The Here and Now

Here we have a new book by the popular author of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series. I received an ARC (ebook version) of this book in exchange for an honest review.

by Ann Brashares

ISBN: 9780385736800

Publisher: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: April 8th, 2014
Number of Pages: 288

Source: ebook (ARC)

Goodreads Summary: Follow the rules. Remember what happened. Never fall in love.

This is the story of seventeen-year-old Prenna James, who immigrated to New York when she was twelve. Except Prenna didn’t come from a different country. She came from a different time—a future where a mosquito-borne illness has mutated into a pandemic, killing millions and leaving the world in ruins. 

Prenna and the others who escaped to the present day must follow a strict set of rules: never reveal where they’re from, never interfere with history, and never, ever be intimate with anyone outside their community. Prenna does as she’s told, believing she can help prevent the plague that will one day ravage the earth. 

But everything changes when Prenna falls for Ethan Jarves.

My Rating:  

So many of the reviews I have been have been pretty negative. There are holes in the plot, the main character is dumb, and it's unrealistic. Well, I am going to be one of the positive reviewers (and not because I got a free copy..) It is my honest opinion. It is all about what you are expecting from the book.

We have time travelers from future who come to our present to escape the horrors of their time. They have to deal with a dengue fever epidemic (which actually sounds like a PANdemic) aka the blood plague. Here is a description of this disease from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

"Dengue hemorrhagic fever is characterized by a fever that lasts from 2 to 7 days, with general signs and symptoms consistent with dengue fever. When the fever declines, symptoms including persistent vomiting, severe abdominal pain, and difficulty breathing, may develop. This marks the beginning of a 24- to 48-hour period when the smallest blood vessels (capillaries) become excessively permeable (“leaky”), allowing the fluid component to escape from the blood vessels into the peritoneum (causing ascites) and pleural cavity (leading to pleural effusions). This may lead to failure of the circulatory system and shock, followed by death, if circulatory failure is not corrected."

I beg to disagree with those that say this future sounds unrealistic. To me, it sounds completely plausible. I guess it just depends on whether you believe global warming is happening/an issue. 

"The mosquito is the thing to worry about when the world gets wetter and hotter. Because when that happens, the mosquito's territory is everywhere and its season is always." The Here and Now, 28

So, the world goes to hell and some how the technology develops that a small group of people are able to travel back in time (present day is 2014, future time is around the 2020's). I do think there were some plot holes, but I wasn't reading this book as an accurate scientific explanation, I was reading it for fun. I think it works for the book.

One of the good things about this book is the length (less than 300 pages) - you are able to finish it pretty quickly. There was a little detour in the book, but with the time frame presented, it made sense to me.

The end left me a bit unsatisfied, but it makes sense with the past affecting future and the uncertainty Prenna now faces. 

Prenna as a character is sometimes not the brightest, but at that age, who exactly is? She has the task of "saving the world" and how would you handle that? I have to give her and the cute sweetheart Ethan credit for figuring out what they did. 

There are definitely some twists that kept the story interesting and I think if you go into this story with an open mind and looking for a quick read that makes you think, this book is for you. If you need exact explanations and a perfect main character, you will be disappointed. I liked that this book made you ponder about your place in this world and the choices you make affecting not only your future, but could have a ripple effect to the world as a whole.