All That's Left in the World
Ratings76
Average rating4
This book quickly became one of my favorites. I enjoyed the characters through the entire thing, their adventure, and the love that they share. It was a nice feeling to relate to the 2 main characters so much. I can count the amount of books that brought tears to my eyes on one hand, and this book is definitely one of them. This is easily the best book I've read this year and I can't wait to see what adventures Andrew and Jamie go on next.
Contains spoilers
This was a classic post-apocalyptic YA book centered around a friends- to-lovers slow-burn queer romance (that was written by an actual queer person!!!) and I truly loved it.
One of the biggest things that made it such a good read is the authentic YA voice with current pop culture references scattered throughout (for example The Good Place and The Avengers) that teens can actually relate to without it seeming juvenile or "cringy". I loved the writing style and didn't want to put it down. The characters were both so loveable and Andrew was SO funny and their relationship with just so sweet and realistic and even though she was only introduced towards the end I loved Cara.
My only real complaint is that it felt like a LOT was squeezed into the last few chapters of the book and I wish it was maybe more spread out.
Content warnings- many deaths due to illness or guns (note that this is a post-apocalyptic novel), mentions of suicide (not graphic at all), and encounters with a white supremacists group who try to hurt the protagonists for being gay.
Would very much recommend for lovers of post-apocalyptic novels and slow but sweet gay romances.
Apocalypse gays were something I didn't know I needed but am glad to have! This really was a cute little book. The plot was meandering at times and a bit strung together, but I don't really think that was the focus of the book so it didn't take away any of the enjoyment for me.
I think the main focus of this book was on the relationships between people when the world as we know it has been turned upside down. There are themes of trusting in the human community and deciding what to fight for when it seems like humanity itself has already lost and, while this book felt lighthearted most of the time, there were ideals here that were genuinely touching.
Andrew and Jamie were, of course, adorable. The very serious background of the actual apocalypse being juxtaposed with just two teenage boys falling in love was unexpectedly precious. Even when the world has turned into a nightmare, there's still love. There's always love.
- well-developed plot, characters, and world/setting
- creepy and atmospheric
- nearly perfect blend of action, adventure, and romance
- good pacing, genuinely funny and heartfelt
- has a slightly rushed ending, though there is plenty of potential for development with a sequel
- not sure about cara's addition to the group in the latter third – i would've preferred a slower ending with just the main characters instead
this book was such an enormous slog. the first half was so incredibly dull, and the second half felt like a compilation of events rather than a cohesive narrative. it's a post-apocalyptic setting, yet our sources of conflict are:
• andrew constantly trying to abandon jamie
• a flooded highway tunnel
• naked man with axe
• homophobia
• escaped zoo lions (???)
there wasn't a real overarching plot - seriously, both of the main characters' goals just disappeared after chapters of them talking about their importance!! i felt like i was getting whiplash!!
and speaking of the main characters, i'm sorry, but they felt so incredibly insufferable. i understand that they're teenagers and don't have the best emotional regulation, but SO MANY of the decisions that andrew and jamie made throughout this book were infuriating to watch. the only other character of note in this entire book was cara, who i wish had a bigger role than she did because she was honestly the best character in the entire book.
other than that, the constant pop culture references grated on me. i didn't understand most of the references, so they just fell completely flat for me. the writing style also felt very stripped down and dull at times.
i really tried to love this - in theory, i should've! gay people in the apocalypse??? count me in! but this was just an absolute chore to get through, i'm so sorry.
I got quite a lot of things to say.
First of all, the book was overall well-rounded. It had a cohesive storyline and characters but there were a few plot holes and just absurdities.
My biggest complaint is their first kiss. Why did it have to be so anticlimactic. What I think should have been done is that they have the romantic scene and have their kiss at ease. Later, they get ambushed. Why would they ever kiss in front of their homophobic enemies OMFG!?!?
Cara was pretty much a character device the author needed to make things make sense. But she's quite alright.
Lastly, WHO THE FUCK NARRATES THE EPILOGUE?!
I could guess either that Andrew does because it was his turn or that it was written so that you can interpret yourself
PS: They could have given “The bug” an actual name.
actual rating: 3.5
a slow starter. i think i only became satisfied with the progression of the plot when i'm already around 75% of the book.
cara is a great addition to the story and tbh, i think i enjoyed more of the parts where they are interacting with others (esp cara and henri) than when there's only the two of them.
the ending is also ambiguous and while i'd like a much hopeful outcome, it's still pretty great that this offered me a realistic take
I honestly don't know how I feel about this book. It took me quite a while to read - though the fault was only a little on this book.
Okay, so, thoughts:
I'm really not a fan of dystopian books. (Which this book is shelved as.) So, why did I try it? Because I do like after-the-apocalypse type stories. This book is every zombie apocalypse-like, alien invasion-esque panic of what the worst case scenario said that Covid could be.
So yeah, there's a part of me (the same part of me that felt panic for about two weeks when Covid first hit, before I channeled that fear into an idea of a world ending superbug that the US government unleashed on its own citizens. ... I still have that idea in my mind and after reading this book, I want to write it) that liked the sounds of the synopsis because of the whole world ending superbug.
And in truth, I don't dislike the book most of the time. Some things just don't work for me - other things work really well, leaving this book a very mixed bag.
This book is told in rotating first person perspective. I am not really a fan of first person perspective in the best of times, but I truly dislike it when it's a rotating POV and there's no distinctive voice. It was difficult at times to differentiate between Jamison and Andrew. I did get used to it, but I never liked it. (Let's talk about the epilogue and how no name is ever used and we don't really know whose head we are in. I'd guess Jamie, but there's about a 45% chance I'd be wrong, I think.)
I definitely feel like Andrew and Jamison have trouble telling each other things that could potentially save their lives, because they have a bad habit of not telling each other when there's danger about. (Jamison more so than Andrew, but Andrew does have that ‘big' secret that he sits on just to add drama.)
I do like the fact that Jamison has a bit of a sexual awakening. I could have done with more attention to that, but that's not what the story was about so I liked it.
The book did give me anxiety at times - though, quite tellingly, not because of the superbug, but because of the horrible people that still exist.
All in all, not a terrible read, an author I could read more by, but a book that - possibly because of my shifting mood while reading it - didn't completely work for me.
This is what I was missing on my shelf (and in my life) a post apocalyptic story where two boys find each other. While not the most heart-warming story, it's funny and thrilling (I couldn't put it down several times) and sweet. It has some genuine moments and even halfway through it I was already wishing for a sequel. I find that post apocalyptic stories have so much to offer, in my humble opinion. They take out the regular daily distractions and leave just the basics which, sometimes, people tend to forget that is enough. Care for each other, never forget that.
This book may have the best opening of any book I've read. Andrew immediately stepping on the bear trap was such a brilliant way to captivate me, and lead into Andrew meeting Jamie and to clearly demonstrate their characters.
This story was such a wild ride. From the Fosters, to Henri, to Fort Caroline, to Cara. I thought this book managed to tell a wonderful and imaginative story within the confines of a grim premise, as well as show the different types of people that could have gathered, and just how dangerous other people can be.
In the Author's Note, Erik J. Brown explains how he believed that there isn't enough queer representation in post-apocalpse stories, and I definitely agree. It was scary, but refreshing to see Andrew and Jamie having to navigate the new world as two queer boys, and the mental discussion in the epilogue about what they should do next really highlighted this aspect of living in a post-apocalyptic world that is rarely touched upon.
This book is just so good. The epilogue doesn't tell you whose perspective it is from, but from the very well-written characterisation, I could deduce that it was Andrew. Assuming that I am right, I like how the book began and ended with Andrew's perspective, which really made me reflect on everything that happened in the book as it was a lot. I loved this book so much and am so glad I got to read it. :)
Well-written YA queer dystopian fiction and a strong debut. Plot was fairly predictable but still impactful. Hits a lot of dark notes but not without humor, mostly from the wisecracking MC. Romance is a very slow burn, with one MC self-identifying as straight for most of the story. Besides, they are trying to stay alive in a dangerous situation, so there's not a lot of time for pining for each other. YMMV if the premise of 98% of the population being wiped out by a lethal pandemic hits too close to home.