Starred Review In a near future, teens who contract the Peter Pan virus (they never grow up, you see) are quarantined in facilities kind of like schools, but why invest in kids' educations if they're going to die before they can contribute something to society? That's why Westing, where Noah is lucky enough to attend, is so revolutionary ey take education seriously despite their students' truncated life expectancy, though it's still a prison, albeit a shiny one. As the threat of mysterious hospice care looms ever closer, Noah and his friends try to thrive. Does love matter when you're doomed? What about freedom? In a lyrical, raucous narrative interspersed with flyers, posters, and letters, Ostrovski follows Noah as he falls hopelessly in love with straight Zach; adores his shy but fierce best friend, Marty; seeks out connection in a string of meaningless sexual encounters; teems with guilt over his girlfriend, Alice; and tries to navigate a world that's definitely ending, if not due to the asteroid aiming toward earth, then the virus that will eventually ravage his body. Noah's snarky repartee and constant jokes belie the depth of his struggle, and the oscillation between his heartfelt interior thoughts and sometimes careless actions and words is both moving and infuriating other words, vividly human. An intelligent, thought-provoking exploration of living in spite of futility.

Noah Falls is one of many teens unlikely to survive the Peter Pan virus. Victims are gathered up into treatment centers where they go to school and receive care. As their condition worsens, they change facilities to receive "tertiary care." Teens living with PPV have very limited contact with the outside world. All of their news, entertainment, and social networking is received through the "Away We" platform. Despite all of this, Noah does the best he can to have rather reckless teenage years. He keeps a full social schedule with many boys and girls to have sex with. At any time of day he can be found drunk and ferociously pushing his peers to join him. He struggles to find meaning in any of his endeavors, from books to boyfriends, but refuses to see the problem with that, as he and his friends grow sicker.Despite being a story so full of dismay and hopelessness, there are many beautiful lines in this book. The story is full of ups and downs that carry any reader through quite quickly. There is humor to lighten the dark themes. Readers who enjoy tragic stories with irreverent, flippant characters will devour this book.Elisabeth W. Rauch.