ALA Booklist (Wed Jul 01 00:00:00 CDT 2020)

Two teens, one laundromat, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake, and a whole bunch of regrets ichardt (Underwater, 2016) provides the perfect formula for a tale of disaster and drama. Ruby and Charlie are trapped under toppled washers, dryers, and rubble, and things are not looking great. Ruby's day started with her lashing out at her mother, who announced that she's dating Ruby's water polo coach. Charlie, on the other hand, is back in town to try to confront terrible events from his past. Ruby and Charlie try their best to keep their spirits up, talking about their pasts and dreams for the future. But things take a turn for the worse as aftershocks roll through, making the likelihood of survival even less likely. Reichardt's skillful use of language will have readers feeling as claustrophobic and frightened as Ruby and Charlie, especially when the teens confront past events they would do anything to change. This is a thrilling, provocative, and empowering look at fighting for survival while remembering the important things in life, like friendship, family, and love.

Kirkus Reviews

Two teens are trapped in a California earthquake-a big one.Aghast to discover that her mother is dating her high school water polo coach, Ruby skips practice in favor of the laundromat beside the liquor store, where she hopes she can find someone to buy her a beer. She's approaching the only other person there, a boy who appears slightly older than her, when the ground begins to thrash. Ruby dives for cover but the building collapses-she's trapped. So is the boy, named Charlie. Though they can't move or see each other, they converse over the next day and a half while injury, dehydration, and aftershocks make their situation ever more perilous. When rescuers eventually come, Ruby is reunited with her mother and friends. Told in Ruby's first-person voice, with flashbacks detailing her relationships with her mother, boyfriend, and best friend, Mila, the accounts of the quake and its immediate aftermath and the relationship that develops between Ruby and Charlie are immediate, visceral, and compelling. But the rescue comes less than halfway through the book, and after that both pacing and plot falter. Suspense leaks out, and what should be emotional reunion scenes feel underwritten. The novel defaults to an all-white cast.The final third doesn't quite match the can't-put-down promise of the start. (resources) (Fiction. 14-18)

School Library Journal (Sat Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2020)

Gr 9 Up-California high school student Ruby is devastated when she discovers that her mom is dating her water polo coach. She cannot bear the thought of attending practice and being subjected to the possible rumors or taunts surrounding her mother's relationship. In her agitated state, she recklessly decides to skip practice and head to a local laundromat to see if she can get a stranger to buy her beer. Shortly after starting up a conversation with her would-be alcohol procurer, Charlie, an enormous earthquake strikes. The walls of the laundromat collapse, and Ruby and Charlie find themselves buried alive in the destruction. Scared, injured, and only able to hear each other's voices through the rubble, Charlie and Ruby survive each hour by sharing memories and the challenges they have each faced in their lives. Problems that had seemed dire become starkly insignificant when the two are confronted with their own mortality. As hours turn into days, and aftershocks begin to rumble, Ruby wonders if they will ever escape. This is an inspiring and complex survival story that examines self-doubt, addiction, loss, love, and the human condition. VERDICT Reichardt pens a captivating story that is sure to be a popular title in any young adult collection. For fans of Susan Beth Pfeffer's Life As We Knew It , Ruta Sepetys's Salt to the Sea , or Michael Northrop's Trapped . Ellen Fitzgerald, Naperville P.L., IL