For 17 year old Greer Wakefield, life has been perfect and normal. Her life is very green thanks to her parents, and she’s okay with that. Everything changes when her parents decide to take their green living to the next step. They move the family into an off the grid community. Greer grapples with the complete 180 her life has become. Living in an earth home takes some adjusting to.
Hunter Tumman has lived at Gridless all his life. Living off the grid is the only thing he knows. But new girl Greer catches his eye and their friendship throws him for a loop. Her stories of the outside has him questioning everything he thought he knew. Could there be more to life than what he’s experienced?
While one questions the life he's led, the other grows adjusted to the life she's thrust into. Will they meet in the middle or will they miss each other as they live their lives off the grid?
Anyway, I'll start off by saying that I did like the novella, but I did have some issues with it.
When I read books that are YA, I expect there to be some sort of angst, because let's face it, the book is about teenagers. I expected some level of angst, but I was sadly disappointed by the lack of it. There was only one instance in which Greer (our protagonist) lets off some steam. But, it is very short lived, and her parents don't even really seem to respond to her outburst. I find that very odd, because parents are not that easy going. I felt like the characters, especially the parents, were cookie-cutter caricatures and for the most part lacked character and personality.
The second point that seriously bothered me was the insta-love that occurred between Greer and Hunter. I know this is fiction, and anything is possible in fiction, but there has to be at least some sort of build-up to the love, right? It just happened way too quickly for my taste, but I know there are others who like the insta-love, and that's okay. That kind of thing just isn't for me.
Now I'll go into what I did like.
The recycling concept of living completely green. I'm sure most of us, if not all, know about the negative effects humanity has had on nature. In my own home, we try to recycle things as much as possible, and on that level, I could connect with Greer and her family's concern for nature. I'm lucky enough to live in an area where litter doesn't line the streets or the ground of public places. While we don't go out and pick up garbage in the park like Greer and her sister, we do our part to make the world a little cleaner.
I could also connect to the bond between Greer and her sister Jess, and at the anger they felt at having to move to another place where they don't know anyone. I've experienced that in many instances throughout my childhood.
Overall, it's an interesting novella, and I give it 3/5 Platypires.