Book Review: How to Survive Everything

HOW TO SURVIVE EVERYTHING | Ewan Morrison
11.15.2022 | Harper Perennial
Rating: 4/5 stars

Children of divorce, Haley and Ben live with their mother. But their dad believes there’s a new, much deadlier pandemic coming and is determined to keep them alive. He wants to take them to his prepper hideaway where they will be safe from other people. NOW. But there’s no way their mother will go along with his plan. Saving them requires extreme measures. Kidnapped by their father and confined to his compound far off the grid, Haley and Ben have no contact with the outside world. How can they save their mother? Will they make it out alive? Is the threat real–or is this all just a dark fantasy brought on by their conspiracy obsessed father’s warped imagination?

I know it’s still tough for a lot of people to read books that involve pandemics, regardless of their nature, so be cautious about picking this one up if you find yourself in this category.

How to Survive Everything is much different from any pandemic related book that I’ve read before. This book is less about the actual disease and more about human reactions and emotions. The focus is on survival and the consequences our decisions can have when we’re just trying to make it through. Don’t get me wrong, there are still plenty of edge-of-your-seat moments where you’re concerned if some of the characters will survive. 

I loved that we got to experience this story through Haley’s eyes. There’s that great teenage flare that comes through in YA stories, which lends humor to a story that could be incredibly dark. There is a wide cast of secondary characters that the reader is given a chance to bond with as Morrison allows each of their personalities to shine through. While we may not get everyone’s in-depth backstory, there’s enough meat there for the reader to truly understand their reactions and motivations. 

If you’re looking for something a little bit different, How to Survive Everything meets that mark. 

A huge thank you to Harper Perennial for my gifted copy!