A couple of months ago, I bought Lily, part one of a young adult series by the same name, written by Tom De Cock. This book won the 2022 award for Best Young Adult Book in Belgium and the Netherlands, and I have to say I completely understand why, now that I’ve read it. Wow!
Attention: This book is currently not yet translated to English
Lily
Lily is set in a futuristic world in which our neglect of the planet has led to a life filled with lockdowns, natural disasters, and pandemics. Main character Lily doesn’t really care about any of that, though. She only has one aim in life: to become the first influencer who is followed by all online accounts. In order to make her dream come true, Lily jumps into a dangerous adventure, outside of the limitations set by her society.
An unexpected tale
I already mentioned it: once you’ve read Lily, you immediately understand why it is considered the best YA book of the year. The story is recognizable, ominous, and remarkably relevant. If I recall correctly, Tom De Cock mentioned during his interview at Flip The Page 2022 that the setting was chosen long before we got the Covid pandemic, which makes the story only all the more spooky. By combining an online world which speaks to his teenage audience with a harsh reality due to climate change, the author manages to create a futuristic dystopia that feels uncomfortably realistic. Without doubt, this is a serious wake-up call.
Thanks to all these elements, the story feels incredibly modern. For example, this is the first time I read a fiction novel about an influencer. Lily is famous for having a different hairdo each day. Can you imagine what an effort that would take! I also really liked the representation. For example, Lily has a disability without being defined by it (she only has one eye), and there are several important LGBTQ+ supporting characters.
Lily is only 14-years-old, which is on the younger end of YA literature. Thanks to the themes and writing style, however, I am convinced that older readers will enjoy the novel just as much (which is also proven by the award the book received, of course). I am 31, and even I enjoyed the story a lot. And even I was shocked by the first chapter. Looking back, I feel quite naïve not to have seen it coming, but okay, I totally didn’t.
Finally, I would like to mention how much I liked the cover design. It’s so cool! And when you put the first books next to each other, you see immediately how beautiful the entire set will look.
Four out of five gemstones!
Age Category: Young Adult
Representation: Main character with a visual disability. LGBTQ+ supporting characters.
Do you want to discover more?
If my review inspired you to pick up the book, don’t hesitate to check it out at Goodreads or at the below online stores.
Amazon.nl: Paperback
Amazon.nl: eBook
Similar to this
Were you also blown away by this story? Then you are in luck, because part two, Storm, is already available (in Dutch, of course).
If you are looking for more futuristic young adult novels, I would love to recommend Zielsveel by the amazing Laura Dirkx. This is the story of Noé, a young woman who leaves the House where she was raised and trained to start searching for her Soulmate. My review of this great first part can be found here (Currently not yet available in English).
Another popular one is Scythe by Neal Shusterman . In this story, mankind has conquered death and in order to maintain populations, they have introduced a new function, the Scythes. I wasn’t the biggest fan of this series myself, but I have to admit I am still thinking about it months after having read it. My review can be found here.