Book Review: The Last Boy and Girl in the World by Siobhan Vivian

Book Title: The Last Boy and Girl in the World
Author: Siobhan Vivian
Series: N/A (Standalone)
Publication Date: April 26th 2016
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
My Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

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.

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MY THOUGHTS

I am disappointed by this book. Well, to be honest, it may be partly my fault because I’ve set considerably high expectations for this one due to rave reviews of the author’s Burn for Burn series. I tried to like The Last Boy and Girl in the World but it just really let me down.

Let me mention the things I liked first. For one, there’s the type of conversations that Keeley and Jesse have. Keeley has this huge crush on Jesse and when they started texting each other, they exchange funny photos and videos. I liked that because I personally know how fun that is as compared to idle small talk.

And speaking of Jesse, there was this one time that he was nervous and he started rambling a lot. Despite being a bit out of character, I really liked reading about a boy rambles when agitated. I feel like only girl characters do that in books.

Also, I loved the friendship of Mrs. Hewitt (Keeley’s mom) and Mrs. Dorsey (Keeley’s best friend’s mom). They appear so close despite each having a family of their own, and they always look out for each other in the book. Likewise, Mrs. Dorsey’s daughter, Morgan, is Keeley’s best friend and I loved her character as well.

On the other hand, there are quite a few things that I didn’t like. I really liked the premise of this book but as I read more and more, I find my interest waning.

I didn’t really like most of the characters. Even the main character, Keeley, was hard to bear. She is insensitive, selfish, self-centered and really mean, especially to Levi. Also, I don’t like how all she can think about is her crush while the whole town is basically in shock of their situation.

The romance in the end also feels very forced. I did, however, pushed through until the end because I wanted to see how things would turn out for their town, Aberdeen.

The overall plot was good but most of the characters irked me. Despite this though, I still look forward to reading the author’s other books.

All book cover photos and book info (such as summary, publication, etc.) are taken from Goodreads.