Wowza this was quite the unexpected gem of a pre-apocalyptic story!

This is not my usual reading genre, but boil boy this book sucked me in from the very first page! Tosca Lee thread together a remarkable story... an intense pre-apocalyptic story laced with a generous amount of thrills and romance... this is such a well written book that I think will appeal to a wide audience of readers!

Wynter grew up in the compound of the New Earth doomsday post apocalyptic cult... as she grew up she began to question things including the teachings of the leader of the cult Magnus... this leads to her eventually being cast out, only to find that the outside world is going a bit mad.... there is an epidemic sweeping the US the spreading of early onset dementia, and there appears to be no cure in sight.... when Wynter’s sister shows up at her door with a case filled with vials of a potential cure... Wynter soon finds herself on the road to Colorado with the possible fate of the world in her hands.....

Wynter was so smart and so strong and yet she had such a naïveté to her... she is one of those characters that will get under your skin and who you won’t soon forget, there was just something so beautiful and comforting about her inner strength... for some reason I never doubted that this girl who grew up extremely sheltered could manage to make it from Chicago to Colorado in dire circumstances.... admittedly though it was very fortunate that she ran across X military XMMA fighter Chase along the way... Chase was another strong smart character who definitely reassured me... The strength and charisma of these characters really set the tone for the story and I think that’s what I really was drawn to... I felt as though the thread running throughout the story was that of hope rather than doom... this book was uplifting rather than depressing, and that’s not something I often find in books of this genre... add in a plot that will keep you riveted and a sprinkling of romance... and you’ve got yourself one stellar story!

An addictive pre-apocalyptic thriller full of some pretty amazing characters and a generous peppering of hope! Absolutely recommend!

🎵🎵🎵 song running through my head! If you have read this book you will know why I chose this one, this was a song that ran through Wynter’s head...

There's somethin' wrong with the world today
I don't know what it is
Something's wrong with our eyes
We're seein' things in a different way
And God knows it ain't his
It sure ain't no surprise
Livin' on the edge
Livin' on the edge
Livin' on the edge
Livin' on the edge
There's somethin' wrong with the world today
The light bulb's gettin dim
There's meltdown in the sky
If you can judge a wise man
By the color of his skin
Then mister you're a better man than I
Livin' on the edge
You can't help yourself from fallin'
Livin' on the edge
You can't help yourself at all
Livin' on the edge
You can't stop yourself from fallin'
Livin' on the edge (everybody, everybody)
Tell me what you think about your situation
Complication, aggravation is getting to you
If chicken…

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7nqcL0mjMjw

*** many thanks to Tosca Lee for my copy of this book ***

Tosca Lee is never afraid of tackling an ambitious project and this sure is one which she handles with her usual aplomb. Her story telling, control over the craft of writing and ability to keep a reader on the edge of their seats are all reflected in this clever story.

The essence of the story is that Wynter Roth, now twenty-something, is kicked out of a cult only to find the world she's not familiar appears to have gone into meltdown. A mystery virus has broken out across the country that is causing people to experience early onset dementia and do erratic and sometimes violent acts which reminded me a little of Bird Box starring Sandra Bullock on Netflix. To add to the calamity there's been an attack on the electricity grid resulting in a nation-wide blackout. In winter!

The story is told from Wynter's point of view and we jump between the present and flashbacks covering her years in the religious cult including those that led to her expulsion. Wynter and her older sister, Jaclyn have spent most of their lives in this cult under the leadership of Magnus who also happens to be Jaclyn's husband.

Wynter is picked up by an old friend of her mom's who takes her into home and helps her adjust to the world she hasn't experienced for almost twenty years. It's not long, however, before the two nasties of virus and blackout strike sending America into chaos.

It's fabulous story telling and I can see why people are talking about it being adapted for TV because it's perfect for a series. There were a couple of key points that stretched my sense of believability, one the fact that the potential cure for the virus falls into Wynter's hands and that the guy that might be able to create a vaccine happens to be known by Jaclyn. But hey, this is fiction and one allows such when the story is as clever and well written as this one.

I liked Wynter - she's gutsy and determined but tender and generous - there is a love interest which I hope develops in the sequel, here we see a friendship grow but it's clear there's something more brewing. And Chase is a good guy, gentle and heroic.

I love Noah's compound - amazing visual wonder which will be amazing to see on TV.

I'm excited for what is in store for the sequel. Could be epic.

I pre-ordered a copy of the book when it first went up on Amazon last year but was so eager to read it I was fortunate to receive an ARC from Net Galley on no expectation that I would provide a positive review.

The Line Between by Tosca Lee is a fast paced dystopian story that I really enjoyed. The story is captivating and rather scary as the plot is based on events that given the right circumstances, could possibly occur in the real world (though I definitely hope it never does!). This story is engaging, well written and the plot twists and turns had me sitting on the edge of my seat. I definitely recommend this book!

4.5 Stars!

I received this book for free. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are my own. Thank you to Ms. Lee, Howard Books and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

A thrill ride of a story. Adventure, love, loss, deceit, a cult, a possibly humanity ending disease, car chases, fights, loyalty, determination and fierce bravery. Oh. And bacon. What more could you want from a book to escape into? The story feels eerily real. The characters are beautifully written and so easy to fall in love or hate with. I didn’t want to leave them. I didn’t want to close that last page. I eagerly await the sequel to this riveting story.

Thank you to NetGalley, Howard Books and Tosca Lee for my advanced digital copy of The Line Between. I loved it so much that I had to preorder my very own hardcover copy!

"But these are no longer just samples of some disease. They were purchased with lives to save many more. Lives precious to me."

This is the first book by Tosca Lee that I have read and I am floored. What a chilling and totally believable thriller! The story is incredibly well-written with a credible plot that has many twists and turns, clever and witty dialogue, and unforgettable characters. The story is told by Wynter as a first person narrative, going back and forth from her past in a cult preparing for the end times using the past tense to her present situation as an outcast using the present tense.

Wynter is a straight-forward, funny, determined, loyal sweetheart who suffers from anxiety and OCD which may have been triggered by her abrupt entrance into the world when she gets thrown out from the Enclave (the cult which she had been a part of for more than half her life). As the world crumbles quickly into madness due to an unknown disease, Wynter must gather her courage and wits to figure out how to get the information that she has into the hands of those who can and will help. Chase enters the story relatively late and offers the strong support and logical thinking that Wynter needs to balance out her actions fueled by emotion.

It's a gripping tale that you will not be able to put down until the very last page. If you enjoy thrillers, this fascinating book is a must-read!

I was given a copy of this book by the author and Howard Books via NetGalley and was under no obligation to post a positive review. All comments and opinions are solely my own.

Wynter Roth has spent most of her life in the isolated confines of a doomsday-cult, New Earth. But when her actions land her on the wrong side of the leader’s wrath, she finds herself shunned and cast out into a world on the brink of imploding as an unknown outbreak of rapid early onset dementia ravages the country.

As Wynter struggles to navigate in a society she was raised to consider evil, she fears the apocalypse that New Earth predicted has arrived. Then her sister appears on Wynter’s doorstep with medical samples that could hold the key to uncovering the mystery disease.

With the power grid failing and panic descending, Wynter must cross the country to deliver the samples to a lab in Colorado. But with every person out for him/herself and some determined that the truth not come out, she questions who to trust.

The Line Between riveted from beginning to end. My first foray into a Tosca Lee novel, the experience lived up to all the hype surrounding her name. Though not generally drawn to apocalyptic thrillers, I found myself quickly engrossed in the story.

Lee masterfully planted me in the protagonist shoes, blurring the line between fiction and reality. As Wynter’s world shrank — allies dropping like flies, options running out, and the nation delving into chaos — so did mine. Lee brought the tale to life with such vividness that putting down the novel proved jarring.

The heroine possessed the perfect balance of resourcefulness and naiveté to pull off the task laid before her while still believably resemble someone who grew up sequestered in a cult. Though she seemed to become enamored with the cult leader a bit too quickly upon arrival, the fears and struggles Wynter faced after her departure rang true of someone subjected to years of brain washing.

For those of you who, like me, enjoy at least some sort of a love story in your books, Wynter joins forces with a former military man, Chase Miller. While the romance thread in no way dominated, it contained the perfect amount to keep this reader happy.

I will withhold from commenting too much on the ending to avoid spoilers, but I will say it delivered the perfect conclusion without wrapping everything into a neat little bow. I strongly recommend The Line Between to thriller fans and to anyone who enjoys clean, suspenseful reads that don’t rely on horror or shocking content to shove you to the edge of your seat.

Wynter Roth doesn’t fit in at New Earth. She finds herself rebelling until she’s finally cast out, leaving her lost in a world deemed to be fallen by her former leader. When an outbreak of a mysterious deadly disease emerges and the power grid plunges them into darkness, Wynter is shaken. Her sister, wife of the New Earth’s leader, escapes and shows up on her doorstep with answers to the disease hidden in a container that Wynter must get it to Colorado as fast as she can and save her niece from the evil clutches of the cult’s leader. Her sister disappears into the night, fearing she’s being followed.

Wynter sets off on the puzzling journey but is met with obstacles along the way until she’s forced to abandon her broken-down vehicle. A former military man, Chase Miller, comes to her rescue, but can she trust him? The pair soon find themselves in a race against time when Wynter is labeled a murderer. Can they dodge their captors and get the samples to their destination before the disease takes over the entire country?

The plot in the novel The Line Between is original and full of some great twists. I thoroughly enjoyed it and it kept me turning the pages. However, I did find it a bit confusing at the beginning trying to keep the two separate time periods straight and a bit slow but caught on quickly. The pace quickened (along with my pulse!) and I found myself wanting to know more about Wynter’s journey.

The characters jumped out at me and I cheered Wynter and Chase on as they raced across the country trying to get to Colorado. The secondary characters were well-rounded and served the purpose of the plot nicely.

The use of the five senses was well done and I could picture their trek in the car through the snow, even feeling the chilliness of the air.

I definitely will be reading more novels by Tosca Lee. Loved this one.

I give The Line Between four stars. Cozy up by the fire to stay warm on this cross-country trek!

**An e-copy of this novel was provided to me by NetGalley for my honest opinion.

Wynter Roth, the survivor of an apocalyptic cult, is forced to leave the confines of the so-called New Earth, leaving her sister and niece behind. She must face a world that she’s been taught was evil. Her anxiety builds as she is exposed to the reality of life outside those once protective walls.
When news of deadly disease from the melting permafrost resurfaces and threatens human minds, ultimately driving people insane, Wynter is certain the world is coming to an end as the cult leader warned. Her sister appears on her doorstep with a container she’d stolen from the cult leader housing life-saving medical samples that need to be delivered to scientific hands in Colorado.
Despite her fears and lack of driving experience, Wynter puts her life on the line and makes a frantic dash to deliver the samples, all while avoiding arrest on false murder charges. When her car breaks down, she meets Chase Miller, a former Marine, who offers to help. Was he losing his mind like everyone else? What did he really want from her?
When Wynter reluctantly reveals her dilemma to Chase, he changes his travel plans and volunteers to help her get through crazed crowds, police roadblocks, and hovering helicopters to reach her destination.
The opening scenes of The Line Between had me wondering what direction the plot was taking. After pressing forward with curiosity, I was soon sucked in like a vacuum and couldn’t put the book down. Tosca’s writing was so descriptive that I had a hard time remembering it was a fiction novel.
Wynter’s flashbacks expose intriguing details of her life in the New World cult. Tosca does a fabulous job describing Wynter's cult experiences and her fears.
This thriller is unbelievably realistic. I highly recommend The Line Between.
I received a complimentary copy of this book via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Excellent cult/pandemic thriller

I enjoyed this book although I would have liked more about the early dementia pandemic.

The book centers around Wynter, a young woman who entered a doomsday cult with her mother and older sister when she was 7 years old. There is a lot in the book about her life in the cult over the years until she finally gets banished 15 years later.

This is about the same time as people start getting sick from early onset dementia, a disease resembling Mad Cow disease but it's infectious.

Wynter's role in the cult and in the later happenings in the story are a thrill a minute. I would have rated this five stars if there had been less cult and more pandemic but that's just me.

I recommend this to readers of post-apocalyptic tales, tales of pandemics, tales of cults, and thrillers. It is fast-paced and I was sorry to have it end.

I received this book from Howard Books through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.

I enjoyed this book. I really like the writing style of Tosca Lee. I was a little iffy at first about the content of the book. Cults, religion, doomsday, all of that rolled into one. I was pleasantly surprised at how I couldn't put the book down!

You leave the only way of life you've ever known behind to step into the rest of the world only to come face to face with the possibility that the evil and pestilence you were taught to believe was coming to destroy the earth may be stark you in the face. Wynter must try to figure out a way to stop the spread of this sickness and find its origins before it's too late. But her new found partner may not be as trustworthy as she thinks and could compromise the mission or just be her saving grace. Read this heart stopping, face paced, mystery to uncover the truth and know if all is lost or can Wynter succeed in stopping it.

What a ride! From the start, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. Tosca Lee takes the reader on a journey, along with Wynter as she's initially kicked out of a commune known as New Earth, led by the disillusioned, Magnus. Wynter struggles with the idea of her damnation for all eternity due to her banishment. Anxiety, panic and worry fight and pull at her from every side, threatening her sanity. And having Mangus' voice echoing in her thoughts don't help matters. How can she break away from the life she's known most of her childhood and make a life for herself outside of New Earth? The story jumps back every so often, giving us a peek into her life at New Earth. And eventually, we learn the truth of her exile. You with me so far? Are you bored with the idea that this is just another cult story? Not to worry! The author sprinkles in a bit of apocalyptic action with a viral outbreak, a pandemic that threatens to wipe out a majority of the human race. 

Why did I like this story? Well, I can't help but enjoy reading apocalyptic/post-apocalyptic stories. The idea of having to start over with only the basics is interesting. How will this individual (or group) of survivors manage? Plus, having a viral outbreak makes for even more dangerous than just having to protect against mob panic. The virus seems to drive people to the point of insanity. Stories of mass shootings in various locations, news stories of possible bioterrorism and more. What could be the cause? And is there a cure? Wynter has the key, but making it safely to its final destination proves to be a bigger task than she realized. And that's where the excitement comes in, as she travels, meets new people and avoids the infected. I received a complimentary copy of The Line Between from NetGalley. I highly recommend this book, especially if you're looking for an exciting and quick read.

The publicity on this novel calls it frighteningly believable and I am in agreement with that description. You hear about these crazy cults on the news and this story takes you inside the workings of one such sect. The story is about Wynter Roth and her survival in an apocalyptic cult. The story flashes back and forth between present day and the past. That perspective gives the story added suspense as details are revealed and things slide into place.

It's been a while since I have read a novel that stressed me out this much. The cult leader is Magnus who is evil cloaked in kindness. When the story begins you don't realize how much danger Wynter is in. But the deeper you get into the story the stronger the sense of doom becomes.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I like Tosca Lee's gritty writing style. But if you are sensitive to the more earthy side of things you may not like this book. There is mild profanity used so be forewarned. I think I enjoy Tosca's books because her characters reflect the real life people that I encounter every day.

I have no idea if this book with have a sequel but I sure hope it does. The story itself is complete but there is still that lingering question of what happens next. Just in case anyone cares what I think . . . my vote is for a book two.

An exciting dystopian read that me hooked from page one! I enjoy any story about cults and the end of the world. I really loved the characters in this story as well as the science fiction elements. Such vivid details made the story come alive! I would love to read a sequel to this story! I can't recommend this book enough!

Tosca Lee is a weaver of tales, and in her upcoming release The Line Between she takes the idea of an extinct disease reemerging from the permafrost in Alaska, adds the inner workings of a cult creating an apocalyptic dystopian read that keeps you guessing and engrossed in Wynter's world.

The scary part of this book is how real it feels. The entire time I was reading I could actually see something like this happening in the future.

This is an adventure from beginning to end. One that reader's of thrillers, dystopian, and young adult will enjoy. Even if those aren't your genre's of choice give this one a read.

Sailed through this book in a one-day span, enjoying every minute. Startlingly different components (doomsday cult, deadly pandemic, applied Christianity, prepping, romance) all seemed plausible until near the end, when I was pulled up short.

Wait, what? The main character, Wynter, has just been cast out -- very recently -- from the cult with a David Koresh-style leader. She has lived through her entire adolescence into young adulthood in a bizarre isolation from "worldliness," without natural, casual (actually ANY) interaction with the opposite sex. And yet here she is, mere weeks later, bantering and quipping with a handsome guy as if she's been doing it for years.

I continued on to the satisfying conclusion, still liking the story overall. Maybe I was too sensitive to the sudden sophistication the popped up in the dialogue -- perhaps others won't even notice it. Other than that, it was a very good read.

As soon as I saw Tosca Lee had written a pandemic thriller, I knew I had to read it. She has an amazing gift of being able to bring any character to life with richness and depth. This book did not disappoint.

The disease, transmission mode, and subsequent panic in this book felt very plausible for a pandemic. The fact that there was a girl leaving a cult behind and struggling with her beliefs, brainwashing, and identity added even more depth to this book and kept me turning page after page. Every character had its place and contributed to the overall richness of this thriller.

The Line Between is an end of the world thriller. A girl, Wynter, has just been expelled from the cult she has lived with her whole life. Now, seeing the outside world for the first time, she must be scared. Soon, she has bigger problems. A disease that causes dementia is spreading at a fast rate. It's going to be a pandemic soon. Wynter is in possession of some samples, thanks to her sister, that could save the world. But, she's in Alaska, and the samples need to be in Colorado. Will she persevere, and find a way to save the world? This story is frightening and action packed. The characters are engaging and dynamic. I liked the story. It's a fun read. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

There’s a lot to like about this book: great characters, wonderful writing and plotting and a nice quick pace. Overall I really enjoyed this read. However, I didn’t like how much the cult played a role in the book. It’s probably more my dislike of cults than an actual flaw in the book. The cult made me uncomfortable and I just didn’t enjoy reading about that. I wanted more of what was happening in the world, instead of constant flashbacks to what happened in the cult. I did like Wynter though and was interested to see how she adjusted to life outside the cult. I did find myself losing interest about halfway through though.

The Line Between is an original YA/PA thriller without all the usual YA tropes (no love triangles, yay!) and which could be called Peri-Apocalyptic as all the action takes place while the world is falling apart, rather than the usual after.

Wynter Roth, 22, has been thrown out of New Earth, the cult that her mother took her and her older sister Jaclyn to when she was just seven, to escape their abusive father. Run by the charismatic Magnus, they follow a strict vegetarian diet and give up all worldly possessions, preparing for the End of the World.

Taken in by her mother's best friend Julie, Wynter has difficulty enough adjusting to he modern world, but then people across America start developing a rapid onset form of dementia, and attacks on the grid and government lead to power and fuel outages.

When her sister, having escaped the compound, brings her a set of biological samples which appear to hold clues to the origin of the epidemic, Wynter sets off on a mission to take them to a scientist they believe can use them to try and stop it. Meeting a young ex-marine on the road, they must get to Colorado and save the world...

The first two thirds of the book is told in alternating chapters, Wynter leaving New Earth, and flashbacks of her time there from the beginning, and how she came to be forced to leave. The latter part was rather drawn out and predictable, in my opinion, but the last third, where the plot speeds up as Wynter and Chase drive across snowbound mostly deserted America, fending off threats from all sides, was highly enjoyable with a good ending leaving things open for the sequel, but without an annoying cliff-hanger. I also appreciated the author not throwing in all the usual PA cliches - cannibals, sexual assault threats, goodies turning out to be baddies...

Wynter was a bit too perfect, and I found the knowledge base she seemed to acquire in a mere 3 months implausible, as was the science behind the outbreak, but apart from this I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to the next one. My thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. The Line Between is published on 29th January.