Review: Everything You Need to Survive the Apocalypse by Lucas Klauss

Synopsis:
Phillip's sophomore year is off to a rough start. One of his best friends ditches him for a group of douchebags. His track coach singles him out for personalized, torturous training sessions. And his dad decides to clean out all of the emergency supplies from the basement, even though the world could end in disaster at any moment...and even though those supplies are all Phillip has left of his dead mom. Not that he wants to talk about that.

But then Phillip meets Rebekah. Not only is she unconventionally hot and smart, but she has seriously great boobs. And she might like him back.

As Phillip gets closer to Rebekah, he tries harder and harder to turn himself into the kind of person he thinks she wants him to be. But the question is, can he become that person? And does he really want to?


Review:
Let me just say, the title and cover of this book will mean so much more to you after reading the book. It is so heartfelt and real.

Philip Flowers tells this story, and he tells it like a dude. As a girl, there are still a lot of mysterious things about the opposite sex that I just don't get. How they interact is very alien to me and also very fascinating. That is such a strong driving force in this book, and I loved it. It was like peeking into a window to the male mind :-)

Philip Flowers is a real boy. He really was an actual person to me. This is a boy that you could meet anywhere, and he has the same issues and questions that we all have had at some point. He's not sure what he believes about life and God. He finds faith...and then doubt. Not just in regards to God and religion, but faith and doubt in people. His friends and his family.

I would say this book has a strong religious message, except I'm not sure that it does. What I took away from it was that belief isn't about what people tell you to believe, but something that you have questioned and come to truly believe for yourself. Philip has to make this decision, and I won't say what he ends up deciding since I don't want to spoil anything. But I was really engaged in his journey for truth and answers.

A lot of great things to be found in Everything You Need to Survive the Apocalypse. A true to life coming-of-age story.

Publication Date: January 3, 2012
Genre: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Contemporary Fiction
Source: Thanks so much to Simon & Schuster for my eARC!