In a future world where the population is monitored and controlled by the government, Sharon and husband Daniel find themselves on the run to protect their family and stay together in a turbulent world. Fleeing to the Australian outback may find them in contact with their long estranged mother, but the journey is anything but easy.

The focus of this book is definitely on family: the terror of being a parent when control over your lives is being taken from you, the fear for loved ones when facing unfamiliar danger and navigating relationships tainted by mistrust and resentment all the while.

Having said that, the world-building here is eerily plausible and engaging. While I wouldn’t call it simple, the details come together in a way that’s easy to understand. It’s futuristic without being hardcore scifi. This didn’t hit my personal thriller buttons but once the intrigue hits, the twists keep coming.

My only complaint would be the relationship between Layla and Shareen. I felt like their reconciliations kept happening separately, ‘off-screen’ so to speak. One moment we’d see one of them feeling bitterly and negative about the other in private, but next time they would meet they go straight to being understanding (without talking it over). For a book that really seems to focus on characters and relationships, this just seemed a little to easy.

Dystopian x Alternate Near Future

I normally choose a few quotes to go alongside my reviews, but all my favourites cross the boundary of spoilers!

(I received a free copy of this through NetGalley for the purpose of an honest review)

A fun book. In my world, dystopias are always welcomed. This one involves a world where technology doesn't allow freedom. A world marked by war and social points that could make the difference with having or not a place to sleep. In this society, a family seems to have lost it all. Jobs are not easy to come by and the virtual workers do not understand how life really works. A mother about to lose her twins has no choice but to run. That way her whole family unites to survive and follow the clues left by the woman who she once knew as her mother. The characterization and the changes in the narrator are on point. The characters are easy to love. The plot is fun and easy to follow. A book that in my opinion is worth checking up. A fun light reading.