Unbeknownst to Dell, the world’s population is decimated by a virus while she lays sick and isolated in her apartment. When she finds herself well enough to look around, she finds her city to be a ghost town. To find other survivors, Dell must leave the comfort of her safe haven, but finds company with her cat Sylvester to be more alluring.

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Why this book?: I follow Jessica on Twitter and this is her debut. Plus, I love the cover.

When you think about a book about the apocalypse, you think zombies or fiery meteors coming to destroy the earth, but you don’t really think of the peaceable ambiance that Open Mic Night provides. It was extremely odd to read, because the word ‘apocalypse’ alone makes me think of horrendous deaths and destruction to every living animal. So, right off the bat, Meyers establishes a unique mood to a fairly common plot that has been a bit overdone. But Meyers’s version is completely new.

One of the best ways to describe this book is a quiet post-apocalyptic, which sounds like an oxymoron, but just hear me out. Everyone is already dead before the book starts, so you follow around the only person left, Dell (and her cat, Sylvester). Things quickly go downhill when food starts to run out. When dire situations like these come up, Meyers writes with such a resigned surety that I was laughing at some pretty serious spots. Meyers’s voice gives life to Dell, immediately making her a relatable friend that I wouldn’t mind having with me to survive the apocalypse.

While I loved the voice and the character, the plot was where I was partially lost. That’s not to say that the story was confusing–not at all! It just wasn’t going anywhere for the majority of the story. For more than half of the story, Dell is stuck in one city, doing the same monotonous tasks. There are a few changes, of course, but I couldn’t help but feel that it was going nowhere. When Dell finally left her city, though, I got pulled back into the story. She has to survive on the road, and this brings about a lot of new plot twists and turns. By the end of the story, I no longer had a problem with the pacing.

Final Rating: ★★★★½☆

Overall?

I’m really glad that I snagged this one when I did. It was a different atmosphere with a really relatable protagonist (who has a CAT). Meyers writing style felt like I was in the story myself, and I just couldn’t get enough.

Would I Recommend?

Yes. It was a really nice read, and I’m pretty sure it just broke my reading slump. Also, if this is Jessica’s debut, then you know that she’s an author to watch.

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Additional Information:

Published: October 17th, 2017

Publisher: Pronoun

Page Count: 120

Genre: Science fiction/Dystopian

Synopsis: via Goodreads

The end of the world was supposed to come with zombies attached, or maybe a flying meteor, but Dell finds that the reality is much less exciting—and infinitely lonelier.

In the wake of a virus that decimated the population, the place she calls home has turned into a ghost town. She hasn’t talked to anyone but her cat in weeks and finding an unopened bag of chips while looting the local grocery store is the only thrill she’s feeling.

There must be other survivors out there. But finding them means leaving behind her carefully organized stock of canned goods and burgeoning gnome collection.