Sorry nope. Why are men writing women-only societies/demises of men? I'm thinking of this, Sleeping Beauties, and Y: The Last Man in particular. Please help if there are more. Are there any written by women? Have any women written men-only societies? Not that I know of. Because women are smarter and the premise is dumb. Lol. This book takes place only 50-70 years from now. This author is just trying to kiss women's asses with all this "new discovery" by women in the "next 50-70 years." Lol.

A pandemic that causes men to become extinct? Seems far-fetched but who really knows what's around the corner with all the strangeness going on.

I loved the concept of this book and that it was also a bit of a mash-up of genres. A really good fantasy ride to enjoy!

Was unable to read this book before it was archived. Borrowed it from a friend and it was definitely worth reading - I loved the premise and the story was well written.

This is a dystopian novel about a virus that was created to be a weapon, and winded up wiping out the male population. There were strong feminist vibes throughout this book. The world building was wonderful.

I don't understand the amazing ratings for this book. I found it to be super campy and slow moving. All the men have been killed off by a virus and women are still able to sustain life on the planet. There is a divide as to whether men should be "brought back to life" or left extinct. I read 75% of the book before giving up. The science fiction in the book is just lame, for example food is printed using edible plastic and one person is murdered by consuming food from her printer that was tainted.

I was so intrigued by the manner in which Boostrom shared the history of the Union through Wikipedia entries. It was a very clever way to convey the timeline of the story. I also loved the many innovations he developed in the book. Those who love fashion will want to have the ability to choose the clothing for the next day and it will be designed specifically for them and ready to wear the next day. It can also be recycled so new outfits can be worn every day. Foodies will enjoy the food printer allowing you to select and print the food you want to eat. Although in order to have higher in foods, you must purchase a more expensive model.

I am usually not a fan of dystopian novels, but this one caught my attention and I simply could not wait to find out the ending. The coming of age part of this novel is about Athena and the choices she makes throughout the book which shows her growth from a free-spirited teenager to a young woman who must put her life on the line.

3.5* for this book, my first advanced copy of a book! Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. All thoughts and reviews are my own.

In a world 80 years from now, all men have been eradicated by a mysterious virus, and womenkind have succeeded in wiping out poverty, hunger, war, chaos, every bad thing. But a vocal minority of women wants to bring men back, and they have uncovered the work of a scientist who uses The Lazarus Genome to make this a possibility. The problem? The Genome has been stolen.

Athena is a young woman with eerie dreams which seemingly connect her to this theft case. She is dragged into it literally overnight and uncovers a world she had no idea existed. Science, reason, history, future, all coalesce into one solution for which she holds the key.

This book was really thoughtful in its premise, but oftentimes wandered into "preachy" territory about what "might" happen in our future if we as humans don't do this or do that. But it was interesting to read and ponder, and it was a very fast read. I enjoyed it, as I believe will fans of YA or sci-fi or both.

*ARC provided by NetGalley*

Maybe it's "the times", but I just could not get into this one at all, and DNF @ 25%. I feel like I gave it more than a fair shot.

I wasn't super fond of the narrative style, and, even though I think it worked well enough, I feel like the inclusion of billboards and articles just took away from the overall story.

Athena's Choice is centered in a world where a virus accidentally kills all men on Earth. Athena, a dispirited teenager, is unexpectedly enlisted to aid in an investigation of a sabotaged project to bring back men.

The dystopian premise of this book is different, mainly in that the timeframe is so close to our current time. The cutting-edge technology of today are simply the norm in this future, which makes the story hit closer to home. While the world building is detailed and we get a good picture from the various anecdotal chapters in between the plot chapters, there just was not enough time for character development. In a book so focused on choice (and not just Athena's ultimate choice), it's not clear why characters make the choices they do. Or at least the reasoning is too far hidden in beween the lines.

The ultimate message of the book is awkward as well. It feels like a response to feminism that only addresses the extremists of the idea (like "we don't need men", "all men are evil and violent monsters", etc). The only possible response to extremisms like those end up sounding like extremisms in their own ways (like "society cannot function without men", "men fulfill parts of women that they're missing"). Both of these types of statements are not productive and only address superficial issues.

Ultimately, this book was an interesting YA sci-fi and dystopian that had a somewhat awkward takeaway message.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

This book returned before I could finish reading it, but what I read was actually really enjoyable and thought provoking. I enjoyed the writing as well and the way the character was written and revealed throughout the story.

I was not able to read this book, which I was really bummed about because I excited at the premise. The download was no longer available and the one I had didn't work for me. I wish they had had Kindle format available. I apologize for not telling you sooner.

A good book but doesn't stand out a lot from other novels of a similar genre. Not really a book I would re-read

What if a stray virus accidentally killed all the men on earth?

An intense theory is transformed in this novel into something more. A what if, turns into a realist and Boostrom effectively writes the reality in a way that seems real. In a world where the existence of men is an area of contention, the author removes this entirely prompting the world to want men back. It's an interesting contrast to the sentiments of some people(s) in modern-times, and as such it makes for a compelling and confronting read.

I absolutely enjoy reading the book. I admit that it took me some time to pick up the book. But I still really enjoyed the book. The cover is stunning as well. Definitely recommend!

Unfortunately, this book just didn't do it for me. I liked the premise, and have enjoyed others with similar premises, that all the men on earth are gone, but I struggled with the format of the book. I was never really excited or interested in the characters lives or motivations

I have mixed feelings about this book. I found myself writing quite of few notes. It's always hard when you're really looking forward to reading a book but then it doesn't quite turn out how you wanted/expected it to.

That said, absolutely fascinating premise! I love the concept of the virus, I even liked the 'twist' at the end along with the motive. The book was well written and was a very quick, easy read. I did also enjoyed the layout, I found it engaging particularly in the first half, though all that bouncing around did eventually become a bit tiresome.

It's probably just me, but during at least the first 50 pages of this book, I kept forgetting there were no men! Aside from the times the narration was telling me there were no men. I kept accidentally visioning some of the nameless characters as men. There is no sense of how the world is different without the presence of men. Except for a virtually non-existent crime rate and the way in which the women conceive (also further on in the book, women called 'Lonely Hearts'), I honestly didn't feel like the world was any different. Which was a real shame for me.

I also took issue with the 'happiness' app and the beauty technology. This is a futuristic world where women still feel the need to adhere to unrealistic beauty standards and have sunk so low that they need an app to tell them what makes them happy? I also didn't really like how the Lonely Hearts were portrayed as wanting men back just so they can be ogled at, given flowers and so they can have sex.

Then there's our protagonist, Athena. She is abrasive, rude and completely disrespectful. We are given no clue (until the very end) as to why she was 'chosen' and we are just forced to accept it, no questions asked. After being 'chosen' she really acts like an entitled brat. I'm sorry, but I just did not like her character at all. In her defense, she does become more bearable in the second half but I still would've definitely enjoyed this book way more without her in it.

I also really wasn't a fan of the dream sequences or the 'romance'.

The book won back some brownie points with chapter 37. I honestly didn't expect the author to go there so I was pleasantly surprised that I got a to read a scene that I could have an emotional response to.

Overall this book had a couple of big hits but quite a number of smaller 'misses' for me personally.

Athena's Choice by Adam Boostrom is an interesting dystopian novel based upon a futuristic society where men no longer exist due to the presence of a virus which killed off all men, all trans men, and some women. The remaining society is peaceful and very technologically advanced, deriving a large portion of knowledge and advancement from a central AI being known as The Core. Society is torn over whether or not a redevelopment of the male genome should occur, effectively bringing men back in to humanity.

There were a lot of pieces at work in this novel and it felt fairly complex though it was easy to read. I think this is one of those books where you can return to it over and over again and learn new things, piece other bits of detail together that weren't noticed on the previous reading. The writing is mature and well-voiced with world building that I found fascinating. I wasn't a big fan of the main character in some ways (her immaturity frustrated me a bit), but she was well constructed and the supporting characters were also fairly well thought out. Because of Athena's immaturity, however, I would categorize this more as a new adult piece than a full adult sci-fi work. That age categorization works just fine for me as I don't decide on my reads based solely on intended audience.

Interjected into the narrative were pieces of ephemera. Initially, these seemed extraneous and unnecessary, but their presence began to make sense as the plot started to unravel. The plot itself was complex enough to keep my interest, but not so convoluted that I found it confusing. The only thing that kept this novel from being higher rated was the ending. Though it may be an exciting ending for some, I needed more from the author. I was left unfulfilled. Overall though, this was a fun and imaginative read and I look forward to seeing more from this author.

Any interesting concept, excellently executed. Not the first time we've imagined a world filled with only one type of person, the uniqueness of this story lies in the world building that surrounds it, and the character development that fuels it. Part dystopian, and somewhat fairytale-ish in a science fiction type of way, you'll enjoy this read if you're not only intrigued by the what-ifs, but the why nots...

"A daring book that will stay in readers' minds long after the final page." Athena Vosh lives just like any other teenager from the year 2099. She watches reality shows with her friends, eats well, and occasionally wonders to herself: what would life be like if men were still alive?

For a first time author, this was a surprisingly well written story. The futuristic tones did not strike me as outlandish and instead seemed very similar to Netflix's Black Mirror. It was a truly fascinating concept and extremely thought provoking. I believe this book has a lot to offer in terms of sparking discussion and overall, it was an enjoyable read.