I enjoyed this one, but felt like it spent so much time in the past timeline to build the story that we didn't get enough time in the current timeline. I liked the story over all, but also think it needed some more character development.

My post-apocalyptic book club is about to set its reading calendar so I've been going through the post-apocalyptic novel in my TBR pile. I was excited about this one because I love seeing how society survives and rebuilds following an apocalypse.

Larch and Kristina lived through the great transition and their daughter Emi who was born after the transition is doing a history project on the event. Often in dystopian fiction, we don't really see what led to the present-day, so I did like seeing about the event through Larch's and Kristina's recollections.

Unfortunately, that was about all I enjoyed. I found the execution of the story disappointing. There was a lot of telling rather than showing.

The present-day plot with Emi and Larch searching for Kristina after an attack on their town was boring. And I wasn't expecting it to feel like a young adult novel. But with so much of it told from Emi's point-of-view, I guess it was difficult to avoid that tone.

The social commentary was a little heavy-handed as well. I prefer it to be more subtle. Instead, it was clear that Kristina's refugee experience following the climate crisis was a stand-in for recent immigration issues in our own society. Of course, there is a parallel between our own climate problems and those leading up to The Great Transition.

I did find interesting the divisive perspectives of Kristina and Larch. Larch seemed to be ready for the world to heal and move forward, even if that meant some of those who caused the "problems" got away with it. Whereas, Krisina feels that all the "climate criminals" must pay. I'm sure this echoes how many people felt following WWII. There were those who wanted to heal and find a way forward and there were those who wanted justice no matter how long it took.

The novel didn't work for me, but if you enjoy young adult dystopian novels, then you should check this one out.

My review will be published at Girl Who Reads on Wednesday - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2024/06/the-great-transition-by-nick-fuller.html

The writing in this one was a bit juvenile, which definitely kept me from being able to fully engage. And while I did find it entertaining, well paced, and with an intriguing concept, this genre is one where there is a plethora to choose from and a lot with better writing and more fully developed characters.

Set in the future when climate change has altered our planet, Emi and her parents, Larch and Kristina, reside in Nuuk, Greenland. When Emi’s mom goes missing and a dozen climate criminals are brazenly murdered, Emi and Larch head out in search of Kristina. Told through several points of view as well as Emi’s school essays, this stellar and hopeful debut is a standout. 5 stars.

The synopsis of this book was so intriguing to me, and I saw one of my mutual followers on bookstagram recommend this book so I wanted to give it a try. Dystopian fiction isn't my go-to genre so I was prepared to give the book time for me to warm up to it going in. I think the beginning hooked me well enough. I was intrigued by the concept of Zero Day celebrations and the Great Transition and moving away from fossil fuels and such. The topic seemed timely enough. However, by part 3 I was completely bored and lost and did not feel like the narrative was following a clear thread. I am DNFing at 25%. There is too much back and forth in time for me to make sense of what's going on, and the narration from Emi isn't clear enough in part 3 to make me want to continue. Things feel muddled and disorienting. Love the idea of the topic but I guess the execution just isn't for me. Thanks anyway for the ARC.

I loved this speculative fiction novel set sometime in the future. The characters and their story drew me in and kept me turning the pages until the end. I really enjoyed the family’s relationship as well as the climate aspect.

Speculative climate fiction is a favorite genre of mine so I was very excited to get this title through Net Galley. I liked the story, but was lost in the timeline. Reflections back to cultural music of my teen era, but being loved by a 15 year old, 16 years after net zero, did not relay how long into the future this story was occurring.
Just when I was loosing interest in the journey of the two main characters, there is a turning point that pulls me back in.
I don’t have trigggers when reading, but I read enough social media posts to know it’s a problem for some. There is an eating disorder in this book, and I’m not sure why. It added nothing to the story and was not explored for the cause or the cure.

Wow. This story is amazing. The creativity behind it is jaw dropping. I’m usually not drawn toward climate fiction with a utopian element, but I’m glad I made the exception for this novel. It’s a must read for everyone.

The story is conveyed by two alternating POV’s: Larch, husband of Kristina and father to teenage Emi, and Emi, daughter of Larch and Kristina.

There is also mystery/thriller piece embedded in the story after Kristina goes missing, and what ensues as Larch and Emi embark on finding her. There are secrets, heart pounding moments, and a vivid examination of the world post-climate crisis with flashbacks to before net zero emissions was achieved.

Brilliant.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

One of the latest entries in the Cli-Fi genre, The Great Transition follows one family living in the aftermath of a climate crisis and the world's response to it. Using a school report as a device for looking to the past, we uncover the history of both the family and the crisis. Along with the Cli-Fi elements, this is a story about how change can affect a family.

As a debut novel, the story suffered a bit from pacing issues in my opinion. It was slow to grab my attention, and I put it down around 15-20% until I could get the audio version. The different format worked for me, and the story picked up from there. I enjoyed the imagination of a future where humans have dealt with the climate crisis and what that might look like. Unlike some similar stories the way of life completely changes, we get to see life moving on in much the same way with a few key differences.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #AtriaBooks for a free copy of #TheGreatTransition by Nick Fuller Googins and to Cindy Burnett at #ThoughtsFromAPage for arranging the early read. All opinions are my own.

I knew I had to pick up this book after hearing so many great reviews. I even waited until it came out in physical form and bought myself a hard copy. Unfortunately, I had to DNF this book around the 30% mark. I found myself gravitating towards other books and not wanting to pick this one back up as I could not get into the story or any of the character arc's.

I may try to pick this book back up at some point but at this time I did not work for me.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for allowing me to read an early copy.

Cli-fi can be hit or miss but this is a total hit! Set in a future where we’ve achieved Net Zero (and celebrate with raucous parties and binge drinking). Mother Teresa has been supplanted by Mother Greta. And Beyoncé and Bruno Mars are classic music.
The story is told from an angsty teenage girl’s perspective. She’s just starting to understand that her parents are human, fallible, complex. So, the story is as much an exploration of that part of coming-of-age as it is about finally reckoning with climate criminals.
Not many stories are set in Maine or Greenland, so I appreciated that part of the descriptions.
Diverse ethnicities and sexual orientations are mentioned in the story. And while I would hope any future world had less emphasis on professional sports, at least this one’s about the WNBA!

I really enjoyed this story. It was genre bending- cli-fi meets dystopian and family drama- and I think the author as able to pull it off. It felt very plausible from a scientific standpoint, and I really appreciate that the characters were as fleshed out as well as the plot was. It made me think and made me feel- sign of good fiction, to me!

Wow, this was a truly great read set in the near future about the effects of climate change. I connected well with the characters and the emotional part of the story. In addition it was exciting, hard to put down and very thought provoking. The morality questions were particularly interesting. I look forward to more from this author (maybe even a sequel) as this is his first novel. Thanks to Edelweiss+ for the digital ARC. 5/5 stars

What an enticing read of what our world could become after it ends. The author does such an excellent job on showing a new society rising from the ashes of the climate catastrophe and what people had to go through during it. The flashbacks not only show us how the world and society collapsed, but also how the characters dealt with it ad became charged with effecting change. Beautifully told.

The Great Transition by Nick Fuller Googins explores a near future climate crisis novel. I thought this story was extremely well written and well imagined. We meet a family of 3 living in a society post climate crisis after we save the world.

This was just great - the author did an amazing job of building the world and a story to match it. I loved the characters and the questions that this story brought up really made me think. One of my favorite climate novels. Don’t miss it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC - The Great Transition is out now!

After climate change causes severe destruction, the world bands together to rebuild and save the planet. The movement is called The Great Transition. Born post-Transition, Emi lives in a utopia compared to what her parents lived through. When her mom goes missing during a time of political upheaval, Emi begins a determined search to find her.

As a fan of speculative and dystopian fiction, I was really excited to read THE GREAT TRANSITON. The story started off pretty strong but unfortunately things fell apart for me in the later part and I felt like I was suddenly reading a different book. I enjoyed the premise centering on climate change as this is an important and timely topic. There were many thought-provoking moments. I liked the alternating timelines and inclusion of Emi’s school report. The tone and pacing really shifted when Emi began searching for her mom. From then on, I really struggled to keep interest and was reading more so to get to the conclusion rather than out of enjoyment.

I liked the premise of THE GREAT TRANSITION but the overall execution fell flat for me. I’d still recommend it to those that the synopsis sparks interest for as it may work better for others.

Thank you to Atria and NetGalley for the DRC.

Is it possible to hate /enjoy a book? The flashbacks read like a documentary for our present day. I was riveted to those sections. This is fiction though and the part I hated is that I can see it playing out this way IRL.

I loved this book and have already shared it with many library patrons. It is a great introduction to Climate Fiction, All of the problems but with so much hope. I also really enjoyed the parts of the book written as a high school research paper with bonus teacher comments!

This book was really compelling in its approach to climate change. It centers around a family navigating through the aftermath of a transition from a catastrophic climate event. There's a lot that stuck with me about it and I think it really speaks to a young generation that regularly has to face policy regarding climate change that they have little control over.

This cli-fi novel caught my attention for its comparisons to books I love like Station Eleven and Future Home of the Living God. The author himself calls it a "climate crisis utopia": the story is set in a near-future world that almost collapsed due to the great climate crisis, but global citizens forged a post-nation-state, post-fossil-fuel way of being, and this change became known as The Great Transition. In one timeline, 15-year-old Emi listens to oldies like Adele and Taylor Swift, works on a school research project about The Great Transition, and seeks to find her mother, a missing climate change activist. In the past timeline, we follow Emi's mother and father as they meet and fall in love while working to avert climate disaster before the crucial milestone of Day Zero. This is a fast-paced, intelligent genre mash-up and a worthy addition to the rapidly expanding catalog of ecological fiction. Narrated by Stacy Carolan and Stacy Gonzalez.