Seen at Bookish Antics! 
 In 2013, Mindy McGinnis shocked me with Not A Drop To Drink, which was easily one of the best books of the year. Though nothing could compare to McGinnis's debut, In A Handful Of Dust comes very close to topping it. In A Handful Of Dust is a bit slow-moving, but it is filled with shocking plot twists that will envelope readers with feels. I was initially opposed to In A Handful Of Dust because Not A Drop worked so well as a stand-alone, but McGinnis definitely proved me wrong and this book was oh so necessary. 
 When polio rages through the little community that Lucy and Lynn live in, Lucy and her crush Carter are suspected to be carriers of the disease. Lucy and Carter are forced to go separate ways and Lynn decides to leave her life behind to help Lucy. Lynn and Lucy decide that they will try to go to California where they heard there's desalination plants and water. 
 It was a bit weird at first reading about Lynn 10 years later because in my mind she was still the teen from Not A Drop. I loved the sharp transition that Lynn's character undergoes between Not A Drop and In A Handful Of Dust; in these ten years, Lynn has acted as a mother to Lucy. Despite the fact that In A Handful skims over the 10 year gap, it's clear that Lynn has grown to love Lucy in a maternal way. The bond between these two characters was absolutely heartwarming and I was so happy that at least this duo had each other. Another interesting thing worth noting was the sharp contrast between Lucy's relationship with Lynn and Lynn's relationship with her own mother. There was a decent amount of distinct differences between the two relationships, but inevitably I also drew a few clever parallels between them. 
 It was nice to get to see Stebbs and some of the other characters from Not A Drop again, even if it was just for a short while. I love how In A Handful Of Dust allowed me to revisit such beloved characters just one more time and to see a glimpse in to their future. Readers will get a taste of what happened after the spectacular finale of Not A Drop and they'll love this companion to pieces. 
 In A Handful Of Dust is a brutal, raw depiction of a plausible post-apocalyptic scenario and McGinnis doesn't hold back. Readers will see the scum of society and how poorly some people will react to anarchy, but they will also view beauty in such a desolate world. I don't know if it's the idealist in me, but I'd like to believe that when the world goes bezerk some people will continue to be compassionate and righteous individuals. McGinnis must share my belief because she shows the beauty of love in a world where hate is rampant and all consuming. In In A Handful, McGinnis shows her faith in humanity and enables readers to see that morality will carry on. 
 The romance in this one is bittersweet and incredibly realistic, it's not the picture perfect romance that novels usually have. Lucy's relationship with Carter is so sweet and it broke my heart that these two were torn apart by fate. Their romance is incredibly mature and Lucy may not like being apart from Carter, but she eventually understands that this is for the best. I totally shipped this couple and hated how they couldn't be together; Lucy's relationship with Carter was extremely well-developed and really stands out in my mind. 
 The plot twists in this one were so unexpected and truly hit me with so much emotions that I just had to close the book for a few minutes so I could process it all. I didn't see anything quite as twisted and ingenious like this coming and I was truly shocked. I am in complete awe of McGinnis and her ability to write such powerful, psychologically thrilling novels. In A Handful Of Dust will mess with your mind and will leave you in a fetal position, sobbing your heart out. 
 In A Handful Of Dust is the perfect bookend to Not A Drop To Drink and it gave me all the closure I needed. Once again I was extremely impressed with Mindy McGinnis and In A Handful is just as harsh and authentic as I expected. Readers who loved Not A Drop will not be disappointed and they'll be eagerly awaiting McGinnis's next novel with bated breath.