Instrutions for the end of the World by Jamie Kain

Instructions for the End of the World

by Jamie Kain
He prepared their family for every natural disaster known to man—except for the one that struck.

When Nicole Reed’s father forces her family to move to a remote area of the Sierra Foothills, one without any modern conveniences, her life is completely turned upside down.

It’s not that Nicole isn’t tough. She’s learned how to hunt, and she knows how to build things—she’s been preparing for the worst-case scenario for what seems like forever.

But when she and her sister, Izzy, are left alone in this remote landscape to fend for themselves, her skills are put to the ultimate test. She’s fine for a while, but then food begins to run out, the pipes begin to crack, and forest fires start to inch closer every day.

When Wolf, a handsome boy from the neighboring community, offers to help, Nicole feels conflicted. She can take care of herself. But things have begun to get desperate, and there’s something about this boy she can’t shake.

As feelings develop between these two—feelings Nicole knows her father would never allow once he returns—she must make a decision. With her family falling apart, will she choose to continue preparing for tomorrow’s disasters, or will she take a chance and start living for today?

I received a review copy from readingteen.net

This story is one that is told from three different perspectives. Both Nicole and Izzy reflect on what is happening in their household after the move. Wolf is a neighbor who takes an interest in Nicole, and is dealing of the return of his now sober mother after a year of absence.

Their mother's reaction to the condition of the new house is what starts the beginning of the end. She and Izzy never wanted to move, but they were a family. Their mother finally puts her foot down and leaves them when she sees the new house. Wanting to save his marriage, their father soon leaves to chase after her. Leaving the girls all alone, in the broken down house in the middle of nowhere.

Nicole has to be the strong one, she is the oldest and has all the training to keep food on the table. But when the house itself starts falling apart she leans on her friendship with Wolf to get through the hard times. The sisters are complete opposite and they definitely have their own issues with each other and their situation.

Wolf is trying to work out how he feels about his mother returning and all of the changes that it brings. He's grown to not trust her because of her past addictions and how she left him. But he's been dealing and working hard to get through school.

I enjoyed the story because of the different angles we see of parents and children dealing with unusual circumstances. Addiction is hard, and divorce is hard, what these kids do to move forward with their own lives is positive even though they are very angry. The book was a really quick, short read with some really great characters. I loved Nicole's character the best, she's very strong and smart, great roll model.