I got accepted to review this book years ago, but unfortunately never got around to reading it. Apologies for this.

This was not the right year to be reading end of the world books like this one. During lockdown I went through Netgalley, catching up with outstanding books and I'm afraid I did not want to finish this one. I might come back to it one day when the world has calmed down! Thank you for the opportunity to read this book.

I loved this book! There is a show that is very similar to it so the concept captivated me from the start.

Ruby lost her mom and brother due to the rain (the rain will kill you if it touches you). She is determined to find her dad. On her way she runs into different issues and people. It's a great book start to finish. I can't wait to read the next one.

I tried but I couldn't get into this book. In theory I thought I would love it but it just didn't work for me. It could have been my mood so I'm not 100% ruling it out, but it just didn't feel like the book for me.

H2O by Virginia Bergin is book one in The Rain series. It is a YA dystopia. I really didn't get on with this book. I really liked the premise and thought it was an exciting idea but the main characters endlessly brainless narration was irritating. There were just pages and pages of her chatting about stupid stuff whilst the world around her was burning. I just didn't care about how she loved Casper or any other issues in her life. Rube just wasn't very nice and came across as a 14 year old instead of 16

There were also some odd Americanisms thrown in. This book is set in Devon England and is written by a British author yet there were mentions of Tylenol, 911 and Ruby didn't know who the Prime Minister was but she did know the President of the United States. It was inconsistent and weird.

What made me pick this book up:
I saw this book at Barnes and Noble under the title of "H2O") and I loved the cover.

What did I like about the cover:
So for the H2O one I loved the way the acid rain was eating away the cover, that's what really caught my eye.

With this cover I love the color pop. We all know I love color pop. I love the girl walking by herself, it really shows how alone she is in the book. I love the dark clouds and the rain.

What made me read this book:
Creepy scary acidic rain? Count me in. I love anything creepy and scary and apocalyptic. And it's really hard to avoid rain especially when you don't know it's deadly.

What did I like the most:
I love the idea of the book. It's really scary. The thought that something as simple and unavoidable as rain being deadly? Sure you can avoid it by staying inside. But there's just a few things wrong there. Mainly being what happens when you run out of food? And then what if it's in the water? Because if it's in the water, what are you going to drink? What are you going to do if you run out of water?

And then there's the problem of the fact that we don't try to avoid the rain, so if we don't know that it's deadly rain and we're just walking outside... Well, we're dead.

The writing for the most part is pretty good. It's realistic and not too far fetched, it was enjoyable to listen to.

The narrator was also really good, for the most part.

What didn't I like:
The main character, Ruby, is really annoying. She's very self centered, whiny, and not very bright. Everything is about her, and how she is feeling. Or she's only worried about this guy that she made out with and who isn't even really her boyfriend. Or she's looting stores to find sparkly expensive and not very practical clothes, shoes, jewelry, makeup. It's so stupid.

It's also pretty slow and kind of confusing at times. It starts off quickly, but it has parts that are so slow and boring I could skip it all.

I wish it had a better main character. A more likable main character. She was a stuck up jerk. And actually another character calls her out on it, and it's great.

I would have rated it much higher would it have been a better MC.

Would I read the rest of the series/more from this author?
I plan on it yes.




It was a good and unique story, but fell flat.

I did not realize that I had not submitted my review for this book. My apologies. I did purchase a copy for the school library, though, and it is a well-loved title!

The Rain or H2O(in US) is one of the horrifying and futuristic story. Imagine, you were just hanging out with your friends and all of a sudden there comes a rain. A rain that will instantly kill you.

That’s really FRIGHTENING. The story is about survival, and rain with a mix of parasites that slowly eating your body. Amazing right!!

I actually love this concept of the story because some of it can link to real life. “I’m a sucker for apocalypse stories.” I have mixed emotions while reading this story because 1.) it’s the end of the world so you should be scared on reading it but the protagonist – Ruby trying to be funny in the midst of destruction so sometimes I chuckle. 2.) Ruby is a bad-ass girl looking for his dad. You have to take a lot of courage and strength to find him. 3.) it is quite emotional when you felt you’re alone in this destruction.

Apart from this, what made me love on the book is that how crazy it was. I know. It is actually crazy – well for me. Darwin is my favorite character here, he is a nerd and you know not popular. Darwin together with Princess (whom he found and rescued) side along with Ruby. Their journey will lead to a crazy adventure and gripping story.

However, sometimes I was teed off by her attitude and lack of clarification on the story. (I will find that out in the 2nd book)

Overall: I was hooked on this story because of the protagonist is a badass, and sardonic character. So, if you are looking for some badass lady in an apocalypse world – I recommend this book.