f you enjoy dystopian books, look no further, you'll adore this one!

Read if you like
Dystopian
YA romance
"I shouldn't love you"
Memory loss
Found family
Forced proximity
Taking care when sick/hurt

Dystopian's stories are something I really wished I read more. It is such a different vibe, often with high-stakes and it is captivating. In this one, we are in a future where people are exploited, working and living for the rich. The whole idea of sending others to actually live your life is really eye opening and not far from reality when you think about the amount of time we spend living through our phones or screens. It really makes you question yourself, that is for sure.

I really enjoyed how the story was divided, with placing our characters first and letting us discover this whole futuristic world, and then it was definitely more romance centered which I adored, to a more action packed ending with lots of revelations! The fact that Liv had lost her memory but not all of it and that bits were coming back fast kept things really interesting. I enjoyed seeing our characters really getting to know each other in this different set-up. They had so many cute moments and it was delightful. I have to admit, I am not big on love at first sight so I got scared by our characters' first meeting. It was also a bit weird how Adrian felt so betrayed when they didn't know each other and she had just helped him... but still, the fact that Adrian was fighting the pull between them so hard made it okay for me, haha. Love me some tension!

The found family vibes, both from our main characters' original friends and also the new ones they made during this story, was really satisfying. (Nas was simply everything!) I also quite enjoyed the internal dilemmas the characters were going through, their insecurities, their traumas, it all made them more relatable. I did find however that sometimes our characters were making deductions quite fast, I did not see the thoughts progress in their mind and it felt like some infos were just coming out of nowhere, but then, I'm not that bright so I might be the problem, hahaha!

Overall it was a very enjoyable dystopian read and I am impressed this is actually a debut!

Thanks so much to PenguinTeenCA and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

t’s been a while since I’ve read a dystopian novel and this story was soo refreshing and full of BIPOC characters! The world building was easy to follow, the character development, and life within the Metro was understandable and detailed. This is a YA dystopian novel, which follows Liv, a girl living in a world that is production based. As a proxy your life is essentially not your own, as you have to be of service to those above you through giving memories, providing childcare, and even maintaining another persons personal relationships.😮‍💨 This story was a reminder that there is so much more to life, and to really appreciate the beauty around you. Definitely worth the read!

Thank you @jtewwrites and @netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I just finished THE DIVIDING SKY last night, and it is a page turner!

This YA dystopia is set in the remnants of the US run by a corporation, "LifeCorp," where everyone is drugged into optimism and complacency and gig work dominates the labor market. Liv Newman is an "EmoProxy," someone who collects and sells emotional experiences. Desperate for cash, she accepts a big payout to go outside the city and capture the stars for an eccentric client, while hot on her tail is a rookie cop who may also be falling in love with her.

The romance is sweet, the worldbuilding engaging, the plot fresh and unpredictable, and the found family delightful. Fans of DIVERGENT, HUNGER GAMES, and WALDEN by Henry Thoreau (iykyk) will eat this up!

Congratulations to Jill Tew on an terrific debut! THE DIVIDING SKY is out on Tuesday, 10/8.

Thanks to the publisher/NetGalley for the free ARC. I wasn't asked to blurb this, but I sometimes go on NetGalley and request things that look good.

Thank you so much TBR & Beyond for my tour copy of The Dividing Sky by Jill Tew! This dystopian novel features two Black leads, and Jill describes it as being “for every Black girl who dreamed of being Tris, or Katniss, or Tally,” and I wholeheartedly agree that Liv deserves to be up there with some of our favorite FMCs for sheer badassery!

Adrian and Liv are well-written in that they both have imperfections and insecurities and similar childhood trauma. As enemies-to-lovers, their dynamic is unique because Liv loses her memories and so gets the opportunity to fall for Adrian without the factors of their different statuses getting in the way. Adrian’s underlying code of morality makes him the perfect protector, just as soon as he realizes who actually deserves his protection!

I think the world described in The Dividing Sky is an all-too-possible future in which a corporation becomes our government and our lives are based solely around being their employees. It is perfectly terrifying in its potential to become fact.

I loved that Jill imagined a future in which there is no racial divide, largely in part to all peoples eventually blending genetics so that all skin tones were in shades of brown and all hair and eye colors ran the gamut of possibility.

I think this book has a wonderful revolutionary ending that left me wondering if there could be a next book but also feeling a good amount of closure in regards to the conflict and romance. I think The Dividing Sky is perfect for any dystopian lover, but I also recommend it to anyone whose favorite plotlines were Katniss and Peeta or Tris and Four, and definitely to those Black girls and women Jill calls to in her promos! Four stars!

THE DIVIDING SKY BY JILL TEW

More YA scifi  

This book has *everything* - a futuristic society deep in the throes of late-stage capitalism. A young woman given a job that could change everything. A young man who owes his life to the corporation she could destroy. AMNESIA! Overall, this was a fun, fast read that's perfect for anyone wanting that YA dystopia itch scratched. Though selfishly I wish I'd gotten this story spread out into another book or two - the worldbuilding was so cool!!

Here are a few of the coolest things about THE DIVIDING SKY: 
YA Total Recall with a little Uglies flair
Capitalism is the enemy (just like IRL)
Quitting being a future cop bc you fell in love with a criminal (and lightly ACAB)

#amreadingromance #bookstagram #review #romancebooks #romancelandia #romancereader #romancereads #books #bookrecommendation #joyrevolution #arc #netgalley

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this!

This book is set in a dystopian world, but it is important to know that the focus is Liv and Adrian’s relationship. And because of the fact that their relationship developed so fast that they said they loved each other after knowing each other for ONE WEEK, I couldn’t give it 5 stars (I’m sorry I just really don’t find the insta-love believable!)

I do really like how Liv and Adrian’s viewpoints of life were challenged because of each other, giving them satisfying character arcs. That also led to the conclusion that the people were being pitted against each other to benefit a corporation… sound familiar?

I really liked the group of friends Liv has and their unique banter and I wish we got to see more of them!

Overall, while this has all the pieces of a truly horrifying but not completely impossible dystopian, I feel like the gravity of the world isn’t felt as much in favor of the romance getting more attention. And I do feel like that was the intention of the book, but it’s just an important note to not except something as dark and intense as The Hunger Games.

I recommend this!

Thank you to @tbrbeyondtours and @jtewwrites for the eARC and for including me in this book tour!

Liv Newman dreams of a better life beyond her lower-class existence in the Towers of the Metro. As an EmoProxy, her job is to provide her wealthy clients with Scraps, memories with heightened emotions. When her client offers her an exorbitant sum to create a memory in the Outerlands, a place outside the safety of the Metro and filled with wild beasts and raiders, Liv can't say no. While on her journey, Liv gets caught up with Adrian Rao, a rookie Forceman whose task is to bring Liv in for her illegal Scrap dealings that are changing the brain chemistry of lower-class citizens. But as they travel the Outerlands, facing danger together and getting to know one another, they find their dreams of the future turned upside down.

This was 100% the feel-good young love dystopian story I didn't know I needed! I loved how easy it was to picture this world that Tew crafted where everyone is an employee of LifeCorp and all that matters is your productivity. It's not hard to envision that this is the future we're headed for.

Although I'm not normally a fan of insta-love, I was actually rooting for the relationship between Liv and Adrian. Although their connection was more immediate than might seem realistic, I appreciated that Tew gave them some time to sit on their feelings before acting on or confessing that connection.

I loved this read, and I can't wait to see what Tew publishes next!

Read if you like:
Enemies to lovers
Found family
Memory loss
BIPOC characters
Dual-POV
YA dystopian

𝓽𝓪𝓰𝓼: bipoc, dystopian, enemies to lovers
𝓻𝓮𝓵𝓮𝓪𝓼𝓮 𝓭𝓪𝓽𝓮: October 8, 2024
𝓻𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓰: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
𝓶𝔂 𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓼:

In a dystopian world where LifeCorp controls everything, a young girl must fight for what she wants.

“𝙔𝙤𝙪’𝙧𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡. 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙄’𝙢 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡. 𝙄 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡.”

Liv is a memory merchant, aka a Proxy, who sells memories to wealthy clients.
She’s weary of LifeCorp and wants a better life for herself.
Adrian is a rookie police officer and tasked with hunting down a rogue Proxy whose memories are changing people’s brain chemistry.
He’s a huge supporter of LifeCorp since he was left on their doorstep as a toddler from the Outerlands.
However, when Adrian catches up to Liv, he realizes she no longer has memories of her own and the two must embark on a perilous journey to get to the bottom of what’s going on.

I’m honestly obsessed, y’all.
The plot.
The characters.
The development.
The gentle yet powerful romance.
The message.
Absolutely breathtaking!

I loved how everyone is multi-cultural.
The societal gaps were intense and specific and so realistic.
The use of drugs to control and manipulate was deeply troubling.
This story is a bit dystopian and a bit reality and that’s both worrisome and wholesome.

I loved all the side characters.
And I ADORED the development of Adrian and Liv.
It was raw and tender and so real.
A ya romance at heart with a bit of science-fiction and dystopian.
SO good.
And I love the cover.

𝙄 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙘𝙤𝙥𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠. 𝘼𝙡𝙡 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙤𝙬𝙣.

My first foray into reading a dystopian novel and it did not disappoint. The concept was great, the world incredibly vivid and I immediately fell in love with Liv and Adrian 💕

Cannot wait to read again when the book is released!

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

The Dividing Sky by Jill Tew is a first person dual-POV YA dystopian romance. Liv is an Emoproxy, someone who experiences intense feelings, such as fear and heartbreak, records them, and sells them to people who have had their emotions repressed by the governing body LifeCorp. Adrian works for LifeCorp and is assigned to bring Liv in, but he gets a lot more than he bargained for when he learns Liv wiped her own memories.

I rarely comment on covers, but this cover warrants it. The use of pinks and purples only to blend into orange to reveal the city is eye-catching and feels romantic. I love how the nature scene on Liv’s side, complete with a hill, moon, and image of her and Adrian, is juxtaposed next to the bright lights of the city in Adrian’s silhouette. The best part is that Liv is facing away from Adrian and we can see her chip on her ear while Adrian is turned more towards the audience.

One of the coolest parts of the worldbuilding is that humanity on Earth has intermingled so much that everyone is mixed race and this is reflected in the character descriptions and names. Another part that I really liked was the selling of emotions. Liv does daredevil stunts and has repeat customers who offer her a lot of money for things she might take for granted but others strongly desire the experience of feeling it for themselves even if it’s painful. A lot of the ideas presented are fascinating and I would be interested in reading more stories set in this world from Jill Tew or works in a similar vein.

Liv and Adrian’s relationship isn’t a slowburn but I wouldn’t say it’s Instalove either. Liv is attracted to Adrian quickly, but it takes time for them to start acting on their attraction and we get to see some development of those feelings while they are trapped in the woods together. Adrian is pretty far gone for Liv but he’s trying to hold himself back because he’s supposed to arrest her and he hasn’t told her why he’s there. This makes their romance start off in a very sticky place, but Adrian does feel guilty.

I would recommend this to fans of YA dystopia who prefer a strong romance, readers looking for a sci-fi romance that could sit next to a lot of the books from the dystopia boom of the 2010s, and those interested in a romance exploring life without emotions.

Wow! This dystopian romance was exciting, emotional and left me extremely worried about Amazon becoming our future overlord! In all seriousness this was such a well thought out world with interesting characters that we were brought into.

The way the corporation ran everything and used propaganda to make it seem like they were helping the citizens (who were in actuality employees) but they were just overworking and suppressing them. I really loved the two MCs and their complex emotional journeys and character arcs. I really liked the romance I just wish it took a little longer to get it. I liked the tension when they were enemies!

I really wish there was another book and this isn’t the last we’ll see of these characters and world!

A dystopian romance, The Dividing Sky is about Liv and Adrian. Their world is completely controlled by LifeCorp, everyone is an employee and works constantly just to survive with the bare minimum. When they get a chance to see what a different life could look like, Liv and Adrian have to choose what matters to each of them.

Wow!! This story was so well done. The world building was absolutely incredible. The perfect dystopian world since it was just close enough to real life that you can imagine it happening but out there enough to be completely fascinating. There was so much action I inhaled this book and didn’t want to put it down. And the romance! Liv and Adrian had real chemistry and I loved seeing their story.

Such a great debut for Jill Tew!

Thank you to NetGalley and RandomHouse for the ARC!

The Dividing Sky by Jill Tew is the breath of fresh air, a return to the YA dystopia books of the 2000s that manages to be fresh and nostalgic all at once. I loved Liv and Adrian, loved the arc of their romance and their characters, and the commentary of Tew's expertly drawn world that feels a little TOO possible. I can't wait to read what Tew writes next!

If I didn't know for a fact that this was the author's first published book I'm not sure I would believe you if you told me, because it's REALLY good. Great characters, fascinating world building, good romance, intriguing plot, and slam-dunk placing. It's more or less the whole package. (As an aside it also has a very pretty package). I love me a good sci-fi story, and Tew has written one that's both familiar and new, and manages to address some serious current-world issues. The large socio-economic divide of today is explored, as well as the idea of robots taking over human jobs, a rather totalitarian government is looked at, the unfair differences in policing between rich and poor (and how police are really just another system of oppression), and even elements of the war on drugs and emotional labor are explored. It's just, it's amazing how much depth this world has, and how well Tew deals with it all. She also does a great job juxtaposing dealing with those issues while moving the story along and allowing the characters to shine through and grow. Speaking of characters, our main characters were great. I loved the dual POV, and both characters were complex and wholly developed. The only real issue I had was that I wanted a little more from the ending. I love standalones, but I almost wonder if this book would have worked better as a duology, because the ending just felt SO rushed. In fact, in the last few chapters I was really confused because I knew there was just no way that everything that really needed to happen would have time to. And I wasn't wrong. The ending was very abrupt. I'm almost tempted to drop my rating from a 5 to a 4 solely because of the ending, but I think the rest of the book was just so good that I don't feel like that's fair. I will say that the romance also felt slightly insta-love-y to me, but that we did get to see it develop enough that in the end I would call it more insta-attraction. Aside from an ending I just wanted drawn out more this book was spot on. I will have no problem recommending this one to teens and adults alike (especially teens of color, who need to see themselves in these sci-fi and dystopian stories, especially ones that deal with these real-world issues and end with such hope). I'll also be writing a shelf-talker for this for sure. I'm so thrilled that Tew has joined the ranks of the YA sci-fi authors, and I see great things in her future.

A beautifully told story that harkens back to the YA dystopian books I loved reading growing up. And this one doesn't just lean on the genre but reinvents in with unique characters and a world that feels (scarily) real. And the romance will just sweep you away. Can't wait for the world to read this one.

Dystopian is so so so back. What a breath of fresh air this was. First, I really enjoyed how *spoiler* the ending wasn't them toppling the system, it allowed us to focus on the romance in a different way that made the stakes not as nerve-wracking. Speaking of romance, Adrian, my sweet, I am so proud of you. Oh how I love a man gone and open to grovel. Liv, you've never done anything wrong a day in your life. Both of them were doing the best with what they had, and when they realized that wasn't enough they went out and found something better, together. Jill is here to usher in a new era of dystopian and science fiction and I am so so here for it.

This is a YA dystopian about a future where people are essentially cogs in the machine to a giant corporation that has its hands in every aspect of life.
Thank you to NetGalley and Joy Revolution for the opportunity to read and review this book. I am giving this three stars. While I appreciate the few differences to most YA dystopians that have been woven into this book like the FMC having an implant to record memories that she then sells none of this book felt particularly new or groundbreaking.
I did enjoy the relationship between the two MC’s but it wasn’t strong enough to overcome the fact that this book was just basic YA.

Thank you NetGalley and Jill Tew for reaching out and providing a copy of this arc in exchange for an honest review!

DNF 21%

This had a really cool concept and the writing honestly wasn't bad, but this was not hitting for me. The universe was cool but there were aspects of it that were confusing or just weird. No one interacts with their personal acquaintances but through all these different proxies. That part for me was strange and hard to wrap my head around.

And the characters really had a lot of potential, but my main issue with them and some of the writing was the lack of any emotions other than surface level. There so much complexity to this universe that there was a lot of info dumping and then just a lot of straight dialogue. Not a ton of development or introspection.

I might not have been the best headspace for this one either. I have a lot of books I'm really excited to read so it can be a risk to read something ahead of anticipated reads.

DNF for now.

I love the dystopian world crafted here. It's scarily plausible: a corporate-based society where everyone's worth is judged based on their productivity.
Our protagonists are a teen girl who collects happy memories to transfer to other people (so they don't have to take time off themselves), and a teen boy who is a police enforcer. She steps outside the law, he's tasked with hunting her down, and they collide in a romance.
This book also has a delightfully diverse cast, and many cute moments that keep the tone on the fun and light side.

What I didn't love about this book was the romance itself. Our heroine spends much of the book in a state of amnesia. Her love interest spends much of the book lying to her and manipulating her, fully taking advantage of this situation. I really can't root for a romance when the basis for it is a mixture of insta-love and lying.

A video review including this book will be on my Youtube channel in the coming weeks, @ChloeFrizzle.

Thanks to Netgalley and Joy Revolution for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed The Dividing Sky! It felt very reminiscent of the YA dystopian books I loved so much as a teen, and if this book is a sign of that genre having a comeback I'm all for it.

Near the end, Parable Of The Sower by Octavia Butler was mentioned, which made me realize how the Metro is actually pretty similar to the cities owned by businesses that were described but not focused on in the Earthseed series. Maybe this is a direction the world could have gone in those books if different things had happened. Anyways, I'm sure it was a source of inspiration for the author.

The romance in this book was sweet and believable, and I also really liked the way friendships and relationships in general were portrayed, as well as the beautiful and loving descriptions of nature.

Thank you so much to Penguin Teen Canada for the advanced digital copy of this book!