
Published by Delacorte (1.7.2025)
Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult
Format: Audiobook, 320 pages
Length: 8 hours, 43 minutes
Narrator: Bailey Carr
Source: Library


The world is about to end. Again.
Ever since the first Storm wreaked havoc on civilization as we know it, seventeen-year-old Liz Flannery has been holed up in an abandoned bookstore in suburban New Jersey where she used to work, trading books for supplies with the few remaining survivors. It’s the one place left that feels safe to her.
Until she learns that another earth-shattering Storm is coming . . . and everything changes.
Enter Maeve, a prickly and potentially dangerous out-of-towner who breaks into the bookstore looking for shelter one night. Though the two girls are immediately at odds, Maeve has what Liz needs—the skills to repair the dilapidated store before the next climate disaster strikes—and Liz reluctantly agrees to let her stay.
As the girls grow closer and undeniable feelings spring up between them, they realize that they face greater threats than the impending Storm. And when Maeve’s secrets and Liz’s inner demons come back to haunt them both, they find themselves fighting for their lives as their world crumbles around them.
My thoughts
I had pretty mixed feelings on this book. While I did enjoy it overall, there were some things that seriously bugged me.
I’ll start with the good first. The concept is fantastic! I loved the idea of a bookstore – possibly the last bookstore – being open during the apocalypse, trading goods for books. Because even in the apocalypse, literature is relevant. Also, there’s something about a post-apocalyptic book that I just love. I don’t know why; I wouldn’t want to be in an apocalypse, nor do I think I would survive one, lol. Something else I loved was the random stories from strangers that passed through the bookshop. They were irrelevant to the plot, but I thought they were cool! The book had a cozy feel to it, despite being post-apocalyptic. I did enjoy the idea of a sapphic romance in a bookstore at the end of the world, but I’m not necessarily sure I enjoyed this particular romance.
I also really enjoyed the audio! It was done by Bailey Carr, who also narrated Pip in A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder (one of my all time fave audiobooks!). She did a fantastic job, and I know I wouldn’t have enjoyed it half as much without her narration!
So, onto the things I didn’t like. My main issue was the too-stupid-to-live main character, Liz. She had been holed up in the bookstore since the apocalypse started, and never left. So she had NO idea how things were in the real world of the apocalypse. And listen, I get that the people that came through her bookstore were good, but like…how could anyone honestly have faith that humanity in general would be that way in a fucking apocalypse?? Basic human decency would be the first thing to go, and I feel like that should be common sense. Liz was naive to the point of extreme fault, and it grated on my nerves. She made stupid decision after stupid decision, and was shocked when she realized that survival is something that people actually had to do. The fact that she was appalled by Maeve having a knife was frankly astounding. Of course she has something to protect herself, wtf??
Speaking of something to protect themselves: they had their hands on a gun, and Liz THREW IT AWAY???!?? What the actual fuck?? Liz said she threw it away so that Maeve wouldn’t have to be reminded of almost killing the one woman, but….COMMON SENSE?! It’s the apocalypse. A gun would be invaluable for protection. As soon as she did it, I was like, yeah, that’s gonna come back to bite them in the ass later. Boy, do I hate being right all the time, lmao. View Spoiler » *long suffering sigh*
Another thing that drove me absolutely fucking BONKERS – and I cannot believe it wasn’t mentioned in any other reviews (that I could find, anyway) – Liz’s injury. I don’t think the author realizes how extensive the recovery on such a huge injury would be. Liz basically had her entire arm degloved (from a generator…not really sure how that would actually work, but ok) – she mentioned that her tendons and muscle and even some bone were showing, and her fingers were dangling! Just because you cauterize an enormous injury does not make it…not…an enormous injury. It stops the bleeding, but it’s still a giant wound! The only treatment that was mentioned at all was antiseptic spray. No antibiotics or anything else. A wound like that would risk infection (especially in an apocalypse without hospitals or technology??? and I don’t remember any cleaning being mentioned, other than bandage changes) – and would be so painful and draining that you would be out of commission for weeks. Yet, somehow, Liz was running around playing with Maeve in the grocery store the next day, and then SPLASHING IN A CREEK?? Like seriously, a water fight. For fun. Um, what?? You would not even have the energy for running (not to mention it would hurt like a MF jarring your arm like that), and you’re going to get a massive wound wet?? Seriously? That is the dumbest shit I’ve ever heard and is just asking for an infection (when they have no antibiotics!!). Even if she didn’t get an infection, the pain would be unbearable! Oh, and at one point Liz said something about her arm being puckered scar tissue and how it was healing – dude, it’s been like 3 days, there is NO way that shit would be even remotely healed within even the first week. The utter lack of logic regarding Liz’s injury made me fucking crazy!! I feel like the author should have made it less severe, or just left it out entirely, because it was very poorly written. Spoiler alert: the real ending we don’t see is that Liz died from sepsis, lol. Because that’s what would have happened.
I mentioned above not particularly enjoying the romance. They were together and fell for each other mainly out of convenience, which wouldn’t normally bother me, but they didn’t have any actual chemistry. It probably didn’t help that I didn’t like Liz. I did really like Maeve, though! She was awesome. She deserved so much better than Liz.
Other than all that, it felt very young. Mostly because of the main character being so horribly naive, but also because it felt rather fluffy for being a post-apocalyptic setting. It was more cozy romance than anything. All of the action was smashed into the last 1/8th of the book, and I felt pretty meh about it. I wasn’t worried about the characters at all, and didn’t much care what happened to them. I think the lack of emotional investment in the book overall didn’t help, but there were also no stakes, at least not for the main characters. View Spoiler »
Overall Assessment
Plot: 3/5
Premise: 4.5/5
Writing style: 2.5/5
Originality: 4/5
Characters: 2/5
World-building: 2.5/5
Pace: 4/5
Feels: 1/5
Narration: 4/5
Cover: 4/5
Overall rating: 3/5

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