I have been provided with a review copy of The Prince & The Apocalypse from NetGalley for an impartial review. This book was just so easy to get lost in. I completely got lost in the story and I just loved getting to see these new characters come together. I just absolutely love this story and I just didn’t want to put it down. I can’t wait to see what’s next from this author.

As soon as I finished The Prince and the Apocalypse, I sent my friend a long, rambling voice memo. Her response?

“This is peak feral, Michaela. The SIGHING.”

Honestly, this book did make me go a little feral. It was phenomenal and romantic as heck. I laughed, cried, screamed, and got highly invested in these two fictional characters and their connection during the end of the world.

Wren and Theo were complex characters. Theo especially had a depth you don’t often see in male, YA love interests. Their romance? One of the top 5 of my year. They grew so much because of one another. With a comet hurtling toward earth, there isn’t time to mince words or not call someone out on their nonsense. I’m impressed at how many tropes were thrown into the mix here (one bed! road trip!) without it ever feeling like too much.

Kara McDowell handled the high emotions of each character well. If faced with the end of the world, who would you want to see before it was all over? How would you spend your last moments? It was fascinating to see everyone’s priorities and emotions in the face of global disaster. I definitely cried alongside our protagonist. This novel was more perceptive and emotional than I expected, and it blew me away.

This book was so much fun, stressful in all the best ways (I had to know what would happen next!!), and unexpectedly emotional at all the right points. I absolutely loved following these characters and the twists and turns just kept coming. So excited for the sequel!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book, as this book has already been published, I will not share my review on Netgalley at this time.

There are some books when I read the description, the premise seems ridiculous, and this is one of those. However, as I read the book, I was hooked; I could not stop reading it. McDowell took an unbelievable premise, and filled it with realistic characters struggling with belivable issues. The relationship that emerges between Wren and Theo was sweet and engaging with moments of humor that made me keep reading. I can not wait to revist these characters in the sequel.

A thoroughly enjoyable, super-fast paced late night read . . . until you fall over the cliff at the end.

This was a new author for me. I really enjoyed this book and getting to know her characters Wren and Theo. I am hoping there will be another book out as I want to find out what happens next.

Such a fun concept for a book. I wonder how McDowell would pull off the happy ending — and she knocked it out of the park! And that ending! I can't wait for book two!

I loved this! I thought it was so cute, and the pace was perfect - I read it in two sittings. Theo and Wren are so well-suited for one another that I can't imagine them not meeting in real life. Their journey doesn't require any suspension of disbelief on my part because Theo is a royal. I feel like the ending might set up a sequel? But I can't imagine Wren being happy as a royal (or Theo, for that matter).

I absolutely loved this! It was such a fun YA book (and I love a book with royals). A chance meeting with someone Wren doesn’t realize is famous/noteworthy that turns into a fun adventure/romance where the prince (Theo) is finding a bizarre way to get Wren home to her family before the apocalypse while increasingly strange dystopian things are happening.

The way this ended definitely means a follow up is coming and I’m so excited!

Five stars

⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday books for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was requested when I first found out about NetGalley and I had requested so many ARCs that I could not get to all of them before they were archived. I really wanted to get to this one, as it seemed interesting. If I can find this somewhere for a reasonable price, I will try to get it! I am giving this book three stars, as I don't want to give it a good or bad rating, since I did not get to it and we have to leave a star rating.

I loved this delightful and unexpected adventure-romance at the end of the world. It was such a crazy premise that I wasn't sure the author could pull it off, but to my surprise, it actually worked. And it worked with a heart and sense of realism that surprised me in the midst of all the hijinks and ridiculous plot twists. I actually want to know what will happen next and am hoping there will be a sequel.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced review copy of “The Prince & The Apocalypse” by Kara McDowell. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

I liked the premise and was pulled into the story. I thought the author was incredibly skilled at writing “yes and” for every scenario but things just go from bad to worse for the characters. It was kind of fun to try and guess how off the rails things would go. I also applaud the author for having the story start in England not shove all the certain wizard school references in the book. I kept waiting and was pleasantly surprised there weren’t any. This book felt like a movie that would be quite the ride.

My issues with the book were with the prince. Because he was being so secretive, we don’t get to know him. I get why he had to be like that but I got to the end and didn’t have much of an opinion on him. I also didn’t like how Wren “betrayed” him. Especially when I thought this was a standalone. Honestly the whole ending was a big yikes for me. The way people got in a rocket and sacrificed their lives to save the world was just glossed over. Which sadly is probably accurate to how people would react in real life but still it ended the book on a sour note.

My biggest complaint with this book is how many Taylor Swift Easter eggs the author shoved in your face. I’m also a Taylor Swift fan, but it was too much. Especially when you’re straight up paraphrasing lyrics. You’re an author, use your own words. Also it felt like the nicknames were just an excuse to reference even more Taylor Swift songs “Starlight” and “Daylight” and they didn’t make much sense and got on my nerves.

I don’t know if I’ll pick up the sequel. Especially if the author can’t dial back the Taylor Swift references.

3/5 stars

Love is the first word that comes to mind. I was taken by the mystery as well as the chaos and could totally get the circumstances. I know this is one I will be talking about for years to come.

The premise had such a fun and intense sense of adventure. I was genuinely anxious reading the book, and I mean that in a good way. I was genuinely worried for the main characters and was wondering how they were going to deal with all their various roadblocks. The romance, while maybe far fetched, I thought was handled well. Both characters were likable and I found myself rooting for this odd pairing. Looking forward for the next book!

(If any execs are listening, this book would make a good Netflix or Amazon romantic adventure movie.)

I adored this! I’ve been wanting a doomsday romance for awhile and this fit the bill splendidly. The backdrop of the world ending was the perfect story to keep me entertained while the romance was blossoming.
I found it to be perfectly labeled as YA, but I am also super glad the characters were over 18. It helped the (very short and tasteful) intimate scene be heartwarming rather than cringe.
Banter was excellent and the characters were well developed. I cannot wait for the sequel!!

Thank you Kara McDowell, Wednesday Publishing, and NetGalley for my advanced review copy. My options are my own.

Out Now!

The story was interesting and cute and I enjoyed the characters' banter. A fun and quick read that kept me entertained until the end!

The title and cover tell you everything you need to know. A British heir to the throne and a slightly less rich white girl from the American ‘burbs have a meet cute. They find out the world is going to end. He has untreated Severe Depression; she has un-diagnosed OCD and Anxiety. But of course, holding hands with each other and tromping across Europe somehow cure them of their mental illnesses?
It was actually a fun, quick read. But I find these types of books quite dangerous for the intended audience. If young adults (or adults for that matter) think that ignoring their mental health challenges will work as long as they find the prince or princess, the world really will end in an apocalypse.

Better late than never, I always say!

I kinda went into this book with low expectations since it seemed like just a fun little romance with some light sci-fi in the back. But WOW this was so much better than I could've thought! I loved how fast paced this was while still feeling like a good and well thought out and just so much FUN! Wren and Theo were so cool and a really nice set of characters to root for. The entire book was such a ride and there were some funny moments and some sad ones but ultimately, it was just nice to read a story like this. It was a gem and a surprise of a book in the best way and I had no idea it was gonna be more than one book?????? like im not complaining at all and I will be first in line to read book 2!

At first glance, I thought this MC and I would not get along. But I was proved so gloriously wrong! The Prince & the Apocalypse is the perfect Apocalyptic Romantic Comedy! It will make you laugh and cry and was an overall fab reading experience! AND THAT ENDING! I can't wait for the sequel!