come play the the way we fall game - a constantly oscillating board game about as frustrating as chutes and ladders. 
 ready player one 
 first time reading a contemporary YA novel about the decimation of a population brought on by plague? inflate rating by one star. 
 fist time reading a novel? inflate rating by two stars. and welcome. 
 move ahead four squares for premise and setting on a small island off the coast of canada. contained environment is interesting, although somewhat reminiscent of plague 99 where an entire town is quarantined. 
 move back two squares for journal-conceit, which decreases potential for dramatic tension. 
 lose one turn for perfunctory YA romance - zzzzz 
 go forward three spaces for teen protagonists with specialized knowledge beyond their years: botanical grafting, animal behavior/biology, civic planning. go, positive teen role models! 
 lose same three spaces for far-fetchery as they succeed where adults have failed! are medical records less cryptic and impenetrable in canada? cuz i can't make sense of mine, much less set out to solve medical mysteries with a sheaf of 'em. 
 10 points for authorial balls it takes to kill off characters' loved ones. subtract 5 of those points when you realize it is 2012 and not 1995. we expect that now. 
 go forward until you reach the calculatingly unresolved ending, and the introduction of a potential complication which may or may not improve the second book's dynamic. woo-hoo sequels forever!you win! for now. 
 advice: 
 -the stuffed animal will still be there in the morning 
 -don't be a tease (view spoiler)[sigh - if a bird can convince you not to kill yourself, you weren't serious about it. stop being such a drama queen (hide spoiler)] 
 -you will not need algebra if the world ends.