What do you think?
Rate this book
Prepped
For fans of Jeff Zentner and Katie Henry comes a thrilling and funny debut about a teen raised in a doomsday community who plots her escape with the boy from the bunker next door.
Always be ready for the worst day of your life.
This is the mantra that Becca Aldaine has grown up with. Her family is part of a community of doomsday preppers, a neighborhood that prioritizes survivalist training over class trips or senior prom. They’re even arranging Becca’s marriage with Roy Kang, the only eligible boy in their community. Roy is a nice guy, but he’s so enthusiastic about prepping that Becca doesn’t have the heart to tell him she’s planning to leave as soon as she can earn a full ride to a college far, far away.
Then a devastating accident rocks Becca’s family and pushes the entire community, including Becca’s usually cynical little sister, deeper into the doomsday ideology. With her getaway plans thrown into jeopardy, the only person Becca can turn to is Roy, who reveals that he’s not nearly as clueless as he’s been pretending to be.
When Roy proposes they run away together, Becca will have to risk everything—including her heart—for a chance to hope for the best instead of planning for the worst.
Always be ready for the worst day of your life.
This is the mantra that Becca Aldaine has grown up with. Her family is part of a community of doomsday preppers, a neighborhood that prioritizes survivalist training over class trips or senior prom. They’re even arranging Becca’s marriage with Roy Kang, the only eligible boy in their community. Roy is a nice guy, but he’s so enthusiastic about prepping that Becca doesn’t have the heart to tell him she’s planning to leave as soon as she can earn a full ride to a college far, far away.
Then a devastating accident rocks Becca’s family and pushes the entire community, including Becca’s usually cynical little sister, deeper into the doomsday ideology. With her getaway plans thrown into jeopardy, the only person Becca can turn to is Roy, who reveals that he’s not nearly as clueless as he’s been pretending to be.
When Roy proposes they run away together, Becca will have to risk everything—including her heart—for a chance to hope for the best instead of planning for the worst.
336 pages, Paperback
First published February 23, 2021
37 people are currently reading
5202 people want to read
About the author
Bethany Mangle
4 books143 followersBethany Mangle is the author of the young adult contemporary novels PREPPED and ALL THE RIGHT REASONS. Her third book, CONDITIONS OF A HEART, is forthcoming in February 2024. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys spoiling her dog, playing video games, and spending time with her unbearably nerdy husband. She moves too much to put a location in her bio ever again.
Bethany is represented by Jennifer Wills and Nicole Resciniti of The Seymour Agency.
Note:
I don't add readers as friends on Goodreads because of Amazon's policy on reviews. Please follow me instead. I'm also active on Twitter and Instagram @bethanymangle. Thanks for your understanding!
Bethany is represented by Jennifer Wills and Nicole Resciniti of The Seymour Agency.
Note:
I don't add readers as friends on Goodreads because of Amazon's policy on reviews. Please follow me instead. I'm also active on Twitter and Instagram @bethanymangle. Thanks for your understanding!
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 291 reviews
January 17, 2021
How I read this: Free ebook copy received from publicist
This book was so good!!! I don’t even know where to start. I wish I could write a better review for Prepped – cause it was amazing and it deserves it. But all I have is this bundle of emotion in my heart after finishing it, and I can’t translate it into words! It was so MUCH, and it was about so many things – abusive households, fanaticism, people not caring – but also love, caring for your close ones, fighting for your future, belief in the decency of others. I don’t know how to put it into words, but this book is definitely worth a read, and all I know is that when I finished the last page, I looked up and said “WOW”. And that’s why I think you should read it too.
Here is the longer version of my fumbling review, if you want to find out more:
https://avalinahsbooks.space/prepped-...
I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.
Book Blog | Bookstagram | Bookish Twitter
This book was so good!!! I don’t even know where to start. I wish I could write a better review for Prepped – cause it was amazing and it deserves it. But all I have is this bundle of emotion in my heart after finishing it, and I can’t translate it into words! It was so MUCH, and it was about so many things – abusive households, fanaticism, people not caring – but also love, caring for your close ones, fighting for your future, belief in the decency of others. I don’t know how to put it into words, but this book is definitely worth a read, and all I know is that when I finished the last page, I looked up and said “WOW”. And that’s why I think you should read it too.
Here is the longer version of my fumbling review, if you want to find out more:
https://avalinahsbooks.space/prepped-...
I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.
Book Blog | Bookstagram | Bookish Twitter
May 15, 2022
3 stars?
I don't know how to feel about this one. I've read absolutely nothing like it.
Rtc
I don't know how to feel about this one. I've read absolutely nothing like it.
Rtc
July 6, 2024
ok wooow😅 idk what to think about this book, it was so wildddd. I've been wanting to read it forever, and I finally got a copy from my library, so i was super excited!! it was so interesting and unique, and i really liked it!! the whole doomsday thing was absolutely crazy and every single character needs therapy lol🙃 the whole doomsday sideplot made it feel more like a thriller than a romance, which I actually liked a lot! i loved Ms. Garcia and Sydney, def my fav characters! I was legit so mad at Katie too!! Whyyy? Becca had done nothing but protect and guard her against the ✨crazy✨ and she went and did that??? (sorry spoilers...) and Becca's parents were the WORST!! I was actively like maddd at them, and the whole community?!? first of all, why the heckkkk would you even do that? and why wouldn't neighbors or the community look into it?? it just really annoyed me lol. the whole arranged marriage was so bad, but it really added to the plot lol. and the whole Roy/Becca thing also felt weird...and he pretended to be dumb in order to stay safe...that was just sad honestly. I just feel like they didn't really know each other, then they said they'd known each other for years? idk, it just felt really soon to be in love. and the ending was rushed and imo kinda sloppy. i just feel like this is a perfect book for an epilogue. it almost ended on a cliffhanger? but other than that, this was such an interesting book!! the plot was absolutely wild but so suspenseful and I really felt the characters emotions and pain through the page! i would recommend!!
Pages: 307
Language: 🤭🤭🤭🤭
TW⚠️: child abuse, violence, arranged marriage, car accident
Genre: YA thriller
Format I read: Hardback (library)
Would I recommend to others: Yes!
Pages: 307
Language: 🤭🤭🤭🤭
TW⚠️: child abuse, violence, arranged marriage, car accident
Genre: YA thriller
Format I read: Hardback (library)
Would I recommend to others: Yes!
April 1, 2021
4.5⭐
I am absolutely fascinated with communes, cults, and fringe communities. In Prepped, Becca is a teenager who has grown up in a doomsday community. She was raised there, her parents were raised there, and her grandparents were founding members. He daily routine includes role-playing catastrophic accidents like drowning and car accidents. Becca is one of the few children in the community who are not homeschooled and go to public school. She cannot wait to graduate and leave for college.
When her dad, the leader of the community, is in a tragic accident, the community starts panicking and becoming more and more extreme. Becca decides she needs to leave asap.
I really enjoyed this book. It is a very quick read. One of the things that I really appreciated was that this doomsday community wasn't religious based. After finishing the book, I also reached out to Bethany Mangle to see how she did her research and where she got the idea. She was super kind and responsive. Looking forward to her next book!
I am absolutely fascinated with communes, cults, and fringe communities. In Prepped, Becca is a teenager who has grown up in a doomsday community. She was raised there, her parents were raised there, and her grandparents were founding members. He daily routine includes role-playing catastrophic accidents like drowning and car accidents. Becca is one of the few children in the community who are not homeschooled and go to public school. She cannot wait to graduate and leave for college.
When her dad, the leader of the community, is in a tragic accident, the community starts panicking and becoming more and more extreme. Becca decides she needs to leave asap.
I really enjoyed this book. It is a very quick read. One of the things that I really appreciated was that this doomsday community wasn't religious based. After finishing the book, I also reached out to Bethany Mangle to see how she did her research and where she got the idea. She was super kind and responsive. Looking forward to her next book!
February 18, 2021
PREPPED is an intense book that stuck with me long after I turned the last page. Thank you to Books Forward PR and Simon & Schuster for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
If you’re looking for a fast-paced contemporary YA book that has you on the edge of your seat, I’d highly recommend this. It’s also a satisfying and unexpected book with moral dilemmas within.
Our main character Becca Aldridge has grown up in a doomsday prepper community. She attends your average suburban high school, but by night (and by weekend) she has to do drills and ensure her family’s bunker is ready for anything. On top of it all, she’s already betrothed to neighbor Roy Kang and expected to marry upon graduating. Little does he - or anyone else - know that she’s plotting her grand escape to the outside world. And then something unimaginable happens that rocks Becca and her family in every way.
PREPPED had me flying through the pages and gasping at times. I loved how emotionally vulnerable Becca was in her decision-making, even despite the odds.
It was incredibly refreshing to see the casual Korean American rep, and it’s so great to see fellow adoptees like Mangle writing books that aren’t necessarily about adoption.
A side note: when I first received this book in the mail and shared it to my Instagram Stories, I had a few people mention that they didn’t know this was by a Korean American author, which points to the complex nature of erasure mixed with assimilation that adoptees experience. Also the privilege, though it doesn’t often feel like it, of “neutral” (aka white) names 🥴
⚠️ Content warnings: car crash, death of a parent, domestic abuse (emotional), mortal danger, violence against animals.
See the full review at https://www.instagram.com/p/CLcMWFzA8wq/
If you’re looking for a fast-paced contemporary YA book that has you on the edge of your seat, I’d highly recommend this. It’s also a satisfying and unexpected book with moral dilemmas within.
Our main character Becca Aldridge has grown up in a doomsday prepper community. She attends your average suburban high school, but by night (and by weekend) she has to do drills and ensure her family’s bunker is ready for anything. On top of it all, she’s already betrothed to neighbor Roy Kang and expected to marry upon graduating. Little does he - or anyone else - know that she’s plotting her grand escape to the outside world. And then something unimaginable happens that rocks Becca and her family in every way.
PREPPED had me flying through the pages and gasping at times. I loved how emotionally vulnerable Becca was in her decision-making, even despite the odds.
It was incredibly refreshing to see the casual Korean American rep, and it’s so great to see fellow adoptees like Mangle writing books that aren’t necessarily about adoption.
A side note: when I first received this book in the mail and shared it to my Instagram Stories, I had a few people mention that they didn’t know this was by a Korean American author, which points to the complex nature of erasure mixed with assimilation that adoptees experience. Also the privilege, though it doesn’t often feel like it, of “neutral” (aka white) names 🥴
⚠️ Content warnings: car crash, death of a parent, domestic abuse (emotional), mortal danger, violence against animals.
See the full review at https://www.instagram.com/p/CLcMWFzA8wq/
April 21, 2021
honestly I really liked the concept of this book, but I think in execution it fell a little flat.
I think I would've enjoyed this book a lot more, and it would've been more impactful if it was told in third person and split between both roy and Becca. I didn't feel very connected to Roy, but I think if we had been placed in third person it would've been better to connect with him. I always felt very distant from the characters.
I also would've liked to see more of the friendships. It felt like she was friends with a lot of people based purely on convenience and the relationships didn't feel real.
I would've preferred for this book to not rush the scenes as much, it felt like they were over very soon. In addition to this I didn't really like how open-ended this book was. I would've liked to see a few more things wrapped up.
I enjoyed the discussions this book tried to have, but I don't think they played out well in execution.
Overall it's not a bad book but I think it could've benefitted from longer scenes and different formatting.
I think I would've enjoyed this book a lot more, and it would've been more impactful if it was told in third person and split between both roy and Becca. I didn't feel very connected to Roy, but I think if we had been placed in third person it would've been better to connect with him. I always felt very distant from the characters.
I also would've liked to see more of the friendships. It felt like she was friends with a lot of people based purely on convenience and the relationships didn't feel real.
I would've preferred for this book to not rush the scenes as much, it felt like they were over very soon. In addition to this I didn't really like how open-ended this book was. I would've liked to see a few more things wrapped up.
I enjoyed the discussions this book tried to have, but I don't think they played out well in execution.
Overall it's not a bad book but I think it could've benefitted from longer scenes and different formatting.
November 29, 2020
Prepped by Bethany Mangle tells the story of a girl named Becca who has grown up in a community of doomsday preppers. Her father, her mother, and their entire neighborhood pride themselves on prioritizing survivalist training over anything else. They’ve even arranged Becca’s marriage to her neighbor Roy Kang. The thing is, Becca wants out. She wants to go to college and study physics. When Roy suggests they run away together, Becca wants to leave, but she can't leave her sister behind to be brainwashed. Will she give up her dreams to stay with her sister?
This book sounded intriguing, and it did not disappoint. I've never read anything like it, and was thoroughly entertained and a little freaked out. I loved that I couldn't guess what might happen next. It was a nice change to most young adult contemporary stories that have the tendency to be predictable. This premise was so different and fun, it thoroughly sucked me in. I was rooting for Becca and Roy the whole time. If you enjoy reading young adult stories, give this one a try. I think you'll like it.
I received an advanced reader copy of Prepped through Books Forward. My opinions are my own.
This book sounded intriguing, and it did not disappoint. I've never read anything like it, and was thoroughly entertained and a little freaked out. I loved that I couldn't guess what might happen next. It was a nice change to most young adult contemporary stories that have the tendency to be predictable. This premise was so different and fun, it thoroughly sucked me in. I was rooting for Becca and Roy the whole time. If you enjoy reading young adult stories, give this one a try. I think you'll like it.
I received an advanced reader copy of Prepped through Books Forward. My opinions are my own.
April 8, 2022
3.5 ⭐️ rounded
"The apocalypse is supposed to be the literal destruction of the planet, an existential ignition point that renders us all down to bleached bones, fragments in space. I dispute that definition. The true end of the world, of my world, is losing the ones I love."
You know what? We got a cute cover and an interesting plot.
This story started out a little boring, I won't lie. It really took a while for things to kick in, even when the start of the book was a bit unexpected. Once my interest was piqued, I couldn't put the book down. Albeit, I felt as if the ending was rushed and a lot of things remained unanswered. I wish we got more for an actual ending since it felt a bit abrupt.
I would’ve liked more content on their doomsday life itself. Theircult community felt very dystopic which would’ve been fascinating to read, especially since they were located close to “actual” civilization and interacted with them at some points.
Becca was a very sassy and witty protagonist with relatable goals and desires. I sure as hell do not blame her for leaving. Roy needed more going for him. He had so much potential and seemed like such a sweetheart. I love how supportive, sweet, and hella strategic he was, but my dude needed more than being a simp.Love a girlboss and her himbo. I feel like we could've gone more into race issues within the community. Hell, this story would've made for a really good dual POV.
But their moments together honestly warranted the good rating :)
"The apocalypse is supposed to be the literal destruction of the planet, an existential ignition point that renders us all down to bleached bones, fragments in space. I dispute that definition. The true end of the world, of my world, is losing the ones I love."
You know what? We got a cute cover and an interesting plot.
This story started out a little boring, I won't lie. It really took a while for things to kick in, even when the start of the book was a bit unexpected. Once my interest was piqued, I couldn't put the book down. Albeit, I felt as if the ending was rushed and a lot of things remained unanswered. I wish we got more for an actual ending since it felt a bit abrupt.
I would’ve liked more content on their doomsday life itself. Their
Becca was a very sassy and witty protagonist with relatable goals and desires. I sure as hell do not blame her for leaving. Roy needed more going for him. He had so much potential and seemed like such a sweetheart. I love how supportive, sweet, and hella strategic he was, but my dude needed more than being a simp.
But their moments together honestly warranted the good rating :)
January 14, 2021
This was a great YA book! Funny at times, but also quite heartbreaking.
Becca and Roy are about to graduate from high school, they've got their whole lives ahead of them. But they've grown up in a community of doomsday preppers and they have no say in their future. So what do they do? Plan to run away, of course! I really liked these two characters and their relationship. Their lives were anything but ordinary, and yet they still had very ordinary teenage feelings and emotions. It was fun to see their relationship develop as they discovered each other's true feelings about their doomsday lives.
The only thing that was hard for me to read was the character of Becca's mom. I know not all moms are loving and caring, but this mom takes "Mommy Dearest" to a whole new level! (Probably really dating myself there, lol) This woman seems to have absolutely no caring bone in her body, and seeing the way she treated her daughter just broke my heart. I kind of wish we had gotten a little more back story on why she was the way she was. But I guess growing up in that kind of community just hardened her heart.
I won't give anything away, but I was totally satisfied with the ending. And I see Prepped's Becca as another great example of a strong female character that young girls need in their lives. So this one is highly recommended for high school age and above!
Thank you to the author and publisher for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Becca and Roy are about to graduate from high school, they've got their whole lives ahead of them. But they've grown up in a community of doomsday preppers and they have no say in their future. So what do they do? Plan to run away, of course! I really liked these two characters and their relationship. Their lives were anything but ordinary, and yet they still had very ordinary teenage feelings and emotions. It was fun to see their relationship develop as they discovered each other's true feelings about their doomsday lives.
The only thing that was hard for me to read was the character of Becca's mom. I know not all moms are loving and caring, but this mom takes "Mommy Dearest" to a whole new level! (Probably really dating myself there, lol) This woman seems to have absolutely no caring bone in her body, and seeing the way she treated her daughter just broke my heart. I kind of wish we had gotten a little more back story on why she was the way she was. But I guess growing up in that kind of community just hardened her heart.
I won't give anything away, but I was totally satisfied with the ending. And I see Prepped's Becca as another great example of a strong female character that young girls need in their lives. So this one is highly recommended for high school age and above!
Thank you to the author and publisher for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.
November 15, 2020
*ARC Review*
It's been a long, long time since I've read a book in one sitting... but I devoured Prepped over the course of one late morning/early afternoon! The story moves at a quick pace, the voice is strong, and, above all, I absolutely adored the depiction of the lengths a sister will go to for her younger sibling.
It's been a long, long time since I've read a book in one sitting... but I devoured Prepped over the course of one late morning/early afternoon! The story moves at a quick pace, the voice is strong, and, above all, I absolutely adored the depiction of the lengths a sister will go to for her younger sibling.
February 15, 2021
(Disclaimer: I received this book from Netgalley. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
I need to read more survivalist stories because not only is it intriguing for me, but I find the conflict between preparation and life fascinating. The ways it tries to prepare for all outcomes, to teach skills we might need, and, in some aspects, the fears it stokes. The ways we see danger and risk in daily situations, fear in the 'simple' things. Where Prepped excels is creating this atmosphere of tension and suspense, in a way I was not expecting from the synopsis. Mangle not only delivers a story which will leave your heart pumping, but also featuring Becca - a character who should never have to be in the position she is in now.
Becca loves her sister basically more than anything in the world. Not going to lie, this sister relationship tore at the insides of my heart. The ways that, as children, we absorb so much around us. How her little sister so badly wants love, stability, and her family. And how these universal desires end up being twisted in vise grips and homes that should always feel safe. What ended up tightening the grasp on my heart are the ways you can compare Becca and her sister. Becca's tender and emotional desires for parents who took her out for ice cream, who didn't test them until they were prepared with sharp edges and spears.
full review: https://utopia-state-of-mind.com/revi...
I need to read more survivalist stories because not only is it intriguing for me, but I find the conflict between preparation and life fascinating. The ways it tries to prepare for all outcomes, to teach skills we might need, and, in some aspects, the fears it stokes. The ways we see danger and risk in daily situations, fear in the 'simple' things. Where Prepped excels is creating this atmosphere of tension and suspense, in a way I was not expecting from the synopsis. Mangle not only delivers a story which will leave your heart pumping, but also featuring Becca - a character who should never have to be in the position she is in now.
Becca loves her sister basically more than anything in the world. Not going to lie, this sister relationship tore at the insides of my heart. The ways that, as children, we absorb so much around us. How her little sister so badly wants love, stability, and her family. And how these universal desires end up being twisted in vise grips and homes that should always feel safe. What ended up tightening the grasp on my heart are the ways you can compare Becca and her sister. Becca's tender and emotional desires for parents who took her out for ice cream, who didn't test them until they were prepared with sharp edges and spears.
full review: https://utopia-state-of-mind.com/revi...
July 14, 2021
YA: Many things about this book will appeal to high school readers and beyond. Just the premise of doomsday preppers will catch the attention of most. Throw in teenage issues, adult issues, and a bit of romance and you have a captivating story. Hoping beyond hope there is a sequel.
March 26, 2024
First off I'd like to say I really, really enjoyed this book. I've never read a book that discusses doomsday preppers in a negative light (or any book about doomsday preppers at all), but I'm so glad it exists. Mangle did exceptionally well in portraying what growing up in a "doomsday" household can look like, and her writing very much validated my own personal experience of that. It was kind of surreal to read a book where the main character was struggling with issues that I did. Needless to say, I was very invested in this story.
Unfortunately, where this book suffers is in the development of relationships between characters and in the transitions of scenes. I felt that the relationship between the two leads was rather underdeveloped, which made many of the scenes that were supposed to be emotionally impactful feel less meaningful and more confusing. Additionally, many of the transitions between scenes were very abrupt and happened without explanation, again leading to some confusion on that end. Sometimes I was left wondering, "wait, what just happened?"
What this book does get well is suspense and thrill as well as some creative and thoughtful writing moments. Again, I loved this book a lot, and I think it will occupy a part of my mind for a long time.
Unfortunately, where this book suffers is in the development of relationships between characters and in the transitions of scenes. I felt that the relationship between the two leads was rather underdeveloped, which made many of the scenes that were supposed to be emotionally impactful feel less meaningful and more confusing. Additionally, many of the transitions between scenes were very abrupt and happened without explanation, again leading to some confusion on that end. Sometimes I was left wondering, "wait, what just happened?"
What this book does get well is suspense and thrill as well as some creative and thoughtful writing moments. Again, I loved this book a lot, and I think it will occupy a part of my mind for a long time.
February 15, 2021
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Becca was a third generation doomsday prepper, who was determined to escape this life. She had a plan and all the pieces were falling into place, but after tragedy strikes, would she be able to leave her little sister behind?
This book was wild! That's the best way I can think to describe it. If I wasn't laughing, I was shaking my head in disbelief or trying to calm my racing heart. I found myself throughly entertained and engrossed in this story from beginning to end as I experienced Becca's life.
I am well aware that people actually live like this, but I never really took the time to learn much about the doomsday lifestyle. Mangle did an incredible job bringing me into their world. I watched drills, learned about their daily routines, and had a lot of the hows and whys explained throughout the story. I felt fully immersed in the world, and I thanked my lucky stars that I was not raised by preppers.
It was somewhat surprising how gentle and loving Becca could be given her upbringing. She was not raised in a warm and fuzzy home, but I suppose her mixing with the outside world via public school gave her a peek at how the other half lived. She had a wonderful relationship with her younger sister, but a very complicated one with her parents. Her struggle, especially with the love she had for her father, was explored as Becca tried to come to terms with walking away from her family and her community.
Mangle deftly balanced the heavy and the light in this story. There was tragedy, pitfalls, punishments, and dire straits, but it was infused with a bit of romance, fun moments, and humor. I appreciated how well she meshed all these elements together without diluting the story.
Prepped wasn't what expected. It was better! It was amusing and touching, while also being heartbreaking and appalling. I found Becca to be such a compelling character, and I was rooting so hard for her as she attempted to blaze her own trail and escape this life that was chosen for her. I think you will love rooting for her too.
*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
BLOG | INSTAGRAM |TWITTER | BLOGLOVIN | FRIEND ME ON GOODREADS
Becca was a third generation doomsday prepper, who was determined to escape this life. She had a plan and all the pieces were falling into place, but after tragedy strikes, would she be able to leave her little sister behind?
This book was wild! That's the best way I can think to describe it. If I wasn't laughing, I was shaking my head in disbelief or trying to calm my racing heart. I found myself throughly entertained and engrossed in this story from beginning to end as I experienced Becca's life.
I am well aware that people actually live like this, but I never really took the time to learn much about the doomsday lifestyle. Mangle did an incredible job bringing me into their world. I watched drills, learned about their daily routines, and had a lot of the hows and whys explained throughout the story. I felt fully immersed in the world, and I thanked my lucky stars that I was not raised by preppers.
It was somewhat surprising how gentle and loving Becca could be given her upbringing. She was not raised in a warm and fuzzy home, but I suppose her mixing with the outside world via public school gave her a peek at how the other half lived. She had a wonderful relationship with her younger sister, but a very complicated one with her parents. Her struggle, especially with the love she had for her father, was explored as Becca tried to come to terms with walking away from her family and her community.
Mangle deftly balanced the heavy and the light in this story. There was tragedy, pitfalls, punishments, and dire straits, but it was infused with a bit of romance, fun moments, and humor. I appreciated how well she meshed all these elements together without diluting the story.
Prepped wasn't what expected. It was better! It was amusing and touching, while also being heartbreaking and appalling. I found Becca to be such a compelling character, and I was rooting so hard for her as she attempted to blaze her own trail and escape this life that was chosen for her. I think you will love rooting for her too.
*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
BLOG | INSTAGRAM |TWITTER | BLOGLOVIN | FRIEND ME ON GOODREADS
July 16, 2021
What a breakneck ride of a story! Read it! It's great!
Although the Doomsday cult in the story goes to what I consider ridiculous and harmful extremes, this novel did make me think about the concept of preparation, of being prepared to deal with unexpected events. But how much preparation is too much, to the point where we stop living in the present?
In this novel, the teen main characters want to escape their restrictive cult upbringing. Becca is a gifted student, who is hoping for a full-ride to Carnegie Mellon to study Physics. Roy, to whom she has been betrothed since the age of 13, just wants out. Their lives are a lie: Becca has applied to Carnegie Mellon, while her parents think she will marry Roy, produce offspring (to repopulate the world) and train to be an electrician. Roy, who has been pretending to be simple for many years, has been tapped to become a mechanic. During one of their disaster trainings, Becca discovers that Roy is not the simpleton and cult fanatic that he has pretended to be and these two start to plan their escape.
Meanwhile, her abusive cult-leader father is severely injured backing out of his driveway in a freak accident. The cult elects Becca's Mom to replace him, and their lives become even more circumscribed by fear and paranoia.
And yet...it is the survival skills that these two young people have learned that will make a difference to the outcome of their story. I couldn't put this one down. It was a unique coming-of-age story. It would make a good book club read.
Although the Doomsday cult in the story goes to what I consider ridiculous and harmful extremes, this novel did make me think about the concept of preparation, of being prepared to deal with unexpected events. But how much preparation is too much, to the point where we stop living in the present?
In this novel, the teen main characters want to escape their restrictive cult upbringing. Becca is a gifted student, who is hoping for a full-ride to Carnegie Mellon to study Physics. Roy, to whom she has been betrothed since the age of 13, just wants out. Their lives are a lie: Becca has applied to Carnegie Mellon, while her parents think she will marry Roy, produce offspring (to repopulate the world) and train to be an electrician. Roy, who has been pretending to be simple for many years, has been tapped to become a mechanic. During one of their disaster trainings, Becca discovers that Roy is not the simpleton and cult fanatic that he has pretended to be and these two start to plan their escape.
Meanwhile, her abusive cult-leader father is severely injured backing out of his driveway in a freak accident. The cult elects Becca's Mom to replace him, and their lives become even more circumscribed by fear and paranoia.
And yet...it is the survival skills that these two young people have learned that will make a difference to the outcome of their story. I couldn't put this one down. It was a unique coming-of-age story. It would make a good book club read.
April 26, 2021
4.5 stars
This was excellent! It doesn’t read like a debut novel at all. I was immediately drawn into the world of Becca and Roy and rooting for them to escape their doomsday prepper community the entire time.
The pacing of this book was on point. I read this in two days and there was never a lull in the action. But even though there was a lot of things happening, Bethany Mangle was still able to create an emotional connection between the reader and the characters.
The only thing I wish is that this book had an epilogue. Other than that, it was excellent. Highly recommend.
This was excellent! It doesn’t read like a debut novel at all. I was immediately drawn into the world of Becca and Roy and rooting for them to escape their doomsday prepper community the entire time.
The pacing of this book was on point. I read this in two days and there was never a lull in the action. But even though there was a lot of things happening, Bethany Mangle was still able to create an emotional connection between the reader and the characters.
The only thing I wish is that this book had an epilogue. Other than that, it was excellent. Highly recommend.
January 19, 2021
The cover of this book is what initially caught my eye. It looks like the cover of an old instruction training manual. The bright orange colour will certainly make it stand out on a book store shelf.
This book is about preppers, but not in an actual catastrophic situation. This is a group of people who believe the end is coming and they are preparing for any and every eventuality. Their motto is "Always be ready for the worst day of your life". The leader of the prepping community that all live in the same small neighbourhood is George Aldaine. The group is a mixture of families and adults. The adults concoct all different disaster scenarios, they then set them up and practice dealing and overcoming these situations. It is during one of these set up problems that we are introduced to the main character Becca, who is the eldest daughter of George Aldaine. Katie or Katie Cat as Becca calls her younger sister is just ten years old. Karen Aldaine is their mother and works as a nurse, so she brings her knowledge for the first aid parts of the prepping activities.
The book is centred around Becca Aldaine and Roy Kang, the boy her parents have chosen to be her future husband. They have chosen Roy as the choice is rather limited within their community, or “cult” as outsiders see it. Becca is viewed as odd because she doesn’t have the freedoms or thing the other kids at school have. In her own community she is considered odd for going to normal school, as some of the prepping community insist on home schooling their children. A match between Roy and Becca will also keep a good, diverse genetic pool. Becca and Roy have very little to do with decision, though Roy seems keen on Becca. Becca just accepts this marriage will happen, though wonders which Bunker they will live in once married. These preppers are so prepared they have a set of bunkers for their communities.
Some of the preppers are more hardcore than others. Becca and Roy are the youngest children to be allowed to take part in the act out disaster scenarios. Some of the other families want the age to be lowered to allow their younger children to take part.
Becca is a good, hard working student at school and one of her teachers helps her fill in a form to apply for a scholarship. The only thing worrying Becca is who will protect her sister Katie from the harsher prepper practices. Becca thinks she alone in her need to leave this life behind, but Roy confesses he is tired of all the trials and drills they have to take part in. Becca and Roy work out a plan and though she doesn’t want to leave Katie behind, she knows she cannot legally take her with them, so she sets about making a plan to bring the unusual practices and lifestyle of the preppers to the attention of social service. Becca even lines someone up who will step in to care for her sister Katie until she is old enough to make up her own mind about what to do in life.
My favourite character was Becca, she goes along with the scenarios her parents set up for her to be part of despite many of them being very dangerous and making her feel pain as well as embarrassment. Becca has been forced to be grown up so soon, she takes care of her sister and basically does the majority of the chores and house running whilst her mum goes to work, then comes home and slumps into bed. I adored how caring Becca was, so protective of her younger sister, sheltering her from the harsh realities of the prepping community. Even when she has an escape plan in place for herself, she still holds back until she has something in place for her sister.
The characters that irritated me a lot were George and Karen Aldaine, they seem oblivious to their eldest daughters, discomfort and at times even her existence. They had no qualms at piling more household duties on her, not allowing her to do her homework. There is one incident where Becca has to spend the night in her family bunker. It’s not a one off, occurrence either as she has a system in place for her sister to drop her school work and supplies out of her bedroom window so she can at least do her homework. To do her homework in the bunker, Becca has to use a cycle to build up enough energy to power the light in the bunker so she can do her homework! When the family is struck by a tragic accident, Karen Aldaine sinks deeper and deeper into the prepping way of life whilst working her job at the hospital and piling even more work on the shoulders of her elder daughter. Karen keeps important information from Becca and deprives her of a last goodbye.
My immediate thoughts upon finishing this book were that the insight into the world of fanatical doomsday preppers and their children. Interesting, pulls on the heart strings, so believable.
Summing up I really enjoyed reading this book, it felt different, a refreshing idea and view point on a prepping community, as well as being a coming-of-age story too. The book was really interesting and had great attention to detail about the prepping lifestyle and the bunkers featured in the story too. I know this book is aimed at the teen age group but I have to say as an adult I really did appreciate and enjoy this well written story.
This book is about preppers, but not in an actual catastrophic situation. This is a group of people who believe the end is coming and they are preparing for any and every eventuality. Their motto is "Always be ready for the worst day of your life". The leader of the prepping community that all live in the same small neighbourhood is George Aldaine. The group is a mixture of families and adults. The adults concoct all different disaster scenarios, they then set them up and practice dealing and overcoming these situations. It is during one of these set up problems that we are introduced to the main character Becca, who is the eldest daughter of George Aldaine. Katie or Katie Cat as Becca calls her younger sister is just ten years old. Karen Aldaine is their mother and works as a nurse, so she brings her knowledge for the first aid parts of the prepping activities.
The book is centred around Becca Aldaine and Roy Kang, the boy her parents have chosen to be her future husband. They have chosen Roy as the choice is rather limited within their community, or “cult” as outsiders see it. Becca is viewed as odd because she doesn’t have the freedoms or thing the other kids at school have. In her own community she is considered odd for going to normal school, as some of the prepping community insist on home schooling their children. A match between Roy and Becca will also keep a good, diverse genetic pool. Becca and Roy have very little to do with decision, though Roy seems keen on Becca. Becca just accepts this marriage will happen, though wonders which Bunker they will live in once married. These preppers are so prepared they have a set of bunkers for their communities.
Some of the preppers are more hardcore than others. Becca and Roy are the youngest children to be allowed to take part in the act out disaster scenarios. Some of the other families want the age to be lowered to allow their younger children to take part.
Becca is a good, hard working student at school and one of her teachers helps her fill in a form to apply for a scholarship. The only thing worrying Becca is who will protect her sister Katie from the harsher prepper practices. Becca thinks she alone in her need to leave this life behind, but Roy confesses he is tired of all the trials and drills they have to take part in. Becca and Roy work out a plan and though she doesn’t want to leave Katie behind, she knows she cannot legally take her with them, so she sets about making a plan to bring the unusual practices and lifestyle of the preppers to the attention of social service. Becca even lines someone up who will step in to care for her sister Katie until she is old enough to make up her own mind about what to do in life.
My favourite character was Becca, she goes along with the scenarios her parents set up for her to be part of despite many of them being very dangerous and making her feel pain as well as embarrassment. Becca has been forced to be grown up so soon, she takes care of her sister and basically does the majority of the chores and house running whilst her mum goes to work, then comes home and slumps into bed. I adored how caring Becca was, so protective of her younger sister, sheltering her from the harsh realities of the prepping community. Even when she has an escape plan in place for herself, she still holds back until she has something in place for her sister.
The characters that irritated me a lot were George and Karen Aldaine, they seem oblivious to their eldest daughters, discomfort and at times even her existence. They had no qualms at piling more household duties on her, not allowing her to do her homework. There is one incident where Becca has to spend the night in her family bunker. It’s not a one off, occurrence either as she has a system in place for her sister to drop her school work and supplies out of her bedroom window so she can at least do her homework. To do her homework in the bunker, Becca has to use a cycle to build up enough energy to power the light in the bunker so she can do her homework! When the family is struck by a tragic accident, Karen Aldaine sinks deeper and deeper into the prepping way of life whilst working her job at the hospital and piling even more work on the shoulders of her elder daughter. Karen keeps important information from Becca and deprives her of a last goodbye.
My immediate thoughts upon finishing this book were that the insight into the world of fanatical doomsday preppers and their children. Interesting, pulls on the heart strings, so believable.
Summing up I really enjoyed reading this book, it felt different, a refreshing idea and view point on a prepping community, as well as being a coming-of-age story too. The book was really interesting and had great attention to detail about the prepping lifestyle and the bunkers featured in the story too. I know this book is aimed at the teen age group but I have to say as an adult I really did appreciate and enjoy this well written story.
September 16, 2024
The parentification of the older sister hit hard.
March 4, 2021
Prepped
By Bethany Mangle
Thank you to Bethany Mangle for providing me an ecopy of this book.
This was a great YA read I enjoyed about a family of doomsday preppers that is centered around Becca Aldaine and her family of extreme survivalists. The family is so prepared that even Becca's future marriage is planned to a tee. Little does everyone know, Becca has plans of skipping all of this when she gets accepted to college. But like all well laid plans, there is just no guarantee in life no matter how prepared we are.
I really enjoyed the storyline and the overall theme of preppers to tie this story together. But in the end, this was a wonderful coming of age story, great supporting casts of characters that really kept my interest in the story, with clever writing and witty dialogue, and overall a great friendship story.
By Bethany Mangle
Thank you to Bethany Mangle for providing me an ecopy of this book.
This was a great YA read I enjoyed about a family of doomsday preppers that is centered around Becca Aldaine and her family of extreme survivalists. The family is so prepared that even Becca's future marriage is planned to a tee. Little does everyone know, Becca has plans of skipping all of this when she gets accepted to college. But like all well laid plans, there is just no guarantee in life no matter how prepared we are.
I really enjoyed the storyline and the overall theme of preppers to tie this story together. But in the end, this was a wonderful coming of age story, great supporting casts of characters that really kept my interest in the story, with clever writing and witty dialogue, and overall a great friendship story.
January 25, 2022
This is around 3.5 stars for me. The concept is really unique, and the story progressed in a way I wasn’t expecting. There were some parts that seem rushed — especially with the final third of the novel — and I specifically would have loved to see Roy’s character develop a little more. Overall though I thought it was super engaging and dealt with some serious, not often talked about topics. I am pretty curious though as to around what year this takes place because some of these clothing choices are VERY dated.
Read
May 8, 2022Gonna have to think on my rating for this one. I liked it, and it was interesting, but it just made me mostly sad for Becca and Roy, and the ending was somewhat abrupt. I felt like it deserved an epilogue set some time later so we could see how everyone was doing after the events of the book.
Want to read
August 22, 2020August 21, 2020: I don't know what to say except that this book sounds really cool. I mean, thrillers that are funny? YES
January 27, 2021
Full review at: https://readingourshelves.com/2021/01...
I was not prepared for how poignant, tense, and frustrating this novel was going to be! The kids in this community literally exist to keep the species going, and calling the parents “detached” would be an understatement.
Thankfully, this story is fictional. But, like any good piece of fiction, the emotions it brings up are very real.
The heroine here is Becca Adlaine, whose parents run the aforementioned prepper community. She is a high school senior, and has every intention of leaving as soon as she can… but, she also has a younger sister. A lot of the story focuses on this relationship, and Becca worrying about whether she can leave her sister behind or try to save her.
There are also logistical issues with running away – like how to get away, how to make money to live on, etc.
The Adlaines picked out Becca’s future husband for her already – a boy in her grade named Roy Kang. His family is newer to the community, and they are Korean American, so this will diversify the gene pool. Becca is less than enthused, for obvious reasons. It also irks her that Roy seems to go along with all the training drills and such with no complaints. While she may not like Roy romantically, she is comfortable with him – he’s one of the only people who understands her upbringing, and they have a long history of shared experiences.
All that changes when Roy reveals that he doesn’t believe in this prepper stuff, either. He just goes along to get along with his parents. Now, with two of them, there’s a better chance that they can make a plan that will work.
Becca (and Roy) have a few other allies: one is another student in their grade, Sydney, who is not a part of the prepper community. Another is one of Becca’s teachers, Mrs. Garcia. While these two characters do not know all of what Becca is going through, she confides bits and parts to them as needed, and they both protect her secrets and help when they can.
The book is being released on February 23rd, 2021. I was given the opportunity to read an advanced copy through the Books Forward program and NetGalley.
I was not prepared for how poignant, tense, and frustrating this novel was going to be! The kids in this community literally exist to keep the species going, and calling the parents “detached” would be an understatement.
Thankfully, this story is fictional. But, like any good piece of fiction, the emotions it brings up are very real.
The heroine here is Becca Adlaine, whose parents run the aforementioned prepper community. She is a high school senior, and has every intention of leaving as soon as she can… but, she also has a younger sister. A lot of the story focuses on this relationship, and Becca worrying about whether she can leave her sister behind or try to save her.
There are also logistical issues with running away – like how to get away, how to make money to live on, etc.
The Adlaines picked out Becca’s future husband for her already – a boy in her grade named Roy Kang. His family is newer to the community, and they are Korean American, so this will diversify the gene pool. Becca is less than enthused, for obvious reasons. It also irks her that Roy seems to go along with all the training drills and such with no complaints. While she may not like Roy romantically, she is comfortable with him – he’s one of the only people who understands her upbringing, and they have a long history of shared experiences.
All that changes when Roy reveals that he doesn’t believe in this prepper stuff, either. He just goes along to get along with his parents. Now, with two of them, there’s a better chance that they can make a plan that will work.
Becca (and Roy) have a few other allies: one is another student in their grade, Sydney, who is not a part of the prepper community. Another is one of Becca’s teachers, Mrs. Garcia. While these two characters do not know all of what Becca is going through, she confides bits and parts to them as needed, and they both protect her secrets and help when they can.
The book is being released on February 23rd, 2021. I was given the opportunity to read an advanced copy through the Books Forward program and NetGalley.
February 25, 2021
There’s being prepared for the end of the world, and then there’s being prepared for the end of your world.
Becca’s cynical resistance to her parents brainwashing doomsday philosophy strolls right past parental resentment into a full blown secret plan to flee to college on a scholarship and leave it all behind. But she can’t. Not when her Dad has an accident that leaves him in a coma, her mother doesn’t seem to care, and her little sister Katie starts to believe in the fear.
Becca’s plans for the future wither away all alongside Roy, a boy she’s been genetically matched to marry and continue the line of preppers. But a part of Becca’s assumption comes completely undone when the dopey boy next door turns out he doesn’t believe, and he truly loves her.
Discovering allies in each other, they’ll fight not only for their freedom, but each other’s happiness. But when the doomsday prepper community already has their lives planned out, how on earth will they escape?
I loved Becca’s constant pragmatism and resourcefulness, and not because it was how she was raised, but who she was as a person. Evading core beliefs around family is hard and this story felt very much like Becca was in a cult, but they didn’t have a conventional god, their god is fear. It doesn’t stop her grit, determination, or power to do what must be done.
Sling along side it Roy, the guy Becca’s pretending to love, except not only is he lying to everyone about his disbelief, including Becca, he’s not lying when he says he loves her. When the two start to realize neither of them want to be doomsdayers, its tainted by the fact that Roy loves Becca, but she doesn’t love him back.
This story tugged on my heart strings, as much as we want to say we’re prepared for the future sometimes we just aren’t. Sometimes it takes ingenuity, resourcefulness, and determination just to get through a day, let alone the struggles that life can bring. I thoroughly admired these characters and the small window into their constricted lives, Mangle makes their journey emotional, touching, and laugh out loud funny, even when things are looking at their grimmest.
Becca’s cynical resistance to her parents brainwashing doomsday philosophy strolls right past parental resentment into a full blown secret plan to flee to college on a scholarship and leave it all behind. But she can’t. Not when her Dad has an accident that leaves him in a coma, her mother doesn’t seem to care, and her little sister Katie starts to believe in the fear.
Becca’s plans for the future wither away all alongside Roy, a boy she’s been genetically matched to marry and continue the line of preppers. But a part of Becca’s assumption comes completely undone when the dopey boy next door turns out he doesn’t believe, and he truly loves her.
Discovering allies in each other, they’ll fight not only for their freedom, but each other’s happiness. But when the doomsday prepper community already has their lives planned out, how on earth will they escape?
I loved Becca’s constant pragmatism and resourcefulness, and not because it was how she was raised, but who she was as a person. Evading core beliefs around family is hard and this story felt very much like Becca was in a cult, but they didn’t have a conventional god, their god is fear. It doesn’t stop her grit, determination, or power to do what must be done.
Sling along side it Roy, the guy Becca’s pretending to love, except not only is he lying to everyone about his disbelief, including Becca, he’s not lying when he says he loves her. When the two start to realize neither of them want to be doomsdayers, its tainted by the fact that Roy loves Becca, but she doesn’t love him back.
This story tugged on my heart strings, as much as we want to say we’re prepared for the future sometimes we just aren’t. Sometimes it takes ingenuity, resourcefulness, and determination just to get through a day, let alone the struggles that life can bring. I thoroughly admired these characters and the small window into their constricted lives, Mangle makes their journey emotional, touching, and laugh out loud funny, even when things are looking at their grimmest.
September 17, 2023
Ok so I have a lot of thoughts about this book:
1. It was not at all what I was expecting and I mean that in a not so good way. The synopsis and stuff on the cover made it seem like Becca and Roy running away together was like the main plot of the book. So I was expecting for the majority of the book to be about them running away and the shenanigans they would get into, and then along the way they would fall in love. Instead they literally ran away in the LAST CHAPTER. Like the marketing of this book is not the best.
2. That brings me to the fact that it's marketed as a romance book and even though there is technically romance it definitely was not a main part of the story. And like Becca (the main character whose POV we're reading) falls in love with him out of nowhere? Like in my opinion there was no progression of their relationship. It was basically one minute with her being like "he's pretty annoying but I have to put up with him because we're in an arranged marriage" to her being like "I think I'm falling in love with you" like girl what.
3. And that once again brings me to my last thing which is Becca/the writing. Like Becca was a really weird character. Her opinions on things and people would completely flip from one page to the next. Which is why I think the writing may have been a problem? It just wasn't smooth, like it felt like there were sentences/paragraphs missing. Idk it kinda bothered me.
Wow I said way more than I thought I would I apologize for that. It's just that I actually did really like this book for the first third of it and then it started really disappointing me which caused me to think about the points I mentioned above. It feels good to get it out lol (I'm rating it a 2.5 btw)
1. It was not at all what I was expecting and I mean that in a not so good way. The synopsis and stuff on the cover made it seem like Becca and Roy running away together was like the main plot of the book. So I was expecting for the majority of the book to be about them running away and the shenanigans they would get into, and then along the way they would fall in love. Instead they literally ran away in the LAST CHAPTER. Like the marketing of this book is not the best.
2. That brings me to the fact that it's marketed as a romance book and even though there is technically romance it definitely was not a main part of the story. And like Becca (the main character whose POV we're reading) falls in love with him out of nowhere? Like in my opinion there was no progression of their relationship. It was basically one minute with her being like "he's pretty annoying but I have to put up with him because we're in an arranged marriage" to her being like "I think I'm falling in love with you" like girl what.
3. And that once again brings me to my last thing which is Becca/the writing. Like Becca was a really weird character. Her opinions on things and people would completely flip from one page to the next. Which is why I think the writing may have been a problem? It just wasn't smooth, like it felt like there were sentences/paragraphs missing. Idk it kinda bothered me.
Wow I said way more than I thought I would I apologize for that. It's just that I actually did really like this book for the first third of it and then it started really disappointing me which caused me to think about the points I mentioned above. It feels good to get it out lol (I'm rating it a 2.5 btw)
March 1, 2021
Always be ready for the worst day of your life is the mantra that Becca Aldaine has grown up with. Her family are the leaders of a community of doomsday preppers in an exclusive neighborhood that prioritizes survivalist training over the norms of everyday school life, like class trips and senior prom. They’ve gone so far as to arrange Becca’s future marriage with Roy Kang, the only eligible boy in their community. Becca doesn’t have the heart to tell Roy or anyone around her that she can’t stay here. She’s planning to leave as soon as she can earn a full ride to college. A devastating accident rocks Becca’s family and muddies her chances of escape. Can she still have the future she’s dreamed of or will she be stuck here forever?
I used to be obsessed with watching the doomsday prepper shows on TV and when I heard about the concept of PREPPED I immediately had my curiosity peaked! Last year I started reading more YA, but I’m still new to the genre and not sure what to pick up, so I figured this would be a great fit given my interest in the subject. What I found was so much more than I was expecting!
Mangle has delicately crafted Becca’s community of preppers with an interesting founding story and a power struggle that leaves Becca in a precarious position. I loved getting to know Becca, but it was my introduction to the other community members that really made this story check all of the boxes for me. Through Becca’s interactions with those around her the reader gets to truly understand what motivates her. Easily, Becca’s relationship with Roy steals the show! I loved watching these two interact and experience a multitude of situations that kept both of them on their toes.
PREPPED may be categorized as a YA story, but there are a huge number of relatable topics and events that allow this book to work for any reader. I absolutely loved this funny and heartfelt debut from Mangle and can’t wait to check out what she comes up with next!
A huge thank you to Books Forward PR for my gifted copy!
I used to be obsessed with watching the doomsday prepper shows on TV and when I heard about the concept of PREPPED I immediately had my curiosity peaked! Last year I started reading more YA, but I’m still new to the genre and not sure what to pick up, so I figured this would be a great fit given my interest in the subject. What I found was so much more than I was expecting!
Mangle has delicately crafted Becca’s community of preppers with an interesting founding story and a power struggle that leaves Becca in a precarious position. I loved getting to know Becca, but it was my introduction to the other community members that really made this story check all of the boxes for me. Through Becca’s interactions with those around her the reader gets to truly understand what motivates her. Easily, Becca’s relationship with Roy steals the show! I loved watching these two interact and experience a multitude of situations that kept both of them on their toes.
PREPPED may be categorized as a YA story, but there are a huge number of relatable topics and events that allow this book to work for any reader. I absolutely loved this funny and heartfelt debut from Mangle and can’t wait to check out what she comes up with next!
A huge thank you to Books Forward PR for my gifted copy!
April 21, 2021
Prepped
Bethany Mangle
⭐️⭐️⭐️
McElderry Books
2/23/21
“Maybe I didn’t want to be safe. Maybe I just wanted to be happy.”
Prepped was our book choice for the #PhoenixIRLBookClub for the months of March/April. The synopsis was really intriguing: doomsday preppers, arranged marriages, special training, devastating accident. So many things you could want from a book, especially if you’re into the zombie type apocalypse stuff.
So Prepped follows Becca, who was born into a doomsday prepper family, I mean her grandparents founded the town. We see Becca train and go to school and deal with a tough thing that happens to her family. We see Becca trying to get out of this life because she knows there is more to it. And we have Roy, Becca’s arranged marriage and the ’dumb’ kid. (how he describes himself which you will see, I am not calling anyone dumb)
There was no apocalypse, a tiny bit of the training (one of them had my heart racing) and there was a very tiny bit of romance. Which honestly didn’t bother me that there wasn’t much or any of those things.
What did bother me was that there was no real story. *Spoilerish* We never find out what event happened that made her grandparents start this community, we never find out how successful the plan was. I could have used an epilogue that was maybe 5 years later explaining how Becca and Roy were, how Becca’s family was doing. We were thrown into doomsday land, but I had no reason for why we were there and I am the person who needs the why.
Overall I enjoyed this book and I am definitely going to read Bethany Mangle’s next book All the Right Reasons which comes out in 2022.
Bethany Mangle
⭐️⭐️⭐️
McElderry Books
2/23/21
“Maybe I didn’t want to be safe. Maybe I just wanted to be happy.”
Prepped was our book choice for the #PhoenixIRLBookClub for the months of March/April. The synopsis was really intriguing: doomsday preppers, arranged marriages, special training, devastating accident. So many things you could want from a book, especially if you’re into the zombie type apocalypse stuff.
So Prepped follows Becca, who was born into a doomsday prepper family, I mean her grandparents founded the town. We see Becca train and go to school and deal with a tough thing that happens to her family. We see Becca trying to get out of this life because she knows there is more to it. And we have Roy, Becca’s arranged marriage and the ’dumb’ kid. (how he describes himself which you will see, I am not calling anyone dumb)
There was no apocalypse, a tiny bit of the training (one of them had my heart racing) and there was a very tiny bit of romance. Which honestly didn’t bother me that there wasn’t much or any of those things.
What did bother me was that there was no real story. *Spoilerish* We never find out what event happened that made her grandparents start this community, we never find out how successful the plan was. I could have used an epilogue that was maybe 5 years later explaining how Becca and Roy were, how Becca’s family was doing. We were thrown into doomsday land, but I had no reason for why we were there and I am the person who needs the why.
Overall I enjoyed this book and I am definitely going to read Bethany Mangle’s next book All the Right Reasons which comes out in 2022.
June 7, 2022
Prepped follows Becca as she navigates having her own identity while living in a doomsday prepping community. Her parents are very detached and honestly neglectful, so she’s become very independent. One thing her parents have taught her is that love makes you weak. Love is a pointless feeling and she’s struggled to have any meaningful relationships in her life. That is besides her sister, whom she’d do anything for.
Becca’s parents grew up in this prepping community and they were paired up for “genetic repopulation” in case the apocalypse ever happened. They never really loved one another. Becca has been paired with Roy. She doesn’t dislike Roy, but hates the idea that they’ve been forced together. That is, until she realizes he’s been playing a part and they start to plan their escape.
This book was so good and different from any YA books I’ve read in a long time. There was a little bit of romance, but it wasn’t the entire plot. Becca did so much to ensure the safety of her sister, but I was so happy to see things work out for her. This book was funny, heartwarming, but also incredibly sad in parts. I loved it for all of that. I would love to see where Becca and Roy’s lives go after everything. As all good books do, it left me wanting more!
January 10, 2021
Prepped was a really interesting book to me. I thought that the synopsis says that Becca and Roy leave their community right away, but I was surprised when it didn’t happen at the beginning.
Sometimes I don’t really like the will they, won’t they trope, but in this case it worked. I think it was because it wasn’t for the romantic relationship, but for whether or not they were going to leave the community. I really like the relationship between Becca and her little sister. Their relationship kind of reminded me of my relationship with my little sister growing up. We used to hate each other and love each other at the same time. We would go back and forth between the two. There was a part at the end when I thought it was over, but there ended up being a little bit more. That was really good.
There wasn’t very much that I didn’t like about this book. The thing with the pop can at the end was a little unbelievable. There were several scenes were an action would happen twice ex. the mom came in from work and hung her coat on the rack and then dropped her purse and coat on the floor. Ex 2. There was an intruder so the community alarms were sounding and then the mom goes over and turns them on. They were already on, so I’m not sure why she turned them on again. I just think most of those types of scenes were an oversight. They didn’t bother me too much, just took me out of the story a little.
All in all, I think this was a really good book for a debut novel. Kudos to Bethany Mangle for a book that I really liked!
Sometimes I don’t really like the will they, won’t they trope, but in this case it worked. I think it was because it wasn’t for the romantic relationship, but for whether or not they were going to leave the community. I really like the relationship between Becca and her little sister. Their relationship kind of reminded me of my relationship with my little sister growing up. We used to hate each other and love each other at the same time. We would go back and forth between the two. There was a part at the end when I thought it was over, but there ended up being a little bit more. That was really good.
There wasn’t very much that I didn’t like about this book. The thing with the pop can at the end was a little unbelievable. There were several scenes were an action would happen twice ex. the mom came in from work and hung her coat on the rack and then dropped her purse and coat on the floor. Ex 2. There was an intruder so the community alarms were sounding and then the mom goes over and turns them on. They were already on, so I’m not sure why she turned them on again. I just think most of those types of scenes were an oversight. They didn’t bother me too much, just took me out of the story a little.
All in all, I think this was a really good book for a debut novel. Kudos to Bethany Mangle for a book that I really liked!
January 21, 2025
3.5 stars. This was alright. The concept was interesting and promising, and I was excited to read it. But it didn’t quite deliver the way I wanted it to. It was fun and engaging overall, just not super solid.
The writing style was very reminiscent of the Wattpad era, very young and conversational in style. I needed more backstory, more plot details, and a lot more character development. Roy especially felt flat and underdeveloped. We had the potential for something really interesting with his family being one of the only to move to the doomsday cult without a specific reason, but it was never given any attention. I also felt like I was thrown into his relationship with Becca at the three quarter mark, and I missed all the good development before then.
It just needed more. And I was dyingggg for more specific details about cult life that were never fully fleshed out. Tell me more about the families! The hierarchy! The training! Literally anything!
All that being said, I liked this book. The concept was unique, some bits were pretty funny, it was fast paced, and I was genuinely on the edge of my seat a few times. Although it wasn’t great, I enjoyed reading it.
The writing style was very reminiscent of the Wattpad era, very young and conversational in style. I needed more backstory, more plot details, and a lot more character development. Roy especially felt flat and underdeveloped. We had the potential for something really interesting with his family being one of the only to move to the doomsday cult without a specific reason, but it was never given any attention. I also felt like I was thrown into his relationship with Becca at the three quarter mark, and I missed all the good development before then.
It just needed more. And I was dyingggg for more specific details about cult life that were never fully fleshed out. Tell me more about the families! The hierarchy! The training! Literally anything!
All that being said, I liked this book. The concept was unique, some bits were pretty funny, it was fast paced, and I was genuinely on the edge of my seat a few times. Although it wasn’t great, I enjoyed reading it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 291 reviews