I Hope You Get This Message

By Farah Naz Rishi

Blurb: 
Seven days. Seven days. The Earth might end in seven days.

When news stations start reporting that Earth has been contacted by a planet named Alma, the world is abuzz with rumors that the alien entity is giving mankind only few days to live before they hit the kill switch on civilization.

For high school truant Jesse Hewitt, though, nothing has ever felt permanent. Not the guys he hooks up with. Not the jobs his underpaid mom works so hard to hold down. Life has dealt him one bad blow after another — so what does it matter if it all ends now? Cate Collins, on the other hand, is desperate to use this time to find the father she’s never met, the man she grew up hearing wild stories about, most of which she didn’t believe. And then there’s Adeem Khan. While coding and computer programming have always come easily to him, forgiveness doesn’t. He can’t seem to forgive his sister for leaving, even though it’s his last chance.

With only seven days to face their truths and right their wrongs, Jesse, Cate, and Adeem’s paths collide even as their worlds are pulled apart.

Review: 
I saw this book was included in a book box and it was when I was reading a contemporary book so it interested me a lot but I don't think I had the money for the box so I downloaded the ebook a while ago and have only just got round to reading this book.

Up until 70% this book was going to be rated 3 stars, but because things started slotting together it became 4 stars.

This book is told in 3 main characters aspects of the end of the world. The alien planet Alma has gave a warning to planet Earth that they only have 7 days to live before they take over.

At the start of each day we read a small section of the discussions between the Scions about taking over Earth which was quite good because you can see how their opinions differ from one another and see their actual reasons for why they want to take over the planet. 

So onto the actual characters, there is Jesse, Cate and Adeem. I don't think I actually hate or dislike any of these characters, maybe the side characters. I disliked Ivy just because she seems like a two faced bitch.

So Jesse suffers with depression, his father left him as far as I'm aware and went to California or something. His father left him and his mother with money troubles and they struggle to pay rent, bills and put food on the table. Jesse steals food to feed his mother who is constantly working to pay the bills and rent. Jesse then tries to come to terms with his father leaving and opens the shed and use his machines to keep hope within earth and he earns money as he want his mother to stop worrying.

Cate has a mother who suffers with schizophrenia and she doesn't really live a life. So when her mother is taking into hospital she starts to live her life and makes a bucket list. Ivy is her best friend by the way she treats Cate really annoys me.

Adeem is a Muslim and his sister came out to his family and she left many years ago without saying anything because she was ashamed. He is really upset that she left and that his family hasn't been the same since.

So that's like an inside to each of the characters and we follow them throughout the 7 days of the end of the world. They try to improve their lives and make changes to allow them to feel like they are whole again by the time the world ends.

I feel that the story didn't develop at all but then at the same time, I don't think I really expect it to because it was more an adventure of what these 3 people did their lives when they find out they have a short period of time left in their lives. I really hope I would try to make peace like some of these people. The only thing I would have liked more information about in this book is about the Scions living on planet Alma and why they truly wanted it and how they came to this conclusion. 

Like I say this book got 3 stars till approximately 70% and the reason for this was because it just seemed to be quite slow and it was repetitive obviously the characters developed slightly but nothing drastic to make me really love the story. But once it hit 70% when things started piercing together and how these characters played a part in each other's lives even though they were from different states it just felt amazing. The first moment I started realising this was the moon necklace.

I'd recommend this book if you want to see how people cope in the end of the world scenario, and if you like contemporary. I wouldn't say it was really a sci-fi book though it was just a tad hinting at it. But overall, it was well written and an amazing story with little hidden details and with the ending I just feel complete but also sad at the same time. Once you've read it you will understand.

Favourite Character: Jesse

Read: 28/03/20 - 01/04/20

4 stars out of 5

Written by Sammie