What do you think?
Rate this book
The Incredible True Story of the Making of the Eve of Destruction
Arkansas, 1984: The town of Griffin Flat is known for almost nothing other than its nuclear missile silos. MAD—Mutually Assured Destruction—is a fear every local lives with and tries to ignore. Unfortunately that’s impossible now that film moguls have picked Griffin Flat as the location for a new nuclear holocaust movie, aptly titled The Eve of Destruction.
When sixteen-year-old Laura Ratliff wins a walk-on role (with a plus-one!) thanks to a radio call-in contest, she is more relieved than excited. Mingling with Hollywood stars on the set of a phony nuclear war is a perfect distraction from being the only child in her real nuclear family—which has also been annihilated. Her parents are divorced. Her mother has recently married one of the only African-American men in town. Her father, an officer in the Strategic Air Command, is absent…except when he phones at odd hours to hint at an impending catastrophe. But isn’t that his job?
Laura’s only real friend is her new stepbrother, Terrence. She picks him as her plus-one and manages to enrage both her fair-weather friends and film crew. (Now the script has to adjust for “another black.”) But that adjustment is nothing compared to what happens on set after the scripted nuclear explosion. Because nobody seems to know if a real nuclear bomb has detonated or not.
When sixteen-year-old Laura Ratliff wins a walk-on role (with a plus-one!) thanks to a radio call-in contest, she is more relieved than excited. Mingling with Hollywood stars on the set of a phony nuclear war is a perfect distraction from being the only child in her real nuclear family—which has also been annihilated. Her parents are divorced. Her mother has recently married one of the only African-American men in town. Her father, an officer in the Strategic Air Command, is absent…except when he phones at odd hours to hint at an impending catastrophe. But isn’t that his job?
Laura’s only real friend is her new stepbrother, Terrence. She picks him as her plus-one and manages to enrage both her fair-weather friends and film crew. (Now the script has to adjust for “another black.”) But that adjustment is nothing compared to what happens on set after the scripted nuclear explosion. Because nobody seems to know if a real nuclear bomb has detonated or not.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published November 13, 2018
12 people are currently reading
614 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
September 28, 2018
This one gets an okay from me.
I loved the 80's setting and think the author did a great job on it.
I hated, hated, hated all the footnotes. I would have liked it if there was a little humor thrown into them, but they were just explanations of everything from War Games to Sixteen Candles. And there are a lot of them through the first half of the book!
Our characters were terrific. The author has a gift for characterization and most of the characters were extremely vibrant.
But...our plot.
It takes a long time for our big *thing* to happen and once it does, the reactions of the characters are sort of weird. They didn't seem authentic. And the plot just kind of fizzles out into nothing much at all. I found myself slightly amused, but more confused...like what exactly was the point?
I think the book is unique and will definitely find its audience. I just wasn't that audience for it.
I loved the 80's setting and think the author did a great job on it.
I hated, hated, hated all the footnotes. I would have liked it if there was a little humor thrown into them, but they were just explanations of everything from War Games to Sixteen Candles. And there are a lot of them through the first half of the book!
Our characters were terrific. The author has a gift for characterization and most of the characters were extremely vibrant.
But...our plot.
It takes a long time for our big *thing* to happen and once it does, the reactions of the characters are sort of weird. They didn't seem authentic. And the plot just kind of fizzles out into nothing much at all. I found myself slightly amused, but more confused...like what exactly was the point?
I think the book is unique and will definitely find its audience. I just wasn't that audience for it.
April 5, 2019
One must admire an audiobook reader who gives each character their own Muppet voice, and at varying speeds.
October 14, 2018
The year is 1984, and much like the George Orwell book of the same name, sixteen-year-old Laura Ratliff is afraid that her life will soon resemble a dystopian novel. Fear of the atomic bomb is real, the Cold War is raging, and Laura is convinced that the “flash” will happen in her lifetime. She just doesn’t want to die young.
It doesn’t help that Hollywood has planted themselves in the midst of her small Arkansas town to film the sequel to the box office smash hit, The Year That Never Was. The sequel, The Eve of Destruction, has taken over her hometown ... and her life. Especially since Laura has won a walk-on role in the film by correctly answering several incredibly difficult nuclear-related questions in a local radio station contest (Laura is part scientific genius, but the way.) Now there’s really no escaping the bomb.
While Laura enjoys herself on the set of the film, and even finds some ways to allay her fears, things take a strange and destructive turn for the worse on the day the cast and crew are set to film the atomic bombing. There is a huge explosion, a brilliant flash of light, and a wave of unease as everyone tries to determine if they just got bombed for real.
The Incredible True Story of the Making of the Eve of Destruction by Amy Brashear is set in the ‘80s, and does a fantastic of capturing the country’s fear that a USSR bomb could be in our future. This novel is full of cultural references to nuclear war preparations and drills, as well as to music and movies. Brashear shows readers that anticipating the bomb was a way of life, and through Laura, demonstrates what effect this doom and gloom had on our country’s youth.
Despite an interesting premise and an atmospheric first half, much is left to be desired in this novel. Brashear packs the book with numerous random cultural references, and provides footnotes to explain them (as her target audience wouldn’t have even been born until nearly two decades after the events in this book.) While some of these footnotes are intriguing, many just give the basic facts, such as a movie’s premiere date and the starring actors. If young readers wanted to look up useless trivia about movies and music they’ve never send or heard, they now have the Internet for that. The footnotes quickly became a bore and were just something more to plod through in a novel that is in desperate need of plot and character development.
Then there is the problem of the second half of the book, particularly when filming for The Eve of Destruction begins. Brashear introduces us to too many Hollywood caricatures, that 1) make the novel difficult to follow, and 2) remove any sort of connection that readers might have felt with the plot or characters. Even Laura’s personality seems to change, and the book turns into what seems to be a long stream of dialogue. Outrageous characters, unbelievable events ... it all amounts to “who cares?” When the maybe-maybe not nuclear explosion happens, things get even more over-the-top and I had a difficult time following what was going on. It’s not a good sign when you read a novel and feel like you’re missing something vital.
In all, you may enjoy reading this book for the nuclear war references, but don’t expect an outstanding plot or characters.
Thank you to NetGalley and Soho Teen for an ARC copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
It doesn’t help that Hollywood has planted themselves in the midst of her small Arkansas town to film the sequel to the box office smash hit, The Year That Never Was. The sequel, The Eve of Destruction, has taken over her hometown ... and her life. Especially since Laura has won a walk-on role in the film by correctly answering several incredibly difficult nuclear-related questions in a local radio station contest (Laura is part scientific genius, but the way.) Now there’s really no escaping the bomb.
While Laura enjoys herself on the set of the film, and even finds some ways to allay her fears, things take a strange and destructive turn for the worse on the day the cast and crew are set to film the atomic bombing. There is a huge explosion, a brilliant flash of light, and a wave of unease as everyone tries to determine if they just got bombed for real.
The Incredible True Story of the Making of the Eve of Destruction by Amy Brashear is set in the ‘80s, and does a fantastic of capturing the country’s fear that a USSR bomb could be in our future. This novel is full of cultural references to nuclear war preparations and drills, as well as to music and movies. Brashear shows readers that anticipating the bomb was a way of life, and through Laura, demonstrates what effect this doom and gloom had on our country’s youth.
Despite an interesting premise and an atmospheric first half, much is left to be desired in this novel. Brashear packs the book with numerous random cultural references, and provides footnotes to explain them (as her target audience wouldn’t have even been born until nearly two decades after the events in this book.) While some of these footnotes are intriguing, many just give the basic facts, such as a movie’s premiere date and the starring actors. If young readers wanted to look up useless trivia about movies and music they’ve never send or heard, they now have the Internet for that. The footnotes quickly became a bore and were just something more to plod through in a novel that is in desperate need of plot and character development.
Then there is the problem of the second half of the book, particularly when filming for The Eve of Destruction begins. Brashear introduces us to too many Hollywood caricatures, that 1) make the novel difficult to follow, and 2) remove any sort of connection that readers might have felt with the plot or characters. Even Laura’s personality seems to change, and the book turns into what seems to be a long stream of dialogue. Outrageous characters, unbelievable events ... it all amounts to “who cares?” When the maybe-maybe not nuclear explosion happens, things get even more over-the-top and I had a difficult time following what was going on. It’s not a good sign when you read a novel and feel like you’re missing something vital.
In all, you may enjoy reading this book for the nuclear war references, but don’t expect an outstanding plot or characters.
Thank you to NetGalley and Soho Teen for an ARC copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
April 27, 2021
I was born in the 50’s. In Canada. I don’t remember fear of a nuclear holocaust. We were to busy winning medals, dancing and having fun. I vaguely remember Americans being wired about it when they came to vacation
In addition to that. This was a really bad book.
In addition to that. This was a really bad book.
November 20, 2018
The Incredible True Story of the Making of the Eve of Destruction is a story told in a moment. Not in a single moment. But it's located within a specific moment in history, 1984. When the cold war and fear of nuclear devastation is firmly rooted in the consciousness of the American public. Because of this, the book feels real and tangible. As if you could reach your hands into the pages and touch a fragment of history.
full review: https://utopia-state-of-mind.com/revi...
full review: https://utopia-state-of-mind.com/revi...
August 30, 2018
I got this eARC from Edelweiss in exchange for a fair and honest review. This is my FIRST Edelweiss book I've been approved for and I'm excited! I had read about this site and how difficult it can be to get approved for books so imagine my delight when I got an email through confirming I've been approved for one :D
I initially applied for this because.... Yup, you guessed it! I liked the cover. The cover intrigued me and it stood out from the others on the page at the time. I was immediately drawn to this because of the colours on it and also the name.
This is set in the cold war era in Southern USA - Arkansas in 1984 to be exact. We follow 16-year-old Laura Ratliff who lives in the town of Griffin Flat. Griffin Flat is known solely for being a town surrounded by missile silos. In the middle of the cold war. MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction) is something that the town live with (and try to forget) every, single day. Then Hollywood comes knocking on the town's door. They have picked Griffin Flat as the location for a Nuclear Holocaust movie. When Laura wins a competition for a walk on part (with a plus one!) we get to see behind the scenes and if it all goes to plan. It will all go to plan? Right?!?!?!
The Positives:
- Footnotes!!!!!!!!!!!! As an avid Terry Pratchett fan, this was a delight to see. The way that the author used footnotes to give more context to the era and explain some of the day to say was really well done. A word of warning though - the current lay out in the eBook doesn't work as the page breaks aren't clear for the footnotes - sometimes you have to go forward or back 2-3 pages to find the footnote that it relates to.
- The setting - I can't say I've ever read a book that was set in the cold war era, and if I have it certainly wasn't set in Arkansas! It was different and relatable, but completely out the box for me. It was different aspect to a part of history that I don't really know a whole lot about.
- Some of the themes discussed - This touches on racism in the 80s a lot with a dysfunctional, multi race family. I feel like it deals with it well for what feels like a book on the younger end of the scale. It doesn't over power the storyline but reflects how it might have been then. There is also a lot of social anxiety and mental health issues touched on as well which i liked. Its all related to the nuclear bombs and the anxiety around that but its well done. We also have the ever challenging topic of divorce and how teens deal with it. Without going into spoiler territory it was nice to see a non 2.4 children approach to it.
The Negatives:
- The predictability of the plot line. I think we all saw what was coming. It was enjoyable but predictable, I had worked it out about 2/3 of the way into the book, if even that
The Hollywood characters. Can you say stereotypical?!?! I didn't like them and I didn't particularly see the need to have them match the stereotypes that are out there. Why have the characters you see on screen match the personalities off. I think this would have been a lot more intriguing if they were switched up!
- The depth of the themes discussed. Now, while i have the themes in my positives and I've praised how its been dealt with it did feel a little bit like there was one theme too many touched on. There was an element of the things being touched on (Laura's relationship with her Stepbrother Terrence for example) were only being scratched at and there was so much more to say. At the end of the day, however, this is an end of world drama novel, not a Judy Blume novel dealing with teenage live and growing up. That being said, I would LOVE to hear a Judy Blume style novel done in companion to this in Laura's voice
- The pacing of the book. This one was a slow starter with some quick bursts of happening through out. It could be a little hard to follow at times when you hit one of the bursts of drama, typically around an anxiety attack or a fight.
Overall I did enjoy this and I can imagine other people will really enjoy it. I would recommend it but I probably wouldn't pick it back up - 2.5* out of 5 for me. I'm rounding up to 3* because it was overall a decent book and a positive read :) Edelweiss scores out of 10 so I've going for 5/10 to match the 2.5/5 stars on here :)
https://readinglife342128355.wordpres...
I initially applied for this because.... Yup, you guessed it! I liked the cover. The cover intrigued me and it stood out from the others on the page at the time. I was immediately drawn to this because of the colours on it and also the name.
This is set in the cold war era in Southern USA - Arkansas in 1984 to be exact. We follow 16-year-old Laura Ratliff who lives in the town of Griffin Flat. Griffin Flat is known solely for being a town surrounded by missile silos. In the middle of the cold war. MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction) is something that the town live with (and try to forget) every, single day. Then Hollywood comes knocking on the town's door. They have picked Griffin Flat as the location for a Nuclear Holocaust movie. When Laura wins a competition for a walk on part (with a plus one!) we get to see behind the scenes and if it all goes to plan. It will all go to plan? Right?!?!?!
The Positives:
- Footnotes!!!!!!!!!!!! As an avid Terry Pratchett fan, this was a delight to see. The way that the author used footnotes to give more context to the era and explain some of the day to say was really well done. A word of warning though - the current lay out in the eBook doesn't work as the page breaks aren't clear for the footnotes - sometimes you have to go forward or back 2-3 pages to find the footnote that it relates to.
- The setting - I can't say I've ever read a book that was set in the cold war era, and if I have it certainly wasn't set in Arkansas! It was different and relatable, but completely out the box for me. It was different aspect to a part of history that I don't really know a whole lot about.
- Some of the themes discussed - This touches on racism in the 80s a lot with a dysfunctional, multi race family. I feel like it deals with it well for what feels like a book on the younger end of the scale. It doesn't over power the storyline but reflects how it might have been then. There is also a lot of social anxiety and mental health issues touched on as well which i liked. Its all related to the nuclear bombs and the anxiety around that but its well done. We also have the ever challenging topic of divorce and how teens deal with it. Without going into spoiler territory it was nice to see a non 2.4 children approach to it.
The Negatives:
- The predictability of the plot line. I think we all saw what was coming. It was enjoyable but predictable, I had worked it out about 2/3 of the way into the book, if even that
The Hollywood characters. Can you say stereotypical?!?! I didn't like them and I didn't particularly see the need to have them match the stereotypes that are out there. Why have the characters you see on screen match the personalities off. I think this would have been a lot more intriguing if they were switched up!
- The depth of the themes discussed. Now, while i have the themes in my positives and I've praised how its been dealt with it did feel a little bit like there was one theme too many touched on. There was an element of the things being touched on (Laura's relationship with her Stepbrother Terrence for example) were only being scratched at and there was so much more to say. At the end of the day, however, this is an end of world drama novel, not a Judy Blume novel dealing with teenage live and growing up. That being said, I would LOVE to hear a Judy Blume style novel done in companion to this in Laura's voice
- The pacing of the book. This one was a slow starter with some quick bursts of happening through out. It could be a little hard to follow at times when you hit one of the bursts of drama, typically around an anxiety attack or a fight.
Overall I did enjoy this and I can imagine other people will really enjoy it. I would recommend it but I probably wouldn't pick it back up - 2.5* out of 5 for me. I'm rounding up to 3* because it was overall a decent book and a positive read :) Edelweiss scores out of 10 so I've going for 5/10 to match the 2.5/5 stars on here :)
https://readinglife342128355.wordpres...
April 19, 2019
*Based on a true story...I think*
It's 1984, and Hollywood has chosen the tiny town of Griffins Flat, Arkansas to film the new movie Eve of Destruction.
After winning a role off the radio, Laura Ratliff gets to chose one person to accompany her in the movie Eve of Destruction. Laura chooses her stepbrother, Terrence, over her other friends at school.
After filming for many days, it turns out that Hollywood might have set off a real bomb.
This was a weird book. Beginning it, I thought it was good, but as I got towards the end, it became weirder and weirder. It was a pretty okay book.
It's 1984, and Hollywood has chosen the tiny town of Griffins Flat, Arkansas to film the new movie Eve of Destruction.
After winning a role off the radio, Laura Ratliff gets to chose one person to accompany her in the movie Eve of Destruction. Laura chooses her stepbrother, Terrence, over her other friends at school.
After filming for many days, it turns out that Hollywood might have set off a real bomb.
This was a weird book. Beginning it, I thought it was good, but as I got towards the end, it became weirder and weirder. It was a pretty okay book.
August 18, 2019
I so wanted to love this book, there's so much nuclear nerdery in it. I won't say as much as the official blurb does because it mentions an event that takes place nearly at the end of the book. So I was reading expecting something to happen and then the big event was so rushed. Seriously publishers, if an event doesn't happen in the first 100 pages, don't put it on the cover.
Laura wins a radio contest to star in the film, and much of it is about the anticipation of Hollywood coming to town. The narrative is interspersed with news articles and FEMA instructions (in case of nuclear detonation). There were great historical details, like people painting their houses white because they thought it would deflect the radiation. I also know that America had many close calls and it is not absurd to imagine them nuking themselves.
I'm really not sure what was going on with the side story of Laura's family. Her mother had an affair with black man, who she then married, so Lauren's step-brother is black, something she points out a lot. Maybe the author wanted to highlight the racism of the time, his presence is an inconvenience to the film-makers because now they have to justify a black person in the film. It just all feels a bit awkwardly inserted.
After the big event happens, it came across as a bit flippant. I dunno, was she trying to make light of a horrible thing? Why did no one notice it was happening? I'm not sure given the circumstances what happened afterwards was very accurate, biologically. And in the follow-up bit, there was no mention of any ongoing effects.
Laura wins a radio contest to star in the film, and much of it is about the anticipation of Hollywood coming to town. The narrative is interspersed with news articles and FEMA instructions (in case of nuclear detonation). There were great historical details, like people painting their houses white because they thought it would deflect the radiation. I also know that America had many close calls and it is not absurd to imagine them nuking themselves.
I'm really not sure what was going on with the side story of Laura's family. Her mother had an affair with black man, who she then married, so Lauren's step-brother is black, something she points out a lot. Maybe the author wanted to highlight the racism of the time, his presence is an inconvenience to the film-makers because now they have to justify a black person in the film. It just all feels a bit awkwardly inserted.
After the big event happens, it came across as a bit flippant. I dunno, was she trying to make light of a horrible thing? Why did no one notice it was happening? I'm not sure given the circumstances what happened afterwards was very accurate, biologically. And in the follow-up bit, there was no mention of any ongoing effects.
August 22, 2018
I got a free ARC for this book trough Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review. I initially requested this book because the cover looked really cool (yes, I judge books by their cover. Quite often actually), the plot sounded interesting and on top of that the main characters name was also Laura (I mentioned this as a reason to request the book and I like to think it played a part :) ).
Trigger warnings for this book are racism, nuclear related anxiety and nuclear threat/nuclear bomb.
I had never read about the nuclear threat during the cold war. I just learned about the cold war during history lessons but they were mainly focused on Europe and how we were sandwiched between two big countries with nuclear bombs and we couldn't really do anything. This means I never realized the impact it had on people living in America so close to nuclear bombs, so the theme of the book was really new to me.
Let me start of to say that I really enjoyed the book. I loved reading about that time period and how people were trying to deal with the nuclear presence. It was very well written and I couldn't wait to finish it.
I wrote a few notes after finishing it to help me write this review and most of them were variations of: wow...what just happened.
I totally recommend this book. It is well written, an interesting topic and well thought-out. Really, the only not entirely positive thing I have to say about the book, is about the footnotes and that is also partly personal preference.
Trigger warnings for this book are racism, nuclear related anxiety and nuclear threat/nuclear bomb.
I had never read about the nuclear threat during the cold war. I just learned about the cold war during history lessons but they were mainly focused on Europe and how we were sandwiched between two big countries with nuclear bombs and we couldn't really do anything. This means I never realized the impact it had on people living in America so close to nuclear bombs, so the theme of the book was really new to me.
Let me start of to say that I really enjoyed the book. I loved reading about that time period and how people were trying to deal with the nuclear presence. It was very well written and I couldn't wait to finish it.
I wrote a few notes after finishing it to help me write this review and most of them were variations of: wow...what just happened.
I totally recommend this book. It is well written, an interesting topic and well thought-out. Really, the only not entirely positive thing I have to say about the book, is about the footnotes and that is also partly personal preference.
September 18, 2019
I wanted to like this, but the summary on the jacket gives away too much, the main plot point has some holes, and the footnotes weren't used well.
Footnote situation: This book has a bunch of footnotes. Usually I like footnotes in fiction, used as asides from the main text. The grand majority of these footnotes, however, were only stating basic information about the song, TV show, etc. mentioned in the text, like citations. Maybe a quarter of the footnotes had any added flavor from the narrator. This was a notable departure from the voice in the rest of the book. The footnotes in general detracted from the text rather than adding to it.
Spoilers ahoy:
Footnote situation: This book has a bunch of footnotes. Usually I like footnotes in fiction, used as asides from the main text. The grand majority of these footnotes, however, were only stating basic information about the song, TV show, etc. mentioned in the text, like citations. Maybe a quarter of the footnotes had any added flavor from the narrator. This was a notable departure from the voice in the rest of the book. The footnotes in general detracted from the text rather than adding to it.
Spoilers ahoy:
March 4, 2019
Literary Merit: Okay
Characterization: Good
Recommended: Optional
Level: Upper Middle School & High School
Focused on the fear of nuclear war, this novel takes place during the 80's in a small Arkansas town that just so happens to be incredibly close to nuclear missile silos. In the event of nuclear war, Griffin Flat will likely be wiped off the face of the earth and for our main character, Laura, who is terrified by all of this, it weighs heavily on her mind. The story shifts focus between her fear of the bomb, her growing relationship with her step-brother, Terrance, and the filming of a movie based on a book about how a small town in Arkansas goes BOOM!
As a whole, the book is good and can find a home on any shelf with funding to spare. There is underage drinking, sex talk, and drug use mentions, but these parts of the books go by quickly or take up a sentence at most, so the book is pretty clean by average standards. The characters are characterized well enough that you can tell them apart, but Laura is hard to peg down. I had trouble understanding exactly what kind of person she was other than book and pop culture smart, scared of nuclear war, and becoming a little bit defiant - typical teenage rebellion. The prose is understandable, but makes a lot of references to 80's and before culture that sometimes slows the pace of the novel down to a crawl. There are footnotes on almost every page to explain this or that to readers, but it was used a bit excessively or didn't really add much to the book except Laura's extensive knowledge of pop culture.
That being said, I do think there are teens that would enjoy this sort of book, but this would be a hard sell to most teen readers. Primarily, this is a quirky read when there WAS a horrible nuclear incident. However, by the time you reach the incident, the books starts to peter out and the part of the book some readers may have looked forward to reading - the aftermath of the whole thing - is practically glossed over.
I would recommend this for optional purchase. Based on the review, you will know if your kids would like it or not, but it isn't a MUST BUY by any means.
Characterization: Good
Recommended: Optional
Level: Upper Middle School & High School
Focused on the fear of nuclear war, this novel takes place during the 80's in a small Arkansas town that just so happens to be incredibly close to nuclear missile silos. In the event of nuclear war, Griffin Flat will likely be wiped off the face of the earth and for our main character, Laura, who is terrified by all of this, it weighs heavily on her mind. The story shifts focus between her fear of the bomb, her growing relationship with her step-brother, Terrance, and the filming of a movie based on a book about how a small town in Arkansas goes BOOM!
As a whole, the book is good and can find a home on any shelf with funding to spare. There is underage drinking, sex talk, and drug use mentions, but these parts of the books go by quickly or take up a sentence at most, so the book is pretty clean by average standards. The characters are characterized well enough that you can tell them apart, but Laura is hard to peg down. I had trouble understanding exactly what kind of person she was other than book and pop culture smart, scared of nuclear war, and becoming a little bit defiant - typical teenage rebellion. The prose is understandable, but makes a lot of references to 80's and before culture that sometimes slows the pace of the novel down to a crawl. There are footnotes on almost every page to explain this or that to readers, but it was used a bit excessively or didn't really add much to the book except Laura's extensive knowledge of pop culture.
That being said, I do think there are teens that would enjoy this sort of book, but this would be a hard sell to most teen readers. Primarily, this is a quirky read when there WAS a horrible nuclear incident. However, by the time you reach the incident, the books starts to peter out and the part of the book some readers may have looked forward to reading - the aftermath of the whole thing - is practically glossed over.
I would recommend this for optional purchase. Based on the review, you will know if your kids would like it or not, but it isn't a MUST BUY by any means.
November 25, 2018
Actual Score- 2.5
This book is about the making of a nuclear disaster movie that ends with Hollywood setting off a real bomb. The story is interesting, but it has some issues.
The main character wins a contest to be in a walk on role in the movie. She decides to take her stepbrother with her and this freaks everyone out because he is black and there can't be too many black people in the movie.🙄 The main character is also terrified of nuclear war, so why she would ever volunteer to be a victim of an atomic bomb is beyond me. Overall, I did like her, her stepbrother, and her best friend Max though.
Every other character kinda sucked and were stereotypical.
My biggest issue with this book was the ending. There was a lot of build up, but when the bomb goes off it is super anticlimactic. The main characters don't realize that it was the bomb, but when they do, they are super calm even though the main character was having multiple panic attacks throughout the novel at the thought of the bomb going off. Then everyone they knows dies and it is kind of glanced over. Finally, one of the survivors is killed by an army man because they thought their superior said "shoot" when he said, "shit." I can't make this stuff up. Then the epilogue is just like we all stayed close and moved to Colorado. We went through years of trauma (never see the trauma) and healing (never see the healing), but made a butt ton of money from our story even though no body believes it.
The freaking footnotes. Those were super annoying and added nothing to the story. I get that this is set in the 80s, which was wonderful and overall done well, but the footnotes just explained 80s facts with no real purpose. I get that this was written for teens who have no true reference to the 80s, but still. They can freaking google the references if they are confused or move on because they don't really matter to understanding the story. I don't think a reader needs to know that this movie was made in this year and stared these actors. It isn't that important.
Overall, the concept was interesting, but I wanted more about the fallout than just wrapping it up quickly.
This book is about the making of a nuclear disaster movie that ends with Hollywood setting off a real bomb. The story is interesting, but it has some issues.
The main character wins a contest to be in a walk on role in the movie. She decides to take her stepbrother with her and this freaks everyone out because he is black and there can't be too many black people in the movie.🙄 The main character is also terrified of nuclear war, so why she would ever volunteer to be a victim of an atomic bomb is beyond me. Overall, I did like her, her stepbrother, and her best friend Max though.
Every other character kinda sucked and were stereotypical.
My biggest issue with this book was the ending. There was a lot of build up, but when the bomb goes off it is super anticlimactic. The main characters don't realize that it was the bomb, but when they do, they are super calm even though the main character was having multiple panic attacks throughout the novel at the thought of the bomb going off. Then everyone they knows dies and it is kind of glanced over. Finally, one of the survivors is killed by an army man because they thought their superior said "shoot" when he said, "shit." I can't make this stuff up. Then the epilogue is just like we all stayed close and moved to Colorado. We went through years of trauma (never see the trauma) and healing (never see the healing), but made a butt ton of money from our story even though no body believes it.
The freaking footnotes. Those were super annoying and added nothing to the story. I get that this is set in the 80s, which was wonderful and overall done well, but the footnotes just explained 80s facts with no real purpose. I get that this was written for teens who have no true reference to the 80s, but still. They can freaking google the references if they are confused or move on because they don't really matter to understanding the story. I don't think a reader needs to know that this movie was made in this year and stared these actors. It isn't that important.
Overall, the concept was interesting, but I wanted more about the fallout than just wrapping it up quickly.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 23, 2024
Book so good I had to reset my password for an account I made when I was 11. (Probably a 4.5 tho)
(Heavily implied spoilers but nothing outright)
I cannot describe the writing style in any meaningful way, but as someone who grew up with a very detached view of myself and the world this book was written the same way I feel every day. That incredible amount of "the world is ending. Everything is wrong and I'll never be the same again" while also acknowledging that she still has to wake up every day waiting for the world to burn around her.
Being born I'm '02 I've only ever known a post 9/11 America, and while it's no where near the same as growing up with the threat of nuclear bombs lingering over your head every day, it did affect me as a child I'm ways I can never describe. Some days it feels like the world is on fire and just like the adults around Laura in the book everyone tells me it's ridiculous to worry. Needless to say, I connected to this book a lot.
That being said there are a few things I would love to see done differently.
The synopsis on the book mentions that they set off a bomb that looks so real they can't tell if there was an actual nuclear bomb... so I expected to get there in the first quarter of the book, not the last quarter. I would have loved to dedicate more time to that level of uncertainty about their reality rather than solving the big question rather quickly. Having read the author's description and seeing it include the Damascus accident I actually assumed where the book was going, but I wanted more time to question myself on it.
I also needed one chapter AFTER. not an epilogue but a chapter with them after being told what happens and saying goodbye to their new group as they're likely split up by the US government.
I don't recommend reading this on vacation though, the cover stating it was laugh out loud hilarious did not account for the fact that I spent my vacation a nervous wreck because of this book.
(Heavily implied spoilers but nothing outright)
I cannot describe the writing style in any meaningful way, but as someone who grew up with a very detached view of myself and the world this book was written the same way I feel every day. That incredible amount of "the world is ending. Everything is wrong and I'll never be the same again" while also acknowledging that she still has to wake up every day waiting for the world to burn around her.
Being born I'm '02 I've only ever known a post 9/11 America, and while it's no where near the same as growing up with the threat of nuclear bombs lingering over your head every day, it did affect me as a child I'm ways I can never describe. Some days it feels like the world is on fire and just like the adults around Laura in the book everyone tells me it's ridiculous to worry. Needless to say, I connected to this book a lot.
That being said there are a few things I would love to see done differently.
The synopsis on the book mentions that they set off a bomb that looks so real they can't tell if there was an actual nuclear bomb... so I expected to get there in the first quarter of the book, not the last quarter. I would have loved to dedicate more time to that level of uncertainty about their reality rather than solving the big question rather quickly. Having read the author's description and seeing it include the Damascus accident I actually assumed where the book was going, but I wanted more time to question myself on it.
I also needed one chapter AFTER. not an epilogue but a chapter with them after being told what happens and saying goodbye to their new group as they're likely split up by the US government.
I don't recommend reading this on vacation though, the cover stating it was laugh out loud hilarious did not account for the fact that I spent my vacation a nervous wreck because of this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 6, 2021
This felt like two books mushed into one--the first 250 pages were a historical fiction story about a teenager in Arkansas in the 1980s who is terrified of nuclear war and also navigating more mundane issues like the blending of her family, friendship breakups, and school drama. It's a fairly low stakes story that is made more interesting by the specific setting and time period details as well as the side plot of a big Hollywood movie filming in town. The last 50-70 pages are a huge tonal shift where
November 8, 2018
I received an eARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
While the 1950s were known for their obsession and terror surrounding the atomic bomb, nothing has changed in Laura’s Alabama town during the 1980s. She is sure that if an atomic war began, her town would be one of the first to get hit. Laura is an expert on all things atomic holocaust and these skills help her win a walk-on role in the atomic apocalypse movie being filmed in her town. It is going to be tough to figure out who her plus one is going to be, considering of her two friends, one is annoying and the other is totally self-involved. Laura decides to take her stepbrother, Terrence, who is the best thing to come out of her mother’s infidelity. Things start becoming more and more real as the filming of the disaster movie continues. On the day that the town is supposed to be filmed as being bombed, things become more real than anyone ever thought was possible.
Overall, I enjoyed this book, simply because I like end of the world books. It was a quick story, the footnotes didn’t really flow or work for me, but perhaps in the final product with the formatting developed it may make more sense and flow better.
While the 1950s were known for their obsession and terror surrounding the atomic bomb, nothing has changed in Laura’s Alabama town during the 1980s. She is sure that if an atomic war began, her town would be one of the first to get hit. Laura is an expert on all things atomic holocaust and these skills help her win a walk-on role in the atomic apocalypse movie being filmed in her town. It is going to be tough to figure out who her plus one is going to be, considering of her two friends, one is annoying and the other is totally self-involved. Laura decides to take her stepbrother, Terrence, who is the best thing to come out of her mother’s infidelity. Things start becoming more and more real as the filming of the disaster movie continues. On the day that the town is supposed to be filmed as being bombed, things become more real than anyone ever thought was possible.
Overall, I enjoyed this book, simply because I like end of the world books. It was a quick story, the footnotes didn’t really flow or work for me, but perhaps in the final product with the formatting developed it may make more sense and flow better.
December 26, 2018
It's 1984 in a small town in Arkansas and the world fears the potential of a nuclear war with Russia. Hollywood has taken up camp in Griffin Flat to film a nuclear-world-ending movie called "Eve of Destruction" and sixteen - year old Laura Ratliffe has won a walk-on role, with a guest, in the movie. Laura decides to take her step-brother, Terrence, as her guest.
And then... Where do I go from here? Because the rest of the book is just about the filming of the movie and it's only in the last 30-40 pages that the "big event" happens.
The story is a first-person account told from Laura's point of view (and she's very likable) but she's trying to write about a potential Hollywood conspiracy when the "big event" occurs. So, the whole plot seems... Surreal? Reality and movie fantasy colliding/overlapping/getting confusing. Ugh. Then the character reactions after the event is just .. unreal? Maybe the characters were in shock? But see how confused I was? Yeah.
As I've seen in other reviews, this one will find its audience, but that wasn't me.
And then... Where do I go from here? Because the rest of the book is just about the filming of the movie and it's only in the last 30-40 pages that the "big event" happens.
The story is a first-person account told from Laura's point of view (and she's very likable) but she's trying to write about a potential Hollywood conspiracy when the "big event" occurs. So, the whole plot seems... Surreal? Reality and movie fantasy colliding/overlapping/getting confusing. Ugh. Then the character reactions after the event is just .. unreal? Maybe the characters were in shock? But see how confused I was? Yeah.
As I've seen in other reviews, this one will find its audience, but that wasn't me.
July 6, 2019
Mixed feelings. The first half of the book is pretty good, the second half fell flat for me. Without giving away the plot i'd say the emotion level and response I expected just weren't there. I listened to the audiobook and didn't find the footnotes that seemed to annoy the readers in particular very bothersome, even though i'm old enough to have at least some frame of reference for the early 80s. The downside of the audiobook was that the voicing of some of the characters was somewhere between cringe worthy and hilarious. I found myself laughing during serious moments because the voices were just so... Think bad impersonations of Grover, Elmo and Cookie Monster. Other times the characters were differentiated by speaking speed. Some would speak very slowly as if they were talking to someone with an intellectual disability.
All in all, as an adult i thought it was ok. Maybe my expectations are too high for a book geared towards teens.
All in all, as an adult i thought it was ok. Maybe my expectations are too high for a book geared towards teens.
September 1, 2018
In this novel set in the 1980's a young girl wins a contest to go on the set of a movie that is about a nuclear attack. I will admit that I did not finish this book but I wanted to explain why I didn't. First off, to start with the positive, I enjoyed the cultural references to the 80's with the footnotes. I do think they were just a touch overdone and it was almost as if the author tried to see just how many she could fit into the dialogue. I felt that the characters were not introduced properly. The book just throws names into the plot with little to no introduction which causes the reader to not care about them. I also felt that the dialogue in many parts was unnatural. I know a lot of older people and they don't call everyone "dear" or "sweetie." I appreciate the effort of this idea but the execution fell flat for me.
December 20, 2018
**Thank you, Net Galley, for this free read in exchange for an honest review.**
I'm completely mixed about this book. I like the premise and the first half of the novel: Laura wins a guest role in a movie that's being filmed in her town. It's the 1980s and people are still anxious about Russia and impending nuclear attacks, which makes people a little edgy about the 1950s style movie about an accidental nuclear war. I enjoyed hearing Laura's backstory about her family and new stepbrother Terrance.
However, the second half of the book just made me say, "What?" Some of the side stories got lost somewhere, and the details just got confusing. If I had to split up the ratings, the first half of the book would get a 4 but the last half would get a 2, hence the rating of a 3.
I was really hoping for a little more cohesive storyline.
I'm completely mixed about this book. I like the premise and the first half of the novel: Laura wins a guest role in a movie that's being filmed in her town. It's the 1980s and people are still anxious about Russia and impending nuclear attacks, which makes people a little edgy about the 1950s style movie about an accidental nuclear war. I enjoyed hearing Laura's backstory about her family and new stepbrother Terrance.
However, the second half of the book just made me say, "What?" Some of the side stories got lost somewhere, and the details just got confusing. If I had to split up the ratings, the first half of the book would get a 4 but the last half would get a 2, hence the rating of a 3.
I was really hoping for a little more cohesive storyline.
August 7, 2019
Edit: this book is based on the Damascus Incident where a nuclear missile did explode in its silo in Arkansas in 1980. It would have been great if the author/publisher has included this information at the end of the book.
Ugh footnotes. Footnotes can be good but these were super meh. I don't need the plots of every old movie mentioned explained in footnotes, if I care I'll look them up - especially when they don't really add anything.
I feel like the blurb gives away the entire story, so... that's great.
Also, is this actually based on a real story or is it all fiction? I'm so stressed.
Also, I liked having different styles of writing like newspaper articles, book excerpts etc but including the whole filming contact was a big yawn!
Overall an alright book, I feel like it would have been much better if I hadn't read the blurb and without the footnotes 😂
Ugh footnotes. Footnotes can be good but these were super meh. I don't need the plots of every old movie mentioned explained in footnotes, if I care I'll look them up - especially when they don't really add anything.
I feel like the blurb gives away the entire story, so... that's great.
Also, is this actually based on a real story or is it all fiction? I'm so stressed.
Also, I liked having different styles of writing like newspaper articles, book excerpts etc but including the whole filming contact was a big yawn!
Overall an alright book, I feel like it would have been much better if I hadn't read the blurb and without the footnotes 😂
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 28, 2020
This may be a better book than I’m giving it credit for. I listened to it as an audiobook and it is firmly in the bottom ten of all audiobooks I’ve experienced. There were a lot of characters and the narrator did a fine job on the two main characters. Beyond that she felt she had to voice each character uniquely. What came out ranged from Edith Bunker to Muppets on meth. It was awful.
But I stuck it out because it was supposed to have a twisty ending. Meh. And the footnotes. Grrr! Granted it was YA and so the target audience had not been born in 1984 when the story took place. But sheesh! Sometimes five to a page! A few footnotes may be gimmicky and potentially endearing, but enough already! Do we really care who directed Footloose? (Herbert Ross if you’re wondering)
To sum it up: I was disappointed. It’s over and I’m glad.
But I stuck it out because it was supposed to have a twisty ending. Meh. And the footnotes. Grrr! Granted it was YA and so the target audience had not been born in 1984 when the story took place. But sheesh! Sometimes five to a page! A few footnotes may be gimmicky and potentially endearing, but enough already! Do we really care who directed Footloose? (Herbert Ross if you’re wondering)
To sum it up: I was disappointed. It’s over and I’m glad.
June 10, 2019
YA, Snarky teen voice
For 75% percent of this book, I really liked it. But then there was the ending. It was not what I expected, nor enjoyed. A little too irreverent at the end. The snarky teen voice was what I liked best. It was very irreverent, and funny, considering the subject matter, nuclear annihilation. The story was somewhat inspired by an "accident" at a nuclear missile silo in the 80s.
Laura has won a walk on role in the movie, The Eve of Destruction, being filmed in Griffin Flat, Arkansas. She choses her step brother Terrence to accompany her on the set. It has all the makings of a terrible B movie, so Laura has lots to comment on: small town politics, small town gossip, movie actors and so much more.
For 75% percent of this book, I really liked it. But then there was the ending. It was not what I expected, nor enjoyed. A little too irreverent at the end. The snarky teen voice was what I liked best. It was very irreverent, and funny, considering the subject matter, nuclear annihilation. The story was somewhat inspired by an "accident" at a nuclear missile silo in the 80s.
Laura has won a walk on role in the movie, The Eve of Destruction, being filmed in Griffin Flat, Arkansas. She choses her step brother Terrence to accompany her on the set. It has all the makings of a terrible B movie, so Laura has lots to comment on: small town politics, small town gossip, movie actors and so much more.
January 7, 2020
I wanted to like this book, I really did but, there were too many footnotes!!!!!!! Like seriously, the amount made this book unenjoyable. For the most part they were unneeded and if they had not been there this would be a 4 star book.
I love historical fiction based on fact and this ticked that box big time but this was just unreadable, to the point that I had to listen to the audiobook just to get through it. I would give this one star but I found the underlying story just interesting enough (when there wasn’t a bunch of footnotes spoiling it) to not completely hate it.
I was so interested in learning about a historical event that I didn’t previously know about, guess I will just have google the events that inspired this story instead now....
I love historical fiction based on fact and this ticked that box big time but this was just unreadable, to the point that I had to listen to the audiobook just to get through it. I would give this one star but I found the underlying story just interesting enough (when there wasn’t a bunch of footnotes spoiling it) to not completely hate it.
I was so interested in learning about a historical event that I didn’t previously know about, guess I will just have google the events that inspired this story instead now....
April 18, 2023
This one sat on my TBR literally forever. I mainly wanted to read it because the cover looked cool- which, as it turns out, is the only good thing about this book.
This novel, which has an extremely long title for no good reason, is very dumb. The plot is ridiculous, and the jacket of the book basically spoils it. The main character is very unlikeable and everyone else was very forgettable.
The footnotes were one of the dumbest things about the book. EVERYTHING had a footnote. And this little asides served absolutely no purpose except making me annoyed. Also, the writing style felt clunky, possibly due to the constant footnotes.
Anyways. I hated this book.
P.S. I brought the average score down from 3 to 2.99. My greatest accomplishment :)
This novel, which has an extremely long title for no good reason, is very dumb. The plot is ridiculous, and the jacket of the book basically spoils it. The main character is very unlikeable and everyone else was very forgettable.
The footnotes were one of the dumbest things about the book. EVERYTHING had a footnote. And this little asides served absolutely no purpose except making me annoyed. Also, the writing style felt clunky, possibly due to the constant footnotes.
Anyways. I hated this book.
P.S. I brought the average score down from 3 to 2.99. My greatest accomplishment :)
December 14, 2018
I need a 2 1/2 for this one. Some things I found so intriguing that I had to look up the true events of the 1980 accident in Arkansas. Once I got to the explosion itself, I had to race through to see what really happened. However, there were lots of things about the way the book was put together that I did not find appealing. While the footnotes might be good for today's young adults, I found them distracting because I lived that time and already got the pop references without interruption. I sometimes has a difficult time keeping track of who was saying what in the dialogue--lots of actors/extras/set people that didn't differentiate clearly for me.
March 11, 2019
This book is a very entertaining read. This girl living in griffin flat Arkansas in the 80s wins a contest that will let her participate in the “Eve of Destruction” movie that’s getting produced in their town. She is constantly paranoid about the end of the world caused by nuclear warfare. When she’s at the contest she over hears people in charge talking about getting in big trouble for what they did. Then the next day her dad calls from the military base, phone call full of static trying to warn her and the rest of the family of what’s ahead. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it if you enjoy a bit of thrill and excitement.
January 8, 2020
I'm not entirely certain what the point of the book was. Maybe I missed it? I felt like the ending was completely disconnected from the beginning. Like a whole lot of emphasis was put on the comparison of nuclear fallout from a bomb and the fall out from the explosion of the nuclear family, but that kind of fell by the wayside in the end. Then there is the fact that I kept getting distracted by things I'm fairly certain weren't possible. Like the guy had a picture of the mushroom cloud from close enough to be affected by radiation, but wouldn't that radiation have messed with the film? I think that's something I've read about. Idk, this didn't do anything for me.
August 23, 2020
The first 75% of this was rather eh. I sped through it feeling like it had a lot of potential, but just wasn't there.
It's 1984 in a small town in Arkansas. Laura wins a walk-on spot in a movie that's being filmed about a nuclear bomb. At the same time there's the real-life threat of nuclear war between the US and Russia.
And then the last 25% was like a whole different book? I liked this part but it really came out of nowhere and wrapped up too quickly.
It's 1984 in a small town in Arkansas. Laura wins a walk-on spot in a movie that's being filmed about a nuclear bomb. At the same time there's the real-life threat of nuclear war between the US and Russia.
And then the last 25% was like a whole different book? I liked this part but it really came out of nowhere and wrapped up too quickly.
September 6, 2019
It was alright...that is as much as I can say. Weirdly, I read it really fast and it engaged me as a reader, but it was just alright. There was enough action and mystery to make me want to read it, but now having finished it, I probably will not pick it up again.
Also I know some people will probably enjoy this part, but for me all the extra info in between chapters was unnecessary for me, I ended up skipping reading those parts.
All-in-all, I liked the main character, but I was getting really fed up with her fear of nuclear war.
Also I know some people will probably enjoy this part, but for me all the extra info in between chapters was unnecessary for me, I ended up skipping reading those parts.
All-in-all, I liked the main character, but I was getting really fed up with her fear of nuclear war.
October 2, 2018
This one sounded so cool that I was excited to snag an ARC when a copy came into the library. But ultimately, I was disappointed by this one. I found the footnotes pointless and distracting, the plot slow and boring, and the climax, falling action, and resolution supremely unsatisfying. Definitely wished I had picked a different read for our staff book group.
Reviewed from an advance reader's copy, received by my library from the publisher.
Reviewed from an advance reader's copy, received by my library from the publisher.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews