Project Dandelion by Heather Carson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

-Sent to a fallout shelter to survive a nuclear catastrophe, a group of teenagers are the last hope for humanity. Can they survive living with one another first?

Katrina knew this day would come. She had been preparing for it all her life. The end of the world was here, and it looked nothing like she had imagined.

Now she was trapped in an underground fallout shelter with a group of teenagers who had been selected as the last hope for humanity. The idea of surviving the nuclear apocalypse alone blurs as she makes friends, and finds love, while buried beneath the earth.

Surviving Nuclear Fallout and One Wannabe “Grump”

The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💙💜💚❤️🩷
Heat/Steam: N/A
Chemistry: 🧪🧪🧪🧪
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙📔
World building: 🌏🌍🌎🌏🌎
Character development: 😋😀😛😘😎

🎧 Audiobook Review: Project Dandelion (Project Dandelion, #1)

Author: Heather Carson
Genre: Dystopian / Young Adult

👫🏻 Character Information and Plot Dynamics

Katrina wakes up in a dorm‑style bunker surrounded by other teens her age, all of them confused and disoriented. A computerized voice calling itself Nanny announces that it’s time to get up. Meals arrive through an automated chute, each teen receiving an MRE, and they’re ushered into a common room where teens from five other dorms gather.

Nanny explains that a nuclear war has taken place and that these teens were selected because their parents had a history of doing good in the world — and because they possess the dandelion gene, a genetic trait believed to help them adapt to extreme stress and survive harsh conditions. They’re told they’ll be underground for at least two to four weeks until the air becomes breathable, though the bunker is stocked for a full year. Their days are tightly structured with classes, exercise, chores, hygiene time, and nightly movies.

Katrina’s military father taught her to stay alert, read people, and always know her exits. She takes everything seriously, observing the other teens and committing herself to learning as much as possible before they’re released. But not everyone shares her discipline. Some teens skip lessons, slack off during exercise, and refuse to help with chores.

She’s especially wary of several boys — including James, a quiet loner who somehow still gives her butterflies whenever he sits near her. Lark, on the other hand, is charismatic and popular, but a little too charming for her liking. And several girls irritate her with their refusal to contribute or take anything seriously.

🌟 Strengths

• The dystopian premise is compelling, and the writing immediately pulls you into Katrina’s perspective. She’s smart, observant, and clearly built for survival. James is intriguing from the start, especially in the way he approaches Katrina without hesitation.
• The supporting cast adds tension and depth. It’s obvious early on who might become a problem and who might crumble under pressure, especially those with siblings in other dorms.
• The social dynamics feel incredibly relevant. Once cliques form and the teens begin debating what to do when the bunker opens, the fractures become clear. Some want to search for family. Others want to stay underground for safety. But Lark and his group insist everyone should remain inside and build a new community — and anyone who wants to leave is “selfish” and weakening the group. They were planning on using force to make them stay. Despite being previously accused of SA, Lark’s charisma wins people over, he was a good politician, so he got the majority to agree, and they couldn’t see or didn’t care how his ideas trampled on the rights of others. The whole thing reminded me of someone else. I won’t say who, but his name rhymes with grump.

💔 Limitations

• This first installment feels too short. The story would have been stronger if the first two books were combined. The trend of slicing a single narrative into multiple short books always feels like a marketing tactic rather than a storytelling choice, and it rarely benefits the reader.

💬 Final Assessment

This series opener delivers a gripping setup, a tense social microcosm, and a heroine who’s easy to root for. The bunker setting creates a claustrophobic pressure cooker where every personality clash feels amplified, and the story shines most when exploring how quickly order can fracture under fear and uncertainty. Katrina’s vigilance and James’s quiet steadiness give the narrative emotional grounding, while the political maneuvering among the teens adds a disturbingly realistic edge.

Although the short length holds it back from reaching its full potential, the book’s relevance, character dynamics, and unsettling parallels to real‑world power struggles make it a compelling and thought‑provoking start. It left me eager — and a little uneasy — to see what happens once the bunker doors finally open.

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