Peter the star basketball player for his High School works hard to keep his grades up and keep his high maintenance girlfriend happy.  He is not sure if it is love, but she is the cutest girl in the school and any guy would love to be in his shoes…. but is he doing what he wants, or what everyone expects of him?

Eliza just wants to graduate and escape.  Her mom left a long time ago, her father is slowly dying and she is tired of it all.  Escape is the answer.  Escape this town, these people, and her reputation.

Anita is the perfectly put together straight-laced student.  She doesn’t party and she is on the fast track to Princeton,  She has dreams but her parents have done what they can to squash them.

Andy lives to skateboard, drink, and smoke it up.  He doesn’t understand what all the fuss is about planning for the future by knowing what he wants to do with his life.  He has years to decide.

Or does he?

A blue star seems to have ripped its way into the atmosphere.  Experts say it is an asteroid on a collision course with the earth that will have the effect of a million nuclear bombs.  As the time ticks down to the asteroids arrival, for these seniors as well as the rest of the world, suddenly everything that was once important… grades, futures, statistics, college…. none of it really means anything at all.  So what, when it comes down to it is really important?

 

 

 

This book had me from the cover.

I was in a book store looking for a different title when this one called to me.  I loved that mysterious cover.  What are they looking at?  And I loved the title.  The synopsis, a “Breakfast Club” type grouping of misfits int here own way, and an end of the world scenario.  SOLD.

There was much to love about We All Looked Up.  I loved that Peter is a jock with a heart and a conscience, I loved Eliza’s black and white look at the world…. nothing gray.  Anita with her hidden passion, Andy who goes along with the wrong crowd even when he knows he should choose better for himself.  Underneath it all… these kids have heart.

As much as I want to gush over this book…. I admit I might have been a bit started for a good sort of YA potential dystopian read.  AND there was much I did love about it.  Unfortunately there was so much put into this book so much happening in such a short time frame that I have to admit I don’t think it was fully flushed out.  This could easily have been broke down into a three book series and dealt with the many loose ends to keep the reader engaged all throughout the countdown.

I did pass this book on to a friend and I am curious as to what she will think.  I still love the book…(there are great literary references!)I just feel there could have been more to it.  In the end I had questions about many things unanswered in the book.  The book was still a win for me, I am just a little disappointed that it had all the makings of a home run read and I feel left between second and third base.

 

 

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (March 24, 2015)