The Darkness Outside

by J.W. Lynne

I want to scream. I want to fling myself down and beat my hands against the ground. This isn't how things were supposed to be. This isn't how this story was supposed to end.

It feels like a lifetime ago that my family and I embarked on our simulated mission. I wish I'd known what would happen next. I wish I could go back in time and grab my family and run far away ... all the way to the moon. But of course, that's impossible.

And now it's too late to run.

Sixteen-year-old Lois and her mom, dad, and sister signed up for a top-secret competition, hoping to win a life-changing prize. They agreed to be locked in a state-of-the-art bunker with nine other families to go on a thirty-day simulated trip to the moon, where their every move would be judged by anonymous evaluators, and families that don't have what it takes would be eliminated.

Lois thought losing the competition was the worst thing that could happen to her.

She was dead wrong.

If you like fast-paced dystopian sci-fi mystery thrillers with intriguing suspense, gripping action and adventure, clean romance, and jaw-dropping twists and turns that keep you guessing until the end, you’ll love this riveting new novel!

What readers are saying about THE DARKNESS OUTSIDE:

"WOW!! I was totally blown away. The characters are perfect. The world building is great. LOVED IT!!!" - Winter, Goodreads ★★★★★

"One of the best books I have read. Great story and an ending that you will never see coming!" - Christine, Goodreads ★★★★★

"Full of twists and turns that even I didn't see coming. A great read which will keep you turning the pages from beginning to end." - Donna, Goodreads ★★★★★

Perfect for fans of Five Survive by Holly Jackson, Uglies by Scott Westerfeld, The Martian: Classroom Edition by Andy Weir, Delirium by Lauren Oliver, Scythe by Neal Shusterman, The Giver by Lois Lowry, A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson, or Wake Me After the Apocalypse by Jordan Rivet. This standalone novella is highly recommended for tweens ages 12 and up, teens, young adults, and adults who enjoy futuristic science fiction featuring astronauts or outer space travel.

All of J.W. Lynne's books are available on Kindle Unlimited.

Genres: Dystopia

Unknown Binding

About the author

J.W. Lynne writes suspenseful page-turners with twists, turns, and surprises. Her novels include ...

THE UNKNOWN: Eight kids learn the shocking reason why they were kidnapped.
(suspense, mystery, thriller, action, adventure, dystopian, clean romance)
Recommended for adults, teens, and tweens ages 12 years old and up.

ABOVE THE SKY: In a broken world, teens are sent off to war knowing they will never return.
(suspense, childhood-best-friends-to-lovers closed-door forbidden romance, dystopian, action, adventure, mystery, thriller, futuristic military sci-fi)
Recommended for adults and teens ages 13 years old and up.

THE DARKNESS OUTSIDE: A teen’s simulated trip to the moon takes a shocking turn.
(suspense, action, adventure, clean romance, futuristic science fiction, space travel, mystery, thriller, dystopian)
Recommended for adults, teens, and tweens ages 12 years old and up.

IF I TELL: A teen wonders if her father is a serial killer.
(murder mystery, crime thriller, suspense, family drama, clean romance)
Recommended for adults and teens ages 13 years old and up.

WHAT HE DIDN'T TELL ME: A traumatized girl meets a boy with a horrible secret.
(heartbreaking love story with clean romance, tearjerker, travel adventure, mystery, suspense)
Recommended for adults and teens ages 13 years old and up.

KID DOCS: An experimental program teaches kids to be doctors.
(fun and educational medical fiction, clean romance)
Recommended for teens and tweens ages 12 years old and up.

WILD ANIMAL SCHOOL: A teen spends a romantic summer learning to train and care for tigers, lions, leopards, grizzly bears, and elephants.
(animal adventure, clean romance)
Recommended for adults, teens, and tweens ages 12 years old and up.

LOST IN TOKYO: A girl travels to Japan to follow her missing mother’s bucket list.
(travel adventure, mystery, clean best-friends-to-lovers romance, tearjerker)
Recommended for adults and teens ages 13 years old and up.

All of J.W. Lynne's books are available on Kindle Unlimited.

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Reviews

[jacinta · Rating 5 out of 5]

uhh so this was excellent??
i actually think i enjoyed this book as much as i enjoyed the Unknown duology!! This was so exciting and the plot twists actually had me properly confused and stressed. it's actually been a while aince I've read a book that is physically so short but the author absolutely made the most of every damn second i was reading!
my only real qualm was the romance, i found it completely unnecessary and it happened a bit too quickly for me but in saying that, it really didn't take away from or distract from the plot so it really is just personal preference there.
i will definitely continue reading through as many of this authors books, ans probably do a reread of the Unknown, cause i am having an excellent time😊🫶

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thriller full of suspense and even mystery. Lois and her family are part of a 30 day simulated lunar mission, along with 9 other families. The winners will win a chance to actually go to the moon. Sounds
simple, right?

As families are eliminated, Lois gets excited. However, things aren't always as they seem. This book is full of twists and turns that even I (I like to figure it out and rejoice when I'm right) didn't see coming. A great read which will keep you turning the pages from
beginning to end.

[Christine Cazeneuve · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I have read. It is a cross between sci-fi and dystopian but do NOT get hung up on genres as this book is more than that. Great story, characters, terrific balance between narrative and dialogue and an ending that you will never see coming. What are you waiting for - get reading!

[Winter · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW!!
I was totally blown away.
This book was absolutely incredible, that ending was so real.
Holy crap! I literally did not go to bed, I read this in 4 hours max.
The characters are perfect, the world building is great, setting is perfect.
Totally, Totally, Impressive.
LOVED IT!!!

[Deborah Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars: an exciting competition to win a chance to live on the moon goes upside down in more ways than one. Never a dull moment....will keep you on the edge of your seat all the way through!

[Faith Crosley · Rating 4 out of 5]

12 families embark on a 30-day staged space mission all fighting for their spot to experience that real thing someday. Lois and her family are one of these who are being sent out by FrontierXploration to test how they would survive the real thing. Completely isolated from the real world and pretending to not know that it is all fake they go through test after test trying to prove their sanity and usefulness. Once it's down to just two families and a few days left things start to take a turn for the worst and Lois begins to wonder if it was all a trap.

I have loved every J.W. Lynne book that I have ever read and this one is no exception! These books fit right into my genre of choice with a combination of sci-fi, mystery, and thriller. Forever leaving me on the edge of my seat. This book was on the shorter side but it was no less than incredible with twists and turns around every corner, I couldn't put it down! I loved the premise, plot, and characters I think I would've liked a little more details of the day-to-day during the mission but other than that it blew me away.

[J.W. Lynne]

An excerpt from THE DARKNESS OUTSIDE:

We exit the Atlantis Tower through the dimly-lit back of the building, where an Astro Bus is waiting for us. The bus is completely black, except for the twinkling stars scattered all over it. Every few seconds, the FrontierXploration logo appears and then fades away on the side of the bus, almost in time to my breaths.

There are real Astro Buses that transport real astronauts from the quarantine facility to the launch pads, but I have a feeling this isn't one of them. Although the bus that stands before us looks absolutely authentic, it is possible that, without the help of virtual reality, it is just one of the black-painted school buses that they use to give tours of the campus to elementary-school kids on field trips.

But we're not supposed to think the way I am thinking. We were told by the people at FrontierXploration that we must treat this mission as if it is completely real. We are supposed to suspend our disbelief when we notice something that doesn't quite fit with the illusion. We must never even hint that what we are experiencing isn't reality. I know I am going to have trouble with this rule. It is my nature to question everything I see.

Suddenly, I notice something that makes my heart race with anxiety. In the shadows flanking our path are two dozen large men with impressive-looking rifles. Their black jackets have a subtle stamp of the FrontierXploration logo over the left chest.

FrontierXploration takes the security of their rocket launches very seriously. To this day, they have never had a security issue delay a launch, which is impressive considering how many launches they've done over the years. Twenty-four hours before every launch, the entire day campus goes into strict lockdown with only essential workers allowed to be present. Security drones fly around and check every office and restroom and closet to intercept anyone who doesn't have lockdown clearance. And there is a human team, just like this one, to ensure that the astronauts make it safely to the launch pad.

But this is only a simulated launch. The armed men I see are probably merely virtual. As an experiment, I make eye contact with one of them. Disconcertingly, he seems to register an awareness of my gaze. Either this is a pretty sophisticated virtual reality program, which I'm sure it is, or the man is real.

As he stares into my eyes, I can almost hear him say, "Don't even think about running, kid. It's too late to change your mind."

I don't know if that is what the man is actually thinking, or if he's even really here. But I do know that, whether there are men with rifles flanking me or not, it is too late to change my mind.

[Karol · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly this book was pretty boring. I thought it would be cool and cutting edge based on the little snippet given but unfortunately the book wasn’t even about that at all. The main character was okay and the romance was a nice little sweet thing but that was about the best part. The promised suspense and horrors did not live up to their mark. You would think that it was the main company that was evil and so forth, which is what I got from the preview and wanted to read. However we do t fine until the end that it’s actually the world that has come to shambles? Like there was no warning what si ever of this. The action did not happen until the end. Like it took so long and tried giving us the whole “perfect” thing from the beginning but it dragged on so long. So long in fact that I was eve surprised that something bad finally happened. Because of how abrupt the ending came and events, I was not able to feel the tragedy of the events. It was more like “oh okay” type of thing. It’s not necessarily a bad book but this was just not it for me.

[Shayay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the premise for this one! 16 year old Lois, her parents, and her younger sister sign up in a competition of sorts in hopes of being one of the families chosen to live on the Moon. They will be in a simulated Moon living experience that will determine if they could actually survive on the Moon. The simulation is sort of like a virtual reality experience; I thought of Total Recall when reading this. I enjoy that what’s real, what’s not feel to the story. Things take a turn that is unexpected, so Lois and the others with her are in for some surprising turn of events. Interesting twists and turns! Love the fun futuristic elements too! I would’ve liked a bit more character development and interaction, but overall, this story drew me in! There’s also a light romance between Lois and a fellow individual in the simulation, Zavier, that I enjoyed. An entertaining YA read! I hope this is a series; there’s more story I’m interested in!

[Andrea Patterson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Shorter read than I was expecting, which is fine, but the way it ended made me feel like it was unfinished. And the middle dragged on making it hard to keep reading. I loved the concept but the execution was not there🥴

[ellie · Rating 3 out of 5]

meh it was short so i can’t dog it too much but the ending sucked.

[Paige Casey · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 … this is so dumb and not at all what I expected/ hoped for.

[Carakins:P · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a great dystopian book for anybody who's craving dynamic characters and lots of emotion! This was a little darker than some of her other books, so I would rate this 14+ (or mature thirteen year olds). There is also a trigger warning for dead bodies, bombs, fires, and guns. There's no spice. If there were any cuss words, it was so mild I didn't notice. I read this book in one sitting. It had THAT big of a chokehold on me! It left me wanting more, and I wish it was longer! There were so many things left unsaid! This book was filled with lots of wise quotes. Some of the anecdotes felt a little unnecessary, but nothing that made it hard to read. If you like the "teens with trauma" trope, this one's for you!

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has you guessing what is next the whole way through. It has fantastic world building and characters. You fall in love with Lois and Zavier. It has a cute romance, devastation, action, and mystery. Basically, this book has it all!

I received this book as an advanced reader copy and I am leaving this review voluntarily.