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The Line Between by Tosca Lee

Thriller. 384 Pages. 5 Stars

Synopsis:

An extinct disease re-emerges from the melting Alaskan permafrost to cause madness in its victims. For recent apocalyptic cult escapee Wynter Roth, it’s the end she’d always been told was coming.

When Wynter Roth is turned out of New Earth, a self-contained doomsday cult on the American prairie, she emerges into a world poised on the brink of madness as a mysterious outbreak of rapid early onset dementia spreads across the nation.

As Wynter struggles to start over in a world she’s been taught to regard as evil, she finds herself face-to-face with the apocalypse she’s feared all her life—until the night her sister shows up at her doorstep with a set of medical samples. That night, Wynter learns there’s something far more sinister at play and that these samples are key to understanding the disease.

Now, as the power grid fails and the nation descends into chaos, Wynter must find a way to get the samples to a lab in Colorado. Uncertain who to trust, she takes up with former military man Chase Miller, who has his own reasons for wanting to get close to the samples in her possession, and to Wynter herself.

My Review:

Easiest 5 stars of the year. Wow.

I’ve heard Tosca Lee speak a few times and each time I thought to myself, “I need to try out one of her books.” The premises sounded so cool. Finally, I bought two. This one and one other I’m not greatly looking forward to.

They weren’t kidding when they said this was a page turner. Tosca builds suspense and has some pretty engaging cliff hangers. She knows how to leave you wanting more. But even more than the thrill of the story was the slow-build tension. We follow a present storyline and a past one, and both were equally engaging. But both build to a climax that left my chest constricted and heart thumping. The story is so well written, perfectly paced, and the mystery unravels like chocolate melts in your mouth. Each step of the story fed into the tension, revealed something new, and it all wrapped together so beautifully.

I am absolutely a fan.

And I need book 2! Thankfully, my library has it XD

The characters got me, too. Wynter was the perfect MC for this story. Following her struggles with faith, testing the dynamics between her and her sister, learning her past and seeing her courage and integrity overcome everything she’s been through was so satisfying. I love the family dynamics she wrestles with, in her childhood, in the community, and with Julie’s family. I loved Julie and Ken. Their house and family really felt like a piece of home and I was so glad that Wynter had them. And Wynter’s love for Jackie and her devotion to Truly was beautifully heart-warming. And Chase! Guyyyssss. Okay, dude abso-stinkin-loutely stole my heart. I love him. I want to see more of him. Just yes. He and Wynter were precious. They brought out different parts of each other and he was the perfect guide for her. Also, BUDDY?! Guys, I legit melted into a puddle. I was not prepared for that dynamic and it made this book all that much more amazing.

I loved the rich depth of Wynter’s struggle with what she’d been taught her whole life, of her wrestle with faith and understanding or believing in God. The cult was so chillingly done. So creepy because it’s so dangerously real. The storyline that walked us through Wynter’s time in New Earth had me horrifyingly hooked. It was so well done. Her experiences and each of the people. But it was also really incredible to see how that prepared her for what was in store in the present timeline. I’m hoping we can dig into that perspective a little in the sequel. I’m excited for what is to come! But oof! The doomsday cult paired with the pandemic plotline. Brilliant juxtaposition. But also so trippy to read after the covid experience. There were parts of the book that just touched home. At one point, I legitimately forgot it wasn’t 2020 and experienced the anxiety of being back in my old job in the midst of when everything was first shutting down. It’s crazy Tosca wrote this before everything happened. But it lent a reality to it having read it afterwards that made the read all that more engaging and suspenseful and horrifying.

Also, the cover guys! I love the color contrast. It’s so cool!

I’m so very much looking forward to the sequel, and anything I can get my hands on of Tosca’s in the future. Absolutely captivating read.

Content: it’s been a week since I read it, but I don’t recall any swearing. There wasn’t anything graphically violent either, but people are going a little crazy. It kind of had Birdbox vibes in the sense that people were losing their minds, so there were some car wrecks and some guns and threats, etc. The horror of it was more in the suspense, the reality, than any graphic wounds. The story deals with the underside of humanity, too. Things like looting, taking advantage of others in tough times, cons, liars, etc. in the aftermath of the impending apocalypse. But for dystopia/apocalyptic literature, it’s nothing abnormal. The story does also deal with emotional manipulation (cults do that XD) and assault. The romance is sweet and clean, but there’s still trauma from unwanted advances that the characters deal with. All in all, I’d probably recommend the book for 16/17+

More:

The second book in the Line Between duology is A Single Light

I haven’t read the sequel yet, but my library has it! So, I’ll be reading that next 😉 Stay tuned for thoughts on the conclusion! And in the meantime, check out the link above for more info on Goodreads.