Review: Reds of Summer (Thrive Series Book 1) by VB Gilbert

Reds of Summer by VB Gilbert
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Really Good Dystopian Book

This book kept cropping up as a recommendation on Facebook Groups and Goodreads so I decided to give it a go. I’m so glad I did. It was a really good read and it sucked me in completely.

Maggie is 25 and used to be a school teacher. Then everyone got sick. Her whole family is dead and she is the last one remaining. Alone and frightened she runs away to a farm she knows about and finally finds companions to ease her loneliness. Having others to look after helps, but the responsibilities increase as the dangers start to escalate.

In this world where everything is broken, it seems difficult to trust and to know where to turn when danger is around every corner.

I liked the way this story built. It started quite soon after the pandemic hit and through Maggie we get a real sense of how society has broken down. I like that she suffers from anxiety and has done since being a teen. She is insecure and the events of recent weeks have caused her to start the panic attacks again, understandably. This makes her feel real. She falls apart, but then gets it back together again in order to protect the kids. She gets angry when pressured into doing something she doesn’t want to do, but she lets it go when the chips are down.

The relationships Maggie has with the kids is lovely. She doesn’t pretend to be a mother, but she has experience with kids and that shows with how she talks to them and cares for them.

The romance in the book grows slowly. It is based on growing trust and supporting each other in dire circumstances. It feels natural and unforced.

I really enjoyed the book and in particular the character development. I know that there is more to come and I think I will enjoy it as much as this book.

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