We All Looked Up: A Spectacular and Philosophical YA Read!
WOW! That's about the most accurate word that I can use to start things off: Wow!
I went into this story thinking that it was going to be nothing more than another YA novel, but I was totally wrong! This book ended delivering so much more than I was expecting and overall was just so surprisingly good. I knew immediately after reading that I needed to talk to you all about this author's wonderful work, and that's exactly what I'm doing right now!
So without further ado, I'm going to tell you all about the amazing We All Looked Up by Tommy Wallach!
What's The Story?
An asteroid named Ardor has been spotted within space, and now scientists are confirming that it would hit in two months and destroy large swarms of life in its path. Meanwhile, four high school seniors from Seattle are receiving the news about what is about to come. They all end up coming to the conclusion that they have been worrying about things that would be meaningless if there was no more time left. So quickly they decide to abandon the labels that they have been given in high school, deciding to truly live and enjoy themselves to the fullest. And with Ardor approaching the planet at a steady pace, the kids learn how to live everyday like it's their last.
Why I Loved We All Looked Up:
First off, We All Looked Up provides with an amazing cast of characters. All of them were absolutely fantastic! Wallach takes four kids with traditional high school stereotypes and ends up turning them into such three-dimensional characters. What first starts out as the athlete, outcast, slacker and overachiever all become complex and fun to read about. I found all them interesting, with each of them having their own ambitions, dreams and insecurities.
Wallach takes the idea of preparing for an apocalypse and uses it to make an amazing and surprisingly philosophical reflection on life. I would be lying if I said that I didn't learn a few lessons from this story. Throughout the course of this book, I got reflections on what's really important, living in the moment and doing whatever makes you happy. All of it being pure honesty and something that the readers won't forget. It ends up being extremely thought-provoking and makes the reader think out the situation that the author has created. Making you imagine what you might possibly do if you knew that a big asteroid was going to hit.
I also loved reading through all of the different perspectives. You have so many views of the world Wallach describes, but all of it blended with each other and made it feel like one complete story. The four perspectives of the kids all intertwined perfectly!
And I couldn't have a complete review of this book without saying something about the overall writing. The way that Tommy Wallach has with words makes the passages read like poetry. Thanks to the amazing writing found within the story, there was never a moment where I couldn't feel the emotions of the characters. In short, it was beautifully written and captured all of the pain and troubles of the world that We All Looked Up reveals to us.
In Short...
If I were to describe We All Looked Up in one word, I would call it wise. I originally went into it thinking it would just be another apocalypse story, and came out with an absolutely unforgettable experience. Wallach here has created a must-read YA novel that not only entertains, but has you pondering as well.
Bonus Note:
Oh, and one more thing about Tommy Wallach! Along with being the author of this fabulous story, he is also a singer and songwriter as well. Along with this book, he has made an accompaniment album called We All Looked Up: The Album. The music on here is spectacular and makes the reading experience of his story that much better. So be sure to check out his music work as well!
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