"This book took me on a special trip down memory lane � mixed tapes, watching "Speed" on the big screen, indulging my crush on the future John Wick, fears about the future ahead, love, disappointment, dreams, high expectations, tears, cheers, fun, sadness, friendship, and the unbearable pain of being a teenager afraid of becoming an adult unsure of their path.

Aaron Starmer created an amazing atmosphere, transporting us to the summer of 1994, capturing the vulnerability and burden of being young, reckless, and aimless � lost all over again.

It's a melancholic, thought-provoking, fresh, honest, unique, and inspiring story with magical elements and beautiful, heart-wrenching, poetic chapter endings that lead to a bittersweet, embracing conclusion.

The story takes place in the summer of 1994 and revolves around Trevor and the enigmatic, free-spirited Sarah. Inspired by a book, Sarah drags Trevor to swim in all the pools in town, celebrating their upcoming graduation and the beginning of their adult lives. Of course, Trevor doesn't hesitate to follow Sarah anywhere, as he's had a long-time crush on her, even though she has a boyfriend. She even gives him a glimmer of hope for a future kiss. Each night, they find themselves breaking rules, jumping fences, and splashing into strangers' pools, keeping their secret tradition until Trevor shares their escapades with their inner circle, and their friends join the adventure, much to Sarah's reluctance.

Then, one night, they choose to explore a pool in the woods, and everything changes for the entire group, blurring the line between reality and dreams.

Overall, if you want to read something well-written, poetic, creative, sentimental, and take a trip down your own youthful memory lane, this unique, heartfelt ride is the perfect fit for you.

Many thanks to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group/Penguin Workshop for sharing this sentimental read's digital review copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.

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"I ain't never read no nuthin' like this, ever. Like EVER ever.

A huge story of an end of days event as told through the eyes of a bunch of people. Each chapter is someone different but towards the end some of them double up. Another novel by this author was recommended to me but having not read anything by him I thought this might be a little more my groove. Carrier Wave was a tremendous reading experience. I have seen it compared to World War Z and I think this is a way more complete and explored story, the voices of the characters and the tones of the stories is more diverse, and I felt more emotions during this than when reading WWZ. There are scary stories, thrilling stories, funny stories, sad stories, uplifting and devastating ones and there is the most wonderful one in the middle of the book about a little boy and his parents who happen to be the last three people left in their particular big city that manages to be funny, scary, sad, and beautiful all at the same time. This is a spectacular book and when some of the early characters reappeared at the end of the story I felt like I had known them for a long time and it was weird seeing how everyone transformed throughout because they were real to me. Read this freaking book, it kicks some major ass."