Read Between The Books: Blog Tour: Waterproof by Amber Garr

Dying of thirst is the new reality.

Five years after the last drop of clean water disappeared, global societies collapsed and nuclear war shattered all hope of recovery. In a place now only a skeleton of its former self, survivors fight to avoid capture by the government. Forced to work in factories that produce the only drinking water available, those who go in, never come out.

Zach and Vivienne have lived as deserters since they were teenagers. Fighting amongst their own and scrounging for the necessities of life, they’ve learned to rely on each other in every way. Yet when tragedy strikes and the true objectives of the government facility are revealed, their world is ripped apart. A fate once thought to hold their demise may be the sole answer to their survival. Who can they trust? Who can they believe?

In this life, it pays to be waterproof.

Disclaimer: Waterproof is a new adult dystopian with sex, violence, and language that may not be suitable for a younger audience.

Description taken from Goodreads

The Story Behind Waterproof

As you probably already know, I work as a scientist in my other life. Over the years, my research has often focused on the conservation and restoration of aquatic species. And a lot of that time, their issues have stemmed from contaminated water or excess pollution in the environment.

For several years, I’ve wanted to write a book about what would happen to the world when humans began fighting over drinking water. And I say began, but really, it has already begun. Do you know you have to purchase water rights in some states out west when you buy property?

Have you ever experienced water restrictions in your neighborhood? Or did you know that several countries are already considered water-stressed? It’s happening, and just to show you how scary it is, here are some facts to consider:

1) 1 billion people currently don’t have access to clean drinking water.

2) 3.4 million people die from water related diseases each year.

3) By 2025, two-thirds of the world’s population will live in a water-stressed county.

4) An American taking a 5 minute shower uses more water than the average person living in a developing country uses in an entire day.

5) Over 260 river basins are shared by two or more countries without adequate legal or institutional arrangements regarding water utilization.

6) By 2020, California will face a water shortage as great as the amount they consume today.

Worried yet? I know I am. So anyway…back to Waterproof. What will happen when the water disappears? How will society react? What unique science may evolve out of this type of tragedy? All questions I’ve asked myself for years and then had a chance to answer (or hint at) in this book.

I also wanted to highlight the idea of friendship and romance rising up out of the chaos. At a time when the survivors have to fight for every second of their life, I thought it would be nice for them to find some type of comfort in their closest friends. No time for love triangles or petty games when you’re being hunted!

So as you read this book and start thinking more about the water shortages (as I did!), check out these sites to see what little things you can do so that some day we aren’t deserters running for our lives!

100+ Ways to Conserve Water

25 Ways to Conserve Water in the Home and Yard

*Sources: www.water.org; www.worldwatercouncil.org; www.fao.org

My Review

The world that Amber Garr created is definitely one that I would not want to live in. And I would probably die within the first year. Totally serious.

It’s been five years since humans have been scrounging to find just a drop of water. They have been forced to learn how to survive on their own.

Waterproof follows a very tight knit “family” as they struggle to make due with what they have. It is told from two POVs, Vivienne and Zach who have been best friends since middle school.

These two characters were great. Vee was so freaking kick ass. Her most prized possession is her sword. Yes, that’s right. I said sword. She can pretty easily decapitate someone if need be. She’s strong and doesn’t take crap from anybody. She is definitely someone I would want to have my back if the world suddenly went to shit.

And then there is Zach. What’s not to like? He’s loyal, optimistic, caring. But he’s also impulsive and that sometimes gets him into trouble. Okay, a lot of trouble. But I mean he thought he was doing the right thing. The one thing I really loved about Zach is how he treated Vee. He just let her take charge and do her thing without complaining. His loyalty to her is just so admirable.

While I did like these characters, I just did not like them together. I loved their friendship and how they met when they were in middle school and became best friends but the romance and chemistry just seemed like it was thrown in my face as a reader. It was way too fast, I didn’t see any kind of connection beyond true friendship. It just seemed really forced.

The side characters were absolutely fantastic. I would love to know more about them and how they came into this group.

Last but not least, the story itself. It was so original and well thought out but I feel as though Garr just threw us into the world without any real back story. Sure, we get some snippets, but I wanted to know everything. I wanted to know how Vee and Zach reacted when everything first started happening. I wanted to know what happened to the government. When did The Factory come in to play? What happened to their parents? How did they find this group? What was the first sign of the water shortage? There were some definite holes that needed to be filled but the story was just so fast paced that it definitely made up for some of the things that I was questioning. And it just really makes you think too. Could this be our future? Chills. Serious chills.

While there were some things that didn’t sit right with me, like the iffy romance and the lack of world building, it was still a great dystopian read. If you enjoyed Breathe by Sarah Crossan then you will definitely get sucked into Waterproof.

Also, Miss Garr, that cliffhanger was not very nice. Not nice at all.