Once again I am thanking Netgalley, as well as Disney for letting me read the e-galley of this book. I really like the publishers that let all the books in the series be available on Netgalley. For a kind of selfish reason, when I get to read a book early like this, I hate when I have to wait for the next book in the series even longer, because I don't get it as an e-galley.
This book basically picks up where the first one, The Way We Fall, left off. Kaelyn is not alone with her cousin Meredith. But not completely, her friend Tessa is there. And also, her new boyfriend, Gavin, who in the first book was one of the guys that did the runs to get the food deliveries from the mainland before they stopped being delivered, is also living there. We learned about one of her best friends, Leo, in the first book. He makes it back to town at the beginning of this book. And also moves in with the little family. Since Kaelyn's father passed away, she now is having the time to go through the box of his stuff she got from the hospital. And she finds the keys to his lab that she thinks has a vaccine he was working on. She gets in, finds it, reads his notes on it, and decides she must get it to their friend Nell at the hospital. Nell is very excited to hear of the cure, but says there is no one left on the island that would be able to help with it. So Kaelyn figures she must get it to the mainland for someone to help. She plans at first to just take Leo and go. We know that Kaelyn is immune, as well as Meredith. But none of the others are. Unfortunately a guy named Tobias shows up when they are leaving to tell them that some military people are going to bomb the island as they blame the whole virus outbreak on them. So all of them leave, to be safe. Once on the other side, both Tessa and Leo are given two of the vaccines. Gavin refuses to take one. And so their journey begins. Tobias travels with them, bringing his vehicle, I'm thinking it's a Hum Vee? And all the provisions and supplies he can. Leo has warned them that even the mainland isn't what it used to be. People are dangerous. And in one of the first towns where they stop to get gas, they find out this is true. When they walk back to their vehicle, it has been disabled, and now they must walk. It's winter and snowy, so they find some sleds, and pack all their belongings on them to move. But again they must hide away from the road so that these people don't come after them. See, they let slip that they have a vaccine, and now that is all these other people want.
Along the way they do come across some friendly people at an old artists' colony. These people are self sufficient, and even have a greenhouse. Tessa ends up wanting to stay behind with the greenhouse, and because of the danger, Kaelyn wants Meredith to stay there and wait until they get back from either Toronto or wherever they must end up going to find help with this.
And so a new journey is set on. With someone from the colony joining them. And even we hear from Kaelyn's brother, not even sure how he got to where he is, but he still does his best to help her.
I won't go on anymore about the story. Just to say that it does end on a bit more of a cliffhanger this time I feel. Which is good. Because now I'm even more eager to read on! I really liked the kind of road trip in this story. I love stories like that. And I feel the way the towns and few people out there were, was pretty realistic. A great story, and if you haven't read the first one, The Way We Fall, you need to go get it and be ready for when this comes out in February.