this an unputdownable read. The worldbuilding is perfect for a dystopian novel: hauntingly familiar, eerily prophetic, and with a message for our current times. The way the protagonists, Owyn and Tiegan, deal with the challenges of their oppressive society shows bravery, compassion, and wisdom, and I can't wait to see more of them in the sequel.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

[Claire Hatcher-Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thought-provoking, brilliantly crafted dystopian YA, which balances excitement and peril with affecting emotional depth. SJ Baker has dreamed up a convincingly, terrifyingly believable world and even her supporting characters feel recognizably real. A remarkably assured debut and I cannot wait for the sequel.

[Sylvia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very interesting and plausible concept but ended up exhausting with all the chasing here there and everywhere. The ending didn't seem to be an ending, more a pause. I assume there will be a part 2 at some point?

[Lucille · Rating 2 out of 5]

The beginning was really good, but the chasing took up too much of the book and the ending left me wanting more, it was just so abrupt. The book itself was only about 300 pages but it felt like much more. I feel like this book had so much potential but the ending ruined it.

[Raji · Rating 3 out of 5]

Find this review and more on my blog at Worlds Unlike Our Own .

3.5 stars

Thank you to the author and The Write Reads for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review as part of a blog tour!

I’ve had this ARC for quite some time now, having initially received it as part of a blog tour for which I posted a spotlight, but I haven’t had the opportunity to review it until now. It was nice to return to a dystopian novel after so many years, there have been far too few compelling reads in this genre recently.

The concept behind this book was fascinating and I liked that we got to follow the journey the characters undertake from two very different perspectives. Tiegen has been a Resistor in hiding all her life but Owyn has been one only for a few short weeks. Both of them are forced to flee when they are exposed and journey in hope of finding and joining the Resistance when their paths unexpectedly cross.

This book started off really strong but slowed down after a while as the characters seemed to be doing the same thing over and over again – running, hiding, being chased and nearly getting caught. I also found Tiegen’s character to be really annoying and unlikeable. The remaining characters were all written quite realistically, but Tiegen in my opinion, was just unnecessarily hostile and even bratty.

The way this ended seems to indicate at a possible sequel, and if there is one, I’d definitely be interested in reading it! Overall, an engaging read with a solid plot, though it could have been better executed. I would recommend this for fans of the genre!