Lillie Hart wants to not care about the new guy named Tom at
her school. He certainly doesn't seem to care about her. But
something about him just keeps drawing her towards him, and
she can't figure out what. When she finally learns his
secret, she discovers it is bigger than she ever
imagined...and maybe more than she could ever truly
handle...
WHEN THE WORLD WAS FLAT (AND WE WERE IN LOVE) started out
slow for me. Lillie meets Tom and has an instalove moment
which I'm not a fan of. She then starts picking up little
clues about the mystery behind him until well into halfway
through the book. With slow pacing and instalove, it takes a
lot for me to continue into a story, but this one still has
something that kept me going and that was great character
relationships. The secondary character of Jo is deep and
well-thought out. I love the subplot with her, and I think
she ended up being my favorite character by the end.
Tom's secret isn't the big reveal I expected, but it was
unique. The author, Ingrid Jonach, has a refreshing world
building that reminded me a touch of Doctor Who. I liked it
enough that I wish there had been more about it, which may
or may not happen in a sequel. The story line wrapped up
nicely, so I'm not sure if there will be one or not (though
I most likely would read a sequel if there was one). I feel
the ending is good for the characters, even if some of them
get the shorter end of the stick.
Overall, this isn't my favorite book. I would have liked to
see more action and a quicker pacing, but the characters
kept my attention enough to where I still enjoyed the story.
If you like sci-fi books with an intense romance, I would
tell you to give this title a try.
Looking back, I wonder if I had an inkling that my life was
about to go from ordinary to extraordinary.
When sixteen-year-old Lillie Hart meets the gorgeous and
mysterious Tom Windsor-Smith for the first time, it’s like
fireworks — for her, anyway. Tom looks as if he would be
more interested in watching paint dry; as if he is bored by
her and by her small Nebraskan town in general.
But as Lillie begins to break down the walls of his
seemingly impenetrable exterior, she starts to suspect that
he holds the answers to her reoccurring nightmares and to
the impossible memories which keep bubbling to the surface
of her mind — memories of the two of them, together and in
love.
When she at last learns the truth about their connection,
Lillie discovers that Tom has been hiding an earth-
shattering secret; a secret that is bigger — and much more
terrifying and beautiful — than the both of them. She also
discovers that once you finally understand that the world is
round, there is no way to make it flat again.