The Last Boy and Girl in the World by Siobhan Vivian // Aww! The Title Fooled Me!

The Last Boy and Girl in the World, by Siobhan Vivian
Publication: April 26, 2016, by Simon and Schuster BFYR
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 320
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Rating: 

What if your town was sliding underwater and everyone was ordered to pack up and leave? How would you and your friends spend your last days together?
While the adults plan for the future, box up their possessions, and find new places to live, Keeley Hewitt and her friends decide to go out with a bang. There are parties in abandoned houses. Canoe races down Main Street. The goal is to make the most of every minute they still have together.
And for Keeley, that means taking one last shot at the boy she’s loved forever.
There’s a weird sort of bravery that comes from knowing there’s nothing left to lose. You might do things you normally wouldn’t. Or say things you shouldn’t. The reward almost always outweighs the risk.
Almost.
It’s the end of Aberdeen, but the beginning of Keeley’s first love story. It just might not turn out the way she thought. Because it’s not always clear what’s worth fighting for and what you should let become a memory.

My Thoughts:

I came into this book, deciding to pick it up at the moment I did because I expected to legitimately read about the last boy and girl in the world. I actually expected to read about a dystopian-like romance with us trying to discover why are they the last, or if they are just the beginning, you know? The title kind of fooled me. But either way, this was so adorable and I must admit, Siobhan Vivian keeps on doing it. Keeps on surprising readers with her flair and beautiful writing that just keeps on making us beg for more. Begging on our knees. At least I am. I would totally want some kind of continuation to Keeley's story and how everything fits together perfectly. But at the same time, it did end more perfectly than I could have ever wanted it to. I must say that there is just one main point in my mind that keeps on echoing in a spiral: love is gorgeous. Listen: I don't think I'll get some kind of personal intake from this, because I know I will not ever form some kind of high school romance, but this story works in so many ways and FOR THOSE WHO WANT ROMANCE AND SOMETHING NEW? READ THIS THING. NOW.

Siobhan Vivian has similar writing to the magnificent Jenny Han. Well, they are best friends after all, and they probably rub off on each other. I remember reading Burn for Burn and discovering that I could not even imagine whose perspective was written by who. I kind of feel the same way now; it was like Jenny Han's presence was in here. That's a positive thing, my friends. This is a cutesy contemporary that comes with (A) a flood that really has you looking out your window for any severe thunderstorms (B) a cute rebellious guy and (C) that back-and-forth motion of a relationship. This is about two love-struck teenagers, after all. There HAS TO BE that back-and-forth motion where we end up expecting that the relationship is going to downfall and plummet into the dirt. I cannot give you any hints if there was a good turnout for Keeley and Jesse (there, that's his name! I almost forgot!)

This story, again, is about a flood that shocks a very small town. That's so interesting to read about, because the flood actually does take a major toll on the plot. We read about the many circumstances that Keeley has to overcome, and most of these hardships involve the flood in one way or another. We read about the hardships of her parents' relationship, and how their opposite personalities really rip their love apart, and it all occurred because of the flood. And in a way, things came together between Keeley and Jesse because the flood occurred. Their "huge school" did not make this happen, but their attraction did. And let's mention that there was a year age gap between them; it's not like they knew each other well.

I had a few issues with this: Levi and Elise. These were two side characters that us readers did not expect to come into play of this book at all. But towards the end, we not-know-it-alls realize that they did play a big role in Keeley's life. Levi is that side-character that just shocks us, and we've always felt his presence by Keeley's side. And then we have Elise, who is that third wheel in the relationship that we do not want to tear apart: Morgan and Keeley's. I've always been told that there can never be a friendship of three people, and this is why. I kind of raged that these two characters were plummeted into the plot, but whatever, honestly.

I read this book on my road trip to Chicago (#BEA16!) and for the majority, it was something that really pulled me in. It took me a few good hours to read, but I was so interested into knowing what would happen next that time literally flew by. Before I knew it, I was in Chicago and more books were being thrown into luggages. YIPPEE! This is Siobhan's usual style of writing, and I thank her very much for that. We don't have some major contemporary confusion, just a nice, rich story about a girl who is torn apart between reality and love.

Me, as an avid reader, occasionally finds contemporaries to be kind of fluffy. Too fluffy sometimes. I found the plotting very detailed in this story and that was a huge highlight for me. This turned out to shock me in more ways than another, and I was so excited to read the ending, and feeling that burst of rainbows inside of me. Siobhan Vivian does it again, she whips a relatable protagonist with so much angst in her that I just FEEL her, alongside friendships and romance. 2016 is not the same without this book, y'know?

*A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for a honest review. Thank you so much!*

What are some YA contemporaries that you know of that shock readers by the end? Have you read Siobhan's books before? (If you had, did you enjoy it/them?)