genre: dystopian sci fi
2460, east coast.

After economic collapse, LifeCorp has taken over and now controls work and productivity in the US. In the Metro that stretches from old Atlanta to Boston, Liv Newman is Lower serving as Proxy who uses a neurochip to deliver memories and emotions to Uppers. One of her clients offers her an insane amount of money for her to journey north beyond the LifeCorp borders to see the stars for him. The money is too good not to take the dangerous job. Adrian Rao owes his life to LifeCorp, and as a Forceman, he's tasked with tracking down threats to productivity, threats which include Liv. He follows her to the wilds of former New Hampshire, and he's stunned to find a young woman who has erased her memory of the Metro and her former life to carry out her job.

This is a great novel that hearkens back to the YA SF/dystopia novels of a decade ago, but that feels wholly relevant to 2024.

If you know me, you know I don't typically pick up a lot of YA. The Dividing Sky came highly recommended though, so it was worth it for me to try it. I really enjoyed the fresh take that Jill Tew brings to dystopian SF. The book is YA in plot style and intensity of emotion, but worked well for me overall with its themes of analysis of consumerism and corporate governance.

4⭐️ for overall story / 5⭐️ for audiobook performance

Originally I had planned to read this in ebook format, but once I saw there was an audiobook version and sampled it, I knew I had to read this with my ears. This was a fabulous example of YA fantasy romance done incredibly well. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and the audiobook performance just took it up a notch. The writing was thoughtful, yet subtle, and done in such an impactful way that had me pausing just to sit with quotes for a second to really take them in. I really appreciated this story and what it had to offer the reader. While it was YA and closed-door spice, it was such a sweet, at times desperate, romance that I couldn't really put down. The two MCs were enjoyable and I found their dynamic intriguing and ultimately satisfying. The side characters also provided some solid support for the story. The world and concepts were fascinating and it reminded me a little of the show Altered Carbon, but not quite as heavy on the sci-fi aspect. I also really admire an author who can write legitimately good non-cursory dialogue. In my opinion, that's not always easy to do, but this actually came out pretty well.

I did feel like the ending fell a little short in terms of payout for me, but I still thought it ended nicely. Just a little too abruptly for a standalone (?). I really wanted more of the after-effects (both short and longterm) of everything that went down in the last 5% of the book.

Audiobook performance:
These narrators did a fantastic job! This was my first listen for both of them. This was done in dual style with Junior Nyong'o as the voice of Adrian and Khaya Fraites as the voice of Liv. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to both of these VAs and it would be my absolute pleasure to listen to them again. Khaya, especially, did an excellent job with the different character voices and accents.

Recommendation:
I would absolutely recommend this book and also the accompanying audiobook. If you're looking for a solid YA sci-fi/urban-esque fantasy romance with no spice, but a little steam, and some good fast-paced action/adventure, then I think you'll enjoy this. Happy reading friends! 🤙🏼💕

I originally received this as an ebook early review copy through NetGalley by the author prior to release. This review is my honest feedback and given voluntarily.

I adored this book. It really brought me back to the old days of YA dystopia, but with a clever new angle that I think offers a better critique of current society than some of the novels of the 2010s. Can’t wait to see what Jill has in store.

This book has it all; incredible world-building, a cozy atmosphere, beautifully crafted characters, a great love story that also manages to be action-packed. It seriously play like a movie in your mind.

The story explores themes of living life fully and self-discovery. The insight into both of their thought process and emotions really pulled their overall character together making it easy to relate to them. The found family theme was a wonderful aspect, though I wish it had erate been explored more.

I have to applaud Jill on how well she fleshed out this world. It's hard to believe this is Tew's debut book! You can tell she put a lot of care and thought into this.

It’s 2364, and the Metro, under the control of LifeCorp, is driven by one thing: productivity.

Liv Newman, living in the lower-class Towers, is a Proxy. She uses the neurochip in her brain to capture emotional memories for clients (like the adrenaline rush of skydiving or the peaceful awe of a beautiful sunset), enabling them to maintain a high productivity score but still “experience” the feelings for themselves. Struggling to make ends meet, and longing for a better life, Liv illegally sells memories to residents of the Towers on the side.

When Forcemen, members of LifeCorp’s police force, notice a mysterious pattern of rebellious behavior in the Towers, Adrian Rao is sent to investigate alongside his droid partner Nas. They discover Liv in the midst of an illegal memory transfer that seems related to the disruptive behavior, and their mission is to track her down and arrest her. But when Adrian follows Liv to the dangerous no-man’s-land outside the city, he discovers her with her memory wiped. How is he supposed to arrest someone who has no idea she’s committed a crime?

As the pair navigate their way back to the Metro, they begin to question the goodness and wisdom of LifeCorp, leading them into a series of adrenaline-filled adventures.

While leaning heavily into love-at-first-sight romance territory, the novel raises interesting questions about our modern obsession with productivity and hustle culture over genuine experience and connection.

Thank you NetGalley, Random House Children’s, and Joy Revolution for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are our own.

Will be published at https://threeheads.works/category/blog/ya-books/ on November 25, 2024.

Got to love some YA Dystopian!! This one has so much to offer fans of the genre -- great worldbuilding, strong characters, and twists and turns you didn't see coming. The pacing moves quickly and the romance is a very wholesome enemies to lovers. The side characters were some of the best parts for sure. And the action scenes were super fun. Of course, there's lots of necessary banter! Parts of this book felt almost cozy, in the best way possible. The found family themes and vibes are some of my favorite!

(3.5 ⭐️)

I love the world that Jill as built, but there was a lot more depth that wasn’t there. This is another case of a book by a black author that should have been a duology of a series. i loved the latter half of this novel a lot more than the fun and games section. but as soon as i started enjoying myself, the novel was over.

How this book managed to throw together all my favorite cliché tropes into one addictive and engaging story, I will never understand, but gosh was it a fun romp!

The first 1/3rd of the book focuses heavy on the worldbuilding and establishing the conflict that will inevitably set up the "enemies" portion of our enemies to lovers romantic tension, and then Jill Tew hits you upside the head in the best way possible with the memory loss that turns the entire dynamic upside down. And oh boy is it deliciously delightful to watch our male protag Adrien Rao fall for a woman he knows he shouldn't while she's blissfully unaware.

Our cast of side characters were also insanely lovable - my only gripe is that I wished to see more of them, and I could have honestly read an entire side story about them (hint, hint, hmmmm?)

I adored reading this book and it made me wish that the dystopian genre hadn't fallen to the wayside in recent years. Give me more black kids falling in love in the midst of a downtrodden yet hopeful future!

Yes!!! Dystopian is back!!! And Jill Tew does it the justice it deserves.

The world building was on-point and the romance sucked me into an already fabulous story. Trust me, just read this one!

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sometimes you just need a good dystopian novel. I really enjoyed the different elements brought about in this— the emotion drugs like Mean, Ambrosia, “Orange Haze”— and how everyone in the metro serves a purpose. They’re almost like robots with a certain task. Which is wild because even robots, like Adrian’s partner Nas, exist.
I loved the fierce personality that Liv had. She loves her family of friends and will do anything for them. The world she lives in is cruel, and she is essentially giving bits of herself— her memory— for credit.
The outside world is considered savage and you’ll basically die if you go there. But when Liv goes on a mission for one of her clients, who asked for a memory of seeing the stars, she finds that all is not what it seems. Granted, she doesn’t really remember the before. See, life is so hard that she wiped her memory for a bit. Adrian, who is like a cop in the Metro, chases after her and realizes she’s without her memory. The two continue the mission she set out on (she programmed her wipe to at least remember that), and Liv is happy. She experiences true happiness and emotion for herself, as well as love. Adrian does too, but also has guilt because he knows he has to bring her in once she gets her memories back.
This gives us an enemies to lovers to enemies trope, especially once Liv gets her memory back and realizes that Adrian has betrayed her. But his love for her has made him take off the rose colored glasses he had about his home. He was so thankful to LifeCorp for essentially saving him, but he was being just as controlled and manipulated. He realizes the evil they are doing, and wants to bring down the system too.
This is the part I love of dystopian novels. I love getting to see the way this new world works, why it sucks, and then watching our main characters take down the man. It’s such a good formula!
Jill Tew executed this story really well and I enjoyed the cast of characters we got to meet, the world created, the emotions felt, and the lessons learned. Be real, be kind, and live a little.

Thank you to TBR and Beyond Tours for having me, and a big thank you to the author for reaching out to me with a copy as well! Thank you PRH Audio for the ALC.I thank you for bringing this book into my life, and giving me the opportunity to share it. Thank you NetGalley!

Be sure to check out their website for the rest of the tour!

I truly appreciated the complexity of this story. You can see the value that Liv and how she shows up for her family. I also really liked seeing how Adrian shifted just in being in Liv's presence and feeling her comfort. I didn't want to put this down and loved the commentary it provided on today. It eerily felt relatable and spoke to the cautions necessary when managing how corporations play a larger role in all of our lives.

The enforcer, Adrian, is tasked with tracking down an outlaw, Liv, who sells happy memories to wealthy clients. However, when he finally locates her, he discovers her memory has been erased. Now, he faces a moral dilemma: can he condemn her for a crime she doesn't even remember committing?

I really enjoyed Jill Tew's world-building. In the year 2460, corporations govern this town. Individuality is eliminated, including hobbies such as cooking homemade meals and reading books. People’s worth is based solely on their productivity.

The cast of characters in The Dividing Sky is incredibly diverse. It's fantastic to see Liv, a POC female MC who rivals Katniss (Hunger Games), Tris (Divergent), or Mare (Red Queen). All the characters, including the side characters, are relatable. And teens are bound to fall in love with the wholesome enemies-to-lovers relationship between Liv and Adrian.

Other Highlights: Themes of human connection, capitalism, and individualism

I paired the audiobook and physical book. Junior Nyong’o and Khaya Fraites did an amazing job with the narration. You can't go wrong with either format.

“This is it. I’m losing her. So I kiss her, slow and deep. A kiss, I pray, that’s strong enough to hold this version of her here, no matter how her old memories demand control.” 😐😐😐😐

Before I begin, I want to thank Random House Children’s/NetGalley for providing me with this arc of The Dividing Sky. <3 Although I abhor writing negative reviews of books that authors put their heart and soul into, I am going to be completely honest about my thoughts on this book.

While the description of this book is engaging, the execution of it is royally lackluster. The storyline and characters can only be described by two words: tedious and flat. Truly, I found it difficult to stay engaged because every single element fell short. :/ The world-building is weak and the stakes are not high. For example, there is a place referred to as the Outerlands that is beyond the jurisdiction of the governing system called LifeCorp (put simply, it is outside of where basically everyone lives). Once explored, the corruption/lies of LifeCorp is quickly exposed, yet anyone can EASILY, without any struggle, waltz out there and choose to reject LifeCorp’s rule, which actually happens. Like what? 🤨 And don’t get me started on the romance! I feel like I missed something because out of nowhere, after a week of knowing each other, there was a line that said they are in love…It caught me completely off guard. Anyway, I’m so disappointed that I did not enjoy this book. :( I know that I’m quite critical of most things including books. And for that reason, I won’t discourage you from reading The Dividing Sky, which contains minimal violence and swearing as well as no spice beyond tension/kisses, if the book description entices you. You might very well love it xoxo

The Dividing Sky is an excellent installment to the catalog of YA Dystopia. Lovers of Divergent and Legend will feel like coming home when they pick up this romantic and thrilling debut novel!

I have an endless amount of good things to say about this book, but let's start with the characters. The fully fleshed, genuinely interesting, characters of The Dividing Sky drive this story from the very beginning. There's not a lag in sight. And don't get me started on the romance! Tris and Four, meet your successors. The tension between Liv and Adrian is its own entity. This plot, the world, lends itself to so much uncertainty.

It is one of the best books I've read in a very long time. Do yourselves a favor and go get a copy!

A fast-paced, brilliant debut! This sci-fi romance with dystopian vibes is everything we've been missing from the genre in recent years! Tew creates a vibrant, messy world which mirrors our society in some of the scariest ways, all while drawing the reader in with characters and action. Lovers of sci-fi and dystopian will enjoy it, of course, but I believe fantasy readers will as well! An all POC cast full of heart, and an enemies to lovers romance that is as tense as it is sweet.

I really enjoyed this ya sci-fi dystopian. It was really different from everything I have read before and the world-building was fantastic. The romance and the characters were so compelling. My only complaint is that I want so much more of this world! I need more from all the side characters and another taste of happily ever after.

Thank you penguinteen Canada and netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was an absolutely fantastic story. I can't say the last time I read a dystopian, and this was right up my alley. I was expecting more violence (I'm glad there wasn't, though). The banter was great, and this was action-packed. I'm so excited for what Jill Tew has coming up.

This is a dystopian sci-fi romance that manages to combine elements of memory manipulation, societal control, and an unlikely enemies-to-lovers relationship. Liv and Adrian are caught on opposite sides of a system rigged for corporate profit. Yet, due to the unique use of the anemia trope, their connection is allowed to flourish in a way that feels both natural and compelling.

Long before this story, a corporation graciously takes over for a failing government, the populace and culture have drastically changed. Its citizens have very specific roles and are separated into Uppers and Lowers. Liv collects experiences and emotions to sell to the rich (and illegally to the poor to try to elevate the status of she and her family - an almost impossible task) while Adrian is an enforcer.

Adrian, the rookie officer chasing Liv, has his own journey to go through. His strong belief in order and justice is challenged as he grapples with Liv’s lost memories and the moral complexities of punishing someone who no longer remembers their crimes. Their romance blossoms from this strange situation, and I loved watching them navigate their feelings amidst the danger and tension of their world.Even though some of the supporting characters didn’t get as much time to shine, I still really enjoyed them and they all felt like individuals.

The world-building is chilling in its depiction of a society under corporate control, where even emotions, memories, and relationships are commodities. I was hooked by how the neurochip technology alters people to specific needs and the government-sponsored drugs keeps them docile and productive. It’s both terrifying and immersive, with commentary on the dangers of unchecked capitalism. The roles within society and how they’ve been modified for control are fascinating.

I will say that the pacing wasn't as fluid as it could have been. Some of the world-building and relationships weren't given a lot of time and attention despite how interesting they were and the amnesia trope in the middle of the story really slowed things down in the story. The middle of the book felt a bit separate from the rest of the story and the ending felt rushed.

If you’re a fan of dystopian settings with a sweet romance, this has plenty to love.

Thanks so much to Netgalley, TBR and Beyond Tours, the author, and Random House Children's for the complimentary copies. This review is voluntary and all opinions are my own.

“𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗘 𝗗𝗘𝗟𝗜𝗕𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗟𝗬”

A 5⭐️ rating from me, often means the book made me cry. Not this time. THE DIVIDING SKY by JILL TEW overwhelmed me with pure joy!

This book was such a treat! It’s a YA love story set in the dystopian world of the Metro, a stretch of the United States’ eastern cities essentially owned and operated by LifeCorp. Human value is determined by an individual’s productivity, and quick stimulation has replaced genuine enjoyment and fulfilling rest.

Tew’s writing is tight and direct, which gives the story a pretty quick pace. When we meet the main characters they both have a degree of naïveté, their worldview limited by the roles they play in society. But once they are forced out of their regular routines, both Liv and Adrian catch on to the truth of LifeCorp pretty quickly. I appreciated this as a reader, as too often I find myself frustratedly waiting for characters to clue-in to the obvious.

There were a few scenes I wish would have stretched out a bit longer. Without giving away spoilers, I’ll just say there’s a big scene in the arcade during the story’s climax. A longer beat to revel in the shared emotional moment, the big revelation, would’ve provided more cinematic punch.

I loved how this book both embraces and subverts dystopian tropes. “Cozy dystopian” shouldn’t work, but in the end, The Dividing Sky feels like a warm hug. Its lessons are those we all know in our hearts, but still need to hear.

Read this, and Tew’s words will fill you with joy to withstand the winter to come.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

This story combines what different things I love about my favorite dystopian and AU properties. There are clear societal divisions like in The Hunger Games, a focus on everyone doing a particular task they’ve been trained to do and nothing else, which to me is similar to everyone picking a moral they will follow in Divergent, a government that has a special version of a serum everyone wants to get their hands on like in The Boys. Some of the best aspects of popular dystopian stories are brought together in an incredibly effective way.

The idea of the proxies really resonated with me. It was something unlike anything I’d read in another book, and the idea that, if you have enough money because you work a higher-paying position, you can pay those in a different societal tier to experience life for you is such an interesting concept. The obvious connections between living life to the fullest and not letting experiences escape you, even if it’s through someone else, is a fascinating thing.

I also found this society particularly compelling because of the emphasis placed on productivity. Even the upper echelons aren’t immune. Their productivity is just as important, their jobs just take on a greater role in society, which causes more stress and takes more time away from them. The value of productivity and someone’s ability to perform a task fast and well just spoke to me as someone that was told being productive was the key to life. Slowing down is hard, and I liked seeing the topic handled in a dystopian setting, especially in a technologically advanced society.