Well, folks. It's near the end of July, and here I am, writing up my first review of the year. The cover looks like it was made by AI, and the book synopsis seems a bit too romantic and cliche for my kind of thing precisely, but nonetheless. I was interested in the Mediterranean-ish vibe this was giving off, so here we are.

Margot's famous for her characteristic red lipstick - and the way she never sticks to one hobby for too long. Which is why, after discovering an archaeologist's journal at her school library, she suddenly develops a romanticized interest in archeology, much to the "displeasure" of her classmates who have been in the field longer. After her school arranges a visit to Italy, Margot accidentally brings a statue back to life and ends up in quite a few mishaps in the pursuit of a mythological vase.

I'll confess, it took me some time to figure out the age of the characters. They acted too mature and could easily pass for adults. It wasn't until passing the halfway point that they started to resemble actual teenagers a bit more, and I personally don't believe that's the best time to be showing that they could 𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙮 be actual teenagers.

There were also a few "plot holes" or "unexplained things" throughout the book. First, why does everyone have somewhat of a prestigious background? Is the school itself prestigious? That has never been clarified, and there's such a minimum amount of information about the school in general. In addition... this really doesn't have a "school age setting". Margot disappears for hours on end, gets into legal trouble, shows up with a random teenage boy, and there are no consequences for that? It honestly sounds quite absurd considering how most schools would not be so "liberal" since they hold a lot of liability for students and can run into legal trouble.
(Spoilers ahead)

<spoiler> Not to mention that she manages to escape a lot of things unscathed. Furthermore, how did Astrid say the vase was discovered to the press? It's not characteristic of her personality, and at the time, she believed she held the shards, so things don't add up there at all. </spoiler>

And finally, the romance as a whole just seems quite... what's the word? Somewhat rushed? Vans kind of seems to go through such a dramatic change in personality.

At any rate, I didn't find the book to be quite engaging nor did I particularly hate on it, so that's 3 stars from me.

I think any book that thanks Brendan Fraser first in the acknowledgments automatically gets 4 stars, but what made this 5 stars is just how fun and adventurous the story was. This is what a YA book should be: fun, light, relatable characters, all with a bit of magic and nostalgia throughout.
I only wish it had been longer! And I would have loved Van's POV a few times, if only to get his thoughts on the twenty-first century!

Does anyone else remember that one Tumblr post that went super viral in which there's a statue that comes to life when their soulmate kisses him/it? And everyone was in the replies begging it to become a book/movie?

Well, for those who remember that iconic post, consider your wish granted, because that post is personified (and then mixed with The Mummy) in Us in Ruins!

Plus, the cover art is actually to die for.

For those who haven't seen that post and/or The Mummy, this book revolves around 17-year-old Margot, who is on her Lizzy-Maguire-esque trip to Italy. But instead of falling in love with a pop star, Margot reawakens the infamous archaeologist Van, who has been a statue for the last century. The two then take part in five dangerous trials across Italy/Pompeii to configure the Vase of Venus Aurelia in the hopes of breaking the vase's curse and (maybe) getting endless treasure in the process.

This book from cover to epilogue got me hook, line, and sinker. I finished this book in two sittings and I genuinely did not want to put it down. This is a major upgrade from Rachel Moore's debut novel, Library of Shadows (LOS), and I think it's because the author has found her niche and can learn from LOS' criticisms.

Granted, however, several qualms I had with Library of Shadows were still apparent in US IN RUINS.

For starters, this is another one of those YA books where the characters could have greatly benefited from being aged up to college.

I have never heard of a high school elective being an archaeological dig site in Italy, nor have I ever heard of high school teachers being so chill with their students galivanting off on their own in a foreign country. Like, I was once on a school field trip where my high school teacher wouldn't even let me take ibuprofen for my headache because of the "safety risk", but trapezing around Italy with a stranger is A-OK.

Further, Margot suffers from 'special snowflake' syndrome, in which she's surprised that her actions have consequences/the world doesn't revolve around her. Such as:
A) Margot, who has no interest in archaeology aside from a myth and a romance book, beats out other students with previous archaeological experience to go on this trip (keeping in mind college apps are on the line) but is surprised when other students are bitter about it.
B) A student is annoyed to be partnered with Margot because she doesn't want her grades to suffer. She points out Margot will probably make her do all the work (she does) and that she doesn't know a trowel from a spade (she doesn't). Margot cries, then proves her right.
C) Her dad, upon finding out his daughter snuck away to a foreign country for one of her exploratory "phases" books her a return flight home that (I'm assuming) probably cost a fortune. Margot refuses to get on the flight and then proceeds to be sad when her dad is upset.

Granted, I did have a greater appreciation for Margot while being inside her mind, and I found that the author did a great job at making her characters more personable/relatable.

That being said, while these issues caused me to dock a star, my overall enjoyment far exceeded my annoyance. So, while I think younger audiences will thoroughly enjoy Margot and Van, older audiences may have to suspend reality to enjoy everything that US IN RUINS encompasses. The plot is assuredly fast-paced to keep you hooked and the trials are captivating. This can definitely be seen as Rachel Moore's breakthrough moment.

As always, my deepest thanks to Netgalley, HarperCollins, and Rachel Moore for an Advanced Readers Copy in exchange for an honest and fair review.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins for an ARC of this book!

This was certainly a wild ride of a read! “Us in Ruins” follows Margot, a young girl who is driven to find a missing vase in the ruins of Pompeii. No one has seen this vase since the 1930s. With the help of a boy who also went missing at the time of the vase, Margot goes on a wild an adventure to find the missing pieces of this vase.

One thing that I loved about this novel was the callback to Moore’s prior work. If you read “The Library of Shadows” you may recognize a few names and references. So I would definitely recommend giving this book a try if you like Moore’s world building.

The main issues I had with this book came down to the pacing of the novel. I felt like we did not get enough time to really get to know Margot before the primary plot, and I would have loved a few chapters clearly outlining her background before the main plot of the story. The poor pacing did not allow for the romance between the two main characters to be properly developed. The plot of the novel was mostly spent with the search for the missing vase, rather than moments of proper character development. It felt like Moore was more concerned with witty and rude banter, that I felt the characters did not have enough common ground to form a romantic relationship. The book has been marketed as enemies-to-lovers, but the characters spend 80% of the book as enemies with only the last few pages as “lovers”.

I would recommend this book if you read Moore’s previous novel, or are looking for an adventure packed novel!

Us in Ruins was not as serious as the cover or synopsis led me to believe but it is full of adventure and I related a lot to Margot (I don't think it's ever explicitly stated but I read her as a fellow girl with ADHD). The romance fell really flat for me, which was a shame.

Imagine blending the adventure of The Mummy with the quirky charm of Encino Man, and you’ve got a pretty good idea of what to expect. If you're a fan of witty banter, ancient curses, and a love story that defies time itself, this book will be your new obsession.

Meet Margot Rhodes, an amateur archaeologist with a heart that’s more shattered than the mythical Vase of Venus Aurelia she’s hunting. Armed with nothing but a shovel and a 1932 journal from a lost teenage explorer, Van Keane, she embarks on an archaeological trip to Pompeii.
As Margot follows Van’s poetic journal entries, she finds herself smitten with a boy who vanished nearly a century ago. Just when you think things couldn’t get more intriguing, she stumbles upon a statue that looks suspiciously like Van. And then it comes to life. Cue the gasps!

Enter Van Keane, now very much alive and not at all the dreamy poet Margot had imagined. He’s sharp, he’s snarky, and he’s got his own agenda for retrieving the vase. The chemistry between these two is electric, full of frustration-fueled banter and enough tension to rival a Shakespearean play. But, alas, it takes two to survive Venus’s death-defying challenges.

The adventure that ensues is a series of double-crosses, magical escapades, and shenanigans that will have you laughing out loud. Margot and Van must navigate ancient curses, dodge danger, and piece together not just the vase, but their own fragmented pasts. The stakes are high, but so are the laughs and the swoon-worthy moments.

Rachel Moore has crafted a tale that’s equal parts thrilling and heartwarming. Her writing is as enchanting as ever, drawing you into a world where magic and love are the ultimate treasures. The characters are vibrant, the plot is fast-paced, and the romance is just the right mix of sweet chemistry.

This book is more than just an adventure rom-com; it’s a story about healing, about finding love in the most unexpected places, and about piecing together the broken parts of our lives.

So, grab your metaphorical shovels, fellow book lovers, and dig into this enchanting, swoon-worthy tale. Five stars, because Rachel Moore has unearthed a literary gem that’s worth every moment of your time.

I know it’s YA, but it felt a little too juvenile for me. It was a very fun premise, but it was hard to get over the author using words like ‘yuckiness.’ I know this is super pedantic but the author also kept referring to things as ‘pottery shards’ and the correct term in archeology is ‘pottery sherd.’

Special thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy. "Us in Ruins" follows Margot Rhodes as she embarks on an archaeological dig with a study abroad-esque program. Her goal? To find a mystical vase that she read about in a journal left by Van Keane, an explorer who disappeared in the 1930s in a freak cave in. Or...did he?

Listen. It was fine. Honestly, I missed the part where it was a YA novel, and I found Margot to be a bit whiny, but her attitude makes more sense when you learn that she's seventeen. All problems are worse when you're seventeen. Including when you find a cute boy who was literally made of marble, like, two minutes ago? Their chemistry was fine, but the pacing was a bit rushed. Fun adventure, but the romance felt a bit forced there at the end?

An Ancient Roman artefact? A treasure hunter frozen in marble for nearly 100 years? An archaeology student on a summer dig in Italy? What else do you need?

The plot of this book is jam packed and the characters were really fun to get to know. There were definitely some bits that didn't make total sense, but I was enjoying myself enough that I could overlook them.

Thank you to the publisher for providing a copy for review

In Rachel Moore's latest novel, finding love with a statue brought to life during an archaeological quest for a mythical artifact sounds far-fetched, but it's the heart of this captivating story.

Margot Rhodes, known for dabbling in everything and committing to nothing, joins a school trip to Pompeii aiming to uncover the long-lost Vase of Venus Aurelia. Alongside her unexpected partner, Van Keane, who steps out of a statue, they navigate Italy's historic landscapes and their own budding feelings. Full of adventure, wit, and unexpected romance, "Us in Ruins" delivers a thrilling escapade where love and treasure intertwine in surprising ways.

This is a fun YA adventure book. I was expecting it to be a bit historical from the synopsis/prologue but large majority of the book is set in current day. If you liked What the River Knows I think you'll love this one too, it has fun puzzles/ruins to solve/dig through. Some of it was a bit unrealistic school wise but that's okay.

Margot writes a fanfiction of her favorite romance adventure book to score a spot on her boarding school’s archeology trip to Pompeii. Armed with the journal of a very handsome teenage archaeologist from 1932, Van, she embarks on adventure to find the mythical Vase of Venus Aurelia. She seeks out the last place Van talks about his journal, only to stumble upon a statue that looks eerily similar to the man himself. When the statue comes to life, it turns out to be Van in the flesh previously frozen as marble for 96 years. Van and Margot team up for a National Treasure style adventure to locate the missing vase.

Expect booby-trap style trials, lots of pining and banter, a little romance, and plenty of adventure.

This is could be a great romantic adventure for middle-grade aged individuals!

While this was a cute little adventure that I think would be a fun read for younger readers I think there are a few things that keep this from being a 5⭐️ book.

The most jarring aspect of this book and the main reason it isn’t getting a higher rating is the frequent obscure pop culture references. I think pop culture references do not have a place in fantasy books. However, under the right conditions (aka a modern setting), a few I can handle. This book however took these references to the max. The FMC needing “three everything showers” to get the grime of the day off was the first fail (does the author understand what an everything shower is?), and then references just kept coming including using “Joe Goldberg” used as an adjective. Nothing dates a book more than pop culture references imo and it really does the writing no favors.

The lack of descriptions of the surroundings during the “trials” made it hard to imagine what was happening and took away from the “adventure.”

All in all not a bad middle-grade book but certainly one that probably will only appeal to a younger audience.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for sending this book (eARC) for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

This book was a cute, fun, and easy read. I enjoyed the story, the characters, and the adventure. I wish we got to know more about Van, or had some of the chapters in his perspective.

I absolutely loved this book—it was heartfelt, touching, and adorable in the best way possible. The story was never a bore and I seriously couldn’t put it down. A definite 4/5 stars.

This was a very interesting idea which was slaps really well executed. It was funny and heartwarming

Thank you Harper Collins and Rachel Moore for an advanced copy of Us In Ruins in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

If you’re a fan of Indiana Jones, Night at the Museum, and The Mummy you’ll love this! There’s a little romance, there’s archaeological dig sites, there’s animation of statues, and trials the main characters must complete to gain a goddesses reward. I think the characters are really well developed, including the side characters. I think Margot is a really cute FMC. She’s really relatable. It’s also a really cute grumpy and sunshine story. Van is a bit rough around the edges, but he softens throughout the story. What drew me to this book was the STUNNING cover! Seriously one of the most beautiful covers I’ve ever seen! Definitely recommend to any lovers of YA!

A cute little take on some YA adventure/fantasy. I really enjoyed the Italian setting with the myth of Venus being the focal point of the adventure, though at times the characters lacked depth that I wanted to be able to identify and care about them. Only a handful of times was Van’s life before becoming an explorer touched on, which I think would have brought him to life once more if given more time. Having those bits in his POV would have been exciting. Margot was sweet and empathetic even if a bit one note at times. Still fun and easy, even if a bit of a drag at times.

For a book centered around statues it’s surprisingly soft.

When a fictionalized story wins Margot a spot on an archeological trip to Pompeii she is ecstatic to trace the steps of her inspiration, the real life Van who went missing in the 1930s looking for shards of the Vase of Venus, but when she stumbles into the ruins she finds more than she’s bargained for and also less than she hoped as she must stumble through the trials of the gods before time runs out.

This book is nice.

With a pretty standard plot it is hard to find fault in the National Treasure like race to the treasure with a sprinkle of mythology mixed in as well as your standard teenage drama when grouped together in a setting where our main character is the outcast. Some of the conflict is somewhat weak especially when it comes to the interactions with her peers but seeing as it’s not the driving force of the story it’s easy to skip through as we circle back to the trials to find the lost pieces and the hanging question of what happens once it’s found.

The characters were fine I think the story benefitted from scenes where it’s just Van and Margot as their back and forth brought lightness to the story. I wish we gave them more to really know and care for them as for most of the story they were just moving pieces lacking a uniqueness that would make them memorable after the final page. There is a lot of potential there with their histories, strengths and weaknesses but just as quickly as we were introduced to them they were gone.

Not a bad story by any means and one that I think will be popular I just wish it gave us more.

**special thanks to the publishers and netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review**

This gorgeous romantic adventure is the stuff that dreams are made of! Part Lizzie McGuire movie, part The Mummy, Rachel Moore's sparkling prose lights up on every page. Her characterization of Margot is crystal clear and the romance propels this fast-paced narrative to its heartwarming conclusion. US IN RUINS is the must-read YA of the fall!

This was a good quick read, perfect for summer vacation! It was enjoyable and relatively easy to follow along!