Quick Pick: The Here and Now, by Ann Brashares

• Opening lines: His dad had to work, so Ethan had gone fishing alone. Usually he just followed his dad through the woods to the deep bends of the creek, slapping at the prickers around his ankles. This time he was confounded by how little he knew his way even though he'd been here again and again. After today, though, he'd know.
• Reason I picked up the book: I love Ann Brashares' Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series, and I usually love books about time travel, as well. 
• And what's this book about?
An unforgettable epic romantic thriller about a girl from the future who might be able to save the world . . . if she lets go of the one thing she’s found to hold on to.

Follow the rules. Remember what happened. Never fall in love.

This is the story of seventeen-year-old Prenna James, who immigrated to New York when she was twelve. Except Prenna didn’t come from a different country. She came from a different time—a future where a mosquito-borne illness has mutated into a pandemic, killing millions and leaving the world in ruins.

Prenna and the others who escaped to the present day must follow a strict set of rules: never reveal where they’re from, never interfere with history, and never, ever be intimate with anyone outside their community. Prenna does as she’s told, believing she can help prevent the plague that will one day ravage the earth.

But everything changes when Prenna falls for Ethan Jarves.

• Favorite paragraph: 

No one talks about what really binds us together. The gap between what we say and what we feel is so big and dark that sometimes i think I'll fall into it and just keep falling. 

At least, I think we feel it. I feel it. Does anybody else feel it? I don't know and I won't find out. We follow our scripts like actors in a very large, very long production. And even with no audience, none of us gives a hint that it isn't real.
....
I look at the people sitting around this circle. They are my friends. I care about them. This is my life. They are talking about their belts and their shoes and the car they want to get and the show they saw, and I can't hear them because the ghosts are too loud. 

• Recommended for: Anyone who likes YA fiction or time travel, even though this book wasn't as good as other time travel books I've read. Also anyone who likes sci-fi.
• Something to know: This is a stand-alone book.
• What I would have changed: Normally I like Ann Brashares' books, but this one was just okay. The time travel premise, and the reason they traveled back to 2014 or so, was interesting, but could have been explored more. The relationship between the two main characters (one is a "traveler" and one is a "time native," as in he's in his correct time period) is "insta-love," which I tend to dislike. 
• Overall rating: 3 out of 5 stars.
• Where can I buy this book? Click here.
  
  *Disclosure: I received an e-copy of this book from NetGalley for reviewing purposes. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own.