Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of Prepped by Bethany Mangle.

Becca has had an unusual upbringing. Her extremist parents have prepared her for every terrible possible situation. How to survive in freezing water, how to hold your breath for long periods of time, how to adjust your body to live without many calories for days at a time. But it's not just Becca's family, it's a community, and because PREPPING is the main objective to the community, a spouse has already been chosen for Becca. Roy may be intelligent and handsome, but he also drinks the prepping koolaid and she can't imagine doing this for the rest of her life. But there may be hope, Becca realizes, after she's revealed something about someone very close to her.

I'm not quite sure why I couldn't get into this one. There wasn't quite enough adventure, the characters were never fully fleshed out, and I never got a strong sense of what kind of book this was supposed to be. Escaping a cult? Adventure? Suspense? Romance? Instead is just felt like a lukewarm pot of all of the things lightly sprinkled in. Unfortunately it just didn't do it for me.

Prepped by Bethany Mangle tells the story of a girl named Becca who has grown up in a community of doomsday preppers. Her father, her mother, and their entire neighborhood pride themselves on prioritizing survivalist training over anything else. They’ve even arranged Becca’s marriage to her neighbor Roy Kang. The thing is, Becca wants out. She wants to go to college and study physics. When Roy suggests they run away together, Becca wants to leave, but she can't leave her sister behind to be brainwashed. Will she give up her dreams to stay with her sister?

This book sounded intriguing, and it did not disappoint. I've never read anything like it, and was thoroughly entertained and a little freaked out. I loved that I couldn't guess what might happen next. It was a nice change to most young adult contemporary stories that have the tendency to be predictable. This premise was so different and fun, it thoroughly sucked me in. I was rooting for Becca and Roy the whole time. If you enjoy reading young adult stories, give this one a try. I think you'll like it.

I received an advanced reader copy of Prepped through Books Forward. My opinions are my own.

I LOVED this book. It’s so different than other things in the library and I see it being a big hit! Plus, prepper culture is fascinating!

I haven't read any other YA book about "doomsday preppers" --And, what perfect timing as we are in the midst of the 2020 toilet paper scare! Prepped is a unique look at an extreme (AKA: ~CRAZY~) prepping community and its effects on teenage normalcy.
Becca can't wait to escape her prepping community and all their craziness. They push the training too far and have forgotten that relationships are what make life worth living. If the end of the world happens, they may be prepared, but I wouldn't want to be stuck with them--and neither does Becca. So, how can she escape an armed community of crazies whose main goal is to guard their outposts and secure the area?
I know there are people like the doomsday preppers in this book; ones who push too far. I find the topic very interesting, especially because of the current state of our collapsing world. This story makes me take pause and ask myself how prepared my family is and when is one prepared enough... what are the costs (financially, emotionally, socially)? The idea of nature vs nurture also came up as I was reading; how much of who we are is influenced by our raising?
Becca is a relatable character, however, it is difficult to relate to the other characters in the story--maybe because I just don't like them... There is one relationship that changes as the story progresses, but the change is not very believable -- too many unanswered questions about events and emotions outside the story. For that reason, I am dropping a star from my rating.

I was interested in this story due to the doomsday preppers plotline. I've never read anything like it, especially in a teenage girl's POV. Becca is sick of the brainwashing, of her home life. The feeling of being unloved by her parents, the struggles she endures, it's too much. Everyone in her community acts like the world is about to end. She wants to escape. She is set to marry Roy, the boy next door, who's parents are also doomsday preppers. She soon discovers that he also wants to escape. Becca is torn between her freedom and her family. This book had my attention from the first few pages. I wish there was an epilogue and I won't spoil why. I enjoyed this book and would love to read a follow up novel.

Rating 4.5

The book "Prepped" by Bethany Mangle takes your emotions on a rollercoaster. Certain characters, situations, or interactions, will make you want to laugh, gasp, scream, cry, or throw the book in anger. You won't be mad at the author but instead of what the main character Becca is being put through by supposed friends and family. The author did such a great job of creating a main character who is confused and questions what to do with her life due to being raised as a prepper. Becca doesn't want to continue being a prepper but she also feels an obligation to stay behind and care for her younger sister who is being brainwashed. But if she stayed behind that would mean giving up her one chance for true happiness. Roy, Becca's boyfriend and fellow forced prepper was an interesting character. I liked that he had his own personality and how he also struggled with being alone and feeling isolated. Since just like Becca he despised being raised as a prepper and wants more for his life. Their relationship starts off weird because they were arranged in their early teens and nothing on Becca's end was real. She was only going through the motions trying to keep up an appearance for their parents. It isn't until Becca and Roy are honest with one another that she finally starts to develop real feelings for him and the reader notices a shift in their relationship. I liked that because it made their relationship feel authentic and not forced. Katie, Becca's younger sister acted just like any other kid would in that situation. Even though her character made me so mad at times it makes sense that she would just want to please her parents. She is way too young to fully understand that what their family and neighbors do is not normal and she deserves a better life. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I read it in two days. I was fighting for Becca and Roy and I had to know what would happen. My only complaint is with how the book ended. While I love the last line, I do wish we had an epilogue but that is just my personal opinion. 

Should you read "Prepped"?
YES! If you want a book to make you feel again this book is for you. Not only is this book full of emotion, it has like-able characters, hate-able villains, family drama, and wild prepper training. It is a fantastically unique coming of age story.

**Received an advanced copy through NetGalley in return for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. **

I just devoured "Prepped" and am trying to find the right words to convey how much I loved this book.

From the first line, I knew I was completely in and ready to go on whatever ride these characters might take me. Talk about a hook.

I hit every range of emotion while reading this story. I laughed. I gasped. I yelled. I cheered. I cried. I can't think of a recent book that has pulled me through such a kaleidoscope of emotions like "Prepped" did. The writing is fantastic, the pacing on point, and the characters are the kind you root for (whether it's for their success or demise, depending on who we are talking about). The dialogue rang true around every turn. One of the things I loved most was how clever the plot was. It's unlike anything I've ever read and the author did an exceptional job of keeping me on my toes and throwing me for some loops.

The chemistry between Becca and Roy is so authentic. There are these little moments between them that are small on the surface but go so deep into who they are. Brilliant. That's my best word for it.

I loved everything about this book. From the first line to the last (which is extraordinarily perfect), I was all in. I have it on pre-order because I plan to read it again when it officially comes out. I devoured it in about five days, but if I wasn't reading it on my iPhone, I would have finished in two or less.

Five ENTHUSIASTIC stars!
Wow. This book was a ride. From the amazing first line, all the way through. I've never read something with this concept, so Prepped was a completely unique read for me. There were parts where I realized I'd been quite literally holding my breath for several pages. The metaphors and prose itself were often nothing short of beautiful. I can't wait to see where this author goes in her career.