High school senior Becca Aldaine, white, has grown up in a community of doomsday and worst-case scenario preppers led by her dad. It’s already been decided she’ll marry Korean American Roy Kang, another teen in their community, after she graduates. From what Becca can tell, Roy isn’t very bright, but he’s a high achiever on their physical training exercises and the adults in their community love him. Becca has no intention of marrying Roy, however. For years she’s been pretending to agree with her parents’ beliefs while working toward college scholarships as a means of escape. Then her dad is seriously injured by a drunk driver and her mom, chosen as the new community leader, changes the rules by which they live, now determined to “train” even children as young as 10—the age of Becca’s sister, Katie. Prior to the accident, Katie maintained a sense of eye-rolling skepticism about their community; now she’s giving in to the paranoia and parroting their mom. News that she’s received a full scholarship to Carnegie Melon to study physics is meaningless to Becca if it means leaving Katie behind in such a psychologically abusive environment. She finds an unlikely ally in Roy Kang, dismayed to discover that Roy has also been faking it all along. Like Becca, he wants to escape. And he’s ready to do it together. Snappy writing, engaging characters, and a fast-paced plot propel a love story that is also a tale of emotional survival. (Age 12 and older)