High school senior Becca Aldaine, white, has grown up in a community of doomsday and worst-case scenario preppers led by her dad. It’s already been decided she’ll marry Korean American Roy Kang, another teen in their community, after she graduates. From what Becca can tell, Roy isn’t very bright, but he’s a high achiever on their physical training exercises and the adults in their community love him. Becca has no intention of marrying Roy, however. For years she’s been pretending to agree with her parents’ beliefs while working toward college scholarships as a means of escape. Then her dad is seriously injured by a drunk driver and her mom, chosen as the new community leader, changes the rules by which they live, now determined to “train” even children as young as 10—the age of Becca’s sister, Katie. Prior to the accident, Katie maintained a sense of eye-rolling skepticism about their community; now she’s giving in to the paranoia and parroting their mom. News that she’s received a full scholarship to Carnegie Melon to study physics is meaningless to Becca if it means leaving Katie behind in such a psychologically abusive environment. She finds an unlikely ally in Roy Kang, dismayed to discover that Roy has also been faking it all along. Like Becca, he wants to escape. And he’s ready to do it together. Snappy writing, engaging characters, and a fast-paced plot propel a love story that is also a tale of emotional survival. (Age 12 and older)

For fans of Jeff Zentner and Katie Henry comes a thrilling and funny debut about a teen raised in a doomsday community who plots her escape with the boy from the bunker next door.

Always be ready for the worst day of your life.

This is the mantra that Becca Aldaine has grown up with. Her family is part of a community of doomsday preppers, a neighborhood that prioritizes survivalist training over class trips or senior prom. They’re even arranging Becca’s marriage with Roy Kang, the only eligible boy in their community. Roy is a nice guy, but he’s so enthusiastic about prepping that Becca doesn’t have the heart to tell him she’s planning to leave as soon as she can earn a full ride to a college far, far away.

Then a devastating accident rocks Becca’s family and pushes the entire community, including Becca’s usually cynical little sister, deeper into the doomsday ideology. With her getaway plans thrown into jeopardy, the only person Becca can turn to is Roy, who reveals that he’s not nearly as clueless as he’s been pretending to be.

When Roy proposes they run away together, Becca will have to risk everything—including her heart—for a chance to hope for the best instead of planning for the worst.