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sleepydoe's review against another edition
5.0
4.5/5
A huge thanks to The Fantastic Flying Book Club for having me on the blog tour for this novel and providing me with an eARC! All the following opinions are my own!
Last Girls is a young adult mystery/thriller novel that was ONE HELL OF A SURPRISE, if I've ever had one! The story is told from the perspective of Honey Juniper, eldest of three, survivalist and kind of a badass. She makes beautiful paintings and writes letters to her childhood imaginary friend, Bucky. The other main cast of characters in this book are Birdie Juniper, annoyance and fiesty angst personified ; Blue Juniper, who is weirder than the rest which is saying something, and the closest thing to a real life Luna Lovegood I've ever seen. We also have Remy Lamar who just doesn't give up trying to get Honey to go out with him. And Toby Ellis…who's connected to all of this but he doesn't even know that he is.
When the story takes off, it reads like a book about a bunch of doomsday preppers with their bunkers and farms and shooting ranges (shudder), but the plot takes off almost immediately when a secret mission issued by the leader of the compound goes awry and people get in trouble etc. I don't want to give much away because this book is a WILD RIDE, and going into it knowing as little as possible was honestly one of the best things I've ever done!
Everything about this book was super fun and engaging. I absolutely adored the main characters - Blue, especially, who seems to have some kind of psychic ability obtained due to government experiments etc that read very much like Eleven's story from Stranger Things and honestly, where is my spin off? I need it right now! I WANT TO SEE BLUE HURL SOME TRUCKS AT BAD GUYS, DAMMIT! The plot went at a steady and fast pace and it was unputdownable through a lot of the action. I did find the extent to which the plot exploded in, like, the last 20% a bit extreme, but I was so invested at that point that I totally bought that shit.
I loved what the author tried to say with this book, too. While there were a lot of mixed messages (or so they seemed to me atleast) about being sheeple and the end of the world as we know it etc, there was also this pure emotion and love for all things art underneath it. The Mother of the girls doesn't approve of them being artists because she doesn't believe that it's anything useful in a doomsday scenario, but the girls still keep at it and that's kind of what ultimately saves their lives in ways more than one. And that was such a sweet thing to see, imo.
There were also a lot of small, charming elements that I adored. All the abbreviations, Blue's crazy ass predictions, Bash and Stavros and that whole bit. The few descriptions of art and photography. The slight peppering of romance. The fun sister banter. Also, there were some pretty obvious jabs at Trump peppered through the text, and honestly, I'm not even mad because nothing that was said about that orange meme was a lie so *shrug*.
All in all, this was an extremely enjoyable read and I would totally recommend you pick this up even if survival books AREN'T for you! They aren't usually for me either, but I COULD NOT PUT THIS DOWN! :D
A huge thanks to The Fantastic Flying Book Club for having me on the blog tour for this novel and providing me with an eARC! All the following opinions are my own!
Last Girls is a young adult mystery/thriller novel that was ONE HELL OF A SURPRISE, if I've ever had one! The story is told from the perspective of Honey Juniper, eldest of three, survivalist and kind of a badass. She makes beautiful paintings and writes letters to her childhood imaginary friend, Bucky. The other main cast of characters in this book are Birdie Juniper, annoyance and fiesty angst personified ; Blue Juniper, who is weirder than the rest which is saying something, and the closest thing to a real life Luna Lovegood I've ever seen. We also have Remy Lamar who just doesn't give up trying to get Honey to go out with him. And Toby Ellis…who's connected to all of this but he doesn't even know that he is.
When the story takes off, it reads like a book about a bunch of doomsday preppers with their bunkers and farms and shooting ranges (shudder), but the plot takes off almost immediately when a secret mission issued by the leader of the compound goes awry and people get in trouble etc. I don't want to give much away because this book is a WILD RIDE, and going into it knowing as little as possible was honestly one of the best things I've ever done!
Everything about this book was super fun and engaging. I absolutely adored the main characters - Blue, especially, who seems to have some kind of psychic ability obtained due to government experiments etc that read very much like Eleven's story from Stranger Things and honestly, where is my spin off? I need it right now! I WANT TO SEE BLUE HURL SOME TRUCKS AT BAD GUYS, DAMMIT! The plot went at a steady and fast pace and it was unputdownable through a lot of the action. I did find the extent to which the plot exploded in, like, the last 20% a bit extreme, but I was so invested at that point that I totally bought that shit.
I loved what the author tried to say with this book, too. While there were a lot of mixed messages (or so they seemed to me atleast) about being sheeple and the end of the world as we know it etc, there was also this pure emotion and love for all things art underneath it. The Mother of the girls doesn't approve of them being artists because she doesn't believe that it's anything useful in a doomsday scenario, but the girls still keep at it and that's kind of what ultimately saves their lives in ways more than one. And that was such a sweet thing to see, imo.
There were also a lot of small, charming elements that I adored. All the abbreviations, Blue's crazy ass predictions, Bash and Stavros and that whole bit. The few descriptions of art and photography. The slight peppering of romance. The fun sister banter. Also, there were some pretty obvious jabs at Trump peppered through the text, and honestly, I'm not even mad because nothing that was said about that orange meme was a lie so *shrug*.
All in all, this was an extremely enjoyable read and I would totally recommend you pick this up even if survival books AREN'T for you! They aren't usually for me either, but I COULD NOT PUT THIS DOWN! :D
allisonhollingsworth's review against another edition
4.0
“Hell, even if we were the last girls on earth. My body, my rules.”
I have to admit that the cover first caught my attention for this book and then I learned it was about three sisters who are part of a group of “preppers” - like Doomsday preppers - and I haven’t read much about that in fiction and it really intrigued me. I loved the opening few chapters, and I particularly loved the scene the Juniper sisters are at school and they hear the shots, and everyone thinks it’s a shooter. And immediately Honey jumps into action with her everyday carry bag, puts on a BULLET PROOF VEST and starts climbing through the air shaft. Like, that scene will always be in my head. It was so unique to Honey and the drive that she has as a character and her preparation for anything to protect her sisters. I did kind of hope that it *was* the end of the world because I really wanted to read aboutHoney and her sisters navigating a post-apocalyptic world. But this story is not about the end of the world. It’s about the Juniper sisters and their bond, in my opinion. I was really confused at first when the point of view changed a few chapters in. I was so confused about who this guy was supposed to be? There seemed to be no connection between the two storylines until Toby’s mother started drawing three girls, and then more hints were dropped that his three sisters had disappeared and of course then I made the connection. By the end of the book, he’s reunited with his sisters, who were basically kidnapped by a woman when they were younger and don’t remember. That was an unexpected turn in the book for me, and I’m still not entirely sure how I feel about it, especially when Honey and her sisters were so quick to drop their “mother.” Even if the women did a horrible thing, they grew up all these years thinking she was their mom, and I imagine that would be harder to reconcile. But overall I really did enjoy the ride. Again, my favorite part was the sisters and their characters. They were all unique in their own way and that made it entertaining to read them interacting. Would love to read another book by this author!
I have to admit that the cover first caught my attention for this book and then I learned it was about three sisters who are part of a group of “preppers” - like Doomsday preppers - and I haven’t read much about that in fiction and it really intrigued me. I loved the opening few chapters, and I particularly loved the scene the Juniper sisters are at school and they hear the shots, and everyone thinks it’s a shooter. And immediately Honey jumps into action with her everyday carry bag, puts on a BULLET PROOF VEST and starts climbing through the air shaft. Like, that scene will always be in my head. It was so unique to Honey and the drive that she has as a character and her preparation for anything to protect her sisters. I did kind of hope that it *was* the end of the world because I really wanted to read aboutHoney and her sisters navigating a post-apocalyptic world. But this story is not about the end of the world. It’s about the Juniper sisters and their bond, in my opinion. I was really confused at first when the point of view changed a few chapters in. I was so confused about who this guy was supposed to be? There seemed to be no connection between the two storylines until Toby’s mother started drawing three girls, and then more hints were dropped that his three sisters had disappeared and of course then I made the connection. By the end of the book, he’s reunited with his sisters, who were basically kidnapped by a woman when they were younger and don’t remember. That was an unexpected turn in the book for me, and I’m still not entirely sure how I feel about it, especially when Honey and her sisters were so quick to drop their “mother.” Even if the women did a horrible thing, they grew up all these years thinking she was their mom, and I imagine that would be harder to reconcile. But overall I really did enjoy the ride. Again, my favorite part was the sisters and their characters. They were all unique in their own way and that made it entertaining to read them interacting. Would love to read another book by this author!
kaliishacole's review against another edition
3.0
Very interesting plot. I would’ve loved to see more development and detail with the preppers and the system of doomsday planning. I think the love interest was totally unnecessary and would have been so much better if the story just focused on the sister dynamic, preppers, and the mystery that I will not spoil. I did enjoy this read at some points regardless.
gerardine's review against another edition
3.0
Last girls is a YA mistery thriller about three sisters, Honey, Birdie and Blue living in a
compound of doomsday preppers in Washington.
Honestly I didn't know a lot about doomsday preppers until I read this book.
This was very different from any book that I ever read but very enjoyable. Overall, I really like it
3. 5 stars for me
Thanks to netgalley and Tor teen for this arc in exchange for an honest review.
compound of doomsday preppers in Washington.
Honestly I didn't know a lot about doomsday preppers until I read this book.
This was very different from any book that I ever read but very enjoyable. Overall, I really like it
3. 5 stars for me
Thanks to netgalley and Tor teen for this arc in exchange for an honest review.
mousethatreads's review
4.0
From the very first chapter I knew I would love Honey. I adored reading from her perspective. She is as layered and complex as her artwork. I formed an attachment with this trio right from the start and it felt like I was right there with them, prepping for the end of the world as we know it. Each sister is so distinct from the others. Their personalities stand out so clearly and it makes this book such a treat to read!
Demetra Brodsky's writing is striking and it didn't take any effort at all to work my way through the book since I was so invested. The book had the perfect pace and I was on the edge of my seat the entire time, wondering what would happen next.
I must confess, I didn't know all that much about doomsday preppers and their lifestyle before reading this book but their practices hit close to home during this pandemic.
All in all, I would definitely recommend reading this book, whether you enjoy thrillers or not. Each person will find a piece of themselves in this narrative and in these characters.
Read my full review at mousethatreads.com
Demetra Brodsky's writing is striking and it didn't take any effort at all to work my way through the book since I was so invested. The book had the perfect pace and I was on the edge of my seat the entire time, wondering what would happen next.
I must confess, I didn't know all that much about doomsday preppers and their lifestyle before reading this book but their practices hit close to home during this pandemic.
All in all, I would definitely recommend reading this book, whether you enjoy thrillers or not. Each person will find a piece of themselves in this narrative and in these characters.
Read my full review at mousethatreads.com
stringbeanbooks's review against another edition
eArc provided by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Last Girls is a story about doomsday preppers, sisterhood, and survival, and I enjoyed every minute of it. This story is significantly darker and more political than I was expecting it to be, and for the most part, it worked. The strongest part of the story is by far the bond between the three sisters, and each girl is so uniquely herself it is refreshing. The aspects about prepping were interesting and mind-blowing as it is something I know very little about. I will say that I felt the romance was a bit unnecessary, and felt a bit forced, but I did appreciate the theme of girls not needing to be saved, especially by their love interest. Even when Honey reaches out to Remy for help, she is the one with the expertise and with the plan, and Remy is there to support her, rather than save the day.
My other critique is that some of the plot points and conclusions the characters came to seemed very far fetched based on the amount of background we were given, and it seemed hard to take them at face value. A lot of the more shocking plot points weren't really explained either, specifically Annalise's character and the choices she made- I wanted more background as to why Annalise acted the way she did and how she benefitted from her choices. I would have also appreciated more background on The Nest and The Burrow as a whole- how they came to be and more information about the leadership of the groups.
All in all, this is a solid story that is scarily timely and not at all what you'd expect it to be. Showed up for the sisterhood, stayed for the mystery.
Last Girls is a story about doomsday preppers, sisterhood, and survival, and I enjoyed every minute of it. This story is significantly darker and more political than I was expecting it to be, and for the most part, it worked. The strongest part of the story is by far the bond between the three sisters, and each girl is so uniquely herself it is refreshing. The aspects about prepping were interesting and mind-blowing as it is something I know very little about. I will say that I felt the romance was a bit unnecessary, and felt a bit forced, but I did appreciate the theme of girls not needing to be saved, especially by their love interest. Even when Honey reaches out to Remy for help, she is the one with the expertise and with the plan, and Remy is there to support her, rather than save the day.
My other critique is that some of the plot points and conclusions the characters came to seemed very far fetched based on the amount of background we were given, and it seemed hard to take them at face value. A lot of the more shocking plot points weren't really explained either, specifically Annalise's character and the choices she made- I wanted more background as to why Annalise acted the way she did and how she benefitted from her choices. I would have also appreciated more background on The Nest and The Burrow as a whole- how they came to be and more information about the leadership of the groups.
All in all, this is a solid story that is scarily timely and not at all what you'd expect it to be. Showed up for the sisterhood, stayed for the mystery.
sofiabookathought's review against another edition
4.0
I want to thank NetGalley and Tor Teen for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoyed this book a lot, especially its great originality and the incredible perspective that the author chose to explore, atmospheric and suspenseful. It took me a bit, in the beginning, to get fully into it, especially since the main character didn't click with me and I ended up having certain problems with her attitude, I feel that it's simply not my type of character, even so, I enjoyed most of the aspects of the book and it's a stand-alone that I would definitely recommend, for its survival and sisterhood side.
4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
You can find more fo my reviews on my blog A Book. A Thought.
In Last Girls, we follow the Juniper sisters: Blue, Birdie, and Honey, who live in a doomsday preppers community, where they've been trained to survive any possible destruction or "end of the world" as we know it. One day, a danger awakens from within and Honey must put everything they learned to the test to keep her and her sisters safe.
I really enjoyed the plot itself, in fact, since I knew what it was about I had an interest in reading it, it's a YA suspense/thriller that has all the condiments to keep you hooked from the first moment since jumps quickly into the action. I like how the author handles intense moments and the action too because I felt that it was also like watching a movie, which I really liked. I don't want to dig too deep into the plot itself because I think exploring it yourself is part of the fun, it has unexpected twists that genuinely blew me away, and it takes interesting paths to follow.
Exploring also the doomsday preppers lifestyle was very interesting, especially because I didn't really know much about it, rather than having seen this dynamic in some movies, so I really liked that it was the focus of the story, it makes it unique and quite peculiar, to distinguish it from other books of the genre. In addition to touching on these topics, the book covers a large range of situations, it talks about family, friendship, love, and personal grown, it also touches on topics such as terrorism and conspiracies. Overall, I really enjoyed each one of these aspects, which is great.
On the other hand, I had a difficult time with the characters, especially with Honey, who has a very distinctive personality, is somewhat abrupt, terribly honest and can also be very hurtful with others, but behind all that, I must admit that there's an artist sensitive soul inside her and a protective sister that I liked to see. On the other hand, I loved the character of Blue, it was my favorite, for some reason the smallest of the Junipers touched my heart with her personality so mature for her age and was the only one whom I could really connect with. Then we have Birdie and she's the trouble-maker type, and impulsive, and I feel pretty unbiased about the character.
But the magic happens when they're all together because I completely LOVED their sisterhood, the way they protect each other, the concern and love is remarkable, and it made me feel so good to read a sister dynamic like this one, simply I loved it. We have more secondary characters but honestly, I don't feel that any of them has a great impact other than being there as a love interest, and I'm sorry to say that, but it's something that almost always happens to me, and that's that I didn't enjoy the romance as I expected, it seemed to me that it developed hastily.
The writing style is wonderful, I ended up super committed to it, but I confess that at first, I found it somewhat difficult to follow. Even so, I would be interested in reading more of the author, even more, if she continues writing about this type of plot, so exciting and intriguing.
This is a super personal opinion that didn't prevent my enjoyment of this story at all, but I do think it would have been more beneficial and accurate to follow a single plotline or at least two at most. The author expands this story too much, so we have many sub-plots ramifications that can be somewhat distracting from the main topic and can even make reading somewhat dense. Especially when you start reading it's a confusing structure, for me, it was super enjoyable, though and I would recommend it.
It's a brilliant point of view on survival, resilience, intelligence, challenges, and family bonds. I think that it also explores the human being very well, and how sometimes we react to being placed in extreme and unexpected situations. Although the characters can be a challenge to follow, they have varied personalities, and each one represents a possible outcome or reaction, which I appreciate and understand 100% what the author wanted to convey with this book. I'm thrilled to see that it has such positive reviews so far; I think it deserves it!
My First Thoughts 04/30/20
I really enjoyed the originality that this book gives us, it's entertaining and it keeps you wanting to know what will happen from the beginning, which I loved. On the other hand, there are some factors that I didn't like that much, above all they have to do with the characters and their personalities, but I'll talk more about it in my full review SOON
jeskota's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0