Resonate by Erin Wilkerson
Sixteen-year-old Tamar Linsky has had enough!
After surviving twenty-two devastating quakes on an increasingly unstable Earth, she leaves the slow destruction of her world behind for an internship as far away from tragedy as she can get—humanity’s first lunar colony.
Lunar Base One is a high-tech research facility brimming with the brightest young minds from all over the world, but through it all, she will beat her peers and make a name for herself as a groundbreaking scientist. Even if a good-looking prankster threatens to distract her—knowing relationships are forbidden—bringing more secrets and drama than Tamar can bear.
Just when she thought she was getting a grip on the pressure, a geological catastrophe wipes out civilization back home.
Now cut off from the Earth she was desperate to escape, Tamar and her crew must find a way to survive on their own.
Resonate Review
I was compensated for writing this review. However, all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and are based on my honest personal experience reading the book. Nor did the publisher in any way shape or form ever pressure me to give a positive review.
For readers who enjoy YA dystopian romance with enemies to lovers and forced proximity trope, Resonate is a delightful blend of romance, suspense, adventure, and post-apocalyptic survival. We follow Tamar Linsky, the sixteen-year-old protagonist, as she navigates the challenges of love and science amid a lunar catastrophe.
One of the book’s highlights is the great chemistry between the characters, especially between Tamar and her love interest. The occasional flirty banter between them is very reminiscent of the typical YA romance. So for those who appreciate a more the charm of having a more PG YA romance with entertaining interactions between them, Resonatea hits the mark, providing a satisfying blend of emotions and teenage dynamics.
I also appreciate how seamlessly the dialogue weaves into the story, avoiding any awkward moments that might disrupt the reading experience. Wilkerson’s writing made the conversations feel natural and contributed to the overall flow of the narrative in a positive way. The story’s pacing kept me interested from beginning to end, and the lunar setting creates a solid world-building setup for a conflict to proceed with the storyline and relationships.
The emotional rollercoaster of a teenage romance mixed with the post-apocalyptic world-building also made me feel nostalgic for the YA romance dystopian books I used to read years ago when dystopian YA was mainstream and in its peak popularity.
Aside from enemies to lovers, I would also recommend this book to anyone interested in the forced proximity trope when reading YA. Since the narrative unfolds around a group of teens finding themselves stranded on the moon following the collapse of civilization on Earth, that sets up the forced proximity trope that adds to the dynamics between our female protagonist and her love interest. The enemies-to-lovers theme is with a more morally gray love interest.
The author herself described him as a “villain” romance, but maybe because I have read way too many dark works lately but honestly he is not that bad at all. He is very YA-appropriate, so I definitely would recommend him if you are a reader who enjoys “villain” romances but is turned off if it goes too far.
The forced proximity trope is a crucial component that enhances the romance and blends in perfectly with the overall plot. The plotline and story development are balanced admirably, with events developing naturally and interacting with the characters’ changing relationships. Resonate offers an enjoyable combination of adventure, love, and survival, and its plot development and romance work in perfect harmony to create a memorable reading experience.
One concern I encountered was that, as the book unfolded, my interest became more centred on the romance rather than the overarching storyline. This shift might be attributed, in part, to certain anticlimactic outcomes at crucial points in the narrative. Consequently, I found myself somewhat disconnected and increasingly drawn to the romantic aspect. However, viewing it from another perspective, this inclination can be seen as a testament to the strength of the romance writing, undoubtedly one of the book’s highlights. If not for my appreciation of the romance, my rating might have leaned more towards a maximum of 3 stars rather than the 3.8 stars it currently holds.
With that being said though, there is no denying that Resonate has a lot of potential. Even with the narrative’s shortcomings, the story’s fundamental structure is strong, guaranteeing readers an engaging experience. The writing is executed technically admirably, flowing naturally and avoiding any major problems that could cause a deal to break. The romance storyline’s strength enhances the book’s appeal and demonstrates the author’s ability to write compelling relationships.
Taking into account the book’s positive aspects as well as its room for development, I firmly believe that Resonate deserves a chance.
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Get to Know the Author! Here are Some Fun Facts:
- Gave birth to twelve kids, (Yes, twelve! It’s okay. She gets that a lot.) and all naturally, without epidural, most at home with a midwife.
- Married twenty-four years to her high school sweetheart and they are still disgustingly obsessed with each other.
- Loves having long hair. Spent the last 20 yrs growing out her hair for Locks of Love, had hair past my bottom before it fell out due to the covid virus, and never came back.
- A Messianic Jew. Once a year, she takes her twelve kids out into the wilderness to “rough it” for seven days on a WiFi detox for the Jewish festival of Sukkot.
- Her nickname “Timebomb Chica” came from a Grimes song, given to her by her oldest daughter and husband.
- Her theme song is Isa—Bomb, given to her by her husband.
- Multi-instrumentalist, can play flute, drums, piano, and guitar. Gave private lessons in her 20s for piano, drums, and guitar for the homeschool community.
- Deathly terrified of giant Texas cockroaches.
- Can machine sew almost anything just by looking at it.
Exclusive Resonate Excerpt
There would be another, and another after that.
Tamar studied the earthquake devastation from the window of a black SUV. The hot Floridian sun baked her arm through the glass. Buildings that once housed great scientific research were now torn to shreds and left to rot in the remnants of the Kennedy Space Center.
One had hit last night—number twenty-two. Twenty-two quakes by the bright age of seventeen. Wasn’t she lucky?
Well… she did survive. So, the number meant something.
Her leg bounced from the long stretch of road known as the Saturn Causeway, drawing increasingly closer to the launch pad. She grabbed her kneecap to keep it still.
Driscal drove with one hand, glancing at her. His mouth creased to the side, like he wanted to say something.
Tamar leaned her head back on the neck rest, still watching the window. “What is it?”
Driscal’s focus stayed forward. He had been responsible for her training, so he was responsible for escorting her onto the launchpad. His arm rested on the center console, allowing Air Force tattoos to peek from the sleeves of his forest green tee, barely visible through his aged-leathered skin. “Don’t worry about it.”
“Come on, Ol’ Man.” What snarky comment, observant tidbit, or cavalier insult did he have for her? But he stayed silent.
The silence however, only made things more awkward.
Tamar sighed, resting her elbow on the car door to prop her head “They must have made this road so long to ensure you’d be extra nervous by the time you got to the shuttle.”
The Air Force Major cocked his head to the side. “Would you put a launch pad close to buildings?”
“Buildings? I see nothing but ruins.” They passed by shrubbery and vines growing out of large piles of concrete slabs.
“There’s a building.” He pointed to a white rectangular prism, with a ramp-looking skirt around the bottom.
“Well, what do you know, they exist,” Tamar said.
“More cost efficient to leave the debris of an old building and rebuild a new one that’s earthquake proof.”
“There’s no such thing.” Tamar’s three-decker Boston home was certified “earthquake proof.” Didn’t prevent a mag eight from knocking down the roof. No, there was only one way to escape them.
Leave.
They started sometime eight years before she was born, but people argue which quake was the one that began the sequence of rumbling violations plaguing the world today. She stared at the road ahead, mesmerized by the white lane dashes passing by, one by one. Southern purple and yellow wildflowers blanketed the roadside. Pretty colors together.
Sometimes she painted her sister’s nails that purple, which matched her favorite sundress. The precious two-year-old could barely walk, but Tamar made sure her fingernails were gorgeous. Her and her sister were far apart in age, but maybe that was why they were so close. Most nights Kacey would sneak into bed with Tamar, and they would cuddle and keep each other warm until morning.
She squeezed her eyes shut, remembering the image of her baby sister’s tiny pale hand with purple painted nails under a pile of rubble. Her stomach reeled. Sweet, bright-eyed Kacey.
Earthquakes would come and go, but the scars left behind would never be forgotten. Five years of grief had been enough, if grief ever truly left you. She still had the nail polish bottles in her drawer back home. Breathing in deep, it was time to box away the memories of tickle kisses and dumpling hugs to be stuffed in the attic of her mind, left behind for her new life.
But eleven would always be an evil number.
They passed an orange windsock that lay limp. No wind, excellent conditions for launch.
The trees outside of the passenger window were dry and struggling, separated by large cracks in the ground from the quakes. They came to a small bridge built over a deep crevice.
As they drove over, Tamar tried to peer into it, but darkness was the only thing in view. Weeds and shrubs grew out of the edges, desperately clinging to the rocky dirt with their roots exposed.
Plants. Diversity, beauty, and strength all in one. The very day she grew that first lima bean in a tiny paper drinking cup at the age of seven, they became her first love. Ever resilient, they never stopped growing. Long after people leave this world, plants will pull our buildings down and make them their very own flower pots, until we are nothing but a faded memory.
Tamar tapped a watermelon seed in her pocket, making sure it was still there. Approved by the ground team, she brought it from home. It would grow on the moon. The first moon watermelon, and it would be marvelous.
A sign in front of them read: Area Permit Required Beyond This Point. The road curved to the left, and she could see the launch pad around the brush. Flat, not a tree around it.
A sleek, thin shuttle pointed toward the sky, black and ominous. Three large silver booster jets surrounded it, embraced with power.
The Integrity B7 Rocket – Pride of the Earth Space Alliance.
They would shoot her off this rock, using the world’s most volatile fuel known to man. One dangerous situation for another. These were the choices she was left with.