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Life As We Knew It (Last Survivors, #1)

Susan Beth Pfeffer

Start date: May 6, 2011

Finish date: June 1, 2011

Discussion: Former Group Reads

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Former Group Reads

* Reckless by Amanda Quick (September 2013 Group Read)
By Rea , Ghost · 9 posts · 20 views

last updated Oct 26, 2013 12:24PM

* Beauty and the Bounty Hunter by Lori Austin (September 2013 Group Read)
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last updated Sep 01, 2013 07:24AM

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What Members Thought

Oct 22, 2014 Violeta Nedkova rated it really liked it

All I know is... I couldn't put it down and I cared so much about the characters that I cried so much at the end of it. I am grateful for those kinds of reads. ;) ...more

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Oct 30, 2011 Dayla rated it it was amazing

Shelves: romance, young-adult, favourites, emotional-rape, powerful-women, just-plain-cool, fucking-amazing, now-that-s-what-i-m-talking-about, awesome-ya, insanely-good

Review first appeared on my blog: Book Addict 24-7

Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer is one of those post-apocalyptic books that gives you all the scary details of what life would be like if the world took a turn for the worse, without being over-the-top and over-dramatic. Pfeffer creates a story where readers get to see what life is like as the apocalypse happens, rather than after. Addicting, emotionally stimulating, and an excellent example of character growth, Life As We Knew It is a Review first appeared on my blog: Book Addict 24-7

Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer is one of those post-apocalyptic books that gives you all the scary details of what life would be like if the world took a turn for the worse, without being over-the-top and over-dramatic. Pfeffer creates a story where readers get to see what life is like as the apocalypse happens, rather than after. Addicting, emotionally stimulating, and an excellent example of character growth, Life As We Knew It is a must read for fans of the apocalyptic genre.

Miranda, the protagonist, tells us her story through journal entries. I have to admit that I'm not the greatest fan of this style, simply because it can either fail miserably, or benefit the story. Thankfully, Pfeffer's novel sits in the latter category. I think that having Miranda tell us her story through her limited point of view made the events feel more real. If the story was in third person, or omniscient, then the mystery of how the world deals with its destruction would be boring and predictable.

If we were ever unfortunate enough to find ourselves in a similar situation, then Miranda's story might be the best way to prepare ourselves. Perhaps this is because she is so naive at the beginning of the novel, believing that everything is unfair and that things will be fine by a certain point, that we can relate to her. After all, when something changes, don't we all wish for it to end quickly? Do we not expect things to eventually get better?

Miranda's family is one of billions surviving a horrible catastrophe and much like in real life, the novel focuses on her life, because really, there is no way to document how everyone else is doing in the world.

Well-written with a few editing errors sprinkled here and there (which I will attribute to her being only sixteen, though I don't know if that is the true purpose), Life As We Knew It is full of moments that makes the reader put the book down and question what s/he has now and what s/he could stand to lose.

Death is a frequent visitor in the novel and, much like the characters, the reader may start to understand why death comes, rather than question, or challenge it.

Pfeffer's novel manages to explore existence and life in one of the most chaotic scenarios possible. Life is precarious and Pfeffer captures it within the pages of her book, changing her readers' lives as well.

This was a completely different read for me. I'm so used to books taken place after the death of Earth, that it took me by surprise how I never thought about the people that suffered along with those who survived.

I would recommend this book to those who enjoy thought-provoking and emotionally charged novels. If you enjoy a hint of romance, but mostly character growth, then you might like this one. ...more

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