"We Are Okay meets They Both Die at the End in this YA debut about queer first love and mental health at the end of the world-and the importance of saving yourself, no matter what tomorrow may hold.
Avery Byrne has secrets. She's queer; she's in love with her best friend, Cass; and she's suffering from undiagnosed clinical depression. But on the morning Avery plans to jump into the river near her college campus, the world discovers there are only nine days left to an asteroid is headed for Earth, and no one can stop it.
Trying to spare her family and Cass additional pain, Avery does her best to make it through just nine more days. As time runs out and secrets slowly come to light, Avery would do anything to save the ones she loves. But most importantly, she learns to save herself. Speak her truth. Seek the support she needs. Find hope again in the tomorrows she has left.
If Tomorrow Doesn't Come is a celebration of queer love, a gripping speculative narrative, and an urgent, conversation-starting book about depression, mental health, and shame."
Pages: 368
Happy Saturday! ✨
Today is my stop on the tour for If Tomorrow Doesn’t Come by Jen St.Jude, thank you so much The Write Reads & Penguin Platform for my beautiful copy and for having me on the tour!
I knew that this story was going to tear my heart in two but I didn’t anticipate sobbing on a Friday night 😂 It was so beautifully written, I couldn’t help but fall in love with Avery & Cass and this is definitely a book that is going to stay with me forever!
I must admit, it has been a struggle to write this review because how can I put into words how deeply this book affected me? It’s not often that a book comes along and speaks directly to your soul. I’ve struggled with depression in my life, not to the levels that Avery reached, but that hopelessness that she faces, the need to do better and yet feel like you’re never doing enough is something that is so crushing and I can’t even begin to describe how badly I wanted hug Avery at those points!
The way the author has managed to capture these big emotions that can feel so overwhelming and confusing and lay them out so clearly is simply brilliant. Plus, the background of an impending apocalypse was such a beautiful metaphor for struggles with depression, I really appreciated the message of just *wanting* to survive is enough! I also loved how the author showcased how powerful and important hope is! Like my messiah Ted Lasso says “it’s the lack of hope that comes and gets ya” and although it’s not a magic cure, the belief in hope can be life changing!
If Tomorrow Doesn’t Come is heartbreaking, earnest and beautiful and I want to thank the author for such a moving and relatable story that I’m never going to forget!
Make sure to check out all of the fantastic bloggers also on the tour! 💖
Lambda Literary Fellow Jen St. Jude (she/they) grew up in New Hampshire apple orchards and now lives in Chicago with her wife and dog. She has served as an editor for Chicago Review of Books, Just Femme & Dandy, and Arcturus Magazine. When she’s not reading or writing, you can find her cheering on the Chicago Sky and Red Stars. If Tomorrow Doesn’t Come is her first novel.