“Retro” by Sofia LaPuente and Jarrod Shusterman asks the question, “What if we could go back to a time without social media?” After Luna posts a video that goes viral & damages her BFF’s reputation, the school is approached by a Facebook-like company with a competition. Luna and fellow competitors have to give up their smart phones, computers, and social media accounts and embrace pre-smartphone technology. At first, the challenge was new & exciting but soon danger lurks.

The message of the book is a good one, but the delivery is a bit unfocused. By 1/2 way through the competition is not the focus but rather weird events that are hard to believe and follow. Younger adults would enjoy the premise. Would be a great title for independent reading in high school.

Thank you to Sofia LaPuente & Jarrod Shusterman, Simon & Shuster, and NetGalley for the ARC.

I am convinced that everything.a Shusterman touches turns to gold. This was a perfect YA thriller with a fascinating premise, and a stunning cover. I knew I would enjoy this, and I was not disappointed!

I thought this was an amazing ya thriller, with a perfect blend of mystery and intrigue, romance, and the importance of friendship. I will be looking forward to more by this author.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book, as this book has already been published, I will not share my review on Netgalley at this time.

I always like books where technology is taken away and this book takes it to a whole other level. The contest to see who can go the longest without technology is done so well while they also weave in the thriller aspect. I hope to see more books by Jarrod Shusterman since this was done so well and Dry is one of my favorite books.

Thank you netgalley for providing an e-galley for review. "Retro" has a great premise and wonderful authors and somehow, it just fell flat. The dialogue felt incredibly stilted and fake. The mystery felt forced. The conflicts between the characters were resolved very quickly. The whole thing felt very superficial.

I loved RETRO! It’s a really captivating YA mystery that verges on dystopian and touches on some themes that will not only resonate but be really important for YA audiences to contemplate. The characters were dimensional and well developed, the narrative flowed really nicely, and the plot kept me engaged the whole time. This was one of those un-put-downable books for me!

Thanks so much to the publisher and NetGalley for this e-arc.

If the mark of a good book is how long it sticks with you - this one is a winner. I have talked about this book to many people because the concept is so on point. Retro deals with giving up technology. The further I got into the story the more I realized how plugged into the web I was. It made me think about what I'm sharing, who I'm sharing it with, and what are the consequences of this sharing.
The only thing that was a bit of a let down for me was the way the story was wrapped up. It seemed a little more James Bond than how the rest of the story theme went.
But I still really enjoyed it. Reread my first sentence.
Enjoy!

This is such a fun read! I love that the main character (and other contestants in the story) have to live without modern technology and wear vintage clothes. It's a step back in time, in our modern world. When we realize that the contest becomes dangerous for Luna and the other characters, the book takes quite a turn. It keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole time. This is a fantastic ride, and I highly recommend this book.

I love the music Luna listens to while she tells her story. A story from past and present let this story flow and the excellent writing allows you to feel as if you know Luna and her friends. I really enjoyed this story.

I devoured this excellently executed story on the evils of social media and the importance of living in the moment. Although I confess that the fact that what is now considered retro is the era of my early teens made me shed a tear.
The way the book is told between flashbacks to how Luna got in her present predicament and Luna trying to get out of where she's at makes the pacing of the story flow in such a way that I didn't even realize I was more than halfway through the book when I'd only meant to read for a few minutes. The group of friends that gathered around Luna after a sad event launched the Retro Challenge is full of great characters that I would have loved to be friends with and would still wish to have as friends. Their interactions and support throughout the book kept things light even when the situation was getting dire and I love when a book manages that.
And I'd be remiss not to praise how well the authors manage to insert very important and serious topics into the story. Characters discuss important issues such as loss, peer pressure, mental health, and immigration law in natural ways that feel true to the characters' ages and the moment they live in. It's an excellent example of how to bring dark topics into a story without weighing it down unnecessarily.
Overall, it's a fantastic book that deserves all the praise for being both incredibly entertaining and deeply thought-provoking at the same time.

Most excellent thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers for the exceptional read!

Super fun…a wild ride! Retro had me on the edge of my seat all while reminiscing about some of my favorite 90’s moments. It was also thought-provoking…what would life be like if we stepped back from all the technology? Enjoyed this one!

I think my younger students will like this one. the idea is interesting a world with no technology, now some of us are old enough that that was our reality growing up but not kids today. Some interesting characters with some growth , the ending wasn't as good as I would have wanted and it was also less of a thriller than i expected but as I said good for my younger students

I really wanted to like this. I bought it and everything. But it was pitched to me as a thriller and there was absolutely nothing thrilling about it. I was disappointed.

A great modern YA thriller with an awesome group of characters who were wonderfully written. I wanted to figure out everything with this group, and also take a break from screen time at the end of reading.

Retro by Sophia Lapuente and Jarrod Shusterman seems like it is going to be a fun, exciting romp through the ‘80s, and the format of the novel is really intriguing. But, it just did not do it for me completely. The story starts off strong- a fun social experiment aimed at loosening the grip social media has on teens. How long can you go without technology? Luna kickstarts this experience because of a mistake she made on social media conglomerate, Limbo. She asks for help to right a wrong, and unwittingly starts a chain of events that will end up threatening her family and all those around her. What starts off as a fun romp into bright neon clothes, fun ‘80s tunes, and the freedom of being constantly monitored via cell phone slowly turns a bit more sinister. Along the way, Luna makes new friends and learns about her own strength and determination to do the right thing. All of this is great, and appealing for mid-teens. But the end was just too ambitious, and predictable. Plus, there is little payoff on the chapters that take place in the present tense- why is Luna locked up? Where is she? What is the danger? The answers are not satisfying. The characters are also a bit one-dimensional and predictable. It doesn’t feel like we get to know the characters beyond their “title”- quirky girl, popular girl, golden boy, gay bestie, etc. I think Lapuente and Shusterman have a GREAT premise, and really fun ideas, but it just didn’t land for me. I do think mid-teens would find it quirky enough to pick up and maybe check out some of the playlist. It’s a solid 3/5 for me. Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC in return for my honest feedback.

I went into this book with no expectations, yet come out of it recommending it to all my friends and books clubs! The beginning of the book delved into deep topics yet in a digestible way, and then as the challenge was introduced the reader was enveloped into a retro vibe. I especially loved the soundtrack that went along with it that helped with the overall experience. The mystery that started to unfold about halfway through the story was intriguing, and while I didn’t exactly know the outcome, I noticed the small details that were placed throughout the story. The twists, turns, and themes of this story were just fantastic, I especially liked the aspects of friendship and the affects of social media. The diversity of the characters was another amazing thing to see! Such a great reading experience!

Laughs, mystery, friendship, betrayal, mental health, self esteem, family, and nostalgia! This book pulled all the right heartstrings!

I love that the characters take on the retro challenge and embrace the throwback aspects of games and entertainment before their time. Their motivation felt very real and sincere and the events felt like they could really happen at any of our schools. The corporate bottom line and never ending search for social media material made it easy to distrust and suspect Limbo but this book still had twists I never saw coming.

The concept was fun/intriguing. Teenagers enter a contest to go without technology for a year in order to win a college scholarship. But participants start going missing and the remaining participants try to find out what is going on. My enjoyment was marred a bit because while I like YA, this felt more middle grade to me.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I had fun reading it and I was quickly engaged with the story. I really liked the overall themes and messaging in the story. I liked the characters. They kept me interested in the story wanting to know more about them. This book has a diverse cast. I’ll definitely be recommending this one