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A review by readsforlove
All That's Left in the World by Erik J. Brown
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
This book was ... wow. It was so raw and gentle and tender and gutting. It was sad and brutal and soft all at once, and so many of the topics and themes were almost a little too close to home, given the past three years.
Normally I don't love the whole "I have feelings but I can't tell him!" trope, but this book did it right. Instead of dancing around how they actually felt, they just got closer to each other and loved each other for the bulk of the story. Even though secrets were being kept, it didn't feel like the world was going to end when they were unveiled. They were still able to love each other and be so tender and gentle with each other, even though they hadn't explicitly stated their feelings yet. And that made me love every part of their relationship. (Though I could have done without Andrew's automatic assumption that Jamie was straight. Like, come on, my dude.)
The only reason this isn't getting five stars is due to the writing. It felt jerky and halting at times, and was sometimes hard to get into as a result. I almost didn't give the book a chance due to how choppy it felt, as I was worried I wouldn't be able to get into it. Yet I still managed to sit down with this book and read it cover to cover in one sitting.
So I definitely recommend this, if you'd like to be swept away by sad, heartfelt end of the world romance for a while.
Normally I don't love the whole "I have feelings but I can't tell him!" trope, but this book did it right. Instead of dancing around how they actually felt, they just got closer to each other and loved each other for the bulk of the story. Even though secrets were being kept, it didn't feel like the world was going to end when they were unveiled. They were still able to love each other and be so tender and gentle with each other, even though they hadn't explicitly stated their feelings yet. And that made me love every part of their relationship. (Though I could have done without Andrew's automatic assumption that Jamie was straight. Like, come on, my dude.)
The only reason this isn't getting five stars is due to the writing. It felt jerky and halting at times, and was sometimes hard to get into as a result. I almost didn't give the book a chance due to how choppy it felt, as I was worried I wouldn't be able to get into it. Yet I still managed to sit down with this book and read it cover to cover in one sitting.
So I definitely recommend this, if you'd like to be swept away by sad, heartfelt end of the world romance for a while.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Blood, Death of parent, Child death, Violence, Homophobia, Racism, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail