A review by bookishflower
All That's Left in the World by Erik J. Brown

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!)
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