Definitely an interesting premise and storyline for a dystopian thriller involving a girl with a secret in the year 2099. A called Y fever 50 years ago ends up catastrophically wiping out the existence men. Obviously, there is a secret project to being men back but it is being sabotaged. But by whom?  Athena stumbles upon this project by accident and has to make some tough decisions. Will she help bring men back and save the project or help destroy it?

The concept was interesting and some of the mentioned technology. However, Athena as the main character had no real personality. Some of the other mentioned women were better written. Still an interesting-ish read.

Thanks to Netgalley, Adam Boostrom and Thinker Books for a late to the game copy in exchange for an honest review.

Already available since 1/18/19

This book also fulfills another reading challenge for the month of August that requires a fantasy book.

I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review. The opinions are entirely my own, and any quotes are taken from the ARC and may be different in the final published copy.

In Athena's Choice by Adam Boostrom, life is near perfect. World hunger has been eradicated. Murder and other violent crimes are almost nonexistent. Implants help you make decisions on what will make you happier. The world is mostly glitter and rainbows. Except there are no men. They were killed with an experimental virus 50 years prior. 

The story annoyed me in the beginning because it presented the usual rhetoric that men are bad, evil, etc. However, the book takes a turn that makes the book something deeper. It makes you think. It makes you question what you would do if you were in Athen's situation. I do not want to give more than that because I do not want to ruin anything. 

The book is fluffy and light but a bit dark and makes you think. What if a viral pandemic puts women in charge of the planet? Would we be better off without men? Having worked with women for years, my first answer was no. Boostrom presented the question in which a way he made me stop and wonder.

Published in 2019, Athena's Choice was Adam Boostrom's debut novel. Goodreads does not list any upcoming publications for Adam Boostrom.

This 200-word review will be published on Philomathinphila.com.

I was interested in the beginning of this book. It then took a weird turn and I was no longer feeling it. I felt like it got sexual for no reason and the story was dragged on and never hit a level on mystery I think the author was looking for.

This book has such an intriguing premise. What would a world were men have been eradicated by a virus look like. The formatting is original, with a very visual display of the story (articles, different fonts), but this originality also distracts from he flow of the story. So, intriguing, creative, and original, for sure. But, it all felt a bit flat for me. I didn't get a sense of personality from Athena, or anyone really. And these imaginary women in an all women's world felt unrealistic to this woman. They had a preoccupation with physical appearance, designing the body's for some strange ideal of perfection missed the mark for me. But even though the depth of the book needs work, the concept is very good and truly made me think of how I would visualize such a world. 

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I requested by accident, meant to hit the back arrow on my phone. I will try to find at my local library since it has been out for over a year.

I found the premise of this book really interesting. The concept of an all women world being a utopia is relatively unique, and, the idea that it was a terrorist fever generated to remove “the bad guys” and it simply evolved was neat. However, I had some glaring issues with this book that became more and more prevalent the closer to the end I got.

First off, I genuinely think we would naturally evolve out of the desire of one gender or the other. I know that’s just my opinion, but, it feels relevant. Secondly, the constant need for men being primarily sexual and romantic felt shallow and one sided. I’ve seen other opinions where people believe this should be classed as a YA novel. If you removed the sexual aspects of this book, I would have to agree. The world building, characters, and concept was not fleshed out enough to be considered so in depth as to be a Sci-fi adult fiction. It also needs to be said that it feels relatively odd for a man to write about a world made up entirely of women and their desires. I suppose this is reflected in how one dimensional all these female characters are, and how their emotions (outside of the aggressive hatred of men, or the aggressive sexual need for them) take up two sentences before moving on. I really struggled with this as a review because in concept, it seems like exactly my kind of read- but in execution, it wasn’t what I wanted. 

2.5 stars out of 5. 

Full review: 8/12/2020

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
In a post-apocalyptic world where men do not longer exist, a girl inherits an unsavory secret that requires her to decide the fate of humankind. Athena's Choice proposes the reader to muse on topics such as feminism, gender identity, genetic engineering, and artificial intelligence; however, I think it does so superficially and a bit heavy-handed. I was appreciative of the world building and ingenuous futuristic alternatives that would facilitate daily life in this imagined post-pandemic world. What I did not enjoy was that some of the relationships and character development were not fully explored, leading to reader having to take certain events almost at face value.

3.5 stars rounded up

Thank you Netgalley, Thinker Books, and Adam Boostrom for my free copy of this book in exchange for my impartial review.

This was a very intriguing book with a nice premise. I'm no stranger to dystopias. I read and loved the Hunger Games and the Divergent series. This one was unique in the sense that it's set in 2099, and all men have been wiped out of existence due to the Y fever. It was strange to read about a woman-only world. He did a good job of creating and writing about so many unique and diverse women. It was also interesting to note that while the women were mostly lesbians, there are some closet hetero women.

I loved all the tech and inventions in this future world, and that's one of the things I love about SciFi. I must confess, I hardly ever read SciFi. Of 50 read books, maybe 2/3 are SciFi. This was a mix of scifi and mystery, and the mystery of who stole the male genome is the main one that brought our MC Athena into the fold. I loved watching the story unfold and having a myriad of guesses along the way. The mystery, characters, and plot all played out really well.

I recommend this to all SciFi lovers

Ok.. I am a bit confused about the ending per se, and the book had some really strong sentiments, rather two very extreme sentiments. 
Fast forward some 70 years from now, and there exists a time on earth where there are no men. All men were killed by a virus that caused what was now called the Y fever, as it killed all men, and a very few handful of women. With an ongoing debate as to whether to bring men back into existence or not,  Athena is called up in connection with the disappearance of the male genome. She finds herself smack in the middle of something that is way more than just the robbery of the genome. Something that seems to range back some time, methodically done to hide or erase something. 
This book is layered with the current discussion of feminism, how the radical feminists argues as to what women are supposed to be and do, and the anti- feministic faction that is in existence, which claim themselves to be incomplete without men. Added to this, is maybe a very rather too over the top generalisation of men in general, but with supportive counter tactics too, but yea.. the extreme divisions have a lot of limelight. 
The narration per se reminded me of a anime or manga. With the description being explanatory and visual, like you find in a manga or an anime. The ending was a little abrupt of sorts 
All in all, it was an OK read.

This book was a fast pace great read from the beginning. I wasn’t expecting it to be so fleshed out and yet, I have so many questions. There’s not enough time book to have answered all my questions, answered. I need my questions answered! 

All in all this was a great read. I wish I got to see more of adult Nomi and she got to interact more with Her and Athena together. Their dynamic could have used a bit more story. 

I would recommend this to a friend and I would read more from this series. 

3.75/5 because I still feel like there’s more to this story than meets the eye and more to be explored.

A great story with a well thought out world and system. The story is interesting from the start and has a good and fascinating storyline. I liked the characters they were good described and interesting and the writing style is pleasant to read.

This book doesn't know what it is.  It seems to be labeled sci-fi.  Part of the time I was thinking it was more YA and other times it seemed to be pushing itself into romance.  At those times it seems like it was a little too adult for young adult.  We are at the end of our current century and the world has no men.  That's right.  The reason it has no men was the first time I rolled my eyes.  Global warming made people from the coasts invade the mountains.  When the people in the mountains didn't want to be invaded, they were labeled "terrorists" and a bioweapon was developed to kill all men.  Somehow it spread worldwide (killed a few women, too) and eventually all men died.  Without any real explanation, women continued with insemination without a donor and somehow became incubators to painless birth, as if the only thing that made birth painful was...men? So is it sci-fi, YA, romance, feminist, dystopian, weirdly religious?

Anyway, there is a new and wasteful all woman society who all seem to keep themselves to a standard of beauty that was unattainable until people could just decide to look however they want.  Because that would obviously be a priority in an all woman world.  Oh, and if you happen to not be gay, you are made fun of.  I guess whoever is in charge will be rude to whoever is "different."  Some women want to bring back men but all women carry the virus that killed the men.  The Lazarus project is the scientific work to bring back men.  Someone breaks in and steals it (or the files about it) from the servers.  The theft is investigated and a 19 year old is considered important to the investigation, so this young, unemployed artist is given the job.  

Meanwhile, there are arguments over whether to bring back men.  The arguments are extreme.  Men have been gone for 50 years, so a lot of women have never even seen a man.  The only views they get are from the factions fighting.  Either men are murderous rapists or they are strong protectors (and this was the point I actually knew that this was written by a man.)  I am positive I could give you reasons men should live without talking about their strong, protective embrace, but, I digress.

This makes it seem as if I'm giving this one star.  I'm not.  I sometimes enjoyed the story.  Like most sci-fi, I found myself rolling my eyes at the explanations and future technology.  But past that and the moments when people are arguing extremes of male stereotypes, I wanted to know about the darn library!  The actual library they are looking for, I've been to.  That is a weird way to be connected but I'll take it.  Because when the rest of the story is going on, the search for who broke into the computers, what is going on at the lab, and what is with the dreams telling Athena to find the library...that's what I enjoyed.  I also enjoyed the little asides from Athena's school records, Wikipedia, and the news.

Rating this book is no easy task. (Note: there are no explicit spoilers in the following review, but reading it before the book is not recommended.)
I found the writing merely okay. The premise was not particularly thrilling. As I can see other reviewers agree, the characters leave a lot to be desired. Athena has no depth. After finishing the story, I know no more about who she is than I did at the beginning. She was the spitting image of your cliché YA heroine, and I don't know how to spin that into a compliment. I was also more annoyed than anything else in the final scene with Nomi, since it highlighted the imbalance of her relationship with Athena. 
The ending is the most fascinating part of an otherwise dull story. Athena comes to the moral dilemma we all expected from the beginning, and I'm torn between disliking and approving of the ending that the author wrote. It did make me mad about the title of the book being relevant only in the final pages. I'm not sure what to make of the stats that supposedly highlight the gender difference: how are we supposed to believe that the ending of the book is still relevant to us? There seems to be an underlying sexist theme to the story, which is the opposite of what I was hoping for when I went in. One fighting against discrimination should never justify subjecting the other side to the same treatment. With all of this in mind, the ending was still thought-provoking, which I must admire.
While this was a bit of a letdown, I am glad to have read it. Three stars, and although the cover should win at least a half star, let's not be superficial.

Year of 2099, world without men, who were killed long ago by so called Y-fever. Government tries to produce new men, but someone has stolen the genom. The AI research proves that young artist Athena Vosh is somehow involved in all that. She doesn't know how, but maybe an answer lies in her dreams?

I love the book and the printer for clothes would be marvellous, too. :)

Well this is about a girl called Athena and it's 2099 after a pandemic has wreaked havoc.

This is a different read to what I usually go for, and I'm glad I did as I really enjoyed a quirky story. 

Recommended

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for ARC

Athena's Choice is a very unique book. I enjoyed Athena's Choice a lot more than I thought I would. There was a pandemic that caused men to become extinct. A research project has been going on for 50 years to bring back men. There is a problem with the project and Athena is brought in to help find out who is responsible? Why was Athena chosen?

I was very interested in this book from the beginning. Athena's choice is about Athena finding out who is sabotaging the genome project, as well as both sides of if men should be brought back or not.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

Thank you NetGalley and Think Books for the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

The year is 2099, and the world Athena lives in might be mistaken for another planet. But, we have not left Earth, it is just that much has changed. Besides technological advances which you would expect, there is also the fact that men no longer exist. A virus spread by terrorists killed them all while sparing most of the women. The world is peaceful, harmonious, and thriving, except for the lonely hearts who want to bring back men.
When the genome being studied to bring the male species back is stolen, Athena is at the heart of the mystery. Athena is nineteen, a dreamer, and an artist, but when Captain Bell accuses her of being the thief, she cannot imagine why. It seems that Athena knows more than she even realizes. She begins to assist Captain Bell, but it is her dreams that might provide much-needed answers.
Well holy what did I just read. I loved almost everything about this book. From the glimpses, we got of life in the future to Athena and her BFF, Nomi, and the growing friendship with Captain Bell. Ultimately, we learn why the genome was stolen, and even though we get answers, Athena is left with a life-changing decision.
How Athena's Choice did not get noticed by my super book sleuthing radar is a mystery. One that 274 engaging pages later, is solved. A very good read that made a rainy morning darn tolerable.