I was OK with the premise (unknown agent breaks down all plastic items) but the story spent too much time laying out the mundane world of its characters. That world was just too mundane for my liking.

I got 25% in and had no idea who the character was, what the problem was, or what was going on in the plot.

What a unique concept for a book! To imagine that all the worlds plastics are melting, therefore rendering much of technology useless. Its an interesting concept in its own self when one thinks about how may small plastic parts make up much of our worlds machines, health equipment and items we use in our day to day life. The writer creatively wove this tale and brings us something fresh in a world of books where ideas are often over used. The writing was brilliant! i also enjoyed the characters and how diversely they were written. This book is growing on me the more i think about it and I can NOT wait for book two.

4/5 Stars

In the small town of Sycamore Falls, strange things are happening. ATM cards, pens, and various other plastic items have begun to dissolve. Before long, the word is out that "the Change" is affecting plastics worldwide. Initially regarded as a curiosity that would sort itself out, alarm spreads as vital items—phones, computers, tires, engine parts, and even asphalt roads—becomes puddles of ooze. Technology has become useless, and crime is on the rise as unemployment soars. As people speculate on the cause of the Change and governments scramble to find ways to fix the problem, the threat of war is on the horizon.

What I Liked

I loved the concept of this story! Think about it for a moment: how many things do you depend on for normal, everyday life? Did you know plastics are petroleum products? It's a little shocking, how many things are made from petroleum that you may not know about. That's what makes the premise of this book so intriguing—it would have a major impact on everything you can think of, and a whole lot more.

I liked seeing how different characters responded to the catastrophe. Some people responded well, looking to the past for ideas on how to survive this new normal—for example, horse-drawn carts and carriages. Others didn't adjust very well to the Change, and it brought out the worst in them. A group of friends gathered regularly to consider things that might have caused it, as well as ways they could adjust now-obsolete technologies with new, non-plastic materials.

The story ended on one heck of a cliffhanger, and the cause of the Change was never disclosed, but I was fine with that. This is the first book of the series, after all, so I knew better than to expect the mystery of the dissolving plastics to be wrapped up in a neat, little bow, with all questions answered.

About that cliffhanger: I already knew I wanted to read book two in this series whenever it comes out. But with such a fantastic cliffhanger, it's going to feel like an eternal wait for the next book!

What I (Sort of) Didn't Like

I don't have any strong dislikes, but there is one thing I wished for, that I'll share in this space.

There were times I wished there were fewer characters involved, so that I could see more from the perspectives of the select few I was most interested in. This story is loaded with characters who each have alternating chapters dedicated to their perceptions. While I liked each character and was interested in their point-of-view, the down side is that there was far less time, overall, to be spent in each of their heads.

Final Thoughts

I found Drop by Drop to be a fascinating story, with a unique concept that was very enjoyable to read. It perfectly illustrates how heavily dependent we are on plastics and technologies in every area of our lives, and how lost society would be without all those creature comforts we're so accustomed to having. Llywelyn has created a cast of character that are easy to relate and believable in their reactions to the world being turned upside down—or melting away, as it were.

Fans of speculative fiction will not only be intrigued by the premise of this novel, but will likely find it hard to stop reading once they start.

As for me, I can't wait to read the next book in this series... may it be released soon!

I received an advance reading copy of this book courtesy of Tor Books via Netgalley.

Kudos to the cover designer, and to the blurb writer - both of these attracted me to this book.

The novel itself, however, drove me nuts. Think about it - a worldwide catastrophic event - the dissolution of plastics -and yet there was so very little of the consequences of such a thing happening in this story. In this small town, life just keeps on going with very little concern or effects on anyone. A couple of people die, some people lose their job, but out main characters just breeze on through. No hints of the panic, widespread migration from big cities, loss of food supply chains, loss of all financial systems, loss of medical systems, breakdown of law, failure of governments, - etc., etc. The story was more reminiscent of a 'cozy' mystery then an apocalyptic event. Even the two more interesting characters, characters with unsavory backgrounds and hints of danger about them, get all tame and civilized by the end of the book.


Sorry, but this novel just bored me.

DROP BY DROP REVIEW LINKS:

"Drop by drop, the change came to Sycamore River. Slowly and quietly in the beginning, not enough to cause a ripple on the placid surface of the town. Few people noticed at first. Change can be like that."

This Speculative Fiction novel is a completely unique idea of how change can begin without most people noticing.

This is the first book in the "Step By Step" series which promises to be not only one of a kind, but also one that will challenge the idea that we need  technology to survive.

The small town of Sycamore River and its inhabitants will get under your skin and readers will find themselves actually caring about what happens to them.

Set in the not too distant future, Drop By Drop is a unique look at one possible future ... And a scary one at that.

Morgan Llywelyn has an amazing ability to create people who are so realistic they could be your next door neighbors. She also describes the many different ways people react in a crisis. Some step up and others fall apart. Her writing will grab your attention and you will be unable to stop reading... literally. I read the entire book in less than twenty four hours and I was wishing the next book in the series was already available. I predict that DROP BY DROP will be on many Bestseller Lists and I rate it as 5 out of 5 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐.

There are plenty of books out there about the end of civilization as we know it, most see our world ending in disease, war or a zombie apocalypse. But melting plastic? That’s the scenario for this book (the first in a trilogy) and it sounds lame. Until you consider how much of our world consists of plastic – cars, airplanes, computers, phones and on and on and you get the picture. This is a clever and unusual plot idea but one that never really took off for me. I just didn’t get a real sense of urgency or doom I would expect from such dire occurrences.