Dystopian novels tend to focus all of their attention on action and high drama which makes for quick reads often lacking in depth. That is not the case here. The drama plays out in small ways, focusing more on characters and relationships than on larger societal issues. The problems of the culture certainly play into the plot but the focus is more on the people and what motivates them. The book is narrated by the dead friend referenced in the summary and his self-reflection can produce a sense of distance from the plot but overall it's an interesting read and worth reflecting upon.

This is the most obvious satire with the worst established narrator I’ve ever read. A celebrity becomes president and then a dictator? Surprised he isn’t named Tonald Drump. And the narrator is a dead kid but I keep forgetting it isn’t third person bc it would make more sense for it to be? His friend is supposed to hear him but she hasn’t yet, and somehow I the reader can? It just isn’t good.

While I usually love dystopian books, unfortunately this was a DNF for me.

There isn't anything in particular wrong with this book I just made it about 30% in and wasn't connecting to the story. I didn't like concept of the narrator being dead. These are all very much "it's not you, it's me" issues.

If this book sounds interesting to you, definitely give it a chance.

Wow, this book is a tough read, and I mean that in the best way. Set in a distopian version of 1991 (with not so subtle hits at our current political landscape) our narrator Max (a dead queer punk ) tells the story of his best friend leading a revolution against the oppressive government that contributed to Max’s death. This is an edgy punk rock book that both teens & adults will enjoy.

An interesting book! I didn't finish this, I think because I just couldn't connect through the main characters point of view, but I enjoyed reading what I did. 3,5/5 for the content and what I read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf Books for Young Readers for this ARC. I really like the synopsis on this novel, an alternate United States set in 1991 that could possibly be us in be near future with the way the world is going. It’s illegal to put on Plays but Mia and her fellow thespians have it in their heart and souls to perform, when a friend dies and a teacher disappears, Mia is wondering if it’s even possible to continue on not only on the play but the life she is living. I enjoyed this book so much, wonderfully written, nostalgic and fresh. The ending shocked me but if it leads to a sequel then I think I might be ok with it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this. 3.5/5 stars.

I liked the dystopian sort of alternate (but painfully accurate) near future-ish elements of this novel. It is set in the 90s following a president deciding there would be no more elections but also was originally like...a businessman (ha, sound familiar?) and there's definitely elements of 1984 like the anti-american thought and whatnot.

It's told from the perspective of a ghost...which was interesting. But this ghost knew the feelings and thoughts of the main characters? I did like the drama/Shakespeare/angsty teen elements of this, punkrock, riot grrrrl stuff...but it just didn't draw me in to the plot all the way? I liked it more for the environment than I did the actual plot.

an interesting mix of theater kid + dystopian world + crime thriller + elements of the 80s. i really enjoyed the unique form of narration which was confusing at first, but i got the hang of it.

honestly i wish there was a bit more worldbuilding and context given to the external world. i thought it was really interesting but the characters didn't explore very much. the context of the world was given to us readers via politics and movements which was a bit disappointing overall. (i do appreciate the riot grrrl zine reference but it was mentioned way too much in my opinion)

Loved this! The dear narrator was an amazing touch. Creepy how much was similar to everyday. Cannot wait for act 2 since that ending was a doozy

Before I say anything about the book, I must point out the irony of me reading this book the week of 4th of July, the very one where our Supreme Courts ruled to revert our grand country back to a monarchy. How fun is that 🙃

Anyway, despite me agreeing with the politics of the story, I still didn't like it much.

First off, Max, the aforementioned dead friend from the synopsis is the narrator, which is pretty unique and unexpected. It did give the prose a very strong and distinctive voice, but it really bogged down two major elements in the story: The characters, particularly Gigi, and tension.

So, despite being dead, Max has a psychic connection to Gigi, so he's about to read all her thoughts/feelings to the reader. But him doing that really feels like he was taking Gigi's spot as the main character. Even on her own, I didn't find Gigi interesting. Yes, she did manage and direct Henry VI all on her own, a very commendable feat, but I really got annoyed at the love triangle she was having with Axl and Orin. Her death at the end barely made me blink; I could care less about this girl. The rest of the characters either annoyed me just as much as Gigi or are non characters, like the rest of the theater troupe.

As for specific reveals, the details of Max's death are told to us before Gigi, and when she finally is told, it lessened the impact so much. I so wish this book was strictly in Gigi's POV, because getting the more intimate details about Max really ruined the mystery and whatever image the reader could have of him.

The only thing about this book I liked a lot was the the showing of a totalitarian regime. Even though this takes place in an alt 90s reality, so much of the messaging, phrases, and actions of the SYXTEM echoes so much of what I've been seeing nowadays. Lariviere also included the reading/research she did in order to create the world, which I appreciate a lot. The small town setting also showed how oppressive the world had gotten since the regime took over.

All in all, despite me liking the world building, there's a lot keeping me from liking this book more. I just wish Gigi was a stronger character, and Max was allowed to be the dead boy whose presence was constantly felt but not heard.

1984 meets the 90's? Absolutely! I think this story will resonate with YA's as the 90's is seen as an iconic era of the past, while also introducing them the dystopian theme of 1984. The writing here is accessible, but not overly simplistic. The characters are sometimes a little outrageous and speak with an adult panache that is hard to believe, but it's easy to overlook due to the story and action. It's a little edgy, but not something I would hesitate to put in the hands of mature high school students. I look forward to more titles from this author.

I really wanted to like this one, but it fell short for me. The premise was intriguing and I was curious at first how things were going to play out. Overall though I found it to be way too slow moving. I know the focus was on the characters, but for such an ambitious topic, there needed to be more. I did appreciate the nostalgia factors throughout.

I’m all about dystopian fiction and the power of art, so I enjoyed this. I wound up really wishing I could see this subversive stage show about Henry VI because Shakespeare + a zine and punk aesthetic/ethos…sign me the hell up.

It’s interesting that they chose to use Henry VI as their play. I thought a more well-known play like Richard III or Macbeth might convey the message of thumbing the nose at authority figures better. Then again, having never read Henry VI, I probably shouldn’t comment on that.

While I liked Gigi, I’m still not sure how I feel about the chapters narrated by her dead friend. I don’t think they really added much.

Still, I would happily read many more books set in this world.

THOUGHTS

Sarah Lariviere paints such a harsh and cold dystopian vision that I absolutely thoroughly enjoyed. It's not the blood-and-gore dystopia usually seen in YA--or the kind soaked in romantic tension, either--but it's a stark vision of an American past that could have been--and that very much speaks to today.


PROS
Political Commentary: The best dystopias draw strong political parallels between their vision and what's happening in our world today, and this book really does take a (deservedly) harsh look at what a "libertarian" American way of life could become. The politicians here speak for the little man, supposedly, and they spout pull-yourself-up-by-the-bootstraps philosophy that's more self-serving than self-aware. With egos out of check, money on the mind, and a little less sanity than anyone wants to admit, it feels very familiar--and therefore very scary.

Bleak Outlook: The world Sarah Lariviere creates is so incredibly bleak, and it's a refreshing move away from the high-melodrama dystopias of the last YA dystopian wave. There's just something so hopeless about narrating a dystopian book from the point-of-view of an already-dead teenager, just a ghost lingering in his friend's consciousness as she navigates this cold, new reality. The friendship Max and Gigi had is so vibrant in Lariviere's writing--and the grief left behind is so tangible it's both breathtaking and sobering.

Small Town Rep: Big city dystopias are dime-a-d0zen. This book lets somewhere else take the stage. Here you've got a bunch of theatre kids sticking it to the man (as much as they dare) under s restrictive regime, fully aware that their futures, even before this regime took those futures away, probably weren't all that bright. They're not New York or California rising stars, but they've got to believe meaningful art can happen anywhere--even Champaign County, Illinois.


CONS
Slow Build: I don't mind a slow build when the payoff is this tangible, but it must be noted that this isn't an action-driven dystopian resistance. This is a resistance led by kids who don't really have many options. They're fighting back how they can, but that resistance isn't bloody revolution on the brink of war in this case. It's a soft sort of dystopian narrative, an almost-hopeless one, and that slow building up to the climax might not be what everyone's looking for in their next dystopian read.

What Plot?: Because this book is more focused on the characters and their suffocating existence under the new American way of life, it takes a while for there to feel like a plot exists. I don't know that this book needs a very strict "plot" in that way anyway, because the characters are more than enough to carry the aimless sort of self-discovery happening here. But it's definitely not a typical, plot-driven YA read--so it might not live up to the expectations of some readers.

1990s Sustained: The one little thing that irked me about this book is that the 80s and 90s nostalgia sometimes trumped worldbuilding. I mean, sure, some things would be the same, but are you telling me we're still manufacturing Laffy Taffy in this bleak new world? A lot has changed in this new American chapter, and I don't know that all of the little references would actually persist in a world this utterly unlike the 1990s as they actually existed. In a disrupted world, surely manufacturing doesn't stay the same.


Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
8/10
Those who adore M.L. Rio's If We Were Villains will love the melodrama of this Shakespeare-drenched dystopia. Those unsettled by George Orwell's 1984 will like diving into an alternate 1991.

I was really excited about the premise of this book, but after a couple chapters, it was immediately clear that I couldn't recommend it to my audience (English teachers who want to recommend books to their students) because of the heavy use of profanity. This may be a novel that students would enjoy, but it's not one I would feel comfortable recommending as a teacher to students.

I like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book.

This book is interesting, and I feel if you're a drama kid / Shakespeare / dystopian fan you'd enjoy this. It's just... edgy, raw, with purpose. There is a lot of references to now and the possible future.

Lets give a run-down. Like the movie Sunset Boulevard, our main character is dead. He died at one point in the story. So were are seeing things from his eyes in the afterlife, doomed / stranded to watch his friends put the pieces of his death together amidst a totalitarian regime that began as one guy wanting to run for presidency in the 80s'... and then... never leave. In return, he twisted and made the world into a never aging, never advancing American Dream* gone wrong.

Rock and Roll stopped at the 80's and never went forward, same with Rap, same with any sort of music that gives a viewpoint that isn't aligned with wholesome and pure. Sure, people know of the music that was before the wholesome and pure times, but it's a problematic thing if you were to listen to it.

Like 1984, people rat on others, take them away for not following the code / law / supporting the ideals. Our main character got trapped in that all and that's why he died. He made a mistake, but the mistake cost him. So now he is forced to watch his best friend either doom herself or somehow make it through performing a play of Henry the IV.

The Henry the IV play was iconic. You have women playing men, interpreting the dialogue and its visuals in new ways, a gritty sort of tongue and cheek nod to the world they're living in now. I thought that was the best thing about the book. Like, the book itself felt like a play within a play within a play.

Ugh. A lot of rambling and feelings, but the author posted a list of books about living in communist or controlling societies (some I've read) which helped influence her. She also posted a playlist too that follows the book in terms of songs mentioned during certain scenes.

It's a good book, it might be too good for some, but I really recommend it as a raw, edgy read if you enjoyed all the above.

I really loved this book. I might be biased because Henry IV is one of my favorite Shakespeare plays so anything involving that I am here for. The topics touched on in this book are engaging and thought-provoking and I love how Lariviere doesn't shy away from any of it. The writing is fast and snappy, which keeps you engaged, and you are rooting for these characters to win. The cover is stunning, and that grungy and rebellious feeling comes into the book while mixing it with the Shakespearean themes. It was a wonderful read