Reviews with content warning for Gore - All That's Left in the World

First, I want to talk expectations management. The copy for this book labels it as an "adventure romance," and I feel that needs to be discussed a little more. This book is an "adventure romance" in the way The Darkness Outside Us would be called a "science fiction romance." All That's Left in the World is an incredibly bleak package with a kernel of light and joy at the center that keeps the book from just fully being The Road (Young Reader's Edition).

That being said, this is an amazing book for Queer fans of the post apocalyptic genre. The tension is great, the story hits a lot of Walking Dead and The Road marks, and you get a sweet drop of M/M romance mixed in. I appreciate Erik Brown for allowing an entry for the Queers out there.

As much as I enjoyed the story, I did want more of both the "adventure" and the "romance" elements. With the adventure pieces, I felt we were rushed through a little too quickly in a way that added a lot of tense moments but allowed us very little time to actually sit in and stress about them. (This may be the YA of it all.) The romance is also cute, but I feel like it takes too long to get there. I know the acknowledgments cite this as an editorial choice, but I think that gives the reader too little joy for a YA story. I think this book would have worked better as a trilogy or duology where Brown could have delved a little deeper without creating one overlong piece, which I feel YA likes to try to avoid.

I am excited to see where Brown takes readers next!

Content Warnings

jenarae's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny reflective sad tense fast-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

3.75

Content Warnings

bookishflower's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

“This cute boy saved my life, gave me food and now stories. All you need indeed.”

•••

“YES!’ I shout and roll the window down. ‘America! He knows Back to the Future!”

•••

And just like Back to the Future there is no better opening than the power of love. (See what I did there?! *wink, wink!*)

This book broke my heart then mended it again (repeat this stage a lot), made me fall back in love with the dystopian genre, and made me laugh out loud the whole time.

Jamie and Andrew are the sweetest, I immediately fell in love with their characters and the way they support each other. The slow burn, grumpy/quiet and sunshine trope hitting all the marks! This is the dystopian, gay representation that was sorely missing in the height of 2010s with a fresh twist for post-pandemic life.

Erik J. Brown is one of the few writers who can not only successfully, but expertly incorporate pop culture references into their writing. Nothing felt forced with the added bonus of being hilarious, while not shying away from the realities of what post-apocalyptic life would be like e.g. the ugliness of human nature and capitalism.

I haven’t seen much hype online around this book since arcs were released (with a very cool marketing strategy too!) which needs to change! (For reference, I bought my copy, this review is completely unaffiliated if there’s any confusion).

This book is criminally underrated, go read it now!

P.S.

(Someone needs to make the ultimate ‘all that’s left in the world’ pop culture guide with all the music, films, tv shows mentioned in the book- everyone needs to have Miss Congeniality and Nina Simone in their lives!)

Content Warnings

dusksolace's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

Content Warnings

uwerethesun's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Thank you, NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review :]
This was one of my most anticipated releases of 2022 so you can imagine my excitement when I was given this arc!! Believe me when I say it exceeded my expectations, I’ve already pre-ordered this book because I just NEED a physical copy! I can already tell this will be one of the best books I read this year.

It’s giving The Walking Dead, but so much better considering there are no zombies, and it’s gay!

“I said I was willing to fight for him, but I want to live for him, too.”

I absolutely loved the writing of this book, I’ve been in a major slump, and yet this book had me hooked from the start! It’s fast-paced and easy to read despite the challenging topics its includes. At points, it’s incredibly tense and had me on the edge of my seat but it’s also so full of hope! Despite how gritty and emotional this book was it was also so heartfelt. I was gasping, laughing out loud (mostly at Andrew<3), and also crying...a lot.
The topic of the ‘Super-Flu’ was quite anxiety-inducing for me, given the world’s current state and the fact that this book seems to be set post-COVID. Although I think this fact just made me more invested, I found myself questioning how I would act in the stressful scenarios Jamie and Andrew were in. I also appreciated the pop culture references although others may not! Gay’s and Marvel references (even if Andrew said they’re for straight boys) what more could I need!

Now, in my opinion, the best part of this book was the characters! They were all so full of personality and incredibly unique, it was easy to love them all! I would love a sequel/spin-off book about the characters we met along the way (please) But of course, my favourite character was Andrew <3 I loved him from his very first chapter, with his pessimistic outlook and his use of humour to cope, I found myself relating to him a lot! I loved Jamie too, he was so sweet I just wanted to hug him. I got so attached to these characters, I even found myself incredibly upset when I finished the book and had to say goodbye to them. I’m hoping that, with the ending of this book, there will be some kind of sequel in the future!

In conclusion, I loved this book with all my heart. I desperately wish I could read it for the first time again, but I’m also certain I will be re-reading it in the future! This was everything I could’ve asked for and I cant wait to see what Erik does next :]

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