The premise of Leave The World Behind was intriguing: Amanda and Clay, take their teenage children on a week-long getaway from their home in NewYork City to a luxury vacation rental (think top-of-the-line AirBnB) and find their peace and quiet abruptly ended by the arrival of a frantic older African-American couple (Ruth and G.H.)  in the middle of the night. The couple claim to be the owners of the house, and they say they have come to stay in “their” house because a sudden blackout has completely shut down the City. There is iffy cell reception in this quiet rural area, and they are all without cell service, TV, or Internet...then creepy things start to happen. 
All kinds of questions come up: can Amanda and Clay believe what they are told by this couple? What exactly is happening? Apparently, some cataclysmic event has taken (or is taking?) place, but what? And is this a safe place to be? Should Clay and Amanda try to get home? Or stay in the home that they feel is rightfully theirs for the coming week? 
They bring the news that a sudden blackout has swept the city. But in this rural area—with the TV and internet now down, and no cell phone service—it’s hard to know what to believe.
Should Amanda and Clay trust this couple—and vice versa? What happened back in New York? Is the vacation home, isolated from civilization, a truly safe place for time heir families? And are they safe from one other? 
 
The biases, fears, and issues of age, class, and race all enter into the story, and the gradual revelations about WTF is going on are REALLY creepy...but in a good way. The writing is sharp, and I loved the way I came to know things about each of the characters by their actions and thoughts, without being hit over the head by declarations about their past situation or current challenges.
 
I had just read that a movie is planned with Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington, so I had a nice visual aid while I read this book (provided by Harper Collins Ecco and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review). It’s a bit dark, and the ending may leave some readers frustrated...but I keep thinking about it and can’t come up with an ending that would have been better.. Highly recommended, and might be good for book clubs. 5 stars.

When I first started reading, I thought the prose was going to be too much for me, but then the intention behind the writing style became clear. This is a book that is uncomfortable to read, but it’s supposed to be. It definitely does what it’s intended to do.

Definitely not to my liking. Lots of potential in the idea, but just left hanging with nothing much. Over entitled people with very few scruples, not very likable characters.

Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam was a decent read, but was severely lacking in several ways.  Despite the mystery it didn't really hold my attention.  I do applaud the author for their amazing descriptive skills.

I am the rare dissenter who didn't find much to enjoy in this one. Yes, it was wonderfully written, but it was just too bleak for my tastes. That said, it could certainly work for others who are in the right mindset.

YI really wanted to enjoy this, but the whole time i had no idea what was going on, and while it could play to the plot/make sense, it just wasn't for me.

I'm a bit late to the table with this book. The writing was beautiful but...I really wanted to love it but I barely liked it.  It started off strong. White family air b and b s a black couple s house. Black couple shows up.at house and reports there's been a blackout in the city and they'd like to stay. I feel like there was such an opportunity to address classicism , racism. Maybe that did happen and it went over my head. I also thought this could have been a great horror story. I kept waiting for something to happen , something meaningful, something poetic.  Alas, this was just a so-so read.

This one left me thinking for weeks afterwards. One of the most beautiful dives into the human psyche and our feelings, desires, fears, emotions, biases, and more. Absolutely stunning.

This excellent mystery is all about trust.  When an older, seemingly harmless couple arrives at their rented home, everything is not as it appears.  A taut thriller, work the time to read

Leave the World Behind was unnerving and unsettling, but overall it was fine? I found the writing to be pretty unique - both straightforward, but overly detailed, if that makes sense.

This cover...visually pleasing and beautiful. The other reviews of this book...RAVES. (even President Obama added this to his "must read" list). My reality after reading this book....shattered. I could NOT get into this book. The concept would make for a super fun read normally....but in this reality it was painful and stilting and slow and I could not finish this book. The writing style was just not my jam. I know I am most likely in the minority for this view, but it is my honest review. This one was just not for me.

People either loved this or couldn’t get into the book. I read half of the book and never fell in love. It was a strange book and just not for me. I have friends who loves it. I say to each their own.

I was so excited about this one, but I just didn't liked as much. At times the book was good, but other times a lot of it didn't make us much sense. Good read for the pandemic though.

This book was not for me. I had such high hopes and the suspense in the beginning was amazing, but ultimately it fell flat.

The writing style was confusing and I sometimes had a hard time figuring out who was talking. None of the characters were very developed and the focus was definitely plot heavy, yet even that was lacking.

I would have liked to see more out of this.

The good: Leave the World Behind makes a great book club book. It spurs so many discussions – not necessarily about the book itself, but some of the more significant topics it touches on.
The not great: I honestly don't know if I liked it?
I started off reading the book but was so annoyed by the try-hard writing that I stopped after a few chapters. Since I needed to read it for book club, I switched to the audiobook (If not for book club, I think it would have been a DNF). Marin Ireland does a splendid job narrating, and I enjoyed her performance. It made it easier to overlook the aspects that I was hung up on while reading.
One of our group's main discussions was about the genre of the book. We felt like the book had been misrepresented as a thriller but did not feel like one. It was much more about introspection, character relations - there's a lot of nothing happening while also having a lot of stuff happening?
So, I'd recommend Leave The World Behind if you're looking for a book to discuss. It is sure to spark conversations and polarize your book group!

Loved it! Unpredictable, eerie and easy to read. I couldn't predict what was going to happen at any point and I loved it.

This was an engaging read with an eerie feeling. The ending however felt rushed and unresolved. There were not much of an explanation as to what was going on and I wanted more.

This book! So divisive. People love it, people hate it, but everyone was talking about it. I’ve had a hard time articulating my feelings on it. One thing that really annoyed me was that it was billed as a thriller and I’m sorry, it is not. It has a simmering tension under the surface for sure, but then for me, that tension just…died. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, and it didn’t. So I felt anti-climactic and dissatisfying in that regard. I do think he’s a really good writer but that he writes books where nothing happens. However, months later this book has stuck with me so credit where credit is due! He really created a certain atmosphere that was in a way hyper-realistic while also feeling somehow haunting. It's a memorable book.

Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam is an apocalyptic novel. I found the idea for the novel fascinating, but it was honestly more disturbing than interesting. The writing is choppy and does not flow well. The ending?? Oh my. Not at all what I expected, sadly. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

This was a quick read, only 241 pages. 
A family is vacationing in a exclusive, remote neighborhood tucked away in the woods, when someone knocks on the door in the middle of the night! they all freak out --so would I in the middle of nowhere. . My curiosity was piqued from there and I was anxious to find out what happened next. The story kept me on the edge of my seat.
Crazy things begin to happen. that bordered on the bizarre; like the television beeping and making hissing sounds, animals acting wild, uninvited guests stopping over and the weird sounds. seeping into the house.

All I can say is, this is worth the read, but it doesn't end well. I would still recommend it.