ALA Booklist (Thu Apr 28 00:00:00 CDT 2022)

A diverse group of teens incarcerated at the Hope Juvenile Treatment Center in rural Arkansas is abandoned when the U.S. goes into lockdown after an outbreak of the plague. This intensely realistic, high-stakes story of survival is told from the alternating viewpoints of Logan, a nonverbal girl whose beloved sister becomes infected; Emerson, a self-described "good Catholic girl" rejected by their family and church after coming out as nonbinary; and Grace, the group's reluctant leader. Each teen steps up to help their small community endure: one starts a garden, another treats the sick, another digs the graves. After internet and telephone connections break down, they approach a nearby town for information and supplies with tragic results. While this reads like a dystopian novel, it actually depicts our own present if it were in the grips of an even more devastating viral pandemic. Though held back by limited character development, the cliff-hanger chapter endings and themes of social justice still offer wide appeal: Whose life is valuable and whose life can be discarded? Who has the right to judge?

Kirkus Reviews

The Hope Juvenile Treatment Center, run by private corporation Better Futures, is home to 31 young adults and the harsh, abusive officers who guard them.When yersinia pestis modernis, a new strain of the medieval plague, rips through the country, leaving death and destruction in its wake, the guards at the Hope Center, indifferent to their teenage charges' fates, abandon their posts. Left to fend for themselves in a world that forgot about them during a crisis, the kids left behind in a remote part of the Ozarks have to learn how and whom to trust and, above all else, what to do in order to survive. When Leah falls ill, Grace, Emerson, and Logan (who is Leah's twin sister) work together to keep each other safe as best they can despite facing disease and death. Nonbinary Emerson is grappling with their Catholic faith, and neurodiverse Logan rarely speaks, communicating with Leah using their own invented sign language. The beautifully written, lyrical prose enhances this riveting, fast-paced thriller that may hit very close to home for readers struggling through the Covid-19 pandemic. The alternating first-person narratives and interspersed phone call transcripts keep readers close to the action and occasionally will bring them close to tears. Main characters are White; the supporting characters are racially diverse.A gripping story about marginalized citizens navigating a global pandemic. (content warning, trans support resource, author's note) (Thriller. 14-18)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

The young adults who inhabit private company-run Hope Juvenile Treatment Center in rural Arkansas lead highly structured, strictly supervised lives, so it comes as a shock when they wake one morning to discover the doors unlocked and the brutal staff gone. A group heads on foot for the nearest town but finds the road blocked by armed soldiers, who order their retreat: the state is on lockdown thanks to an extremely contagious, frequently fatal respiratory illness. After an incident when a boy rushes the barricade, his companions return to Hope and update the others. Eight opt to escape and brave the wilderness; the remaining 22 stay put, divvying up chores and rationing supplies. They assume someone will come for them, but as time passes, provisions dwindle and the disease spreads, triggering desperation and discord. Three white teens narrate, including one nonbinary character and one neurodivergent twin who communicates via a personal sign language; the supporting cast is ethnically diverse. Palpable fear and paranoia contribute to breathless pacing, while Nijkamp (Even If We Break) employs a clever setup and keenly wrought characters to sensitively explore topics of ableism, racism, transphobia, and juvenile justice reform. Ages 14-up. Agent: Suzie Townsend, New Leaf Literary. (Jan.)

School Library Journal (Tue Mar 01 00:00:00 CST 2022)

Gr 9 Up The guards and staff of the ironically named Hope Juvenile Treatment Center near Sam's Throne, AR, start acting strangely. Then one night they're gone, leaving the teens, who already felt forgotten and left behind, alone. After an initial escape, the group runs into a literal road block and are told about a virus. They head back to Hope to make another plan. Everyone is under lockdown orders; through some research, the teens learn that there has been an outbreak of pneumonic plague, which is extremely contagious with a high fatality rate. Some of the teens attempt another escape, while the rest choose to stay behind to try to create a sustainable living environment. Then the coughing begins. While this is not supposed to be a COVID tale, Nijkamp has crafted a story that is more realistic commentary on our current situation and less a thriller set in a post-apocalyptic future. There's lots of representation among the cast of characters, and while none really receives the deepest dive, readers are given the opportunity to see the situation through the cast's alternating perspectives. This story is unsettling and haunting but also filled with hope showing what happens when a group comes together to establish a community, a sense of belonging, and a certainty that didn't exist before. VERDICT A not-so-subtle nod to our current landscape that might be too soon for some teen readers. Alicia Kalan