Reading this book in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic and Black Lives Matter protests, with the Trump-Biden election looming near, certainly made for an interesting perspective. “Athena’s Choice” reminded me of “Beauty Queens” by Libra Bray mostly in format - with its added inserts of essays, news articles, and advertisements - but also in theme. I found this an entertaining, thought-provoking story worth reading. What WOULD the world be like if all the men were killed off?

My criteria for a good book are simple... it needs to be believable and it needs to keep me guessing. Athena’s Choice was realistic and had enough plot twists to keep me happy. The only difficulty I had was believing Athena is a teenager; I pictured her as someone in her mid-20s throughout the story. She was just a little too independent and mature to be right out of high school. (I work with teenagers ever day!) But she was likable, independent, and thoughtful. I think this will appeal to both YA and Adult Science Fiction fans.

Great read by narrator, Alex Ford. Her expression and use of different voices made for an entertaining listen.

I was really intrigued by the premise of this story.
Athena is a teenager in the year 2099, born 50 years after a virus accidentally wipes out all men.
The narrator for this did a really good job and she kept the story interesting for me. No silly voices or over exaggerations which I always appreciate 😬
The world building is great and completely paints the picture of what 2099 now looks like, however I wasn’t too impressed with how “easy” everything seemed to be and some of the technology was just a little too much in my opinion. “Massage” implants in the body which are you programme from software you purchase online and then can use in public...food printers, clothing printers.
Overall I really enjoyed and while everything wasn’t to my liking it did make me think. The ending was not what I was expecting and tied the rest of the story together very well.

Thank you NetGalley Publisher & Author for this gifted audio book.


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?

Review
This had a science fiction/mystery vibe.
Which I really enjoyed.... surprisingly.
This book will have you hooked from the first page.
And had me loving every second of it.
Yall should really listen to audio it's amazing.

Overall rating: 3.5/5 stars
Narration ration: 3/5 stars
Who runs the world? - GIRLS.
In this fast-paced science fiction novel, world hunger, global poverty, and war are a thing of the past. Set in a future where men are extinct and women are in charge of a near-utopian society, we follow our protagonist Athena as she uncovers the secret behind her perfect world.
This is a choice story for a book club. It left me reeling as I contemplated the commentary on the true nature of mankind (“…intrinsic and unyielding desires of some men for conquest, sexual manipulation, greed, violence…selfish, destructive and glory seeking”) in relation to the current political climate: unconscionable police violence, violence wielded against women, the Trump phenomenon, white supremacy, and on and on. The profile of man’s desires seems to be overwhelming accurate and obvious. The crux of the story stays with you and made me consider my definition feminism. I liked the following quote: “True feminism should not be about the ability of women to emulate men. Can a woman be as violent and brutal and heartless and cruel as a man? Of course she can. So what? True feminism…should be about the recognition of our feminine abilities as the greater strength. We women are the true source for the better angels of humanity’s nature.” The theme of whether we should take the bad with the good also crops up and the question ultimately posed by the author is not easily answered even by the most decisive of people.
The world building was sparse but effective. Since we are in the near future of a familiar world, nothing is beyond the reader’s imagination and doesn’t require excessive detail. The character arcs felt rushed at times, but had a lot of potential. Athena, our young female protagonist who is struggling to establish herself in the art work grapples with imposter syndrome, how to make her mark in the world, her confusing feelings towards the now extinct male gender, the fate of the world. She and her life-long friend Naomi disagree on whether or not Athena should help solve a serious theft. I wish there had been more time devoted to get to know Naomi so that I was more invested in her storyline. Similarly, Athena becomes fast friends with the public safety officer Valerie but the reader doesn’t get enough time to engage with Valerie. Athena’s Choice is a plot-driven rather than character-driven story but the characters who are introduced are interesting and it is a shame we as the readers do not get much exposure to them.
The narrator’s voice is tinny which is mildly irritating but does not distract from the engaging mystery and thought-provoking moral dilemma driving the plot. If you like science fiction and mystery, it is worth the read/listen.

“The year is 2099 and all of the men are gone.“

This was a crazy ride. And that ending was full of surprises and so much action. However most of the book felt sterile. Can sterile be an adjective? Also, I mean the super germ free clean kind. Not the can’t have babies kind. Even though that’s kind of what happened. Since men were wiped away by the Y Fever. So maybe I meant the other sterile. Can it be both??? Anyways, the book was clinical at times and even though it was full, and I mean full, of futuristic devices that were so cool that life seemed kind of boring. Am I a lonely heart? Ekkkk...I would have been a lonely heart in the future. And no one understands that unless you read the book. Haha.

I enjoyed the audiobook very much. It was mixed media with news reports and report cards from the girls when they were younger. Video clips of them being born. It was all mixed in and I found it all fascinating. I really enjoy science fiction though so this book was for me. The whole futuristic AI dystopian mix was new for me. Usually the dystopian books I read the world went to shit. In a woman ruled world humanity prospers spectacularly. Which honestly, it would. I don’t doubt that at all.

I did end up wanting more though and that’s what kills me. I don’t know what I wanted. I don’t know how it could have ended better. I kind of like that ending. At first I was furious. But then I listened to the authors epilogue and I get it. I’m so confused. I don’t know what I want.

This book has such an interesting premise. In a world without men, women have achieved peace and prosperity. Should scientists work to revive the male gender? Or is the world better off without them?

I loved the futuristic setting in this book. It felt very realistic and probable. While this is a dystopian book because of the society without men, I found myself comparing it more to science fiction books like Defy the Stars, The Illuminae Files, and The Aurora Cycle because of the technology. I really liked how the artifacts at the end of chapters (like news articles and Wikipedia entries) fleshed out the world building and provided context for key details in the book.

For some reason I thought this would be a book about Athena on the run from police trying to solve the mystery of the stolen male genome on her own, but she is actually brought into the investigation as a consultant and has a great partnership with Captain Valerie Bell (I clearly only skimmed the synopsis). I found the Core’s role and motivations in the book to be a bit confusing and contradictory. While the story was not what I expected, I really enjoyed it overall.

The entire book, but especially the ending, proposes some seriously thought-provoking questions about happiness, gender, and humanity. I am struggling to recommend an audience for this book. While the main character is 19-years-old and young adult readers could relate to Athena’s coming-of-age story, I think the philosophical questions this book raises will appeal to more mature readers.

Thank you to the Athena’s Choice Promotions Team for the gifted copy and Netgalley for the audiobook. All opinions my own.

*I received a free copy of this audiobook through NetGalley in exchange for a review.

Dystopian novels have always appealed to me, and I was very excited to read this when I stumbled across it. It has been out for a while now and initially I was drawn to it when searching through Netgalley’s new audiobook option. I really enjoyed listening to it in audiobook form and I think the narrator Alex Ford did a brilliant job bringing this novel to life.

Athena is a fairly relatable character, despite the unrelatable setting, although we are in the midst of a global pandemic right now, but I don’t think this one will wipe out all the men on earth, at least I hope not. Athena has a strong voice throughout the novel, and a lot of us will relate to coming of age and finding out who we are.

The plot is well thought out, I really felt how passionate the author was about the topic. Especially with all the feeling and energy, he put into writing both sides, those for men coming back and those who aren’t. He created a futuristic utopia, peace on earth but at a huge cost. I liked that this novel portrayed a strong world lead by women, and the independence and freedom that came along with it.

This was Boostrom’s first novel, and it was a solid one with well thought out characters that tackled difficult topics while asking us, what if we could have a life full of peace and how much would we be willing to sacrifice for it. I love a story that makes me think, and forces me to look outside myself and my own experiences and consider the wider picture.

Overall, this was a stand out first novel, the author has already expressed he wishes to write a sequel which I think would be a great way to build on the story as this novel left me with so many questions, in the best possible way.

This... was a weird book and I don't know how to feel about it.

In Athena's choice, the year is 2099 and all men are dead. They died mainly from a virus. Fifty years after that, a scientific project is currently in progress in order to make them come back. It's a huge debate and there are women who wants this project to succeed while others would do pretty much anything for it to fail.

When something is stolen, the AI choose Athena to search for it. Why, we don't really know until the end. The "choice" in the title is actually leaving us on an open ending to try to make us think what we would do if we were Athena.

During the entire time it took me to listen to the audiobook, I felt like I was listening to a complete different story than what I expected to get. And that can be good or bad but here, I feel like it missed the mark for me. I didn't really care about the characters so even when someone died, it didn't make me feel anything. Overall, it was just ok but too weird for me. Also, the explicit scene with the massage implant should have been deleted. I don't get why the author thought this was a good idea to write it. It was simply cringe-worthy.


(Thank you for letting me listen and review an ARC via Netgalley)

Thank you to NetGalley and Thinker Books for this copy of Athena’s Choice by Adam Boostrom in exchange for an honest review. It published May 10, 2019.
The premise of this book had me hooked! I loved the question of it all the men were gone, should they be brought back? I was surprised to find compelling arguments both sides of the debate.
I also was fully immersed in this world. It was so smart how all the technology was described in detail, but in understandable ways. I loved the threading of news articles and Wikipedia entries to enrich the story and lend context.
I thought the audiobook production was well-done and the narrator did a fabulous job, giving all the different women distinct voices.

My paraphrasing of the synopsis of Athena’s Choice was; Five decades ago, an experimental virus eradicated all the men on the planet, and the women that remained are running the world. Added to that, there is a mystery that the young artist Athena, has been encouraged to participate in solving, although she has no experience.

Such an excellent synopsis of the novel had me hoping for, Why are men no longer alive? How have women survived and thrived afterwards? Even if there was a narrative about the loss and mourning of the loss of fathers, brothers, husbands etc.; What it turned out to be was political parties arguing about how poor the lives women are without the missing men and how they should bring them back, can’t help thinking that men in the same position would not be having the same conversation.

Also, framing that men were (are) kidnapping and raping women in groups before dying out was a quick left turn that I was not expecting and why is there A Lonely Heart Club for women? As mentioned, a large part of the female population had never even seen a male personage in real life.

The breaking up of the narrative, jumping from childhood memories to schoolwork, to news reports, to web articles, to the history of the new reality, was my favourite part of the audiobook, created really effectively by Alex Ford, who narrated the book.

To be honest, neither Sci-Fi nor YA is not my usual genres of choice, but the premise of a world without men was too original for me to overlook. The same would be the said for a world with only men – the curiosity of the better of me.

I didn’t enjoy the tone of the book, but I think it was a fantastic concept to plan and write it.

Thank you, NetGalley for the opportunity of reading this audiobook.
#NetGalley. #AthenasChoice

An immersive sci-fi world, great lead female characters and an interesting take on gender, sex and how we as a society look at relationships. I listened to this whole book in the space of 24 hours - I was engulfed in this world and the characters.

It has been almost 50 years since an experimental virus accidentally killed all the men on earth. However, a controversial project is currently underway to bring men back. There's just one catch. The project has been sabotaged.

In the middle of our the current COVID 19 pandemic something like this can feel scarily close at times, particularly with the advance in technology on a day to day basis. The first few chapters which set up the world within are so relatable (character using computers to help them choose what they’re going to wear that day, how to modify their bodies, wearing contact lenses to see things back). I’m not usually one to pick up a sci-fi, but I’m so glad I picked this up. There was an interesting idea throughout the book that some women might LIKE men and actually WANT them back. It sounds laughable to even think, let alone say out loud, but this book makes you believe this is the norm.

The authors note at the end was interesting - I personally didn’t need it, I liked that the ending was open for the readers interpretation. The narrator, Alex Ford, was fantastic - you could really tell the difference between all the characters, and I was fully immersed in her reading.

Would highly recommend! Thank you again to Net Galley and Thinker Books for giving me and e-ARC of this book.

I wasn't really in the mood for a teen book, so when this story started out with a description of a typical teen waking up, looking in the mirror, and trying to decide what outfit to wear, I almost stopped audio-reading it completely. But, there was a reason I had requested this galley, and it had a lot to do with the book's description; I tried again, and was rewarded with a story well beyond my expectations.
Although I sincerely believe that many things will be different in future societies and that one cannot simply lay a thin sheet of minor differences over humanity's current aggressive tendencies, Boostrom's story still captured me and presented deep and philosophical questions in the form of an engaging sci-fi story of a future world with only females in it.

Athena’s Choice by Adam Boostrom was the perfect listening distraction. Based in the year 2099, 50 years after all of the men in the world get infected by a virus, that in the end kills them. Leaving only the women to govern.
All though there’s now a peaceful society that includes health check monitors and food & clothing recyclers. ( Who doesn’t want to have clothing tailored especially for you and food provided that will give your body the vitamins and minerals it specifically needs ) But be careful what you wish for, because it’s not as perfect as it seems. The author does a wonderful job revealing the society’s imperfections.
The mystery of the novel is beautifully paced, broken down into diary notes, news clippings and the original storyline.
The main character, Athena (who you get to know as a young woman, with flashbacks to her childhood ) is at the center of the novel & at first a bit spoilt and unaware, finds her inner strength & purpose by the book end.
I found the narrator easy to listen to & from the very first page, I was lost in the story.

All in all I found Athena’s Choice to have all the things I love in a good sci-fi novel; it had adventure, strong characters, a mystery, a new world, suspense, and twists and turns all throughout the book, right to the very end.

If your looking to literally disappear into a new world and a good book, then I’d definitely recommend adding this gem of sci-fi book to your listening library.
Thank you to Netgalley & the author himself for my audio book copy. It was truly a joy to listen to.

An enjoyable, at times thought-provoking, book that nevertheless lacked the charismatic characters or plot that would have me hooked. The reading turned this just-ok novel into quite an adventure.

An enjoyable audiobook suitable for all ages. I enjoyed the voyage into the future at what the world would be like (air clicks!) and if no men were no longer alive due to a virus wiping them out. The main character, Athena was very likeable and the story flowed very nicely.

Intriguing premise of feminist dystopia, but needs refined execution.

This is definitely more Young Adult than Science-Fiction.
The world build was interesting, with interesting scientific tools which I hope come sooner to reality! (such as the 3D printed foods/clothes, and the home assistant A.I. network)
However, I struggled to connect with the characters and the plot.

The characters need more depth, with Athena and Nomi seeming rather immature for their age (18?), where a lot of their discourse just didn't land for me or seemed brief or casual (despite the serious tone of the plot). If we're also exploring romantic relationships, it's worth really not shying away from those conversations, and body language. I also struggled to connect to the characters when something tragic happened, it seemed a little cliché in terms of the old adage of "oh go on without me" and the sudden emotional outbursts that felt empty. This could be remedied with building stronger connections between characters, stronger indicators that they are enjoying each others company or body language. More character backstories would have supported this also.

Regarding the plot, I was intrigued by the Helix scientists and the overall concept. However, I felt let down by the scattered nature of connecting all the events together. I felt a lot of reminiscent vibes of Asimov and Altered Carbon, but in a different light that didn't live up to the standard. Some of the philosophical elements were thought-provoking as well, albeit a bit uncomfortable and it teetered on pushing pseudoscience onto the reader. I think what threw me the most were the dream encounters that felt tacky: "find the answer to save her". It didn't help that the Audiobook narration made the dream sequences sound more comical than they were probably intended. I imagine it would have been more enjoyable to read the print version.

Thank you to NetGalley, Adam Boostrom and Thinker Books for the audiobook copy of this ARC for an honest review.

Disclaimer: This review is based on received a free audiobook copy through NetGalley.com.

Narrator: Alex Ford - This is my first audiobook read by Alex Ford. I found her voice pleasant and easy to listen to. She was able to easily allow the listener to understand when a new character is speaking.

Length: 7 hours and 29 minutes

Story: The plot of the story - set in 2099 where there are no men. They simply do not exist in the world. They were last on the world about 50 years ago and the main character, Athena, has never met one. However, scientists and researchers are attempting to bring them back.

Like all young adults, Athena is looking for her purpose in the world. She is pulled into an investigation with "police" when a project tasked with creating men again is involved in a crime. Athena is giving the chance to leave a mark on the world.

Ultimately, Athena must make a choice.

Throughout the story, there are twists and turns which kept me engaged in the story.

What if a viral pandemic put women in charge of the planet?
The moment I read the synopsis, I needed to read this and I wasn’t disappointed, not even one bit. I wouldn’t stop reading until I’ve reached the end of the book. The writing style reminded me a bit of Warcross and the story plot got me hooked from the complete beginning. It’s a really well written dystopian novel set in 2099 and men no longer exist because of a virus that completely wiped them. It gives us a really fascinating glimpse of the future. Athena’s Choice really got me thinking whether the world would really be better without men and I know what everyone is thinking, “No”. My answer was the exact same but the deeper I got into the book, the more it got me thinking about it. Despite the cliffhanger that left many questions unanswered, I recommend this to people who love Sci-Fi.

This is a great listen for the sci-fi fan who likes coming of age and/or speculative fiction. The narrator is fantastic, and the story zips along.

For me personally it was a little heavy on the YA/coming of age, but that’s very much my personal opinion.

Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for letting me listen to this great book in return for an honest review.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I feel like reading a book that has a pandemic, while living in a pandemic, is kind of weird and interesting.

Athena's Choice was such a weird book. Not even going to lie about it. I feel like so much was happening and maybe it's the narrator of this book.. but things were just not adding up to me. Then for the things that sounded cool.. got weird real quick. For example, the massage implant sounded kind of cool but then got really weird and cringe-worthy two seconds later.

Other than the weirdness, I didn't really connect with Athena. I tried to but there was just something so off about her. Then the whole AI was just adding a different level of weird when it came to Athena as well. I'm honestly kind of glad that I didn't invest any time in her because the ending was just wow - so weird.

I feel like I've just mentioned the "w" word so many times but that's the only way I can explain this book. It was weird and that's the tea. In the end, it had some twist and turns that made me think twice about some stuff but it was just an okay book to me.