Oliver Mc’Neil lives in a high tech society where everything is experienced indoors through computer simulated “sims” ever since the outdoors was deemed too dangerous. What happens when Oliver, completely disoriented, wakes up in the middle of the woods with no idea how he got there?

This was a quick and interesting dystopian read! I didn’t feel like the city’s world building was fleshed out so much, but I don’t really think that was the point of the story. Seeing Oliver experience so many things first hand and seeing him well and truly live for the first time and trust himself was heartwarming.

Without giving anything away, the glimpses we did get of the dystopian city had me so intrigued and I thought they were woven into the story really well.

I’d give this a solid 4 stars! This was a great concept that was well executed. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

Most gripping and neat book i have read this year. This book draws a big parallel to where things are and where they could easily be heading. It was arm-hair raising how true to things/situations we have entered and how at the same time we can observe and distance ourselves. I liked the authors sense of humor and the growth of the main character, Oliver. It is truly profound how well of a job Moore does in writing this book so it comes off edgy and new and a science fiction type novel.

The Boy Who Learned to Live is a YA dystopian novel set in a (hopefully) alternative future in which there are only 10 cities in the world and the rest is a wilderness. The cities are hi-tech with everything including the air, water and food tightly controlled. Inhabitants stay in their apartments and experience what passes for real life via a range of sims.
17-year-old Oliver lives in 5th city and rarely goes outside but when he wakes in the forest, drugged and disorientated he is rescued by a group of cave dwellers who seem to know more about what is really going on in his life than he does. As the drugs leave his system, the voices in his head recede and he works hard to be part of the cave community that has adopted him.
However, sentries are going missing, wild animals are getting into the caves and people are beginning to say that Oliver is behind all their problems. Oliver himself has a voice in his head telling him he is a monster. But is he?
This is a story full of adventure and challenge and whilst some parts require the reader to suspend belief, it does raise questions about power and control and the damage that can be done if technology causes us to be cut off from nature and the real world outside. A straightforward read and a good choice for someone trying their first dystopian novel.

I quite liked this book.

It's an interesting concept. Zoomed into the future, how will people act? Technology? Family?

It's told from the perspective of a young boy as he goes on an adventure. There's an interesting setting, set way in the future and people are confined indoors and prescribed food and nutrition, tailored to them.

I like how many characters there are and how the characters have well-developed relationships and social structure.

It is a book for children. I would estimate that the intended age would be 12-15 years old.

There are some things I didn't love. The scene where Oliver is bitten by the bear doesn't have a realistic timeline. He's injured, he's rushed to medical. Then it's infected? But wouldn't that take time? You wouldn't get an injury and then it's immediately infected. You would clean the wound, maybe worry about the risk of infection. It isn't clear how much time has passed and there isn't a lot of detail given about the injury (possibly because it's a children's book) but it needs more details with regards to timeline.

Oliver's recovery from his "surgery" was laughably quick for anyone who has ever had anaesthetic. Several minutes after unhygienic brain surgery, he's running away from police?

The ending felt disjointed and unrealistic. It felt very stereotypical that Oliver - who had never swum before in his life - could spontaneously save his love interest from drowning. Also, why did they get in the water during a lightning storm? Wouldn't they get electrocuted?

Overall, it's an engaging read. It's not a literary masterpiece, but it's a fun piece of escapism.