I Hope You Get This Message
Seven days. Seven days. The Earth might end in seven days.
When news stations start reporting that Earth has been contacted by a planet named Alma, the world is abuzz with rumors that the alien entity is giving mankind only few days to live before they hit the kill switch on civilization. For high school truant Jesse Hewitt, though, nothing has ever felt permanent. Not the guys he hooks up with. Not the jobs his underpaid mom works so hard to hold down. Life has dealt him one bad blow after another — so what does it matter if it all ends now? Cate Collins, on the other hand, is desperate to use this time to find the father she’s never met, the man she grew up hearing wild stories about, most of which she didn’t believe. And then there’s Adeem Khan. While coding and computer programming have always come easily to him, forgiveness doesn’t. He can’t seem to forgive his sister for leaving, even though it’s his last chance.
With only seven days to face their truths and right their wrongs, Jesse, Cate, and Adeem’s paths collide even as their worlds are pulled apart.
Advanced Praise
“A stunning and bold debut, the kind of sweeping story that is devoured in a single sitting. Part Arrival, part They Both Die at the End, this is an emotional tale of three kids who face their own demise with hope, courage, and a whole lot of bad decisions.” (Mark Oshiro, Schneider Award-winning author of Anger Is a Gift)
“Heart-wrenching, absorbingly clever, and beautifully written. Rishi deftly balances a tale of global consequences with riveting, intimate, and deeply personal stories. I Hope You Get This Message is one of the best and freshest YA stories I’ve seen in a long time.” (R.F. Kuang, author of The Poppy War)
“Thought-provoking and full of heart, I Hope You Get This Message reminds us how fragile and fleeting time can be. One of the best debut novels I’ve read in a long time!” (Akemi Dawn Bowman, author of Starfish, a William C. Morris Award Finalist)
“The end of the world has never been this mesmerizing. I couldn’t look away from Farah Naz Rishi’s stunning debut that shows humanity in all its many shades of truth.” (Adam Silvera, New York Times bestselling author of They Both Die at the End)
“If aliens were to read Rishi’s beautifully written book, they would discover that human beings are gloriously weighed down by gravity–the gravity of love, of memory, and most of all of our connections to each other. This is a vital debut with a big, beating heart.” (Abdi Nazemian, author of Like a Love Story)
“Imaginative, funny, and frank, I Hope You Get This Message is a must-read debut about love, loss, hope, and the real-world choices we make in our final days.” (Sona Charaipotra, author of Symptoms of a Heartbreak and coauthor of the Tiny Pretty Things series)
“Tautly plotted, with realistic characters and situations, this debut will please enthusiasts of both science fiction and realistic fiction.” (Kirkus Reviews)
“Rishi’s debut consistently tugs heartstrings, and the multiple perspectives allow an intimate look into each character—their brand of pain may vary, but it hurts just the same.” (ALA Booklist)
It All Comes Back to You
After Kiran Noorani’s mom died, Kiran vowed to keep her dad and sister, Amira, close. Then out of the blue, Amira announces that she’s dating someone and might move cross-country with him. Kiran is thrown.
Deen Malik is thrilled that his older brother Faisal has found a great girlfriend, even if it’s getting serious quickly. Maybe now their parents’ focus will shift off Deen, who feels intense pressure to be the perfect son.
When Deen and Kiran come face to face, they silently agree to keep their past a secret. Three years ago—before Amira and Faisal met—Kiran and Deen dated. But Deen ghosted Kiran with no explanation. Kiran will stop at nothing to find out what happened, and Deen will do anything, even if it means sabotaging his brother’s relationship, to keep her from reaching the truth. Though the chemistry between Kiran and Deen is undeniable, can either of them take down their walls?