On the Edge of Tomorrow

Emerald Barnes, Elise Manion, Tracey Hewitt Meyer, Caytlyn Brooke, Jean Booth,
Sara Daniell, Landen West, Margaret Nerz Iribarne, John Darryl Winston
Genre: 
Young Adult

Teenagers deal with all kinds of problems and emotions, but in this diverse collection of novellas nine authors show teens dealing with death, illness, assault, bullying, and suicidal thoughts, while at the same time making friends, discovering their identities, and finding hope. Each tale examines a short segment of each teen’s life, with a gritty and very real taste of some of the emotions that drive teens to the edge and what it takes to drive them forward or back.

A contemporary YA anthology, “On the Edge of Tomorrow” is a collection of stories that vary in specific topic and depth, but each author successfully portrays the emotions of the teens as they mourn the loss of family, rage against injustice, fear, and loss, endure identity crises, and search for hope in a way that will engage the reader and make them wish for more. While some of the stories feel unfinished, the majority of them are self-contained moments in time, and the variety allows the reader to find at least one story that really connects with them. With a bit of minor romance, the main flaw of this anthology is the necessity to talk about some of the major events the teens are dealing with instead of showing them so that the reader can understand the depth of the character’s pain. Still, the sheer power of the emotions throughout this anthology will keep the reader going from one story to the next and have them searching for more after.

Sarah E Bradley