Prenna James isn't the biggest supporter of the rules her community drills into their heads to follow. They are supposedly necessary since her and her community are escapees from a future filled with plagues and illness. When her classmate, normal, non-futuristic Ethan, gets closer to her and shows her kindness, she becomes in danger of breaking one of the biggest rules: don't fall in love with outsiders. Prenna will have to learn how to fight for love if she really wants it and what the consequences are when you break the rules.

THE HERE AND NOW by Ann Brashares is a refreshing blend of action, romance, and science fiction. As a big fan of Brashares's THE SISTERHOOD OF TRAVELING PANTS series, I couldn't wait to see what her newest book, so far from that series in terms of genre, was like. After reading it, it is such a joy to see an author that can use their talents in so many different areas of stories and still craft something amazing.

What I enjoy most about THE HERE AND NOW is the romance between Prenna and Ethan. Ethan is heartbreakingly sweet, and I love the dynamic of them as a potential couple. They both have excellent backgrounds and depth to their characters that make them so nice and enjoyable to read about. Unfortunately (for me, because I love them), they do show signs of being star-crossed, so I can only hope for more of them in a sequel.

While I do really, really, really like THE HERE AND NOW, the pacing gets a little off at times, and there isn't anything especially unpredictable that happens in the story, so I can't say that I quite love it. It is very much worth the read though, and it is great for anyone that is a fan of hers or anyone that enjoys romance and science fiction. I think it would be a particularly good read for people who are big fans of contemporary romance that want to explore more science fiction/action books, because THE HERE AND NOW has a good blend of all of them.