Lynn knows the value of water. After a big war, water became a precious commodity. Many died from cholera and those that didn't, did the best they could to survive. Lynn and her mother watch from their roof daily, defending their pond and killing anyone and anything that threatens them or their water.

When they see smoke in the distance, they know someone is coming and that they must be alert. But tragedy strikes and Lynn is soon on her own, trusting no one. But when a neighbor decides to partner up with Lynn, she appreciates sharing her burden. Near a stream, a few miles away, Lynn finds a teen boy, a young girl and a very pregnant woman who are all dying. Lynn takes the young girl home to try and save her, and even though the boy strikes her curiosity, she doesn't give him long to live.

Time passes, and the boy does live and he and Lynn develop a relationship. But then more strangers are coming for Lynn's pond and her home, and this time, she and her new-found friends will be ready for them. There are complications that are unexpected have Lynn questioning everything she thought she knew and what she choices she can make for a possible future.

Not a Drop to Drink is a page-turning dystopian with a heroine that I found hard to connect with. She's a very diverse character with many layers, and as they were gradually revealed throughout the story, the more I began to like her. There are some twists and unexpected plot points that sometimes shocked me, but in the end, it worked. If you enjoy young adult dystopian, give this one a try. It's not like all of the others on the market, with a fresh voice and a compelling heroine.

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Overall, "Not a Drop to Drink" was a pretty good read. I particularly enjoyed the survivalist portions of the book. Not being an outdoorsy person myself, I know next to nothing about any kind of water purification, hunting, tracking, etc. so I cannot speak to its accuracy, but it was still interesting.

I guess my only issue with the book was that I constantly was wanting more details about, well, everything really. I wanted more information about the water shortage, more information about the government, etc. and all we really got was a very quick, high level overview of the situation. I wanted more depth to the characters (and less characters with similar-sounding names, so confusing!), because aside from the main character (Lynn) I didn't really feel connected to any of the side characters at all.

My favorite aspect of the story was the fact that the characters all had what I would consider realistic, if a little depressing, fates. This kind of honesty was kind of surprising given this is a YA book, but the darkness was wonderfully effective. In real life not everyone is going to survive. The good guy does not always win. This fact would be particularly true in a time of crisis, as this book showcases particularly well. My only exception to this praise would be the overall ending of the book. It just did not feel realistic to me, simply due to basic human nature. I cannot really get into more details without spoilers, so I will just leave it at that.

If you enjoy dark, survivalist reads with a little romance and a whole lot of sadness, you should definitely pick up this book.

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