Everything You Need to Survive the Apocalypse by Lucas Klauss

May 20, 2011 Vinaya added it

Shelves: arc-galley, books-i-ought-to-love-but-dont, hmm-that-was-interesting, mixed-vibes, surprised-me, ya-fiction, not-for-me

I have the same sort of relationship with God as I do with Customer Service representatives. I don't really think of Him much until I have a problem, but when I do, I expect Him to answer my call, take down my complaint and solve it immediately.

I cannot in all fairness give this book a rating, because I am far from being the intended audience for a book of this sort. Firstly, I am an agnost. Secondly, I am made severely uncomfortable by religious literature of any sort. Thirdly, even the mentio...more

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Jan 07, 2012 Caitlin Opeil rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-debut-author-challenge, simon-schuster-galley-grab

Everything You Need to Survive the Apocalypse is not the type of book I would normally choose. It deals a lot with religion, and I tend to avoid those sort of books. I do believe in God, but I dislike overly simplistic Christian messages and what I see as the conservative leaning bias of many of the people who live in Ohio and the rest of the Midwest. So, no creepy Amish Christian novels for me. I'm not exactly sure why I decided to download and read the book. It has a fairly cool cover, and I w...more Everything You Need to Survive the Apocalypse is not the type of book I would normally choose. It deals a lot with religion, and I tend to avoid those sort of books. I do believe in God, but I dislike overly simplistic Christian messages and what I see as the conservative leaning bias of many of the people who live in Ohio and the rest of the Midwest. So, no creepy Amish Christian novels for me. I'm not exactly sure why I decided to download and read the book. It has a fairly cool cover, and I was intrigued by the male narrator and coming of age story.

I'm used to male narrators such as those in Frank Portman's King Dork and John Green's books. They talk about girls and think about sex and make me a little uncomfortable. Phillip isn't nearly as, um, driven. He's a sophomore and when he finally gets a girlfriend, he stresses out about kissing her. Just kissing, no mention is ever made of sex. I'm a little torn on whether the books I read before are normal or this one is abnormal.

Phillip meets Rebekkah at track practice one day. He thinks she's unconventionally hot. She invites him to a youth group meeting. He's kind of weirded out, but when an unconventionally hot girl invites you somewhere, you HAVE to go.

One major problem is that Phillip's dad is an extreme atheist. His mom used to try to take Phillip and his brother to church, but their dad stopped her. In the days before she died (We get little flashbacks in between the regular narrative), she had been hoarding supplies for the end of the world. Her obsession sparked an interest in the apocalypse in Phillip. He collected several books on the topic. Because of this interest, the first Bible book Phillip reads is Revelation.

As the book progresses, Phillip starts to go to actual church services and completes service hours to participate in the Summit, a big church conference. It's always one step forward, two steps back, though. For all the progress he makes, every new discovery brings a new opportunity for doubt.

I really like that Phillip doesn't automatically have all the answers to everything. A good portion of faith is figuring out what you believe and why, and it definitely doesn't always make sense. I also like how it's not all about Christianity as the only good religion. Phillip's dad could have been vilified, and it was a little sad how he punished his son for going to church. In all fairness, he makes up for this later in the book. Rebekkah's father is a Christian who is always away from home on religious missions. Rebekkah bases her decisions on what her father would want her to do. It's sad that neither of them gives their children the option to decide for themselves. Phillip's father may be an atheist, but at least he's there for his family. Everything You Need to Survive the Apocalypse definitely gave me a lot to think about. That's definitely a good thing.

I received a copy of Everything You Need to Survive the Apocalypse from the Simon & Schuster Galley Grab. It's available now. (less)

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Dec 28, 2011 Infinite Playlist rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: form-arc, form-ebook, family-siblings, religion-gods, genre-contemporary, genre-ya

Lang und breit
Ein Wort: Mogelpackung. Everything You Need To Survive The Apocalypse ist nicht das, was man erwartet, wenn man sich die Verpackung anschaut. Weder Cover, noch Titel oder Inhaltsangabe sind ein Indikator dafür, worum es in diesem Buch geht. Es ist keinesfalls ein Endzeitroman und viel mehr als eine Coming Of Age Geschichte. In Everything Everything You Need To Survive The Apocalypse geht es viel mehr um Religion und was es eigentlich bedeutet ein Christ zu sein.

Aber von vorn. Das B...more Lang und breit
Ein Wort: Mogelpackung. Everything You Need To Survive The Apocalypse ist nicht das, was man erwartet, wenn man sich die Verpackung anschaut. Weder Cover, noch Titel oder Inhaltsangabe sind ein Indikator dafür, worum es in diesem Buch geht. Es ist keinesfalls ein Endzeitroman und viel mehr als eine Coming Of Age Geschichte. In Everything Everything You Need To Survive The Apocalypse geht es viel mehr um Religion und was es eigentlich bedeutet ein Christ zu sein.

Aber von vorn. Das Buch fängt super an. Die Geschichte wird aus Philips Sicht erzählt, ein durchschnittlicher, leicht dorkiger Teenager. Philip verbringt gern Zeit mit seinen Freunden Asher und Mark, verknallt sich in das Mädchen Rebekah, fühlt sich von seinem Sportcoach tyrannisiert und liest gern Endzeitromane. Interessant an ihm ist außerdem seine Familiensituation, er lebt nämlich allein mit seinem Vater und seinem jüngeren Bruder. Seine Mutter ist tot und er will nicht weiter darüber reden.
In diesen ersten Kapiteln habe ich mich ein wenig in Philips Erzählerstimme verliebt. Er ist ehrlich und prägnant, authentisch und frech. All das ändert sich aber als er Rebekah kennen lernt und sie ihn zur Jugendgruppe ihrer Kirche einlädt. Ab da dreht sich das Buch plötzlich in nahe zu jedem Kapitel ums Christentum. Das hat mich aus dem Konzept gebracht, denn weder Titel noch Cover und nicht mal die Inhaltsangabe weisen auf diesen existenziellen Teil des Romans hin.
Ab da wurde mir auch Philip leider immer unsympathischer. Erst steht er der Kirchengruppe eher skeptisch gegenüber, aber sein Verlangen Rebekah wieder zu sehen ist größer und nachdem er ein paar Treffen der Jugendgruppe mitgemacht hat, scheint ihm plötzlich die große Erleuchtung zu kommen und er bezeichnet sich von heute auf morgen als Christ. Nie wird richtig erklärt welche Gedanken ihn dazu gebracht haben, was ihn überzeugt hat. Es wirkt alles oberflächlich und ich hatte Angst, dass aus diesem Anfang mit dem tollen Schreibstil eine belehrende Moralpredigt wird.
Ganz so einfach hat der Autor es sich zum Glück nicht gemacht. Viel mehr hat er Philips Entwicklung für den Leser greifbar dargestellt. Philip ist nämlich eigentlich genauso ratlos und überfordert mit seiner plötzlichen Entscheidung wie der Leser. All seine Zweifel kommen aber erst nach und nach zu Tage und bis dahin wird man kräftig mit Kirchentreffen und Zeugengängen eingerieben.

Rebekah, das Mädchen, das Philips Herz höher schlagen lässt, ist eine Figur, mit der ich mich nicht anfreunden konnte. Sie war mir nie unsympathisch, aber alles was sie sagt und wie sie handelt, war mir fremd. Ihre Gespräche mit Philip habe ich besonders irritiert verfolgt. Meistens musste ich über beide den Kopf schütteln. Es ist nicht so, dass ihre Dialoge unlogisch waren, aber sie haben ständig Sachen gesagt, die ich nicht wirklich nachvollziehen konnte. Ich konnte nicht verstehen, wie Rebekah ihr Leben so von einem Vater bestimmen lassen kann, der nicht mal anwesend ist oder was genau sie eigentlich von Philip will oder nicht will.
Philips Freund Asher hingegen mochte ich sehr gern. Er scheint während Philips Lebenskrise als einziger einen kühlen Kopf zu behalten, auch wenn Philip ihm das nicht immer dankt. Außerdem ist es schön zu sehen, dass Asher als Dunkelhäutiger ohne Handlungsschwerpunkt in die Geschichte integriert worden ist.

Trotz des unerwarteten und recht kontroversen Inhalts muss ich dem Buch zu Gute halten, dass es mich zum Nachdenken gebracht hat. Ich respektiere jede Religion, solange sie niemandem schadet oder irgendwen unfairerweise benachteiligt. Ich fand es gar nicht so leicht herauszufinden, wie ich den Aussagen des Romans gegenüber stehe, inwieweit ich mit manchen konform gehe und welche ich für absoluten Blödsinn halte.
Hier hat mir übrigens sehr gut gefallen, dass der Autor keine strengen Gebote predigt. Homosexualität wird mehrmals angesprochen und Philip gibt klar zu verstehen, dass er diese Neigung nicht für krank oder unnormal hält.

Kurz und knapp
Wenn man dieses Buch lesen möchte, sollte man wissen, dass es hier nicht um eine tatsächliche Apokalypse geht. Der zentrale Konflikt dreht sich um das Thema Christentum und Glaubensfindung. Viele Aspekte haben mich zum Nachdenken angeregt, aber ich wünschte ich hätte vorher gewusst, worauf ich mich einlasse.(less)

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Apr 03, 2013 Jenny Chen added it

“There are five workshops to choose from, and I can’t even figure out what some of them are. I need one called “Answers,” but its not on here.” (Klauss,342)Being a teenager can be stressful, and Phillip was too caught up in his life to realize it before. Now, his best friends are arguing with each other, his “girlfriend” doesn’t seem to want to be with him no more and his coach who absolutely hates him is all of a sudden being nice to him. When will Phillip finally get the answers he has been wa...more

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Feb 17, 2013 Brandon Will rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-novels, guy-ya-lit, ya-lit

Hey, so firstly I'm not incredibly religious. I'm not godless either. I think I'm pretty let down by religion in general and hopeful and confused like a lot of us in that matter. It bums me out seeing the people complaining about this novel because it has religion in it.

This novel does not proselytize, and the amazing thing is it doesn't judge -- either side. I think some people are uncomfortable with it because we are used to seeing religion dealt with in two ways in novels and media in genera...more

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Jul 04, 2012 Sarah rated it 1 of 5 stars

Weird book. The blurb was sort of vague and cagey, revealing nothing of what it was actually about. The first chapter made it seem like a funny, realistic look at adolescence and falling in love, and that interested me enough to borrow it. But after about three chapters it abruptly switched gear - it is, in fact, a book about religion. It dragged on and on for so long with Phillip dithering about whether he was actually interested in Rebekah's beliefs or just interested in Rebekah that I got bor...more

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Mar 15, 2012 Diane rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: christian, family-stories, friendship, grief, religious-theme, washyarg, young-adult

16 year old Phillip is having a difficult time dealing with life at this moment. His mother is dead, his athiest father is disconnected, his best friend is hanging out with some real jerks. Into this mix comes Rebekah, a girl with a strong Christian faith. The only thing they seem to have in common is an absent parent and an interest in the Apocalypse. When Phillip starts going to church with Rebekah and hanging out with the youth group, things seem to go from bad to worse.

This is a very strange...more

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Nov 01, 2011 Chapter by Chapter rated it 3 of 5 stars

Ok, so to start things off, this book is absolutely not about the actual apocalypse, so if you think this is going to be an end of the world, survival, zombie infestation type book...it's not, BUT this book was a pleasant change from zombies, vampires, werewolves and everything else supernatural. We follow the main character, Phillip Flowers, as he attempts to figure out who he is and what his beliefs are. Told in first person view (my personal fav, as you all know), Klauss has incorporated humo...more Ok, so to start things off, this book is absolutely not about the actual apocalypse, so if you think this is going to be an end of the world, survival, zombie infestation type book...it's not, BUT this book was a pleasant change from zombies, vampires, werewolves and everything else supernatural. We follow the main character, Phillip Flowers, as he attempts to figure out who he is and what his beliefs are. Told in first person view (my personal fav, as you all know), Klauss has incorporated humour into a novel that deals with issues that have plagued many teens, whether it be religion, or relationships with family and friends. Klauss’ writing style made me feel like the character was really talking to me, confiding in me…even opening up to me. I really enjoyed his telling of this story in a teen’s perspective. Klauss did a fantastic job of writing how Phillip, a male teen, expresses his feelings and thoughts. For example, it was interesting to see Phillips point of view when it came to asking out girls, and with dealing with his emotions. One of my favorite aspects of the novel was how some of the chapters Klauss writes were lengthy and detailed with events and conversations, where other chapters are very short and to the point, but was written with so much emotion.
Klauss introduces us to a cast of unforgettable characters, and allows the reader to experience the emotional ups and downs of friendship and love. You can see that Klauss has put in so much personality into these characters, that there is no way that they cannot make an impact on the reader. We are lucky to experience Phillip’s first kiss, his inner conflict with religion, how and where he draws his strength to continue on the path he chooses, and how he deals with the many revelations revealed to him along the way. You can feel the emotion and confusion and pain Phillip goes through when the ones he trusted the most, betray him.
I felt that Klauss wrote with so much raw emotion, that I could not put this book down. There were points in the novel where I would put the book down, look back on my life…back to when I was a teenager, and reflect on the decisions I had made, and what the consequences were. But on the flip side, as a parent, I also reflected on the decision I make now with my kids, and how that will influence them when they grow up. I found that it was the littlest details that kept me intrigued. You are told in the synopsis that Philip’s mother is dead, but Klauss allows the reader the tiniest of teases throughout the book without revealing how it happened until the end.
Not necessarily my type of book, but I do recommend this to anyone who enjoys contemporary YA novels, who enjoy a good coming of age story mixed in with a little humour, and a lot of heart. Scheduled for release January, 2012 by Simon & Schuster.(less)

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Oct 10, 2011 Kimberly rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

Phillip is a strange kid. Or a very normal one. Starting with his meeting Rebekah, Phillip is soon besieged with the drama of life. There’s some fighting with friends, making up, and all this while trying to get Rebekah to like him back.

“Everything You Need to Survive the Apocalypse” is a slice-of-life told from Phillip’s POV. A flawed character, we get to follow him around as he makes mistakes and, hopefully, learn from a couple of them.

At first just wanting to see Rebekah, Phillip attends Chur...more

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Oct 16, 2011 Brittany Rehage rated it 3 of 5 stars

I'm a little confused after finishing this book. I liked parts of it and couldn't wait for other parts to get over. Mostly, I'm a little annoyed with the deception I felt while reading this book. I got no warning about what the majority of this book would be about and I feel like I could have saved myself the read.

Most of this book was great, and it was a very well-written book that did an amazing job of showing character development. The growth and maturity the main character exhibits throughou...more

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Feb 11, 2013 Katie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: to-buy

"God wants us to listen to many voices to understand him. He wants us to ask questions."
"But what if you get different answers? How do you know what the real one is?"
"Sometimes you'll know. A lot of the time you probably won't. And you have to live with that. It's called humility, Phillip."
Humility. Doubt.
It's like I've never heard these words before.
"Why didn't anybody tell me this?"
"People don't like to admit when they don't know something. So they pretend they do."
"I know that."
Damn, do I kno...more

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Mar 18, 2013 Janie rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: high-school-setting, missing-mom, 1-star

One of the largest problems with this book is that it's BORING. The title doesn't really have anything to do with what the book is actually about, and the characters were really flat and disinteresting. I already forgot the main character's name and returned it to the library, so I'll just call him Angst.

Angst and his buddies are just existing, drinking, running, and whatnot, when he meets some girl named Rebekkah or whatever. She's a super-Christian, and he starts to read the Bible and go to c...more One of the largest problems with this book is that it's BORING. The title doesn't really have anything to do with what the book is actually about, and the characters were really flat and disinteresting. I already forgot the main character's name and returned it to the library, so I'll just call him Angst.

Angst and his buddies are just existing, drinking, running, and whatnot, when he meets some girl named Rebekkah or whatever. She's a super-Christian, and he starts to read the Bible and go to church to somehow impress her or something. Well, that part isn't really explained. He is constantly fighting with himself about his beliefs. Why? Rebekkah is hot, his mom used to be a super-Christian herself (view spoiler), and his Dad is a super-Atheist. There is no reason for this story to revolve around this stupid stupid plot thread. Angst is boring and his self-questioning "am I faking it? I'm sort of getting into it..." never get resolved. His final conclusion? (view spoiler)

One bizarre quality about Angst is that he is likes the idea of the Apocalypse and loves this one book about it. If he was written to be, like, obsessed with the Apocalypse the book delves into why and how he gets over it, than we might have a more interesting story that actually sort of kind-of fits with the title. But no.

What irritated me most about Angst is the fact that he's so hypocritical. I wonder what the author was trying to get across in the book. I can't tell if he views Christianity as a good thing or a bad thing. My main issue with this book is the plot. The only thing that that kept me reading is the question "is Angst going to convert?" Even so, he gets into the church thing, attending service, going to a Christian Leadership Conference for crying out loud, and he NEVER prays to God, which is one of the most important aspects of Christian faith. On top of his irritating unresolved faith crisis, there's of course that ANNOYING "romance". Which leads us to Rebekkah.

Rebekkah, the love interest, is irritatingly on-again off-again with everything she does. Is she interested in Angst? His buddy? Pleasing her absent missionary father and not dating anyone outside the faith? WHAT? Even her faith is irritating. Not the fact that she's totally into it, no, the fact that she is constantly switching back and forth on that too. Is she a super Christian? Does she really care about Angst or him coming to the faith? I never truly felt at any moment in the book that she actually cared about her faith. She sings in church, does service work, etcetera, but her freaking side-character friend seems more legitimate to me. She gives Angst "reading assignments", being the teacher, while never displaying aspects of Christianity herself. And again, for crying out loud, that ROMANCE. That was not romance. That was not young love. That wasn’t even “first love”. Angst has a crush on her, they both end up admitting to mutual liking, they share some unbearably corny moments, and two days later they’re broken up. And then semi-together. Misunderstandings, “I forgive you”, “Are you really part of my faith?” It all comes together in one giant MESS. And then finally (view spoiler). But I digress.

This book was boring, long, and not worth my time. The characters were undeveloped, boring, and just irritating. The plot plods on with no real conflicts that I even cared about, and a disappointing end. I don't recommend it.
(less)

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Nov 03, 2012 nicole rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012

My fiancee nabbed this off my reading list before I got to it. It wasn't what either of us expected and neither of us were crazy about it. For me, it was more of a rounding out of my YA -- something this religious isn't a regular read for me. For him, it just wasn't the zombie survival guide he'd been hoping it would be.

I think there's a place for it, for teens who are grappling with figuring out what they believe. But there were parts that grated me, the disjointed nature of his spiritual awak...more

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May 28, 2012 Vivian rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book is about Phillip, a boy who is obsessed with the end of the world. Drawings, books, and supplies for the Apocalypse clutter his life.. All until he meets Rebekah. Then he starts running cross country, going to church, and falling in love. His journey entails him trying to discover himself through faith while also trying to deal with the death of his mother.
I was pleasantly surprised by this young adult book. I am used to the girly narrations of Sarah Dessen's novels, but this was from...more

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Dec 01, 2011 Jackie Miller rated it 4 of 5 stars

Let me just say, the title and cover of this book will mean so much more to you after reading the book. It is so heartfelt and real.

Philip Flowers tells this story, and he tells it like a dude. As a girl, there are still a lot of mysterious things about the opposite sex that I just don't get. How they interact is very alien to me and also very fascinating. That is such a strong driving force in this book, and I loved it. It was like peeking into a window to the male mind :-)

Philip Flowers is a...more

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Mar 24, 2012 Victoria rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. One day, I was roaming around my town library, looking for any book that would catch my eye. Of course, it was this book in particular that got my attention, simply because it had the word 'Apocalypse' in it. So, with my curious self, I decide to check out the book and try it out. And, I would say that it was worth reading.

Everything You Need to Survive the Apocalypse by Lucas Klauss is about tenth grader Phillip Flowers who faces the issues of his life. His mother died years ago, and he's the t...more One day, I was roaming around my town library, looking for any book that would catch my eye. Of course, it was this book in particular that got my attention, simply because it had the word 'Apocalypse' in it. So, with my curious self, I decide to check out the book and try it out. And, I would say that it was worth reading.

Everything You Need to Survive the Apocalypse by Lucas Klauss is about tenth grader Phillip Flowers who faces the issues of his life. His mother died years ago, and he's the type of person who doesn't want to mention about his mother in the first place - her death thus makes him obbessed with the apocalypse, or the end of the world. His relationship with his father is also in a tense and awkward place, as well, as Phil usually pushes his father away whenever he wants to connect with him, or talk about his mother for that matter. He even has do deal with the everyday torment from his cross country coach, Randall T. Farragat, or, as Phil likes to call him behind his back, Ferret. Plus, one of his friends, Mark, begins to hang out with two guys, who are complete and utter douche bags, thus making the friendship between him, Phillip, and Asher begin to dwindle.

Then, one particular day, when Phil was hiding from Ferret, he incidentally meets the "unconventionally hot" Rebekah, who saves Phil from the torment of his coach. Soon enough, Phil starts to have a liking for Rebekah, Rebekah doing the same for him. But, there's one little problem in their newly made relationship: Rebekah is Christian, while Phillip, on the other hand, is atheist, thanks to his father for not believing in the word of God. So, convinced that becoming a Christian will play a big part of being good enough for Rebekah, Phillip goes into a series of events which, I can say, becomes a complete hell.

When reading the short blurb of the book, I didn't believe that it had anything to do with Christianity or any religion whatsoever. But, reading that short summary before starting the novel, it indeed mention Christianity. I'm not really a fan of Christian fiction much, since I'm not really all enthusiastic about the religion (I'm not atheist - I just don't really go to church that much anymore) but this book was rather...awesome, to say the least. Some think of it as a Christian fiction novel, but I don't know - it's not really all preachy and such. But, it was a good book, nonetheless. It had everything I can think of - the complications of young romance, the act of fitting into a certain society, the time of dealing with death and moving on, and the realization that things won't be all hunky-dory and crap; that, overtime, things change, as well as people. The book even addresses some good humor to lighten up the mood of the book, which makes me smile a lot. As a current sophomore myself, I can easily connect with Phillip, as he is indeed a likable main character for the story.

This book was really good, overall. Sure, there might be some controversy over it, with the whole evangelism and all that jazz. But, I don't think people should discard it as a Christian novel; it's more than just that. Just get it from your local library and try it out. Trust me, it's worth reading.(less)

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Sep 11, 2012 ND rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was duped! Nothing in any of the blurbs about this book led me to believe that this was going to be a book about religion. NOTHING. I went into this book knowing that it was about a teenager who hated running cross-country because his coach was mean to him, really liked this girl because she was "unconventionally hot" (whatever that means) and has nice books, and is obsessed with the end of the world. Cool. The first couple of chapters were great -- the characters are funny, they're fairly wit...more

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Nov 14, 2011 Terryann rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: advanced-copy, nook, teen

i was into the book then not into it, almost put it down and then finished it. . . i have to say that i'm glad i did. the teen in the book is dealing with his mother's death, his first girlfriend and fights with his best friends. in the mean time, he's also dealing with his first exploration of religion and spirituality. he starts going to church and tries to be a 'good' christian. i really liked the way he stuck to his true moral code, regardless of what some of the extremes told him. he decide...more

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Apr 28, 2012 Ellen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Cross country runner Phillip has it tough. Not only is he tormented by a badgering coach, but his mom is out of the picture, and his dad is somewhat distant. Enter Rebekah, a hot girl who might be interested in him - if Phillip can prove himself worthy as a Christian. Phillip joins Rebekah's church youth group and tries to turn himself into someone Rebekah will admire. This is an interesting YA book that I really enjoyed about a topic not often covered - the internal/spiritual life of a teen boy...more

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Mar 26, 2012 TheSaint rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya

Never once did I think that Phillip joined Rebekah's church for any other reason than getting into her pants. I guess that makes me a skeptic!
Phillip is fairly well fleshed, but all the secondary characters are just stick figures, and I do mean Rebekah, too. And his Dad, brother and best friends for good measure. The cross-country coach/youth pastor was actually interesting, but in a creepy way. I'm sure the author intended that dichotomy, but there were so many plot threads that this one didn't...more

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Feb 04, 2013 Sandy rated it 2 of 5 stars

Phillip’s a fairly normal teen boy, he has a small obsession with preparing for the apocalypse, is on the track team, and has 2 best friends. And then he meets Rebecca. She is unconventionally hot, and so he joins a church group to try and be with her. His friends get a little weird around the same time. Can he repair his friendships, find religion, be with the girl, and keep his atheistic father happy? It’s a great book about relationships – Phil’s with his friends, with his religion, with the...more

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Feb 02, 2013 Jessy rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult-fiction

This is the first time I have given a book one star that I actually finished. Usually I save the dreaded one star to books that are so boring I never finish them but this one was an exception.

The only apocalypse in this book is what the main character reads. Everything else is about religion and the main character realizing whether or not he is a Christian. It's also about a boy and a girl who are together because...well I can't think of a reason. Because there isn't one.

This book was a comple...more

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Mar 03, 2012 Jackie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance, religion-spirituality, ya-fiction

Phillip Flowers is a typical sophomore...angst-ridden, unsure, and in love with an 'unconventionally hot' Evangelical Christian girl named Rebekah. He's grown up in an Atheist house, since his mom left. As Phillip and Rebekah get closer, he explores Christianity and finds that he may have missed out on some truths...but does he want to hear them because of Rebekah, or in spite of her?

Everything You Need to Survive the Apocalypse is at once tame and fiery, silly and profound, typical and differe...more

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Jan 09, 2012 Pam rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-read

3.5 Stars!

Sophomore year has a rough start for Phillip. His friends quit track and leave him to deal with the “Ferret” on his own. One friend ditches him completely to hang out with some douchebags. All the while Phillip still hasn’t come to terms with his Mom’s death…and his Dad keeps trying to get him to talk about it.

Then Phillip meets Rebekah…the “unconventionally” hot girl running track with him. She invites him to a youth group meeting at her church, which he goes to, to see her again. And...more 3.5 Stars!

Sophomore year has a rough start for Phillip. His friends quit track and leave him to deal with the “Ferret” on his own. One friend ditches him completely to hang out with some douchebags. All the while Phillip still hasn’t come to terms with his Mom’s death…and his Dad keeps trying to get him to talk about it.

Then Phillip meets Rebekah…the “unconventionally” hot girl running track with him. She invites him to a youth group meeting at her church, which he goes to, to see her again. And continues to go to youth group, but is Phillip going to see Rebekah? Or is Phillip going because Christianity is starting to resonate with him? Oh and did I mention Phillip’s Dad is a rather staunch Atheist? Makes for some interesting conflict…wouldn’t you say?

Honestly, had I known going into this book, how Christianity driven the storyline would be I would have skipped it. Having said that though, I did read it and had kind of a love/hate thing with the book. At times the story was rather “preachy”…I hate being preached at! But there were other aspects to the story that I wanted to find out about. For example…interspersed throughout the book were reflections on the last year of Phillip’s Mom’s life…leading up to her death. I wanted to know what happened there and when it was revealed, it was a total let down after all the build up. It was another one of those times when I would have thrown the book across the room had I not been reading on my kindle.

The Christian church in the story is non-denominational, which to me is usually all inclusive, but this one was more fundamentalist. I strongly disagree with a lot of fundamentalist tenants! So the book preached to me about things I strongly disagree with…LOL…Like I said, a bit of a love/hate relationship with this one.

I did love Phillip’s Dad…While staunchly Atheist, he did come around to allow Phillip to be honest in his feelings about church and becoming a Christian. I think it was hard for the Dad to support Phillip but his love for his son won out over his beliefs. Another positive, was Phillip finally questioning everything he’d learned…throughout most of the book he’d taken on everyone else’s beliefs and never stopped to think or question anything, prior to that point he was a little parrot regurgitating everything he’d been told by people he assumed knew more than himself.

While I wasn’t a fan of the subject matter I can’t argue that the book makes a person think and examine their own beliefs, hence my very strong reactions while I was reading. But do take this as a warning, if you are a non-Christian reading this book, you will be offended! The book and Phillip will be redeemed by the end, so don’t totally give up on him.
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Dec 24, 2011 Claire Dawn rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a book about believing. It's not necessarily abook meant for Christians. Or one meant for non-believers. It's about a boy, Phillip, trying to figure out who he is, and what he believes in. About how he feels about his mother, father, brother, friends, the girl he likes, his coach/assistant pastor, and God. It's about finding the essence of life.

I'm really glad I finished it on Christmas Day too. Feels a bit Christmas Miracle-y.

Thank you to Simon Pulse for providing me with an electroni...more

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Apr 27, 2012 Tayanna rated it 1 of 5 stars

Let me come right out and say it; I did not like this book. The story jumped all over the place and the characters interacted in a way that actually just made me feel awkward reading the book. It really wasn't as honest or as funny or as heartfelt as some of the reviews claimed. In fact, I actually found Phillip annoying. Several times throughout the story I found myself bored and tempted to set the book down for good.

Maybe Lucas Klauss's style of writing just doesn't work for me - or maybe thi...more

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Apr 20, 2011 Hannah rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book is everything you love about contemporary YA combined with everything you thought you'd never get in a contemporary YA. It's raw, razor-sharp, and completely original. I feel incredibly lucky to be one of its early readers, and I think Klauss is absolutely a writer-to-watch. Get ready for topics you haven't seen treated in ways you'd never expect, and for everything you thought you knew about teenagers' relationships with religion, grief, close friendships, and dating to be turned on i...more

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Mar 29, 2012 Jennifer rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: teen-reality, teen-romance

Hmm, not sure what to make of this book. I did not like or relate any of the characters, I mean they were all very, very unlikable at one point or another to me. I also felt the plot was at times dragging and convuluted. So I personally did not like the book but I did find the whole look into the world of an active christian youth group interesting as well as the idea of christian and not christian teens trying to date. It is one of those books that is probably not for most teens but will be the...more

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Apr 10, 2012 Chelsea Fought rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-debuts

A few warnings before the real review:

First Warning: This book is most definitely about the apocalypse, just not in the literal sense. And… if I'm honest I thought it was going to be, in the literal sense, and that's why I originally picked up the book.

Second Warning: In my review policy I say I'm not interested in fiction with religious undertones, and that is exactly what this book has (even if there is more to it)… so this was actually kind of a difficult read for me.

Third Warning: I'm trying...more

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Feb 07, 2012 Kat rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya, contemporary-fict, religion, 2012-read, updated

Originally posted on http://theaussiezombie.blogspot.com

I admit, I purchased this book because it had Apocalypse in the title and I liked the cover. I didn’t even read the synopsis (which is something I almost NEVER do). When I started reading it, I realized it was not something I would normally chose for myself, but the beginning was good so I kept going.

Phillip is a bit of a weird, but otherwise pretty average teenage boy. Living with his father and brother, he has two best friends and is in...more Originally posted on http://theaussiezombie.blogspot.com

I admit, I purchased this book because it had Apocalypse in the title and I liked the cover. I didn’t even read the synopsis (which is something I almost NEVER do). When I started reading it, I realized it was not something I would normally chose for myself, but the beginning was good so I kept going.

Phillip is a bit of a weird, but otherwise pretty average teenage boy. Living with his father and brother, he has two best friends and is in training for the school cross country team when he meets the “unconventionally hot” Rebekah whilst hiding behind her mailbox. When she invites him to an unspecified meeting, Phillip instantly accepts – without realizing it is a church youth group to which he has been invited.

With an extreme atheist father and his mother having died a few years earlier, Phillip isn’t really sure that church is for him, but with the promise of spending more time with Rebekah, he gradually becomes more and more involved with youth group.

Now I have to say, religion is not my thing. As a theme through a book I don’t have a problem with it, as long as the book doesn’t become too “preachy”. In Everything You Need to Survive the Apocalypse this is how religion is used – as a theme to tie in the story of Phillip’s coming-of-age.

Everything You Need to Survive the Apocalypse is well written, and gives (what I can imagine) is a good insight into the mind of a 15 year old boy who has just met his first real girlfriend, is dealing with inevitable friend dramas, doesn’t understand his father and is trying to understand more about the world around him and the people in it. As a character, Phillip was likeable in that geeky-boy kind of way and his gradual realization that no one can know or understand everything was interesting to read.

I almost gave this book five stars for originality and excellent writing, but about ¾ of the way through it did feel a little like treading water and the religious themes became a bit too heavy for my liking. As a young adult book it is spot-on in terms of tone, theme and there is only a smattering of swearing, with some light alcohol use (such as taking shots of brown tequila stolen from someone’s parents liquor cupboard, ick!).(less)

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