The Edge of Elsewhere by Sam Stea REVIEW

Summary:

In the year 2079, fourteen-year-old Abbey Lane dreams of vivid colors that no longer exist and wonders of nature that have disappeared in a world blanketed with dust.
One day, scrounging through the abandoned ruins of Princeton University with her best friend, Max, Abbey discovers an ancient notebook that opens up a possibility beyond her dreams.
Using the information in the notebook, Abbey and Max and her brainy brother, Paul, defy time and travel into the past.
In the New York City of 1971, they discover the natural world, join a group of hippies, and befriend a legendary musician and peace activist, who may hold the key to changing the tragic destiny of Earth as they've known it-if they can only save him from an untimely death.
But do they dare disrupt the natural flow of events? Will it endanger their own existence? Will it make matters better or destroy everything and everyone they've ever known?

My Thoughts:

Since I know very little of the topic the author is writing about (climate change), I won't be talking about how realistic or not the world of 2079 is, I will just give my thoughts on the story.
At the beginning of the book, I definitely disliked Paul, however later on, I actually ended up liking him the most out of the three.
The story begins with Abbey and Max eating together at the spot where the university used to be. They end up exploring and finding a journal written by Einstein himself. They bring it to Abbey's house and Paul ends up taking it and locking himself in his room. He figures out how to time travel, and after lots of begging, agrees to let Abbey and Max go with him.
Most of the book takes place in the 70s, which is where they traveled to. I do wish the author spent more time building the world in 2079 though.
I suppose for the time period, it would make sense that John Lennon was an important figure in helping try to save the earth, but I personally know very little about him.
It isn't really clear how they end up saving the earth, which was the one thing I really wanted to know. (SPOILERS) Also, if their mom changes to not being their mom...shouldn't they not exist? That confused me the most.
While I found this book to be very interesting, the lack of enough world building and amount of unanswered questions really ruined the fun.

My Rating: 3 stars