REVIEW - Not a Drop to Drink by Mindy McGinnis

Monday, July 14, 2014
Not a Drop to Drink by Mindy McGinnis
Published by: Katherine Tegen Books on Sept 24th, 2013
Series: Not a Drop to Drink #1
Pages: 320
Format: Hardcover
Genre: Post-Apocalypitic
Source: Gifted
Rating: 5/5
BUY THE BOOK or ADD IT TO GOODREADS!!

FROM GOODREADS: Regret was for people with nothing to defend, people who had no water. 

Lynn knows every threat to her pond: drought, a snowless winter, coyotes, and, most importantly, people looking for a drink. She makes sure anyone who comes near the pond leaves thirsty, or doesn't leave at all.

Confident in her own abilities, Lynn has no use for the world beyond the nearby fields and forest. Having a life means dedicating it to survival, and the constant work of gathering wood and water. Having a pond requires the fortitude to protect it, something Mother taught her well during their quiet hours on the rooftop, rifles in hand.

But wisps of smoke on the horizon mean one thing: strangers. The mysterious footprints by the pond, nighttime threats, and gunshots make it all too clear Lynn has exactly what they want, and they won’t stop until they get it….

With evocative, spare language and incredible drama, danger, and romance, debut author Mindy McGinnis depicts one girl’s journey in a barren world not so different than our own.

MY THOUGHTS:

Dear Not a Drop to Drink,

Whoa. Hold up a minute. You were sitting on my shelf for how long? Since Christmas? WHY?! I am shaking my head at myself for how long I made you sit there unread and unloved, but fear not, I spent an entire day swallowed up in the trenches of your fabulous plot, and I don't regret a single second of it. You were a refreshing drink of water in a world drowning in dystopian. (Horrible pun, btw) You were exactly the type of book that made me fall in love with dystopian/post-apocalyptic stories in the first place, and have made me fall in love with it all over again.

Your storyline follows Lynn, who lives in a world where water is scarce, and therefore has to spend her life protecting her and her mother's lifeline, their pond, from all types of predators- human and animal. But after Lynn's mother dies, it's all up to Lynn to survive on her own and keep the predators at bay, with just a little help from some new friends.

Your world was terrifying. No water. I couldn't even imagine. I drink mostly water as it is, but after finishing you, I'm savoring every single drop that touches my tongue. The picture painted with your words was all too frightening and realistic. Something like this could very well happen in my lifetime, and it's scary to consider. On top of all that, you tout crazy gun-weilding humans, coyote-dog hybrids, and disease. *shudders*

Your characters also rock, Not a Drop to Drink. I loved Lynn so much. I instantly connected to her character, and the way she was feeling. I simply could not put you down because I cared about Lynn that much. Whenever I was making dinner, I was snatching you up while boiling stuff on the stove, just so I could catch a few more sentences. I couldn't take not knowing what was happening in Lynn's world while I was cooking in my own. I also seemed to pick up her preferred curse words, and have been saying, "Asshole" and "Son of a Bitch" a lot more as of lately. Her character arc from not trusting anyone at the beginning to finally relying on other people was beautifully written, and I loved falling in love and learning to trust the newcomers along with Lynn. Stebbs was a hoot. I felt a particular fondness for him for some reason. Maybe because of the stubborn-ness between him and Lynn. My dad and I are a lot like that. We butt heads quite a bit, but I love him to death. I also fell for Lucy more and more as I flipped through your pages. I would've reacted much like Lynn did to the child at the beginning, and ultimately evolved to caring for her the same way.

If I were to change absolutely anything about you, though, I think I would've added a smidge more romance to you. Granted, I love the slow burn, and I totes shipped what was going on between Lynn and Eli, but I just needed a bit more to feel that connection to the absolute fullest, ya know? 

Other than that, you were truly magnificent. Now, I finally know what everyone was talking about when they referred to you. You deserve all the hype and more. I will be recommending you to anyone and everyone and pushing you into their hands. In fact, I already shoved you into my mother's hands (she devoured you in a day as well and LOVED you just as much as I) AND bought a copy for my best friend! I am shouting to the blogosphere not to give up on Post-Apocalyptic stories just yet, because if they do, they will be missing out on one of the absolute best ones I've ever read. Yes, I'm referring to you. Stop blushing! I wish I could give you all the hearts, but alas, my rating system is only 1-5... Do you have any clue what I'm giving you? No? FIVE HEARTS to you, Not a Drop to Drink. Your author, Mindy McGinnis, wowed me with the wonderful debut that you are and I'm anxiously awaiting your step-sibling/cousin (?), In a Handful of Dust, to release. Counting down the seconds, actually.

Loving you (and water) always and forever, 

Becca


Have you read Not a Drop to Drink?
What did you think?
Did you love it, meh-it, or hate it?
Either way, I'd love to hear your thoughts!
Let's discuss!
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11 comments:

  1. Sounds like a great read! I've been quite curious about this one. I do love a good dystopian story ♥ oh and btw, I loved the pun ;)
    Monique @ Mo_Books

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    1. Haha, I'm glad someone loved it! It is really a great read. One of my favorites of all time. I am dying to get my hands on the companion now! You should def pick it up Monique! :)

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  2. Fantastic review Becca!! This one of my very favourite books and debuts of last year and I'm extremely happy to hear you loved it too!!

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  3. Not a Drop to Drink is definitely one of my favorite reads this year, and like you, Becca, I'm counting down the days until In a Handful of Dust releases! I'm curious about what our girls, Lynn and Lucy have been to -- especially because they seem to have grown up quite a bit between novels. My favorite part of the novel was the characterization, but McGinnis did such a phenomenal job at portraying such a stark and realistic future, and she didn't hold back! I connected with the romance a little more strongly than you did. Even though I would've enjoyed more scenes with the couple, I swooned over the time they spent together. Fabulous review, hun! :)

    Marlene @ The Flyleaf Review

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    1. Oh, I definitely still did plenty of swoonage. I just wish there would've been more!!! This was such a lovely comment, Marlene! Thank you! I agree so much with you! <3

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  4. Love this review, made me laugh so hard! And this book sounds so EPIC, I've actually never really read any post-apocalyptic stories before so I'll keep this in mind, great review!

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    1. HAHA. YAY! I'm glad I made you laugh! I think this is one of my very favorite reviews that I've ever written! IT is so so epic! You haven't?! REALLY? Read this one. Seriously. I'm pushing it onto you. It's official. You have to read it now. ;)

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  5. I really need to read this book!! It's totally out of my comfort zone, but I love a post-apocalyptic story every now and again... especially when they're the rare really really good ones!! Everyone I know has liked this so far, and now you, so... yes I am going to get this one in soon!!!

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    1. Yes you do!!!!!!! This was an exceptional read. Quite frankly one of the absolute best post-apocolyptic books I've ever read, and I have read A TON. Yay! I cannot wait to hear what you think of it, Michelle! :D

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  6. I loved this book. Mainly because it is realistic, something like this can actually happen and that is what I love about Dystopian novels. I finished it the other day actually. I couldn't have been more shocked and tearful at the ending, and a bit confused to be honest. I got an ebook ARC of In a Handful of Dust. It's in Lucy's POV a couple of years into the future, it is defiantly not a disappointment! (If you have an eReader try Edelweiss. You can request an ebook ARC copy!) Glad to see you loved this book as much as me :)

    Amber @ The Book Bratz

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