The Names We Take by Trace Kerr

Left all but alone after a plague takes 95% of humanity, Pip has promised to never leave someone who needs help again. But in this strange new world, that promise might be a death sentence.

The subject matter was interesting. Plagues and dystopia are very much in my wheelhouse. I was looking forward to reading it.

However, it just didn't snag me. Maybe I wasn't in the mood; maybe it's the fact that it mostly tells, not shows. Maybe it's the fact that for me, the most emotional death was an offscreen dog. The timeline is a little confusing to me as well - how did Pip know her mother was in the hospital? How long was she there with her? How long since the end of the plague? - but not enough to really throw me out of the story.

I did like the representation. This is only the second book I remember reading with an intersex main character, and the other was very much about being intersex. In this one, although being intersex is part of her character and causes a few difficulties, it's not the main thing; there's plenty of other things going on at the same time. 

I absolutely think that this book will be enjoyed by plenty of people. If I come back to it another time, I might enjoy it better. Sadly, for me right now, it was only ok.

Never leave someone behind: it’s a promise easier made than kept, especially when seventeen-year-old Pip takes the headstrong twelve-year-old Iris under her protection in the wake of an earth-shattering plague.

After an unspeakable tragedy, the duo must navigate the nearly unrecognizable remains of Spokane, facing roving slave traders, merciless gangs―and worse. Pip and Iris soon meet Fly, a stubborn and courageous older girl, and as the three grow closer and their circumstances grow more perilous, they must also grapple with their own identities in this cruel new world. Pip’s vow to never leave someone behind may have made survival more difficult for her, but this promise could also be the key to finding meaning in the ashes of what came before.