Six very different teens get trapped in their high school while bombs explode. As they attempt to survive and escape the school, they learn that the bomber is one of them.

Wow. Part of me feels like this book was so good because I'm reading it just one week after the Parkland school shooting. Another part of me knows it's just that good. I loved the way that Joelle Charbonneau delved into each individual character, and the multiple perspectives definitely worked. While I predicted the suspect, I think most students will be surprised.

A congressman's daughter who has to be perfect. A star quarterback who is carrying a secret. A guy tired of being neglected and ignored. A clarinet player who doesn't want to fit in. An orphaned rebel. A guy who wants people to see him instead of his religion.

They couldn't be more different. But before the morning is over they'll be trapped together in a school rocked by a bombing. When they find out someone inside is the bomber, they look to each other for answers.

So I love Charbonneau's work. The study series was absolutely great. So I figured I would give this a shot. It's definitely a book that makes you think and the characters are all easy to follow. Definitely give it a shot.

Thank you for sending me this galley, however unfortunately I was unable to access this book on my e-reader.

After hearing about recent tragedies, I was a bit hesitant to pick up this book, but I am very glad I did.

The plot revolves around a group of high school students who all, for various reasons, are at their school before the beginning of the school year. While there, there is an explosion that destroys parts of the school. The students find out that there is actually a series of bombs that continue to go off as they race to try to get out of the school. They are fighting against the continuing destruction of the building and, in some cases, pretty severe injuries. The reader knows from the first chapter that one of the suspects of the bombing plot is a student trapped in the room, but because the story flashes back in time to give each character’s backstory, it is not easy to figure out who it could be.

The characters in the story are strong. Even though chapters jumped between viewpoints, it was easy to see through the character’s eyes because their points of view were so distinct. A lot of this was due to the early chapters giving the background on the characters. Even though these chapters were short, they served as a fantastic primer for each character.

The plot itself was gripping. I didn’t want to put the book down when reading, and during some of the more intense scenes, I could feel my own heart racing. The descriptions put me right into the school with the students, which was both exciting and terrifying.

Overall, this was an excellent read. I really enjoyed it, and in a way it helped to process some of the feelings I was having about recent school shootings, being able to get an (admittedly small and fictional) look into the minds of teenagers trapped in a similar situation. Though it was not an easy read emotionally, I do think it was an important one.

Thank you to NetGalley and HMH Children’s for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I have always enjoyed Joelle Charbonneau's novels and was curious to read her new one even more when I read the synopsis.

The concept of this novel is simple, several bombs have explode in a high school, 6 survivors try to get out of it, the only problem is one of them is the bomber. What I found interesting in this novel is the diversity of the cast. Indeed, our 6 characters have very different malaise that for me are representative of what many young people can live in their everyday life. And through these 6 teenagers the author will ask questions about identity, racism, societal norms, Islam and others. It is a novel that has managed to deal with a difficult case of society and unfortunately very current and who sought explanations and possible motivations for such an act.

Another very successful point is the atmosphere of the book, we will discover the trouble of each character and realize that everyone could have been behind the bombs, that the anger and hatred that some teenagers feel are strong motivation. As a French, I sincerely think that it is difficult to judge the accuracy of the book, the American school system is in my eyes some kind of a cliché and I always wonder if it happens like that but with the books, films, series that I could see/read, yes the sportsmen hang out together, yes there is always a couple of king and queen of high school and yes I imagine that for the unpopular people and often forgotten one the malaise can be present and strong.

This book is in my eyes a good novel, and yet the subject was far from easy. The author was able to play on high school social norms to convey several messages of tolerance and respect. When the revelation arrives, I must admit that I had my doubts, but I thought it was the best choice. It is therefore a book that I advise and which I think can open several debates.

4.5 stars
Words cannot describe what it felt like reading this book. You know from the start that something is going to happen, but first you must hear from the 6 different point of views that you have. Six different high school students with different reasons for being at the school a week before school starts. You know that one of them is the bomber, but who is it?

To say this book blew me away is an understatement. I struggle with books about violence in the schools since I work in a school. This book really developed the reader's relationship with each character. I had an idea of who it was pretty early on, but it was still a book I could not put down until the end. (less)

A fast-paced read with engaging characters. I found myself trying to steal a few more moments to read because I did not want to put it down. Unlike anything else that Joelle has written. I love that she constantly surprises me with her storytelling.

I am a fan of Joelle Charbonneau's books and was excited to read her latest. I really enjoyed Time Bomb, finding it a timely novel that touches on issues in today's society. Charbonneau does a good job in depicting her characters, high schoolers from various background. As a high school teacher/librarian, I was able to see my students in her characters, and I am know these characters will resonate with the students in my school. I look forward to adding this book to my young adult collection.

When I first saw the description of Time Bomb by Joelle Charbonneau I couldn’t help but be extremely curious. Last year I had heard all the buzz for This Is Where It Ends and had high hopes when I picked that one up only to be really disappointed. However, after reading Time Bomb I have to say that this one was what I was looking for last year.

For me as a reader I had thought This is Where It Ends completely lacked character development and I simply was never drawn into the students stories or brought to any kind of level of caring as they went through such a horrific event. I also thought that the author had taken the opportunity to write about a school with diversity in her characters and turned it into something that felt awkward at any mention of the diversity.

Time Bomb made such an improvement on those major areas that had bothered me in This Is Where It Ends and actually brought a horrific and very much a realistic event to life. The entire book takes place over a couple of hours during a time a few students were in their school when bombs began to explode. It changes the point of view between six main characters that are each still alive and struggling with how to get out of the school.

The book has a very intense vibe to it as the story unfolds but in the back of my mind I also made the comparison to the Breakfast Club with the group that formed. We had the football star, the princess who is a Senator’s daughter and Ms. Perfect of the school, the tattooed bad boy, the overweight and bullied outsider, but then stretching the cast of characters even more and bringing the story into this decade was the boy who had not only just come out to his family as gay but was also a mixed race, and then we had a Muslim student who struggled daily with the prejudices against him.

As the story began and with each chapter changing the point of view it was easy to see that the entire group all had their own secrets and struggles. It became clear that all would have a motive for being behind the bombing so it leads the readers to the question of which one really did it? With a short cast of suspects I’m sure many may guess but regardless this was one that made me feel I’d stepped into this horrible scenario and was on the edge of my seat waiting for the outcome.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

I really enjoying Charbonneau's The Testing trilogy, so I had high hopes for this one. I'm not sure why but for some reason I found myself not interested or invested in the characters or the story, which literally was explosive. It has the elements to be great: bomb at a high school, high stakes, several people with different backgrounds and unsure who is responsible. I think partly it's because this is not my kind of read. I like more depth to my characters and more of a character arc. There weren't really any twists to the story except for finding the one that was responsible. It reminds me of the slasher/horror YA but with a different setting, which I'm not a huge fan of unless there's a better hook and better characters. Overall, a decent read, but I wasn't riveted to the page.

I started this book expecting not much from it, and I was completely blown away by it. It's sufficient to say I completely and utterly loved this book. I really loved the diversity in it, and the fact that it completely captures the struggles some teenagers faces today. It is more of a social wake up call type of book rather than a thriller, which is what I thought it was going to be completely. I will 100% recommend this book. I feel it was a nice refresher of what contemporary books are coming out recently. It was happy and sad and it had suspense and heartbreak. It shows how people can be broken and the power of friendship. As stated before, I really enjoyed how it focused more on the teenagers and what is going on in their lives rather than the actual suspense of " who is the bomber?"

Joelle Charbonneau is a master at writing novels replete with intrigue and suspense. Charbonneau's new novel, Time Bomb follows the day in the life of six teens who are trapped inside of a high school that is plagued by a series of bombs that continuously go off throughout the day. Not knowing where the bombs are located or when they will go off, leaves the teens stranded inside the building and the help they so desperately need stuck outside. Things go from bad to worse when the teens learn that one of them may actually be the bomber.

Through the course of the day, we get an in-depth look at the lives and the struggles of each of the six students in this story. They are all harboring a secret about their lives and why they are at the school that day. Each one might have a reason to enact this unspeakable crime. And just when you think you have this mystery figured out, think again because in true Charbonneau fashion nothing will be as simple as it seems.

This book will definitely keep you guessing and will probably have you questioning your own beliefs and stereotypes. It's an action-packed, suspense-filled thriller with a satisfying finish.

<b>I received this book an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.</b>

A story about trying to find your place, and working out just how far you'll go to make people accept you for who you are.
This is a tense read, which will thrill and captivate readers. With a cast of six key characters there is someone you are likely to identify with.
Charbonneau starts by introducing our cast. We get to see them all before the action starts: Diana (the senator's daughter/perfect student); new girl, Cas (about to start a new school after being bullied); Palestinian-American Rashid (conflicted about his place in society); class nobody Z (who has been coping with his mother's death and is about to be evicted at the start of the novel); Frankie, star football player and Tad, the mixed-race gay student who is a little closer to Frankie than people realise. They each have their dark secret and issues that impact on their daily lives. They each are desperate to be recognised for who they really are. But only one of them is desperate enough to cause chaos at their school.
While it seems slow and rather cumbersome to introduce us to so many characters and switch between them throughout the novel, it's a useful tactic to keep us guessing about just who has done what and where it will end up.
A bit like some of those 80s movies the group who seem to have little in common end up stuck together when a series of bombs hit their school. They have to work together to try and survive, and to determine just how desperate each of them is to make their mark.
It was quickly apparent who was likely to be responsible for the events, but this was a tense read as we watch the teenagers struggle with themselves and their situation. It doesn't end happily for everyone, but for those who do survive we get a flash of how it impacts on them.

More than anything, this book challenges the reader to avoid stereotypes and assumptions about the situations of others.  It's timely, thought-provoking, and will stay with you long after finishing.

At first glance, this group of high school teens appear to be a Breakfast Club assortment.  Or are they?  As the story progresses, it's revealed each is dealing with their own issues to include racism, homosexuality, religious discrimination, bullying, and suicide.  The interactions between Rashid and Tad are especially compelling.  With the exception of Frankie and Kaitlyn, the character development is incredible - the teens are real, relatable, and flawed.  For me, Frankie comes across as a little too stereotypical, and very little information about Kaitlyn is given.  

All have motivations for planting the bombs, and determining the identity of the bomber may force the reader to face their own stereotypes and prejudices.  You may surprise yourself.  These teens experience a horrific situation, and I appreciated that the author didn't create a tidy ending solving all their problems.  

A quick, action-packed, and stimulating read, Time Bomb is so much more than teenagers fighting for their lives.  This is easily a cross-over and something I'd highly recommend for book clubs.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

For a book with so many different perspectives, I am surprised at how well it seems to flow.
However, as this was given as an EPUB, I am unable to read it on my kindle and the format is way too big/clunky to read on my computer so I am going to stop where I am.
Will probably buy this when it comes out though!

Wow! Could not put this book down. The characters stayed with me and had flaws that felt real. Tense and nail-biting! Good message.

Look at all those 5 star reviews and I'm giving it a 3.5. I found it hard to get into at first, it felt a little bit messy at the beginning, however once the story gets going it really rocks along. You've got a lot of characters being set up at the start which you need, but there are so many people I just got a little bit lost. Then once they are all at school on a Saturday for their various reasons you realise they are in terrific danger and then it becomes a great big rollicking survival story. Being stuck in a multi story building where bombs are going off is a very scary scenario and the story is about how they survive and deal with this horrible situation.

I like Joelle Charbonneau's writing, her The Testing and it's sequels are one of my really popular books at school, she does tension and teenage drama really well. She has a lot of characters in here and they all have issues. The kind of issues that teenagers all over the world are dealing with, these are all dealt with really well. A few of characters I didn't actually come to grips with until they were at the centre of the action but the majority of them were people I came to understand and feel for.
There are some really good plot twists and as the book goes on, it is as tense as a really good crime novel.

In summary, it is a good book, thoroughly engaging once you get into it This is a novel which has mass appeal, I'll definitely be buying copies for my students.

Thanks to Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

So predictable. At one point I rolled my eyes at the grossly obvious red herring, which ended up not being a red herring, just obvious writing

Six teens, each with their own struggles are forever connected after the events of a single day. It is not long before their school year will start again, yet they all have a purpose to find themselves at school on the day that will change the course of their lives forever when their school is the target of a bomber. Even more so when it turns out that the bomber is one of them.
You have Diana, the perfect popular girl with a father who is a Congressman. Tad, struggling with his sexuality and desperately wanting not to be ignored any longer. Frankie, the popular quarterback, afraid that his big secret will come out. Z, the ‘troublemaker’ who recently lost his mother. Rashid, struggling with how people instantly see his religion instead of seeing him as a person. Finally, you have Cas, a talented clarinet player who is tired of always trying to fit in.
Okay, here we go. This book is so unbelievably good. It plays with your mind from the first page on as you are dying to find out who of the group is the bomber. The quality of this book lies in the fact that it makes you aware of prejudices against certain stereotypes. You are so tempted to take the bait whenever such a stereotype presents itself, but eventually things might not seem what you expect them to be.
This book is so relevant right now, which makes me hope that just everybody would read it and then the world would most likely be a better place. The pacing was really good, and it was very difficult to put the book down once I had started it. Really, the only thing I could think of that I would have liked to see different was that I felt the book was a bit short to fully develop all six characters (Z, Frankie and Diana mostly). Yet, none of the characters was seriously lacking. A 4,75 out of 5 stars rating because it would have been even better if it was longer! Although, now that I think about it, because of its size it is probably perfect for people who are not too much into reading too.
I received a digital review copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are entirely my own. My review is susceptible to changes in the final copy of this work.