Alyssa and her brother Garrett are in the middle of the Tap-Out, a drought and water shortage in Southern California that has gotten dire. Families are struggling to survive, people are turning against each other, roads are gridlocked and people are forced to go out on their own to find the water they need to live another day.

Neal Shusterman is a great writer, this book just felt very conventional and formulaic when he normally pushes limits and builds amazing worlds like he did in both Unwind and Scythe. This book is a great recommendation for fans of Life as We Knew It, H20, and other apocalyptic stories were teens are separated from family and struggling to make it on their own. The multi-character perspective makes for a quick read and it appears a stand-alone novel, which is great for recommending to reluctant readers. Good, but nothing groundbreaking.

Neal Shusterman is one of my favorite YA authors. I generally adore all of his books, and this was no exception. I did not, however, love the ending of the book. It felt a bit rushed. I would still recommend to students though, and I did enjoy it!

A few chapters into this I had to run an errand and decided it wouldn't be a bad idea to buy a case of bottled water just to have on hand because the speed with which society falls apart in the book felt entirely too realistic. So in terms of making me think hard about how close most of us are to dropping civility in the face of a crisis, this book is right on target. Unfortunately, after that good opening for a scary survival story, it was just fairly dry. I wasn't invested in any of the characters and felt that they often made poor choices. Not the kind of poor choices that lead to interesting story developments, just some fairly illogical choices. It seemed that Shusterman was going for a picture of the greater scene by including quick scenarios of the girl in the Target parking lot and Alyssa's uncle and the "saint" on the freeway, but I would've preferred more connection with our main characters.

There are books that you enjoy. There are books that you think about. And then there are books that stay with you and make you consciously think about what you do in your life. Dry is one of the latter books.

Water is something we use every day. I leave the water on as I rinse dishes, or fill the watering can for my garden. But what if all of a sudden, without warning, the water just stops? I loved Shusterman's writing style and the stories he wove seamlessly together gave an accurate depiction of what society would turn into if the water suddenly stopped running from the taps.

Dry was emotional, heart wrenching, and perhaps most importantly it changed the way I think about water. Pick up this book today. The future of our world could quite literally depend on it.

I'm biased. I love any book that brings attention to climate change and to see a YA book do it is AMAZING.

Dry by Neal Shusterman & Jarrod Shusterman
The Shustermans definitely hit it out of the park with this one! The west coast is experiencing the worst drought in history. With other states daming the rivers, California is officially out of water. Alyssa is at home when the Tap Out officially begins. All water has been shut off without warning. Not that there weren't signs...ordinaces cutting out frivolous water usage, empty pools, dying lawns, but no water at all? Alyssa and her family, like most, feel that surely the Tap Out won't last long. As millions of people suddenly realize the human body can only go 3 days without water, people begin to stockpile, worry and even panic. The Shustermans take us on a journey of survival. We see the story from the eyes of everyday Joes, preppers, opportunists, elites, and more. As the Tap Out continues, some will live and some will die, but no one will ever be the same.
#netgalley

I was hooked from the first sentence. The tension was incredible, and it actually really made me look at water as a resource differently. I think this would be an awesome book to start the conversation about climate change and clean water. It's also great as a survival story. Like how I read "To Build a Fire" every year in school from 7th grade onward. Man vs environment type thing. Anyway, I would wholeheartedly recommend this book. And now I'm going to go out and buy some emergency supplies.

Compelling and captivating. Profound and prophetic. DRY is a first-rate survival story perfect for fans of LIFE AS WE KNEW IT, THE RULE of THREE, and MONUMENT 14. Set in the not-too-distant future, a drought reaches cataclysmic proportions after government-promised work-arounds lead to epic failures. While the story is grim, it is equally gripping.

Shusterman constructs characters who are affable, interesting, and relatable to unravel a portrayal of how various personalities cope and struggle with overwhelming conflict. Sidebar “Snapshots” give readers a glimpse of how the story is developing on a broader scale.

Chapters move swiftly, and intriguing connections between characters unfold. Fans of UNWIND will welcome similarities experienced by DRY’S band of teens who are “on the run” to survive.

An outstanding choice for thrill-seeking adventure fans; certain to be a top consideration for classroom teachers to highlight for novel studies as well.

~ Review of Netgalley ARC ~ Lisa Brennan @noveltalk

Thank you to Netgalley for giving me an advanced copy of this book!

Ever since I read Scythe, I've been excited to read books by Shusterman.

This one was no exception.

It gripped me from page one and kept me on the edge of my seat the entire book. I thought it was well-researched and the writing was perfect. There were times when I was laughing, ready to cry, and staring at my phone with a wide-open mouth saying "SHIT."

Definitely 5/5 stars for me.

4.5 Stars! This book was actually kinda scary. What if this actually happened and there was no real relief in sight? This kept me on the edge of my seat and kept me reading. I loved the action and the pacing and telling the story from different perspectives. Great read!

I received a free copy from netgalley in exchange for honest review. I love Neal Schusterman having read the unwind series and the Scythe series I was really looking forward to this one. This one is a stand-alone that Neal wrote with his son Jarrod and it completely lives up to Neal's Legacy. While the other books that I've read by Neil have been utopian societies with an issue this one feels a lot more real as in it could happen in our lifetime. Dry tells the story of the Water Crisis in Southern California when the water is shut off for all of the residents and the need for survival. This book Hans you as you're reading it if you put it down and kind of stays with you and it won't leave your mind which is what a book should do. The choices the characters make are difficult and it makes you think what you would do in this situation I think Hali who is a very miniscule part of the story really stays with you with what happens to her. I think this is a book that should be read by everyone. Can't wait for another book by Neal Shusterman.