ARC REVIEW: CONSIDER by Kristy Acevedo

CONSIDER

Author: Kristy Acevedo
Series: Holo #1
Source: ARC via the Publisher
Publisher: Jolly Fish Press
Publication Date: April 19, 2016
Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Summary:
As if Alexandra Lucas’ anxiety disorder isn’t enough, mysterious holograms suddenly appear from the sky, heralding the end of the world. They bring an ultimatum: heed the warning and step through a portal-like vertex to safety, or stay and be destroyed by a comet they say is on a collision course with earth. How’s that for senior year stress?

The holograms, claiming to be humans from the future, bring the promise of safety. But without the ability to verify their story, Alex is forced to consider what is best for her friends, her family, and herself.

To stay or to go. A decision must be made.

With the deadline of the holograms’ prophecy fast approaching, Alex feels as though she is living on a ticking time bomb, until she discovers it is much, much worse.

Purchase:

Amazon | Chapters | TBD

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
 
With the synopsis -- and the holograms -- telling everyone to make a choice, I spent the whole novel weighing my options. Which made it a really fun and engaging read for me. I put myself into Alex's shoes and thought "What would I do in this situation?" At the end, when it was do or die, I had made the decision to stay. When you read the book, you should try this and see which decision is the right one. To stay or to go. 

Let's start with our MC, Alex. I really liked her. She felt so real and made so many brave and great decisions throughout the novel. I liked being inside her mind and seeing her anxiety disorder up close and personal -- although I would warn anyone who suffers from anxiety to be cautious because some of her attacks are described so well that I found myself starting to have panic attacks of my own. So just a head's up on that one. But the descriptions and the portrayal was so accurate and that was so important to me. It was one of the main reasons I wanted to pick this one up, tbh. And it did not disappoint on that front. 

I think what I liked most about this one is that while it is a Science Fiction novel, it is almost a pre-Science Fiction novel: (almost) all the events in this novel take place before the actual main event (which is the ending). So it was interesting to see the sort of pack mentality that cropped up in the people of the world as it came closer to the deadline. I think this was it's strongest point though. I think one of the biggest problems in YA Science Fiction is that we don't get to see characters think about the decisions they make -- they just make them and live with the consequences. In this one, we get to see Alex weigh her options before (and after) making her decision and having to live with the consequences every time she made a decision. And I think as time went on, I felt more and more connected to Alex. It was almost as though I adopted her personality and thinking as my own (I even started chipping at my nail polish! Why! I just painted them today!). 

Acevedo really brings her characters to life in this one. I liked the side characters as well. They all had their own stories, arcs, and decisions to make. And while Alex's decisions impacted their lives, it didn't stop them from doing what they thought was best for themselves. I liked that as each character made a decision, it made Alex reevaluate what she believed in. But I also really liked that she stood firm in her beliefs no matter what others said to her. I do think some of them were a tad bit self-destructive, but we all make decisions like that sometimes. 

My only tiny little complaint was that Alex started going for counselling and it was helping but then that plotline kinda got dropped. I know that Alex says her counsellor probably jumped ship but it seems like it had some potential to go some place and then was sort of forgotten. And I think I liked this arc so much because it was positive about therapy! Therapy isn't always a nightmare and while some people don't get help from it, lots of people do! And I just kinda wish it had been expanded on a bit more -- or at least acknowledged a bit more. 

Overall, I highly highly highly recommend this one. It has a great MC who is strong even though she has a mental disorder! And it has holograms! And people being idiots but being called out for it! And it shows you legit what would happen if we had time to make a decision about staying or leaving. And this can transfer into any aspect of your life, really. If you have a choice to make, you have to consider your options. And THAT ENDING. OMG. It was something I really should have seen coming, but I was blindsided by it and LOVED IT ALL AT THE SAME TIME. I'm so glad I don't have to wait too long for the next book to come out, but until then: Pick up CONSIDER on April 19th, friends!