I loved this! The dystopian setting is in a lot of ways right out of the daily news, taken to an extreme. There’s a lot of action and peril for the kids as they try to stay alive and change the world. I will agree with other reviews that have dinged this for some thin character development. And these kids are not stellar examples of integrity and virtue. They have to own their own secrets, duplicity and dishonesty.

But that is what I loved. Once the device is out there and lies are exposed, the characters had to deal with the fall out. And it was bad. The book doesn’t sugarcoat that. I rail against the dishonesty in our current political landscape on a daily basis, and this book forced me to think about how to realistically deal with that - and pointed a mirror back at me about my own shame and secrets. I think the discussion that can come from people reading this book could be fantastic. (Language, references to sex, eating disorder, voyeurism, violence, etc)

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced eGalley of "The Future Will Be BS Free" by Will McIntosh.

New City is under the watchful eye of a corrupt government, after a Russian cyber attack crashes its economic system. In the wake of this disaster, six friends, with a gift for the technological, decide to use their free time to develop a "truth app": a fool-proof lie-detector that will hopefully make them millionaires.

After a test run reveals how accurate the truth app is, the group is surprised to discover some very important people want it for themselves. However, the group is keen on cashing in on their hard work, and ignore what they consider a paltry "offer" to sell.

It's not until one of them is killed, and the group is forced to run for their collective lives, that they're able to come to grips with the real truth: they're created something someone is willing to kill them over.

This wasn't a tough world to imagine, honestly. If anything, it felt frighteningly close to reality--not unlike the "Handmaid's Tale"--and I was able to drop right into the environment McIntosh created with no trouble at all. 

That said, Sam (the main protagonist) was problematic as a main character because he was either being a complete pig, or a mindless idiot, and he wasn't very likable in general. 

Even so, the supporting cast is what keeps you vested in the outcome of the story. My personal fave was Mr. Chambliss (the group's former teacher).  His presence, as a stabilizing figure for the group--particularly once they were on the run--held the story together nicely. 

I was less enthused by the need to include the love triangle. Sam's best friend, Basquiat, is dating the girl Sam loves (Molly). Sam still loves Molly, and both Molly and Basquiat are aware of those feelings. However, Sam is forced to witness their coupling in the most painful of ways, at times. 

That said, with some of the ways Sam acts, you can't even feel sorry for him (see: "problematic"). 

Either way, the triangle could've been omitted completely. No one would miss it. 

Honestly, there were quite a few chapters where it felt like McIntosh needed filler so hee made sure to expand upon the most mundane of actions. That was a bit aggravating but, on the whole, it was a decent read with a message I could understand and relate to quite easily.

Ahoy there me mateys!  I received this young adult sci-fi eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  So here be me honest musings . . .

the future will be bs-free (Will McIntosh)

Title: the future will be bs-free

Author: Will McIntosh

Publisher: Random House Children's / Delacorte Press

Publication Date: TODAY!! (hardcover/e-book)

ISBN: 978-0553534146

Source: NetGalley

I have loved this author's work ever since I read love minus eighty and have now gobbled up seven of his novels.

Side note: Get me hands on unbreakable and watchdog and all four novellas!

While I liked this one in parts, it was overall just an okay read.  As usual, the concepts are very cool.  The basic premise of this one is there is a group of teens who invent a truth-telling machine.  But someone wants to stop the technology from getting out there.  As for the teens, they don't really understand the ramifications of "nothing but the truth" until it is too late.

So I have to admit that I like being honest.  I think lying is usually a waste of time and resources and I try not to do it.  But what if, for example, someone asks if their outfit looks okay and ye think it doesn't.  But they think they look hot.  So of course ye say that they look awesome because what ye think doesn't matter and ye don't want to hurt feelings.  Well with the truth-rings that would be impossible.  Me friends wouldn't care but an acquaintance?   It could get ugly.

Now the author raises a lot of difficult issues but doesn't address them in any satisfactory way.  Topics touched on - eating disorders, suicides, when someone thinks they be telling the truth but are mistaken, voyeurism, anxiety, cerebral palsy, vigilantism, greed, etc.  Most are used as plot points either as exposed secrets or unintended consequences for the teens to feel bad about.  But feeling bad about them was about as far as it went.  It didn't really seem to make the characters act any differently.

In fact pretty much all of the characters are extremely selfish and self-centered.  In the beginning most of them just wanted money.  I could sympathize.  But their idealism never really seemed to turn into true realism.  Plus unfortunately, the plot has some extreme plot holes and the ending was too convenient.  So the teens really didn't need to grow or change much based on those circumstances.

One of the good elements is that there were caring parents and teachers.  The teens do actually ask the parents for help.  That was a nice change for YA.  The bad parts were that almost all the adults that were involved were ex-military with PTSD or other issues.

Also the romance issues in this book were not to me taste.  The main narrator, Sam, has a crush that is so ridiculous it almost seems cringe-worthy.  The teens all seem to pair off with each other.  The dialogue and tension around the teen-lust was angsty and felt more like 5th graders then almost 18 year olds.  But perhaps I am just too much of a curmudgeon in me old age and can't sympathize with teenage hormones.  I was a very abnormal teen in that respect so me experience was not the mainstream one.

This book was a fast read and I did want to know how it ended.  I loved the concepts and will be pondering the ramifications for some time to come.  This is certainly not me favourite of his but I will continue to read anything he writes.

So lastly . . .

Thank you Random House Children's / Delacorte Press!

Netgalley's website has this to say about the novel:

In a Putin-esque near-future America, the gifted and talented high school has just been eliminated, and Sam and his friends have been using their unexpected free time to work on a tiny, undetectable, utterly reliable lie detector. They're all in it for the money--except Theo, their visionary. For Theo, it's about creating a better world. A BS-free world, where no one can lie, and the honest will thrive.

Just when they finish the prototype and turn down an offer to sell their brainchild to a huge corporation, Theo is found dead. Greedy companies, corrupt privatized police, and even the president herself will stop at nothing to steal the Truth App. Sam sets his sights on exposing all lies and holding everyone accountable.

But he and his friends quickly realize the costs of a BS-free world: the lives of loved ones, and political and economic stability. They now face a difficult question: Is the world capable of operating without lies, or are lies what hold it together?

To visit the author’s website go to:

Will McIntosh - Author

To buy the novel please visit:

the future will be bs-free - Book

To add to Goodreads go to:

Yer Ports for Plunder List

Previous Log Entries for this Author

burning midnight (Captain’s Log – Young Adult Fantasy)

hitchers (Dead Men Tell No Tales)

faller (On the Horizon – Sci-Fi eArc)

soft apocalypse (Captain's Log - Sci-Fi)

This book was provided by Netgalley for my honest review.

This book was a dystopian Goonies to me. For some reason, all I kept imagining was Boob as Data?!? I loved the Goonies but as a grownup, I just couldn't connect with the story.

I do read YA, so I thought I would give this a go. However, I realized that I perfer reading YA love stories or Fae-inspired stories. If the it's a dystopian setting, I prefer to see the movie rather than read it (Hunger Games, Fifth Wave, or The Darest Mind).

I believe, the auther did a solid job building the world but I couldn't really get into it. I rated the book, 2.75/5 stars. Just not my "cup of tea".

Sam and his friends have developed a lie detector “app” and want to mass market it to help expose the corruption of their country. Under the current leadership things have gone bad. Food and jobs are hard to come by, Veterans have had their stipends revoked and can no longer take care of their bionic parts, etc.

When they get an offer of 8.5 million dollars for their app by an unknown source they decide to turn it down. They’d rather have control over it and give it out rather than run into the chance that the buyer will use it for their own gain. After turning down the proposition Theo (the brains behind the operation) is murdered.

This book does a pretty good job at giving the reader a glimpse into a world gone corrupt. A world that chooses to elect someone with absolutely zero political experience. Vitnik rules with an iron fist, imposing curfews on the country and dishing out jail time for anyone who breaks it. No one under 18 can hold a job, college scholarships no longer exist, police are no longer people you can trust. The world building could have been a bit better, I felt it was lacking in terms of explaining HOW Vitnik came to power. It lightly touched upon what she did to tank the economy, but it should have had a bit more.

Some things about Sam’s behavior towards women in the beginning was a bit unsettling. He mentions that he watched Molly undress and didn’t tell her until his own invention forced him too. He calls Rebe “overweight in all the right places”, which ???. He gets upset when Molly - whom he’s been in love with forever- falls for Basquiat instead, like he has a claim on her. You do however, see some character growth in him; which I love.

The plot also surges forward at a pretty fast pace, which isn’t usually a problem; but the fall of a country and the beginning of the rise of that same country took place in such a small time frame it doesn’t seem plausible. Even with bionic soldiers, I don’t know that I can believe a group of 20 or so people with like 5-6 of them being teenagers, managed to take down the president of the United States. However, this is a fictional world, and anything is possible.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys overthrowing evil :D

Didn’t really get into this book. It reminded me of the many other similar books out there. Nothing special, however if you are looking for something to read in the genre, it’s not bad if it’s a first read.

This book had me hooked the whole time. I read this in 24hours, most of it from 3-5am (when I should have been sleeping). What I really enjoyed about this book: I liked the range of characters. I liked the setting and the overall plot. I think it is a great book to really get you thinking about society, government, and integrity. Overall, I gave this book four stars because it definitely kept me reading and I was on the edge of my seat.


I received a copy of this book from NetGalley for an honest review.

3 stars

This wasn't too shabby, but there were definitely a few things I wish were executed a little better.

The concept is wild and whoever made the Phineas and Ferb episode comparison was honestly spot on.

The first part of the novel felt a lot like that--a group of really smart teens creating a lie-detector. But then it evolved into a little more chaotic, slightly darker sort of chaos than a regular P&F episode.

For me, it felt like this novel was divided into 3 parts: Phineas and Ferb episode of creating cool, somewhat outlandish technology; darker, on the run from the government who's trying to murder us; and the societal ramifications of a lie-detector becoming widely available.

This made it feel kind of segmented and I wish the overall storyline had a more arching plot. Like, because section 2 had so much action, the climax wasn't as climax-y as I wanted it to be. Overall, it makes sense how it fits together, but as I read the way the parts fit together felt a little clunky.

I loved the worldbuilding though, and it's quite eerie to think about the similarities between this futuristic world with a corrupt government and our own world. I think McIntosh did a really good job of working with that dystopian idea and how one small invention would change the world.

This whole concept is a lot of food for thought, and although McIntosh doesn't explore every single outlet for what might happen to America if everyone had lie-detectors, he does a decent job of showing us one possibility, as outrageous as it may seem when compared to today's society.

This could have been rated higher, but what I felt dragged this story down was frankly the characters. It's already kind of cliché with the whole group-of-genius-kids trope, but the characters felt too flat and two-dimensional for them to be anything except a cliché.

I have a really great example to illustrate my point: for around 90% of the book, I had no idea what the narrator's name was, and frankly didn't care. (After checking Goodreads, I learned that his name is Sam.)

Their whole group of genius friends just felt really flat and bland to me; I couldn't really relate to any of them and I felt like Sam was kind of a creeper with some of his actions?

(The one that I kind of liked was killed off so...)

I know McIntosh is an adult SF writer, which is probably why it's hard for me to relate because YA has a huge character focus even when you're not writing a character-based plot, and I think McIntosh just hasn't adjusted to writing YA yet.

I guess despite how much I enjoyed the book, it still felt a little outlandish and silly and I wish it took on more emotional weight rather than trying to make things less intense. I didn't really want a Phineas and Ferb episode from this book, I wanted something a little more serious and intense. It wasn't really a satire like Your Robot Dog Will Die by Arin Greenwood, but it still had some of that same atmosphere.

Overall, I think the idea and the plot is really great, but some of the execution just didn't do it for me. If you're looking for some dystopian food for thought feat. lie detectors, I'd say check it out, but otherwise, you might want to look for another read.

This is a fascinating book. I wanted a bit of downtime, something to take my mind off of the current fuckery that is happening in this once great nation, so what better than a horrid dystopian future of America.!

Yeah, so my distraction is different than yours, whatever. We all gotta grab at whatever we can, right?

That is really what this book is about, trying to grab onto what you can and make it yours. Try to create a safe space for yourself, your family and your friends. This time, instead of working against other people, you are working against an authoritarian government that is just waiting for any and all excuses to punish the people who stand out in any way.

It was the little things that really got to me, that resonated because I've had my own strange changes that have happened with this new Trump regime, sorry, real life keeps intruding.

But that is why this book is so impressive. I have had a really hard time reading anything but news. It's a new experience for me. Reading has been my hobby and my refuge. I read when my dear grandma was overcome with Alzheimers, when I struggled with post partum anxiety and when I have migraines that keep me awake for days at a time.

But since Trump was elected I have read just seven books!

So, anyway, back to this book. Like I said it's the little bits of life that have changed that is so disturbing, like the curfew and the homeless camps, for the main characters this is as normal as farmer's markets and taco trucks are to me. Just normal things to see and deal with.

The little infights between the members of the team were hella real to me too. I've had a lot more tension with friends, the ones who seem okay with ignoring how much things are changing.

Of course the real flaw with this book is that in the real world our elected officials lie with impunity. Even after being caught in a lie, others are ready to step up and deny the lies, claim the lie doesn't matter and then end with they can lie if they want, deal with it, snowflakes.

Anyways, this book is a little more upbeat than Little Brother by Doctorow, but it points out just as many problems with a society that has surrendered to whoever yells the loudest and claims legitimacy.

Well, here I go again against the early masses only this time I’m the one that actually likes this book. So far it doesn’t seem that many really like it but to me The Future Will Be BS Free is a perfectly timed novel that leads to a lot of what ifs about politics and society. Considering I’m not a fan of politics and feel there is too much lying going on in our own world I was quite curious what Will McIntosh would do with his.

The story begins with Sam and his friends who are rather bright teenagers but still have no hope for their future because there just aren’t jobs to be had so the kids come up with a plan. Sam and his friends have been secretly working on building a portable lie detector, small enough that everyone will have one and the world will be free of lies. Of course most of the group isn’t in it to be noble but only for the riches they think it will bring with the exception of Theo whose dream it is to make a change in the world.

You see the world in which Sam and his friends live is controlled by one woman who has been president for multiple terms having done away with the term limit. But not only does she control the government but has a monopoly on most commerce too. The kids believe that the only way to help the world is to flesh out all the lies and let people see the truth for a change.

The book may seem to start a little slow and be a bit shaky on the character building but once it gets going it was really one that kept me quite engaged. The old saying Let he who is without sin cast the first stone really popped into mind as the story goes along because obviously most everyone has at least some little secret they’d prefer not to share which was true of Sam and his friends. There was some great character growth shown from the characters you meet at the beginning of the book and the ones after all the action has gone down. And yes, as you can imagine taking down a corrupt government brought about a lot of action so by the end I’d give this one 4.5 stars as it was a creative dystopian imagining that seems highly possible of actually happening.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

In a scary future where the president has more power than a president should and life is very unsure Sam and his friends create an actual lie detecting machine with the best of intentions. What starts as a money making idea quickly goes sideways when someone expresses interest in their as of yet unfinished project and gets even worse when their friend Theo dies in an “accident”. Quickly realizing their in-deep and the way their good idea can be subverted Sam and friends along with their war veteran bodyguards go on the run and try to get the truth out in a world filled with lies. The question comes down to, is the rest of the world ready for the truth and nothing but the truth?
The story is fairly fast paced. The world building is great and very interesting, I loved the adults in the story. Really loved the adults. I didn’t really like the MC very much, I think the one character, Molly, made a fairly good point about him and the author carried it through in the story very well, just didn’t help me like him much. She was talking to him about why she liked someone else and not him and it had to do with the fact that he’s still a boy while the guy she was dating was a man and it tied to his personality and his outlook on the world. That wasn’t the only reason I disliked him but it was a big reason.

This book was ok but I was not crazy about it. The main chracter, Sam, says some derogatory things and acts quite immature for a 17 year old. He is also not super nice, makes insulting comments and actually watching his friend Molly take a shower when she thought they had disconnected their call. And he never says anything about it at all! I hope my teenage sons will never do that! The rest of the story was decent--a group of teens develop an ap that tells if people are lying and to what degree is thought-provoking, to say the least. The overall idea is interesting and the story is pretty fast-paced. However, I felt that most of the characters were undeveloped and there were a lot of stereotypical ones as well. Not my favorite book but not a total loss either because the plot is quite intriguing.

Very scary as it could easily be out future! Since society is so corrupt, the students are interested in making a new, perfect lie detector! The race is on to keep the "leaders" of the government and business from taking it over! Well-written and interesting and realistic!

Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for letting me read the ARC of The Future Will Be BS Free, by Will McIntosh. A dystopian world where everyone always tells the truth might sound like a perfect world, but that’s not the case for Sam, 17, and his friends, who have just invented a lie detector and won’t sell to the greedy companies, corrupt private police, or even the female president. After the death of their friend, Theo, they are on the run trying to figure out how to survive. Telling the truth doesn’t always solve all the problems of life. This book is action-packed and leaves the reader with lots to contemplate. I really enjoyed this book.

Let's just get this out of the way: the MC is flawed. Did it bug me? Yes. It was hard to root for him sometimes. Was it a deal breaker? No. Flawed means real.

Now on to the actual plot:
LOVED IT! I kept telling my husband all about the world building and where I thought the story was heading. He had updates multiple times a day. Any book that makes me do that is definitely worth something. Things rarely went the way I anticipated — which is really neither bad nor good, just an observation.

This book is going to be a valuable way to spark many conversations: eating disorders, sexualization of females, voyeurism, disabled veterans, government, honesty, and friendship. These are all worthwhile discussions for people of all ages to have.

/sighhhhhhhhh /facepalm... I just..where to begin... I have so many issues with this book that I even cant begin to concentrate to write this review...

So here goes... First off, while i try to realize this book is about a young teenage boy who is sexually frustrated..BUT that gives no right for (yes I know a character in a book) but for them to be written like they were..just no, not okay...

The MC sexualizes his friends for one.. "Rebe was overweight, but in the right places."...The overweight girl had an eating disorder and the book while the other ones didn't and her ED was glamorized. First off "in the right places" , i mean really......

Second the MC watches his BEST FRIEND who is a girl take a shower on the other end of a video chat she thought she had hung up. he never tells her, nor does he say sorry...its like he slapped himself on the wrist so to speak and went on with his life... that is creepy as hell to do to anyone let alone your best friend. 

The MC came off as an entitled prick whot hought he was owed such things b/c he was a good friend...again just no...so sorry but i cant justify theses actions in a book like this......



2 stars from me

I received this e-arc from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I decided to take a chance on this book, the title alone gave me a reason to pause, as did the cover. I wasn't sure what I was in for when I requested it off of Netgalley, but I'm so glad that I did.

However, the main character, Sam is problematic, there are a few things he does that are perceived to be because he's "an angsty teenage boy" .
He is fatphobic:
"Rebe was overweight, but in the right places."

There are a couple of times where Rebe's weight is mentioned, and it's not exactly with the best of intentions. He overly sexualizes his friends, which was very weird to read about since, you know, they are his friends.
He also went on video chat with his friend, Molly, and watched her shower when she thought she had hung up the phone. He watched the entire thing, without any remorse at the time and he never told her about it. I feel like Sam could easily be one of those teens who believes himself to be entitled to women, just because he has been "a nice guy" to them.
I'm really hoping this is changed before the novel is published, but I doubt it will be changed.

Regardless of Sam, the novel overall was pretty good. I liked the concept, creating a truth app but perhaps, not seeing the consequences of it further down the line. The writing made it so that you were really drawn in and engaged with the world. I honestly would have given this novel a much higher rating, if it wasn't for Sam's problematic character.

I also appreciated the diversity in the novel, with Theo and the disabled veterans as characters.

Sam Gregarious and his friends Theo, Rebe, Boob (that's not a typo!), Basquiat, and Molly have created a lie detector from an old MRI machine in Rebe's garage. This lie detector is 100% accurate and all they have to do is figure out a way to build a portable prototype before someone else and reap the benefits in the failing economy.
The dystopian world Sam and his friends live in isn't too far-fetched: A war between the U.S. and Russia began after Russia led a cyberattack against American banks, causing another Great Depression. President Vitnik was re-elected to bring stability back to the devastated economy but all she's done is get Congress to lift the two-term presidential limit so she can remain in power and sell products with her name and face on them cheap and tax-free. Police exist to enforce a strict curfew but roam around more like gangs, taking what they want and looking the other way for the right bribe.
Sam is soon approached by the shady Xander Leaf about purchasing the lie detector for millions of dollars but the group decides against it. When a member of the group is found dead soon after, they have to figure out a way to stay alive and get their lie detector, known as the truth app, into the hands of as many people as possible.
On the run, Sam and his friends soon realize that the truth isn't as simple as they once thought. They want to bring down their corrupt government but their own lies threaten to divide them.
This YA dystopian novel moves at a fast pace and does a great job of making readers question our own morals and the impact of the lies that we tell.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Interesting read and the world was very timely but this was not the kind of book i gravitate towards and that shows in basically how i felt about it.

Lies might be easy to tell, and to accept, but they could easily lead to corruption and endanger people's lives. A group of teens in Will McIntosh's The Future Will Be BS Free works to develop a technology that serves as an effective lie-detector. 

In a near-future version of America that has suffered economic turmoil and conflicts with the Russians, a group of highly intelligent, gifted teenagers have been secretly working on a project that'll change the world. Their portable device aims to detect when a person is lying, which they believe will not only make them some much desired, and needed, money, but allow their society to thrive under honest leadership. After being approached by a man representing a huge corporation to sell their prototype and project for a vast amount of money the group turns it down, leading to the death of their brightest visionary member. Going on the run, the remainder of the group finesses the prototype into a working device and begins producing it for mass use - but will it be enough to save their lives and are people ready for what the truth will bring?

With an eerily timely concept of a pursuit for truth in a world that is becoming ever more convoluted, the premise of this novel was intriguing and I was interested to see how events would pan out. As a whole the world-building of a fairly fractured America felt adequate to set the scene and generally the writing was decent enough to keep me reading; however, the characters fell flat for me and were the weakest part as they felt a bit too stereotyped and underdeveloped - plus the thoughts and actions of the main character Sam perpetuated horrible concepts around interacting with and thinking about females. 

Overall, I'd give it a 3 out of 5 stars.