Alexandra Lucas is almost a typical teen, only she struggles with a severe anxiety disorder. When large holographic portals open up all over the world, her life is thrown into chaos as she stares down the impending apocalypse. Along with the vertexs comes holograms claiming to be humans from the future offering the promise of safety. A recording plays on loop: heed the warning and step through to safety or stay and be destroyed along with the planet. Stay or go: everyone must make their own choice.

Part of why I liked this read was the realistic perspective on how the world might fall apart. With each passing chapter we see Alex and her family making decisions and moving along as normal, while faced with the ultimate decision of staying or going. The story is catchy enough to leave you wanting more, but was written more as a full background to a main read. Hopefully book two is clearer and faster paced. My gripe actually was the exploration of an anxiety disorder. The internal monologue of the disorder was quite good, although the overuse of pharmaceuticals, especially someone who appears to have used them for a while. My concern is that the anxiety disorder is being used purely as a plot driver to 'strengthen' the character at a later point - rather than personal growth. This is a fairly good YA novel, fitting perfectly into dystopian category alongside those of Divergent and Life As We Knew It.

This was Kristy Acevedo's debut novel, previously known as Consider (Holo series), and is being rereleased under the new title The Warning on June 6th, 2023. Many thanks to Sourcebooks Fire, Kristy Acevedo and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Warning was a great idea. What would you do if you were told that the world was going to end in six months and you could leave before it happened? The only catch is that you won’t be able to come back and you are taking their word for it that where you are going is safe. Gates appear all over the world and tell the citizens of Earth that they are from another Earth and that they know your Earth is about to be destroyed. You can come to them any time in the next 6 months by entering the gate. Do you trust them?

I liked this story as soon as I got through the first half. I couldn’t read anymore about the teen angst and anxiety of the characters. It is amazing how little these events changed the lives of the characters for pretty much most of the book. Thankfully, it did pick up. Eventually. There wasn’t really anything that I didn’t expect to happen, including the cliff hanger ending. I want the only real question I had since I read the description answered. And it makes me have to read the second book for that to happen. So, I will.

I’m considering this book a set up with a lot of backstory. More than your need.

Rating: 3.8⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

✨Official Synopsis✨
Like most high school seniors, Alexandra Lucas is caught between living in the moment and an unknown future. Her anxiety disorder doesn't make that any easier. But she's coping—until her train stops on the way home from a concert with her boyfriend. At first, she's worried about breaking curfew. Then terror echoes through their train car.

A mysterious doorway has appeared beside the tracks, and a hologram claiming to be a human from the future shares a sinister warning. A comet is on a collision course with earth. All life there will end in six months' time. To survive, people must step through one of the many portals that have opened around the world. 

The holograms claim to offer safety. But how can anyone be sure? Stay or go—everyone must make their own choice. Alex's family, her friends, her boyfriend all have different ideas. Alex is only sure of one thing: she wants to decide for herself. But every decision comes at a price.

✨My Thoughts✨
This is one of those odd times where I don't know how to feel about a book. I definitely loved the concept of ominous portals offering a possible escape from impending doom with human-like holograms promising a utopia if they step through and seeing how the world processed and reacted to that information. I was super interested in finding out what people decided to do, what was really on the other side, and whether the world actually ended. I also appreciated the in-depth look into severe anxiety and panic attacks and the multiple mentions of Scully. However, I thought the characters were pretty one-dimensional and that the story could have benefitted from multiple POVs. With multiple POVs, we'd be able to see different characters' internal struggles, ideas, and external forces motivating their decisions. I am looking forward to reading the second book though, which I will be reading soon!

[This novel was originally published in 2016 as Consider.]

🫥🧣🐟

Update: just discovered that this book was originally published in 2016, so that explains A LOT. But if it’s going to be re-released for a modern audience, a lot more changes probably should have been made.

DNF @ 38%

We started out with a really cool premise: teenage girl with anxiety has a date interrupted by the arrival of one of 500 extradimensional portals and the claim that people can escape the imminent (six months away) end of the world by stepping through into a parallel (and future) universe. After that whirlwind opening scene, though, the portals become background noise to the girl’s relationship troubles (ie “omg boyfriend and I shouldn’t go to the same college because one of us would inevitably influence and hold the other back” - as if a six month timeline wouldn’t make all college plans moot regardless) and family situation.

And one of the biggest issues with the way the portals are handled is that it’s so far removed from reality: the book has been totally de-politicized by there being a benevolent government response (within only a handful of days) and having banks be the bad guys instead of a certain political party (re: “people should pay off their debt before yeeting themselves through a one way portal to a parallel universe”).

Alexandra is stuck between living in the moment and what comes next. She’s barely coping and only with the help of her Ativan. That is until her train stops unexpectedly on the way home from a concert with her boyfriend. When a mysterious doorway emerges next to the track, what appears to be a human from the future shares a sinister warning – the world is ending. The holograms claim to offer safety to anyone willing to walk through them. With time counting down, will Alex go through?


I have a love-hate relationship with this book. I loved that the main character has anxiety, but I felt for a YA book this one was over the top. I’m not saying we need to sugar coat things but on the first page the MC is talking about dismembering a baby. That’s a bit much for me. If you get past the first page and keep reading, you will get some reprieve from the vividness of the attacks, but they are still present. I did enjoy the concept of this book, and dystopian is one of my favorite sci-fi subgenres. I was very happy that the copy I received included an excerpt into the next book of this duology because it ended on a big cliffhanger. Reading the next little bit of the second book made it end on a pleasant note for me.

This book is out June 6th though it was previously published under the title Consider. The second book in this duology is due out later this year.

Thank you so much to Sourcebooks Fire, @sourcebooksfire, and Netgalley, @Netgalley, for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun little read.

While there are definitely shades of standard YA dystopia – and a TON of teen angst – the book takes some unexpected turns.

I liked our main character. A couple of other characters didn’t really breathe for me, but some of them really grew into their roles by the end of the book.

You will find yourself having to turn off any semblance of logic from time to time. The good part is that you eventually don’t care – you’re just so curious about what’s going to happen!

And the ending? While it’s definitely a set up for book 2, it’s absolutely intriguing.

Not a perfect read for me, but a good one and if book 2 were available now, I’d already be reading it.

• ARC via Publisher

[arc review]
Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
The Warning releases June 6, 2023

3.5

Alexandra and Dominick are stuck on a train going home from a concert. Some dystopian other-worldly vertex/portal appeared out of no where with a hologram figure claiming that they’re humans from a parallel future in the year 2359, and that they’ve come to save everyone from a comet that will destroy earth in six months time.
There are now 500 open vertexes around the world to transport them to their time and dimension, and will remain open until the day of the comet strike.

This was so fascinating and thought provoking!
Straight away we were sucked into a hazmat decontamination situation, followed closely by military presence guarding the vertexes, and the stockpiling of goods and nonperishable items.

The government first gives the assurances that business should go on as normal, but as the months go by and counter measures start failing, civilians start going rampant and must make the ultimate decision whether to stay or take the chance at life in an unknown dimension.

I found it interesting how they were able to ask the hologram figures questions to learn about life in 2359 — food, government system, monetary values, transportation, laws, etc.

Would you go? If you had a mountain full of debt and this was a fresh start for you? What if you were homeless or facing a life sentence in prison? What if you’re elderly and the idea of people in the future living to be 250 years old is enticing?

The only thing I wasn’t too keen on was the anxiety rep. Although I love the normalization of mental health and being medicated for it, it did not feel like a natural integration here with how much it was brought up in the book. Alexandra’s relationship with Ativan did feel unhealthy at times given the frequency of popping pills like they were tic tacs.

This ends on a cliffhanger and I’m eager to see what life is like on the other side of the vertexes, as well as seeing what the connections between that mentally unstable woman with the odd statements and Alexandra are.

Wow. This book is addictive. It starts out incredibly fast and doesn't really slow down. The premise is imaginative, the world created is enveloping, but the feelings and emotions are completely human and relatable. I barrelled through this and now I need the next one. Can't wait to read what happens. I've already recommended this one to someone on NetGalley!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

I selected this title because it has a great premise and an intriguing cover. All the appeal of dystopian YA with a fresh spin on the alien invasion concept. I also appreciate that the author uses the story as a vehicle to discuss the important issue of teen mental health, especially as it relates to anxiety and hypervigilance. We have empathy for our protagonist who takes medication and sees a therapist to calm her chronic fears.

With all due respect to the author, the writing was awkward and jarring, especially in the opening chapters. A character unironically uses the phrase "not on my watch!" The dialogue was inauthentic enough that it pulled me out of the story time and time again. I don't know any people, teen or adult, who speak like this.

Finally, I wish I'd known I'd signed up for a duology since the book ends on a critical turning point for the whole story.

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the copy of The Warning by Kristy Acevedo. The reveal was great, but that ending made me reread a few pages to see what I was missing. If I had known there was a sequel, I wouldn’t have been so dissatisfied with the ending. I do look forward to reading the sequel though! The book was well-written and the pace was so fast I sped through the book. Alexandra was a great MC and I really cared about how conflicted she was about her life and relationships. I thought the questions for the hologram were really good and would be a good discussion for a book club - what question would you ask and why? The premise was so deep and thought-provoking I think the only reason this is classified as a YA book is because Alexandra is a teen, so don’t let the YA label stop you from reading this wonderful book!

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. I absolutely was on the edge of my seat this entire novel, which is why I didn't appreciate that cliffhanger at the end, but makes me even more anxious for when it comes out! Ms. Acevedo did a great way of portraying the characters anxieties, and in turn made me feel their stress, I think that's what powered me to finish this book as soon as I did! I loved the ultimatum-like-situation that each person has to quarrel internally with, do they trust the holograms, or would they place them in more danger? I am begging for the second book to be here like, now please. A more formal review will be available on my IG/TikTok and Goodreads.

A super fun roller coaster of a suspension YA book. I HAD to know what was going to happen. This book concept is utter genius and I can’t wait to read the sequel to find out what happens after that perfect cliffhanger!!

Review in progress and to come.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

**Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for a fair and honest review**

This book grabbed my attention as I was craving some sci-fi. Portals and holograms. Apocalyptic warnings. Sign me up.

I enjoyed the classic teenage doubts and worries (relationships mental health, family issues, etc) against the feeling of impending doom. How does someone who struggles with anxiety make such a decision?

It's been a while since I gave a book a 5* review but the ending of this one made me gasp aloud and that's what pushed it from a 4 to a 5*. No spoilers but I'm hoping to get my hands on book 2 ASAP,

If portals opened to a new world started popping up where you live, would you go through out of curiosity or stay out of fear? What if the creators of the portal told you your world was ending and this is the only way to survive?

Human-like holograms appear in major cities all over the world. Their message is that a comet will hit and destroy earth in six months. They have opened vertexes all over the world. Passing through them will guarantee survival. But it is only a one way trip. How do you make the decision as to whether to pass through or stay. This is what made the book so interesting . The world begins to collapse around you, food shortages, looting. I loved it!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Warning is a dystopian teen novel, that leans heavily on the main character's anxiety, rather than the dystopian aspect.

Alexandra is an anxious, almost senior in high school. On their way home from a concert one night in Boston, the T stops mid-rid. In Quincy, a hologram claiming to be human appears in a doorway, warning in six months, a comet will hit the earth and destroy everything. Their only choice, if they want to live, is to walk through the door. I found the book to focus more on Alexandra's anxiety and relationships, whereas the comet bit really didn't come to play until quite late in the story. It does have a sequel that is set to be released later this year so I think it will be a good duology after reading the second one.

I think it would serve this book better if the copy focused more on the humanity of the story and not the dystopia because that fully does not matter until the very end. It's more a story of truth and lies and what it means to keep living in the face of death.

I saw an advance description of this book, and had no interest in reading it. I’m not really into science fiction. Then I saw the new Sourcebooks cover, and was immediately intrigued. So I started it, and within a chapter, intrigued was too mild a word.

Alexandra is almost a high school, senior, which is enough to contribute to her anxiety. But she has Rita, her best, friend, and Dominick, her boyfriend. On their way home from a concert one night the Boston T stops in mid ride. Right there, in Quincy, Massachusetts, a hologram claiming to be human appears in a mysterious doorway, warning that in six months, a comet will hit the earth and destroy everything and everyone. Their only choice, if they want to live, is to walk through the door, literally into the future.

There’s a lot to keep Alex here. Deciding to go through that door isn’t as easy as one might think. Everyone needs to make their own decision, and the only thing Alex is sure of is that she needs to make this decision for herself.

The author, Kristy Acevedo, has created a unique story that, IMHO, would make an AMAZING movie! Her characters are great, her settings are vivid, and I can’t wait for book #2 this fall!

Thanks to sourcebooks Fire for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

This dystopian teen novel focused more on the main character's anxiety and relationships with family members and friends, followed closely by how the world reacts in times of crisis. The actual comet and "other world" scenario didn't come into play that much until the very end of the story. I found the story reasonably interesting but now that I realise there is a sequel (and having read the first chapter) I feel I would actually find the second book much more entertaining. I believe the first book felt complete without a follow up, but I am intrigued to find out what plays out next.

I didn't like the main character's constant use of medication. I really thought this would be addressed by the end of the book and that a lesson would be made of this.

I received this arc from netgalley in exchange for my honest review.