{3.5 stars}

This story imagines a return of the plague and we see its impact on a rehabilitation center for juvenile delinquents. One day when the guards don't show up, the residents begin to wonder what is going on in the world and are forced to investigate and find a way to survive.

We get quite the motley crew of characters, some who are actual criminals, some who have done morally questionable things to survive and some who are imprisoned due to circumstances. The one thing that connects them is that society had hope to rehabilitate them, well, until the pandemic started. I liked the different POVs for each chapter and the interspersing of information from the outside world. I always love a what if situation and I thought these kids were a great microcosm of society. They faced hard moments and didn't always triumph but they kept their hope and persevered. 

My main issues were that there were way too many characters introduced very fast. Also the end left me a little wanting. I get why it ended where it did but the epilogue needed a little more world context for me.

It's a little Lord of the Flies, a little Walking Dead and makes for a compelling read.

Thanks to Netgalley for access to an advanced copy of this novel. All opinions are my own.

Post apocalypse and dystopia are my favorite genres. I absolutely loved this book. I ended up staying up half the night to finish it.

This book broke my heart in more ways than one. As a mother I just felt so much for these wayward teens left alone to die. The author focused heavily on the injustice of juvenile detentions and attacks on trans community. I feel it was important shining a light on these issues.

Marieke Nijkamp is one of those authors who, when they release a new book, I will drop everything else to read it. I thoroughly loved At the End of Everything. This dystopian/mystery/realistic/survival story defies genres and will pull in all kinds of readers. Teens will root for the *irredeemable* protagonists and empathize with trying to survive a plague. I will be ordering multiple copies for my high school.

I completely devoured this book!
The story is about a group of teens at a juvenile delinquent centre who are forgotten when a pandemic hits the world. They have to learn to trust and rely on each other to get them through it.

The story is told from the point of view from a few key characters, which confused me for the first couple of chapters as I tried to get my head around who everyone was, but once I worked out who was who, it was really easy to keep track. The main characters are all very different so seeing the story from different perspectives was really interesting.

Each of the characters felt like teenagers and acted how you'd expect in such a situation. I loved their growth throughout the story, each of them matured and dealt with things in their own ways.

This story was really heartbreaking in more ways than one. These kids have been through so much, landing them in a place where they aren't cared for, then they're left for dead.

This was a great story that deals with so many sensitive issues in a delicate way, I highly praise the author for that.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was definitely not one of my favorite reads of the year. In fairness to the author and the book, I really had no business reading a story that focused on the pandemic. I am pandemic'd out in a major way. So I acknowledge the possibility that colored my opinion in a negative way. But beyond that, it just really wasn't my thing. I didn't enjoy the dystopian theme, with everyone turning on each other so viciously. I struggled with the characters simply being abandoned, with no one have any interest in them whatsoever. I didn't like the stereotyped feel of each of the characters (although I will say that I did enjoy seeing them grow and evolve emotionally as the story progressed). I never had any sort of connection with or investment in any of the characters. Basically, I never felt like I was given a good reason to truly like this book.

Marieke Nijkamp’s new novel, At the End of Everything , is an emotional ride with moments that range from heartbreaking and desperate to suspenseful and hopeful. This young adult / teen novel is well-written and character driven. The setting is mainly the Hope Juvenile Treatment Center near the fictional town of Sam’s Thorne, Arkansas. The teens housed there aren’t wanted. They’ve been sent there for a variety of reasons, but they had little help from any family or concerned citizen to keep from being sent to the facility. One day they wake up and realize they’ve been abandoned. There aren’t any guards, cooks, or other staff. After initially thinking this is their chance for freedom, they discover a pandemic is affecting the world outside and they’re on their own.

The story is told from three points of view: Logan, Emerson, and Grace. Logan can’t talk except through a made-up sign language that he uses with his twin, Leah. Logan reads and writes well, while Leah talks for both of them. Emerson is a non-binary person with authority, gender identity, and commitment issues. Grace is outspoken and has anger issues. All three play pivotal roles in the story, but readers get to know several other characters as well. As supplies dwindle and the plague affects the residents of the Center, the group has to decide what actions should be taken, who can be trusted, and how to survive.

The three main characters are reasonably well-developed; they’re flawed, but show growth over time. Several teens show amazing strength of character and courage while some show less desirable traits. It would have helped to have more in-depth information on the teen’s backgrounds. However, the reader does get bits and pieces. Who will survive? Will they have food and medical supplies?

The book is emotional and intense. The teens had already been abandoned by family and friends. Now, it seems even those that are supposed to rehabilitate them have left them on their own. Additional themes include food supply issues, a desire to feel safe, homelessness, fear, trust, anxiety, discrimination, gender identity, leadership, caring for others, stealing, assault, movement restrictions, the loss of normal routines, and much more.

The author does a great job of portraying the hardships and lack of amenities as well as the friendships and struggles faced by the teens. This story hooked me immediately and kept me interested throughout. However, I would have liked a little more closure at the end in an extended epilogue.

Overall, it’s suspenseful and there are a few surprises along the way. While this is my first book by the author, I want to check out her other novels.

SOURCEBOOKS Fire and Marieke Nijkamp provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way. Publication date is set for January 4, 2022. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.

The Hope Juvenile Treatment Center is home to delinquent teenagers who, ironically, have little hope left for their lives. When the guards start acting strangely, the teens don't think much of it until they stop showing up all together. When a group of them decides to make a break for it, they discover a blockade of soldiers and learn that a plague is spreading rapidly and there is no place who will welcome them.

As supplies diminish, and some among them become ill, the group must find a way to survive.

I am always a sucker for a dystopian novel- though one featuring a plague may hit a little close to home mid-pandemic. Having a friend who manages a juvenile detention center, it was difficult for me to suspend disbelief for a bit simply because I know she would never allow the boys in her care to be abandoned. That said, I know not everyone is in a situation where that is the case. I appreciated the seriousness with which the topic was handled including dealing directly with how the characters would care for bodies when others died. The respect given to those characters was important to me as a reader.

Overall, I would say this was a good narrative that dealt with important issues in addition to the plague- having autistic, non-verbal, and non-binary characters wrapped in many of the challenges that our teens may be facing above and beyond living through a pandemic.

**Many thanks to NetGalley, SOURCEBOOKS Fire, and Marieke Nijkamp for an ARC of this book!**

It's the end of the world, as they know it...

But NOBODY feels fine.

Teens at the Hope Juvenile Detention Center have very little of that left...hope, that is. They have all ended up there for different reasons, but now share this bond in captivity, waiting for the day they can reemerge into the outside world. Until the moment that everything changes...the guards mysteriously vanish, leaving the band of teens wondering what could inspire this sudden departure. They soon learn that a deadly plague has infiltrated the outside world and NOBODY is looking out for them...and they must rely solely on one another. As supplies, patience, and their forces dwindle, can ANY of these unlucky youngsters make it out alive?

This is not directly purported to be a COVID book....but it is basically a COVID book.

And that made it an incredibly hard read for me to get through, just on that basis alone. Other than Picoult's Wish You Were Here, I have stayed far away from this subject matter for the obvious reasons. Yes, this is a PLAGUE not a pandemic....but let's be honest, one is a stone's throw away from the other and everything that transpired felt very referential. Things escalated quickly throughout this story, but to be honest, I didn't feel much of an emotional connection to the characters, so it didn't really 'hurt' when any of them were taken by the disease.

I initially thought this book would have more of a mystery element to it (What happened to the guards?!) but frankly all of that was resolved quickly at the beginning, so nothing mysterious to ponder here. While I appreciate Nijkamp's careful attention to representation, she acknowledges herself at the end of the book that as a white woman, the stories of some of these teens aren't really hers to tell. I didn't feel emotionally invested in this book, so I'm not sure what sort of ending would have 'fit' best for me. The ending here is serviceable to the story, but I think in light of the pandemic we are all still dealing with, felt hard to relate to currently. Hopefully someday I'll be able to look at it differently.

For those ready to explore the ramifications of a pandem-I mean, plague...this is a look at what could be through the eyes of some troubled and troubling teens and certainly hints at survival of the fittest in some respects. I would consider another Nijkamp read, but for the time being, I think I've had my share of medical scares and am probably ready for lighter fare.

3 stars

I enjoy books by this author, but this is not my favorite. I can see this title being very popular due to it being quite relatable to the past two years. I found this book to be slower paced after the beginning and I made myself finish it. Perhaps because I knew most of the characters were bound to not survive without proper food and care.

If you have a teen needing something to relate to with Covid this would work well.

I am a huge fan of Marieke Nijkamp. I have read previous books by her (links below) and her books are always so gritty. So let’s start there. I read At the End of Everything with the idea that I was going to get the same grittiness I got from This Is Where it Ends and Before I Let Go. I was not disappointed. At the End of Everything has that same general story line that a lot of other authors stay away from because its not generally happy. However, I quite love books like this. They are real and raw and make you feel things.

First I want to warn everyone, this is not a happy book. Not saying it doesn’t have a happy ending… I won’t give away anything there. But the general topic is not a bright one. This book follows a group of kids living in a facility for kids who have done something criminal or behaved very badly. These kids are quickly left to their own means when a crazy illness takes over the world outside. Sound familiar?

This story gave me a little anxiety. Probably because it reminded me a lot of Covid-19 and the anxiety and stress that surrounded the last few years of our lives in the real world. However, this is different, I assure you. It’s a much worse virus than Covid, so while it could be triggering from some, it’s not as realistic as our current situation, although could be if you think about it. This story has a lot of hard hitting topics. Child abuse, drugs, depression, anxiety, childhood delinquency, assault, hunger… the list goes on. But it is written SO well. The story jumps between a few key characters and their P.O.V.’s. These characters have all different kinds of backgrounds and represent all kinds of people.

Overall the story was a hard one to read because it had such a similarity to our current ongoing pandemic, but the way the story was written and watching the character’s growth during such a hard time was so interesting to read. Nijkamp always does a great job with writing deep and meaningful characters that go through a crazy journey to get to where they end up, whether that be a good or bad place is another thing.

This was a great story. Well written, takes you on a journey with the characters, interesting individuals introduced throughout, and multiple viewpoints from people of all backgrounds. It’s a melting pot of perfection. I can’t wait for Nijkamp’s next book.

I really wanted to like/love this book but I struggled through this the whole time. It was interesting that this was is yet another fiction pandemic book written during the coronavirus pandemic still happening. However there were many issues with this book:

-Too many characters: this made it hard to connect with a particular character in the plot of the book
-The actual story: the teenagers being isolated while everyone else is dying
-Becomes predictable

Again, I really wanted to love this but struggled to finish this book. It is a no for me but every reader is entitled to their own opinion.

Thanks to Netgalley, Marieke Nijkamp and Sourcebooks for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 1/4/22

The problem with books that are heavily character-based is that those characters have to be interesting to the reader. I recognize the attempt by the author to get readers engaged with each character's personality and struggles (and to be fair, there was a lot of diverse representation here) by doing multiple points of view. Unfortunately, it's always difficult for me to connect with a story when there is constant switching between POVs.

All hope is lost. The story has a really good premise and I must say that it is very well written. The relationships in the story really power you forward. I would like to say that I am so glad I was able to read this story in 2021 because it gives you a new perspective on a lot of things. I am usually not pro email stories so anything that provides any emotional attachment that isn’t buried in comedy freaks me out but I was OK with this book!‘s while we are still in a pandemic some of the topics mean to make you feel a little uncomfortable but a lot of great literature comes from storylines that make you uncomfortable. I really get this 3 1/2 stars but it won’t let me do half stars.

Not an easy read at times as you connect to the young people in the Hope Juvenile Treatment Center who are left to fend for themselves as a plague ensues. Each need to grow up quickly, as they ration food, quarantine, and bury their friends. The outside world is struggling, but the kids are alone.

Author's note and additional suggested readings are a must read, also!

I have to say that it was sort of crazy reading a book about a plague that breaks out while we are in the middle of a pandemic. It does make it hit home more when you are going through something like what you are reading about.

When a group of teens that have been sent to a detention center find themselves with changes to the well known schedule that they always follow, they think that they will try to find out what is going on. When they find the guards, they quickly learn that there is a problem in the outside world that they are not allowed to socialize with anymore. There is a plague that has come over the outside world and no one wants to be around the kids in the detention center anymore. One of the teens ends up getting shot by the guards and the other teens head back to the camp to figure out what to do now that no one wants to be around them.

The things that the kids have to learn to deal with is strangely like what we have had to learn to deal with in our world today. The plague is a respiratory and wearing masks helps to keep others from getting the plague. Having to learn how to deal with things on their own is a challenge for the teens and Grace takes charge.

I have to say that this was a good read and I enjoyed seeing how the teens learned how to adapt and deal with the plague in their own world. If you can stand to read a book about a situation that you are experiencing yourself in the real world, read this one!

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book and all opinions are my own. Thanks for Netgalley, the publisher and the author for an advanced copy of this book.

As an infectious disease runs rampant outside teens at Hope Juvenile Detention Center are fighting for more than just survival!

The story is told through multiple points of view and each teen is fighting an internal battle as well as trying to overcome their situation! This was one of the things that really made this story stick out to me and grip me emotionally! Having gone through what we are now parts of this story were just so real and I could emphasize with the characters!

This is a first novel for me by the author and it’s not the last! This author writes beautifully and really reaches into the soul! I just couldn’t get enough of the story but also had times when tears were just running because of the emotions that are brought out!

A book about a pandemic during a pandemic! I was really excited to dive into this one. I was sucked in at the beginning but as the story unfolded I began to get more confused. I had trouble following along with the new characters. I also began to struggle with the emotions this book brought out. This is a huge accolade to the author. She made me feel big time. Ten years from now when this story doesn’t hit so hard, it will be a phenomenal book.

I'm still trying to recover from this book. All of Nijkamp's books are just filled with emotion and all the feels and this one is no different.
Anytime I read something about pandemics etc...my mind always goes right to "The Stand" (Even when Covid started, I thought of the stand) But a pandemic that affects people is pretty much all that the story has in common with the Stand, because this story stands all on its own.
I don't want to give a lot away since the book hasn't been published yet and in order to write my review, an awful lot of the story, plot etc away. So instead, I am just going to highly recommend this book to as many people as possible
Its a story about surviving and about hope, even when there isn't any reason to have some

I struggled with this one. Very confusing, largely in part due to the number of characters. I didn't find them interesting, and I just couldn't connect with them.