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a_reader_obsessed's review against another edition
4.0
4 Hearts
Any proper apocalyptic story is going to be bleak as the daily, if not hourly, struggle to survive weighs heavily like an unbearable burden.
Here, Finn’s situation is no different, but he bravely takes a risk to help his sick sister, venturing into the dangerous city to scavenge for supplies. Unfortunately, he encounters an unsavory group who’s also looking for some rare treasures, but avoids death by the kindness of a stranger named Spencer.
This showcases perfectly that despite harsh reality, the sense of hopelessness that’s just about to overwhelm all, a simple act changes everything - outlook, expectation, goals - and gives one the courage to fight for the happiness that basically seemed forever lost.
Realistic dystopian vibe where nothing is sugar coated, this still had great feels and a nice dose of sexy. This ends perfectly as that hard fought win brings some much needed light to so much darkness.
Thank you to the author/publisher for a copy in exchange for a honest review
Any proper apocalyptic story is going to be bleak as the daily, if not hourly, struggle to survive weighs heavily like an unbearable burden.
Here, Finn’s situation is no different, but he bravely takes a risk to help his sick sister, venturing into the dangerous city to scavenge for supplies. Unfortunately, he encounters an unsavory group who’s also looking for some rare treasures, but avoids death by the kindness of a stranger named Spencer.
This showcases perfectly that despite harsh reality, the sense of hopelessness that’s just about to overwhelm all, a simple act changes everything - outlook, expectation, goals - and gives one the courage to fight for the happiness that basically seemed forever lost.
Realistic dystopian vibe where nothing is sugar coated, this still had great feels and a nice dose of sexy. This ends perfectly as that hard fought win brings some much needed light to so much darkness.
Thank you to the author/publisher for a copy in exchange for a honest review
rjsreadingnook's review against another edition
5.0
Read this in two sittings. I was enraptured by the story immediately, and I loved the subtle detail and creative world building in describing life during a nuclear winter. A beautiful, suspenseful and emotional tale with a gorgeous bittersweet romance at its heart.
inmyhumbleopinion's review against another edition
4.0
Frost tells the tale of Finn and Spencer in a post-apocalyptic world struggling to survive and find a reason to keep on going. I liked Finn and his relationship with his sister and I loved Spencer’s view on life. I felt like the world was really depressing and it was only the budding relationship between Finn and Spencer that kept me turning pages.
intheend's review against another edition
4.0
I honestly wish this was longer! I loved that Spencer and Finn were able to find connection with one another in a hostile world. I would have liked to see how their trip to the lake house ended up and if that ended up being their permanent living place.
rjsreadingnook's review
5.0
Read this in two sittings. I was enraptured by the story immediately, and I loved the subtle detail and creative world building in describing life during a nuclear winter. A beautiful, suspenseful and emotional tale with a gorgeous bittersweet romance at its heart.
charkinzie's review
4.0
Okay, let’s get this out-of-the-way – this is a novella! And my one complaint about it is that I can’t believe it’s not a novel! Sometimes, I can read an entire book and not feel any great connection with the characters. That is not true of this short work by Isabelle Adler.
This story is set in a post-apocalyptic type of world, basically a nuclear winter. The reader is introduced to Finn, a young man who is hunting for medication for his sister at an abandoned and run-down hospital. He encounters a gang of scavengers who grab him and if it weren’t for the intervention of a stranger with a shot-gun… Finn would probably be dead.
Spencer is the name of the bearded man who saved Finn’s life. Finn is surprised by the intervention…then again he’s surprised when he is invited to stay at Spencer’s home to ride out a storm. It’s clear that living in the wasted world has been hard on Finn. He’s almost heartbreakingly desperate to continue his fragile friendship with Spencer while at the same time convinced that it can’t be real.
The friendship grows into something more…and just as Finn is beginning to think that there may just be a little joy left in his life, Spencer disappears.
Adler does a fantastic job of fleshing out the feelings of the characters even in the short eighty-two pages of the novella. The state of the world is bleak, but there’s a spark of hope in Finn and he sets out to find Spencer. I believed in Finn!
No spoilers here! Pick this novella up!
This story is set in a post-apocalyptic type of world, basically a nuclear winter. The reader is introduced to Finn, a young man who is hunting for medication for his sister at an abandoned and run-down hospital. He encounters a gang of scavengers who grab him and if it weren’t for the intervention of a stranger with a shot-gun… Finn would probably be dead.
Spencer is the name of the bearded man who saved Finn’s life. Finn is surprised by the intervention…then again he’s surprised when he is invited to stay at Spencer’s home to ride out a storm. It’s clear that living in the wasted world has been hard on Finn. He’s almost heartbreakingly desperate to continue his fragile friendship with Spencer while at the same time convinced that it can’t be real.
The friendship grows into something more…and just as Finn is beginning to think that there may just be a little joy left in his life, Spencer disappears.
Adler does a fantastic job of fleshing out the feelings of the characters even in the short eighty-two pages of the novella. The state of the world is bleak, but there’s a spark of hope in Finn and he sets out to find Spencer. I believed in Finn!
No spoilers here! Pick this novella up!
pvn's review
4.0
A fresh take on a post-apocalypse setting, which was well-executed. Kudos on an engaging plot, sophisticated writing, and enjoyable characters -- all the things I look for in a good novel. I look forward to the next installment, and recommend this quick read!
Thanks very much for the ARC for review!!
Thanks very much for the ARC for review!!
solly's review
4.0
This was so nice!! (maybeee it's even 4.5 stars, I'm not sure)
I have a lot of Feelings and Thoughts and I'm gonna try to word them.
I really loved the worldbuilding! It's a romance set during a nuclear winter, and the worldbuilding is simple enough not to take over the story and realistic enough that I was like: yeah well that definitely would happen if we were thrown into a nuclear winter. Basically: most human beings are shitty, and the world 'ending' would make it so much worse. I did asked myself a lot "but how cold is it really??" and that frustrated me a little bit but it's a minor detail.
I think this book really filled a bit of the void of my deep desire for more stories about 'normal' people going on with their lives in SFF settings (apocalypse, space opera, high fantasy, etc.). SFF without the high-stakes of saving the world and all that is really nice sometimes and it's kind of rare. It felt so good to see the life of three people struggling during a nuclear winter, but their struggles are personal and intimate and not world-changing, and I *loved* that. Like, I really really loved that.
The romance itself was really nice. Honestly, in a contemporary setting, I would've been like "oh this went too fast for my liking" but I think it works extremely well with the setting. I actually felt like the apocalyptic setting allowed the author to explore emotions that are different from the usual romance: how much you cling to the few things you care about, how romance seems like something frivolous when you should focus on surviving, how you don't trust people anymore but once someone trustworthy shows up, you don't want to let them go. It was just really, really interesting to me.
The cast was small (but like, you don't keep 53 friends during an apocalypse, folks) but the characters were interesting and believable. I loved Finn's sister, Siobhan! It was great to have a strong, important brother/sister relationship aside from the romance. Both Finn and Spencer were great characters. I would definitely be a Finn in these circonstances (honestly in these circonstances I would probably be dead though): mistrustful, hard on himself, having a hard time to let himself hope. At the beginning, I thought Spencer wasn't... believable. He was too kind, too great. But he grew on me and I could understand him better when he said that thing about holding onto the very few things you care about.
My ace self was in a period where my sex-aversion was higher than usual so I kind of read the (only) sex scene quickly, but that's 100% on me anyway!!
Overall, I really liked this. Worldbuilding, characters, plot, everything was super well-done. I was actually glad this was a just a novella because otherwise I would have stayed up a lot later than I already did.
TW: violence/blood, gunshots, fire/explosion, serious illness, explicit sex.
I have a lot of Feelings and Thoughts and I'm gonna try to word them.
I really loved the worldbuilding! It's a romance set during a nuclear winter, and the worldbuilding is simple enough not to take over the story and realistic enough that I was like: yeah well that definitely would happen if we were thrown into a nuclear winter. Basically: most human beings are shitty, and the world 'ending' would make it so much worse. I did asked myself a lot "but how cold is it really??" and that frustrated me a little bit but it's a minor detail.
I think this book really filled a bit of the void of my deep desire for more stories about 'normal' people going on with their lives in SFF settings (apocalypse, space opera, high fantasy, etc.). SFF without the high-stakes of saving the world and all that is really nice sometimes and it's kind of rare. It felt so good to see the life of three people struggling during a nuclear winter, but their struggles are personal and intimate and not world-changing, and I *loved* that. Like, I really really loved that.
The romance itself was really nice. Honestly, in a contemporary setting, I would've been like "oh this went too fast for my liking" but I think it works extremely well with the setting. I actually felt like the apocalyptic setting allowed the author to explore emotions that are different from the usual romance: how much you cling to the few things you care about, how romance seems like something frivolous when you should focus on surviving, how you don't trust people anymore but once someone trustworthy shows up, you don't want to let them go. It was just really, really interesting to me.
The cast was small (but like, you don't keep 53 friends during an apocalypse, folks) but the characters were interesting and believable. I loved Finn's sister, Siobhan! It was great to have a strong, important brother/sister relationship aside from the romance. Both Finn and Spencer were great characters. I would definitely be a Finn in these circonstances (honestly in these circonstances I would probably be dead though): mistrustful, hard on himself, having a hard time to let himself hope. At the beginning, I thought Spencer wasn't... believable. He was too kind, too great. But he grew on me and I could understand him better when he said that thing about holding onto the very few things you care about.
My ace self was in a period where my sex-aversion was higher than usual so I kind of read the (only) sex scene quickly, but that's 100% on me anyway!!
Overall, I really liked this. Worldbuilding, characters, plot, everything was super well-done. I was actually glad this was a just a novella because otherwise I would have stayed up a lot later than I already did.
TW: violence/blood, gunshots, fire/explosion, serious illness, explicit sex.
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