ARC Review: Even If the Sky Falls by Mia Garcia

Even If the Sky Falls
Author: Mia Garcia
Publication: Katherine Tegen Books (May 10, 2016)

Description: One midsummer night. Two strangers. Three rules: No real names. No baggage. No phones. A whirlwind twenty-four-hour romance about discovering what it means to feel alive in the face of one of life’s greatest dangers: love.

Who would you be if you had one night to be anyone you want?

Volunteering in New Orleans was supposed to be a change, an escape from the total mess Julie left at home and from her brother’s losing battle with PTSD. But building houses surrounded by her super-clingy team leader and her way-too-chipper companions has Julie feeling more trapped than ever. And she’s had enough.

In a moment of daring, Julie runs away, straight into the glitter, costumes, and chaos of the Mid-Summer Mardi Gras parade—and instantly connects with Miles, an utterly irresistible musician with a captivating smile and a complicated story of his own. And for once, Julie isn’t looking back. Together Julie and Miles decide to forget their problems and live this one night in the here and now. Wandering the night, they dance on roofs, indulge in beignets, share secrets and ghost stories under the stars, and fall in love. But when a Category Two hurricane changes course and heads straight for NOLA, their adventure takes an unexpected turn. And, suddenly, pretending everything is fine is no longer an option.

Richly evocative to the heart-racing end, Even If the Sky Falls is a swoon-worthy debut to indulge in to the very last note.

My Thoughts: Julia is going through a hard patch. Her beloved older brother has come back from his tour of duty changed. He is distant with everyone. He has terrible nightmares. He's drinking. But, worst of all, no one seems to see the problem but her. When he has a drunk driving accident and hurts one of her schoolmates, all Julia wants to do is run. She runs to a mission trip in New Orleans rebuilding houses. Unfortunately, this isn't giving her the distance and distraction she needed because of an overly "handsy" team leader named Tavis who is constantly trying to touch her and get her to talk about her feelings. After one final attempt to get close to her, Julia decides to run.

Julia finds herself in the tourist area of New Orleans where a Midsummer party is going on. She is encouraged to take part and makes herself a pair of cellophane wings and joins in. A blue-haired boy playing a banjo catches her eye and invites her to come with him and his band. One night, no questions, no baggage. Just a chance to have some fun and forget the problems that sent her running.

Soon the group splits up and Julia is on her own with the boy she called Miles as they visit interesting places in New Orleans. But as the night progresses, so does the progress of Hurricane Dorothy, which has New Orleans in its view. Miles and Julia get caught in the storm and almost drown.

This was a romantic adventure with two strangers falling in love as they get to know each other over the course of one night. I enjoyed it very much.

Favorite Quote:

"Why archaeologist?"

"Archaeology is about finding people's stories and preserving them. Sounded pretty cool. Still does actually."

I got this ARC from Edelweiss. You can buy your copy here.