Scan barcode
belljm13's review against another edition
5.0
I’m not crying you’re crying. So beautiful.
5 stars because of the characters.
Dystopian settings have never been my thing (I want to escape when I read not feed into anxieties about possible world futures) But Andrew and Jamison are so funny, sweet and kind. They are Nick and Charlie in a dark situation. Hence the reason for 5 stars because I will defend and protect Nick and Charlie with my life and now Andrew and Jamison too.
5 stars because of the characters.
Dystopian settings have never been my thing (I want to escape when I read not feed into anxieties about possible world futures) But Andrew and Jamison are so funny, sweet and kind. They are Nick and Charlie in a dark situation. Hence the reason for 5 stars because I will defend and protect Nick and Charlie with my life and now Andrew and Jamison too.
aleckssss's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
The book was pretty good with funny jokes along the way, some cute moments and a final plot predictable but cool anyway
charliethegoat's review against another edition
Jamie was the the cutest patootiest but i can't stand A*drew, ew
matthewptaylor's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
rizeaoana's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
cheye13's review
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I think the YA bend does this story a disservice. I appreciate the age of the characters, but I think the book itself could've pushed a little harder. Reading the afterword put things into perspective; i had picked it up for a more horror-leaning dramatic romance, while the author, mid-pandemic, really needed something hopeful. I think that comes through clearly in the book, perhaps to the story's detriment. It's a cute romance as is, i was just hoping for a bit more zombie story.
ratz's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
thepetitepunk's review against another edition
5.0
Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
First, Some Excited Rambling
So, I started reading All That’s Left in the World, oh, maybe an hour or two after the year officially changed to 2022? I just wanted to read a couple chapters of something before I went to bed. And then this book kindly put me in a chokehold and said FINISH ME. FINISH ME IN ONE SITTING, YOU FOOL. READ YOUR FIRST BOOK OF 2022 IN ONE GO UNTIL YOU FEEL SICK FROM STAYING UP TOO LATE.
I’m not starting off the year with bad vibes so I didn’t argue.
In conclusion, I stayed up until 6am, technically on New Year’s Day, sitting in the same spot for four or so hours, unable to shut my Kindle until my eyes had processed every single word within the file, right down to the copyright page.
So if it wasn’t clear, I very much enjoyed All That’s Left in the World. An easy 5 stars if you some how missed my rating.
A Warning
Do be aware that this book is a post-apocalyptic novel that isn’t directly about, but does reference, the COVID-19 pandemic. While our real world hasn’t exactly reached the dire state that the novel is set in, some of the fear and anxiety within the book resemble actual experiences of living through a pandemic.
The Writing
Other than that, I was surprised by how hooked I was by page 1. I never read post-apocalyptic books, and nearly never read any kind of book that gets my heart racing. But All That’s Left of the World was such a fantastic blend of humor, action, suspense, guilt, hope, and delicious soft moments, all made possible by a fresh writing style. Although the book alternates POVs between our two main characters Andrew and Jamie, both of their voices were distinct and their backgrounds and motives were equally intriguing. The dialogue was also fantastic—quippy and sarcastic in the good moments, which only made the dire moments seem so much more intense. This is certainly a YA novel, laced with many pop culture references, but Erik J. Brown does not hesitate to include the gritty details of this post-apocalyptic world. Yet, the writing was still somehow light and consumable without glossing over any important moments.
The Plot
As I mentioned, I don’t usually read this genre so I can’t compare it to much. But with the post-apocalyptic movies I’ve seen, I can’t say the plot was entirely unique or unpredictable. And that’s what surprised me! I still was aching to know what was going to happen in each scene. This is the kind of story where you’re not exactly making predictions about how it will end; rather, you want to figure out how the characters will get out of the far too many sticky situations that they get themselves into. That’s probably why I sat down, unmoving, until I finished this book (digital) cover to cover—each scene feels like it’s own little adventure. It’s great. Even my tiny attention span was roped in.
The Characters
I loved them, Your Honor. They were beautiful. Guilt-ridden. Soft. Broken. Funny. Protective. Still capable of love despite all the tragedy. They meet so quickly, come attached so quickly, and yet everything else is so slow and gentle in the best way. And, as mentioned by the author, this is a queer post-apocalyptic story. That part was woven into the novel so effortlessly. Yay for representation among a deadly flu! (But in all seriousness, I really appreciated that. For the most part, if I am looking for queer representation, it is usually found in romance and fantasy novels, so it was exhilarating to find it elsewhere.) I’d give the author anything just for a bonus novella of Jamie and Andrew just living life, having a conversation or something.
Overall, Read If…
You love
- Bickering between two lovable idiots
- The “tending to the other’s wounds trope” within the first few pages
- Sharing a bed when there wasn’t only one bed
- Sarcastic dialogue
- Tom Holland
- Brief but intriguing side characters
- Working through guilt
- Slow burn romance that honestly doesn’t feel too slow burn at all
- Just two boys protecting themselves against the dangers of the world
TWs: pandemic (fictional), reference to COVID-19 pandemic, death, descriptions of dead bodies, violence/murder, guns
preorder here: https://bookshop.org/a/65305/9780063054974
***
i stayed up til 6am on january 1st to read this in one sitting. i mean, i would have loved to go to bed, but this book grabbed me by the throat and said YOU WILL READ EVERY SINGLE PAGE. AND YOU WILL READ IT RIGHT NOW.
rtc. i’m going to sleep.
✧ ✧ ✧
≪reading 31 books for 31 days of january≫
╰┈➤ 1. all that's left in the world by erik j. brown
First, Some Excited Rambling
So, I started reading All That’s Left in the World, oh, maybe an hour or two after the year officially changed to 2022? I just wanted to read a couple chapters of something before I went to bed. And then this book kindly put me in a chokehold and said FINISH ME. FINISH ME IN ONE SITTING, YOU FOOL. READ YOUR FIRST BOOK OF 2022 IN ONE GO UNTIL YOU FEEL SICK FROM STAYING UP TOO LATE.
I’m not starting off the year with bad vibes so I didn’t argue.
In conclusion, I stayed up until 6am, technically on New Year’s Day, sitting in the same spot for four or so hours, unable to shut my Kindle until my eyes had processed every single word within the file, right down to the copyright page.
So if it wasn’t clear, I very much enjoyed All That’s Left in the World. An easy 5 stars if you some how missed my rating.
A Warning
Do be aware that this book is a post-apocalyptic novel that isn’t directly about, but does reference, the COVID-19 pandemic. While our real world hasn’t exactly reached the dire state that the novel is set in, some of the fear and anxiety within the book resemble actual experiences of living through a pandemic.
The Writing
Other than that, I was surprised by how hooked I was by page 1. I never read post-apocalyptic books, and nearly never read any kind of book that gets my heart racing. But All That’s Left of the World was such a fantastic blend of humor, action, suspense, guilt, hope, and delicious soft moments, all made possible by a fresh writing style. Although the book alternates POVs between our two main characters Andrew and Jamie, both of their voices were distinct and their backgrounds and motives were equally intriguing. The dialogue was also fantastic—quippy and sarcastic in the good moments, which only made the dire moments seem so much more intense. This is certainly a YA novel, laced with many pop culture references, but Erik J. Brown does not hesitate to include the gritty details of this post-apocalyptic world. Yet, the writing was still somehow light and consumable without glossing over any important moments.
The Plot
As I mentioned, I don’t usually read this genre so I can’t compare it to much. But with the post-apocalyptic movies I’ve seen, I can’t say the plot was entirely unique or unpredictable. And that’s what surprised me! I still was aching to know what was going to happen in each scene. This is the kind of story where you’re not exactly making predictions about how it will end; rather, you want to figure out how the characters will get out of the far too many sticky situations that they get themselves into. That’s probably why I sat down, unmoving, until I finished this book (digital) cover to cover—each scene feels like it’s own little adventure. It’s great. Even my tiny attention span was roped in.
The Characters
I loved them, Your Honor. They were beautiful. Guilt-ridden. Soft. Broken. Funny. Protective. Still capable of love despite all the tragedy. They meet so quickly, come attached so quickly, and yet everything else is so slow and gentle in the best way. And, as mentioned by the author, this is a queer post-apocalyptic story. That part was woven into the novel so effortlessly. Yay for representation among a deadly flu! (But in all seriousness, I really appreciated that. For the most part, if I am looking for queer representation, it is usually found in romance and fantasy novels, so it was exhilarating to find it elsewhere.) I’d give the author anything just for a bonus novella of Jamie and Andrew just living life, having a conversation or something.
Overall, Read If…
You love
- Bickering between two lovable idiots
- The “tending to the other’s wounds trope” within the first few pages
- Sharing a bed when there wasn’t only one bed
- Sarcastic dialogue
- Tom Holland
- Brief but intriguing side characters
- Working through guilt
- Slow burn romance that honestly doesn’t feel too slow burn at all
- Just two boys protecting themselves against the dangers of the world
TWs: pandemic (fictional), reference to COVID-19 pandemic, death, descriptions of dead bodies, violence/murder, guns
preorder here: https://bookshop.org/a/65305/9780063054974
***
i stayed up til 6am on january 1st to read this in one sitting. i mean, i would have loved to go to bed, but this book grabbed me by the throat and said YOU WILL READ EVERY SINGLE PAGE. AND YOU WILL READ IT RIGHT NOW.
rtc. i’m going to sleep.
✧ ✧ ✧
≪reading 31 books for 31 days of january≫
╰┈➤ 1. all that's left in the world by erik j. brown
bryce_n's review
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
heli126's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75