I requested this book before reading Consider because I didn't realise it was a sequel. That was my mistake and I think if I had read the first book before seeing this, I wouldn't have requested this. I'm not the biggest fan of dystopian books but I do like to branch out sometimes and the synopsis of this sounded like something I could like.

Unfortunately, I wasn't engaged or intrigued at any point reading this. The main character wasn't interesting to me and the story didn't hook me. I did like some elements such as the interactions with the holo technology and how it could be utilised.

The pacing was quite slow for most of the book with an ending that felt pretty rushed just to wrap things up and to give the MC a happy ending. It felt slightly ingenuine and I think I would've preferred it if it had ended differently. The romance was not engaging for me either and I did not care for the love interest or see the appeal in him.

I think this is just a book that wasn't for me. I would recommend for sci-fi and dystopian fans though.

This is the second book in the Holo series trilogy. In my opinion, the first book had some great depiction of anxiety and so the representation was done quite well. Having said that, this book definitely suffers from second-book syndrome. I felt bored throughout and found myself putting it down again and again. But I'm interested in seeing how it ends!

I unfortunately was not able to read this book before the archive date. Someday I hope to read and review it for my blog. I will give a 5 star review on here so that I don't mess with it's rating.

Major nerd points to Kristy Acevedo! This book took me such a long time to finish, not because I was bored but because I didn't want it to be over! I wanted to spend more time with Alex and the crazy lady. My favourite characters in this book were the crazy lady (she was also my favourite from the first book but I admit I was wrong about who I thought she'd turn out to be), the loveable cuddly bear Dr A., and SIDEKICK.

When I received a copy of Contribute from NetGalley in exchange for honest feedback (thank you so much to NetGalley and Flux for the opportunity) I took a closer look and realised it was the second book of a two book series. I was so excited about Contribute but made the decision to take the plunge and buy the first book (Consider) and read that first. I'm so glad I did! While Contribute could be read as a standalone if you really, really wanted to, you gain so much from having experienced Consider first. The first book was a 5 star book for me and this one has to be as well. It's not often that second books in a series don't fall flat on their paperback faces.

I won't wreck either book for you because you need to read them for yourself but during the first book the world is counting down to an apocalypse and individuals are given the choice to stay on earth and hope for the best, even though it's an extinction level event, or take a chance on the unknown by travelling through a hologram (vertex) to a parallel world. During the second book you follow the final person through the vertex to whatever is on the other side. The blurbs give you more information than this but I'd recommend reading the first book before looking at the blurb for this one.

While the first book had a large focus on Alex's mental health and it's still explored in this book to a lesser degree, the overall feel of this book felt darker than the first book to me. I loved the darkness and felt it was necessary in this book. There was a war to fight after all.

Reading this book reminded me of one of lines from Powder (love that movie!!!) that Jeff Goldblum's character says, "It's become appallingly clear that our technology has surpassed our humanity." This quote is generally attributed to Einstein although there's no evidence he ever said it, but that's not my point. Contribute offers one possible outcome for society when technology beyond our wildest dreams becomes available and raises so many questions.

Do you trust what the leaders of another society tell you if you never see them in person, only as holographic representations?

If you had the chance to live a life of leisure with free food, free accommodation, free entertainment, free everything, and no work, and all you had to do in exchange was pledge that upon your death your mind minus emotions would be used to power the society for a set period of time, would you do it?

If it sounds too good to be true, is it?

Possibly most importantly, if you had clothes that allowed you to change their holographic design at whim, could you pull off an ocean themed design with sharks swimming across it? 😜

Just like in book one, I spent most of my time reading a few paragraphs, then highlighting either a sentence or a paragraph, then rereading my highlighted passage, then reading a few paragraphs, then highlighting ... You get the point. Lots of wonderfully thought out sentences that made me pause and want to think about them and save them for future rereads.

My only real quibble with this book is that the final act felt a bit rushed to me. There was such a lead up to it and yet it felt like, we're fighting, we're fighting, we're winning, we're losing, we're ... What? It's over? Although to be fair, maybe I just didn't want the series to finish.

Ms Acevedo, I really hope you're hard at work writing your next book. No pressure or anything but I'm sitting here waiting for it!

Oh, and a review of this book wouldn't be complete without a creepy "May your contribution lead to freedom".

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I'd like to start by saying that I didn't realize this was a second book when I entered for it. I figured I'd catch on though. A few chapters in, I knew I'd regret not reading the first book so I purchased it (paid a whole $9.99 for it, so I expected big things!).

Once I finished the first (Consider) I knew I would've regretted not reading both. They are fantastic! Contribute is a unique sci-fi story whose main character accurately depicts a person with quite debilitating anxiety. This book starts off where the first ends. Alex has travelled through a vertex to the new planet and this story follows her reconnecting with her boyfriend, best friend, and brother and bringing the news that the earth wasn't destroyed. I don't want to give anything away, but any sci-fi fan would find some enjoyment in this book.

I love all the little "nerdy" references throughout (especially the Doctor Who ones, extra points because the main character had good taste in Doctors!).

Posted on Goodreads and Amazon.ca

I participate in ongoing secret santa exchanges throughout the year, with one being around books. I'm a pretty hard person to shop for because I don't keep every book in my collection on my TBR and my wishlist changes from day to day! You can imagine how thrilled I was when my secret santa not only picked a book I hadn't heard of but also fit within the type of book I LOVE to read.

The past ruined. The present destroyed. The future erased.
YA scifi book? Check
Debut author? Check
Unique story with great characters? Check Check
Local? CHECK - Kristy is local to my secret santa!
So, first off...Thank you again, secret santa. You introduced me to a great series that I fell in love with. Not only did I devour it but I picked up the sequel (out next week) and am here to share both books with you today.

The Holo Series has a little something for everyone.

For those of you who love scifi, Consider was nominated for a Philip K. Dick Award (if you've been under a rock, you might know him from writing Man in the High Castle and many others!). It's futuristic and tackles technology in a way I haven't seen done before. I don't want to give away how the world works but Kristy paints a clear picture as to what is going on. You'll be fascinated and terrified at the same time.

“Okay, you need to feel your own sense of power. True power is standing in your own shoes, in your own truth, and not feeling ashamed but celebrating who you’ve been and who you’re becoming. When you speak from that place, people listen. When you listen from that place, the walls between us fall."

For those of you who love kickass females, Alexa is your girl. She reminded me of Katniss, faced with an impossible decision and looked upon as a leader, even though she didn't ask for that. Add to that Kristy's portrayal of Alexa's anxiety...You can imagine how this could go. Alexa does an amazing job managing everything that happens in both books.

There’s always a catch, always a cost. Keron swoops his robed arms around and holds his hands over his heart. If he has a heart. “We need your contribution in death.”

For those of you who love action, OH MAN, Contribute is the book for you. This book does not skip on the action scenes. Be forewarned: your favorite characters are in dire straights. Yes, you will be on the edge of your seat!

If you like tension, there's a lot of it in Consider. The people are faced with a decision that would crush even the strongest. Do they go through an unknown portal to a world sold as better or risk staying on Earth that is supposedly going to end?

I read Consider, so I thought I'd see what's up in Contribute. Kristy Acevedo did some good things to help readers transition, i.e., remember, from one book to the next... but it took a while to get there. I was almost a third of the way through the book before I felt connected to this part of the story, and not because of a gap in continuity. There were just a lot of inconsistencies in this as a stand-alone story that made the beginning of this story drag for me. For ex., I got caught up in how the hologuides would know what a grain of rice is to explain nanoholocoms in that way. If Doctor A. arrived at about the same time Alex did (to be standing in line with her), then how did he know already what Skylucent was? Most importantly, how does an advanced society not know their 'guests' have disrupted the communication/tracking devices and believe that they are in sleep mode for such extended periods of time? Then Acevedo starts to hit her stride. I became engaged with the writing, "Soap doesn't equal tranquility," and "really down-to-earth"; I bet Acevedo couldn't wait to use that line LOL. Another great line is "Alexandra Lucas. Saved." Finally, I loved the author's play on the use of "Mississippi." Readers of The Hunger Games, who enjoy a young female protagonist, will enjoy this series as well. Alex is a humble and gracious heroine..

Wow, where do I even start with this one?

Consider rocked my world with it's realistic anxiety depiction and the engaging plot, but Contribute is basically the exact opposite. Half way through, Alex's anxiety starts to conveniently to take breaks at the oddest (and most convenient) points during the plot that I couldn't help but think that Acevedo found that having a protagonist with anxiety was too difficult to write, especially for leading a rebellion. And, once again, Alex's love interest, Dominick, starts making weird comments that just rubbed me the wrong way. There was a scene in which it was revealed that he edited his "hologuide" (the hologram that guides the Earth people around their world) to look and act exactly as Alex did. Except, he added larger boobs, and did something to it's body that was bad enough that Acevedo didn't reveal what it was. Dominick even went on to say during one of Alex's panic attacks:

"I never knew anxiety was so physical. It reminded me of my father before he died. Seeing you go through that only made me love you more. I had no idea it was that bad" - ARC, location 2601.

Dominick's comments and behavior sounds so much like romanticism and eroticism that I stopped reading for quite a while. Dominick is such an unhealthy person for Alex, especially for her anxiety, and it was ridiculous that she stayed with him and tolerated this behavior.

Not only was the anxiety rep diminished already from what it was in Consider, but everything else lost it's luster as well. The plot was everywhere, scenes happening and finishing within a paragraph, so much so that it didn't even register with me when characters died. And, most of the time I couldn't even tell if they died or Acevedo just forgot about them! Characters were so often left to the side, coming in only when convenient and forgotten otherwise. Where was Marcus for half of the book? Rita? Or maybe Dominick's family, or Nolan? What about Nolan's grandmother, who we never learned the name of? So many characters were left aside that I legit forgot they existed, and honestly wondered if I missed their death scene or not. Random characters were introduced or cut based on whether or whether not it added enough chaos to the plot.

One last thing, because I'm really trying to curb my rant here. There were two, two, gay characters. One died, and one just disappeared off the page. What kind of representation is that? Yea, one was brave and died for their family, but when the only two gay characters are brushed to the side, then you know there's a problem.

Oh, and anxiety was called a "liability".

Final Rating: ★☆☆☆☆

Overall?

I'm just really, really, disappointed right now. I still love Consider, but Contribute was just one problem after another. Most scenes didn't even make sense. Why would someone who lives off the grid feel so strongly about rations he didn't even use to be reinstated? Why were most of the scenes spent explaining technology? 

Would I Recommend?

I, personally, would stay away from this one. Read the first one, that's fine, and if you're still curious, read this one. But I seriously would recommend to just stay with the first, and make up your own idea on what could have happened in this book.

Trigger warning for graphic suicide, anxiety attacks, panic attacks, death, death of loved ones, implied suicide, kidnapping, and ableism.

Having already ready consider I welcomed the opportunity to read this second book in the series, as the first book finished with her jumping into the Halo. This second book did not fail to live up to what I expected as a reader. It is a well written book that details the worlds that are in the book in a way that allows us as the reader to feel part of that world and lets us empathise with the strong characters that take us into their world and adventures.

An unusual read, with a unique premise. There were so many times where I thought to myself "What would I do under the circumstances?", which added a whole different subset of tension and wonder to the story. Well-written, clever plotting and plenty of hold-your-breath moments keep you intrigued to the literal end. Great read!

This is a book for fans of classic sci-fi and modern YA literature. The characters and their evolution are extremely well developed, just like in Consider, and the scientific part of the story won't disappoint you.

This gripping sci-fi novel is based on the idea of a world in which you don't have to work a single day of your life and everything is provided to you . This sounds enticing, but there is just one catch: you will have to contribute with your brain when you die.

It is also a novel about standing up for what you believe and overcoming your fears . Alexandra is a great example of a real heroine. She's scared but she fights. She's not perfect but she tries to grow emotionally and deal with difficulties and loss. She loves her friends and family with all their virtues and flaws and accepts that there is not such thing as a perfect world.

Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this remarkable novel!

The follow-up to Acevedo's Philip K. Dick Award finalist, CONTRIBUTE tracks teenager and sci-fi nerd, Alex, as she figures out what's beyond the holograms that tricked Earth in her first book. Lots of homage to fantasy and sci-fi classics in this book and imaginative world-building all around. Alex's journey of discovery, persistence, and ultimately resistance, seems all the more important with the current political and social climate. Acevedo pushes back against the boundaries of reality and asks readers to consider how much freedom and future they would be willing to give up in order to live in imagined luxury.
Recommended! 4.5 stars (but def read the original first... which I adored!)
Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.