Title: Just Get Home
Author: Bridget Foley
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: MIRA
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: April 13, 2021
Rating: ★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
When a devastating earthquake – the Big One – hits Los Angeles, two strangers are brought together by an act of violence and must help each other survive the wrecked city.
Beegie is riding the bus when the quake hits. The teenager was heading back to her unhappy foster home, but then she’s thrown into a broken world. Roads crumble, storefronts shatter and people run wild.
Dessa, a single mom, is enjoying a rare night out when it strikes. Cell towers are down, so without even knowing if her 3-three-year-old daughter is dead or alive, she races to get back across town.
As danger escalates in the chaotic streets, Beegie and Dessa meet by a twist of fate. The two form a fragile partnership, relying on each other in ways they never thought possible, and learn who they really are when there’s only one goal: Just get home.
Review:
Dessa is a single mom, who was out with friends when the earthquake hit. Fifteen-year-old Beegie had run away from her foster home and was on the bus during the earthquake. Dessa doesn’t know if her three-year-old daughter is dead or alive because the cell towers are down and the streets are a disaster. Beegie and Dessa are brought together in these chaotic circumstances, and they have to travel across L.A. to find Dessa’s daughter.
This story was about the big earthquake that is predicted to hit California one day. I’ve only experienced a very small earthquake in Toronto years ago. I can’t imagine what kind of devastating situation like this earthquake could create.
The actual earthquake wasn’t the problem. The disaster came in the aftermath, with buildings and infrastructure destroyed and people breaking laws. In this story, people went crazy looting buildings, robbing people and attacking people. People behaved horribly to each other. It was really upsetting to read, but especially after the pandemic of the last year, I’ve noticed that people really don’t care about protecting others by changing their behaviour. It was difficult to read, but, unfortunately, it was an accurate depiction of human nature.
There were some very difficult scenes to read. Some of these scenes included rape, abuse, murder, suicide, and discussion of abortion. I definitely think these things were part of an accurate depiction of the after effects of a natural disaster, but they were still difficult to read.
This was an intense earthquake story.
Thank you HarperCollins Canada for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
What to read next:
The Last to See Her by Courtney Evan Tate
Social Misconduct by S.J. Maher
About the author:
Originally from Colorado, Bridget Foley attended NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and UCLA’s School of Theater, Film & Television. She worked as an actor and screenwriter before becoming a novelist. She now lives a fiercely creative life with her family in Boise, Idaho.
Have you read Just Get Home? What did you think of it?
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