H2O – USA

.27 is a number Ruby hates.

It’s a number that marks the percentage of the population that has survived. It’s a number that means she’s one of the “lucky” few still standing. And it’s a number that says her father is probably dead.

Against all odds, Ruby has survived the catastrophic onset of the killer rain. Two weeks after the radio started broadcasting the warning, “It’s in the rain. It’s fatal and there’s no cure,” the drinkable water is running out. Ruby’s left with two options: persevere on her own, or embark on a treacherous journey across the country to find her father—if he’s even still alive.

AWARDED A ‘PERFECT 10’ BY VOYA MAGAZINE

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Publication date: October 7, 2014
ISBN: 9781492615323

Reviews for H2O – USA

“The Rain left me speechless!” (Alice) “this is superb!” (Lola) “This is a must read book.” (Sarah) “The Rain is an amazing book. It is very creative and exciting.” (Verity) “This book is one of the most moving and funniest books I have ever read.” (Katie) “I had a golf ball sized lump in my throat from the moment the rain began to fall but I could not tear my eyes from the page.” (Delilah) “an incredible novel that was different to anything I’ve ever read.” (Izzy) “I loved every part of this book it was amazing!!!!!” (Imogen)

Lovereading4kids

“You NEED to read this!” (MP!ER Katie) “I am glad I took a chance with this book as it was a book that I couldn’t bear to put down as I kept wanting to know what would happen next.” (MP!ER Beth) “The Rain takes you on an epic, emotional journey” (MP!ER Roisin) “The author of this book is a very talented person and she should keep it up.” (MP!ER Areeba) “The book makes you laugh as well as want to scream… in a good way.” (MP!ER Jennifer)

Maximum Pop! Book Club

“I’m sure there are plenty of 16 year olds out there who would become worldly wise overnight if faced with such a thing, who would immediately drop all the teenage angst and become an adult immediately, Ruby is not one of them and for that I adored her.”

Liz Loves Books

“Tense, scary, and high emotion, The Rain will have you on the edge of your seat and afraid to step outside.”

Dark Readers

“So, in a post apocalyptic sense, the reader is left pondering over impossibilities and uncertainties, and then imagine that story written with a new danger and fresh ‘journey’, and you’ll probably sum up The Rain fairly well.”

Book Lover’s Life

“Funny, heartwarming, cringy, sad and terrifying, it is truly amazing.”

Heather Duff, Random Redheaded Ramblings

“I can’t stop thinking about this book. Virginia Bergin’s The Rain is unlike any apocalyptic novel I’ve read, mostly due to the hilarious and quirky but utterly believable narrator Ruby Morris.”

Ashleigh Online

“Not a novel about the British summer but a nightmare vision of the future where a single drop of rain can kill. Ruby Morris has survived so far but she needs to find her father and she could really do without being stuck with Darius Spratt.”

Sarah Kingsford, Sunday Express

‘Bergin presents Ruby’s story as a firsthand document of life after widespread disaster. The diary-style narration emphasizes Ruby’s distinctly teenage response to society’s end—she rescues too many abandoned pets, loots her favorite boutiques without shame, and holds tightly to the unlikely hope that her father is still alive—and her strong, spontaneous voice lends a touch of dark comedy to the post-apocalyptic doom and gloom. The challenges Ruby faces on the road to locate her father are significant, but watching Ruby draw strength from her ability to tell her own story is as inspiring as it is harrowing.’ (THE HORN BOOK MAGAZINE)

The Horn Book Magazine

‘Ruby’s candid, addicting narration brought this terrifying and wholly plausible story to life. This is a book you’ll devour all at once–from the safety of your umbrella!’

Jessica Khoury, author of ORIGIN and VITRO

‘Creepy and realistic. H2O left me thirsting for more.’

Kristen Simmons, author of ARTICLE 5 and BREAKING POINT

‘Enthralled & heartbroken . . . Apocalypse fiction with funny, believable teen narrator – ace.’

Imogen Russell Williams, reviewer for The Guardian Online and Metro

“A funny, smart, wonderfully British dystopia”

Katherine Woodfine, Booktrust