All the Water in the World transports you to a near-future world reshaped by water, driven by climate change. It’s an epic and moving story that kept me both thinking and on the edge of my seat from start to finish.

Thank you Eiren Caffall, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

The plot of "All the Water in the World "by Eiren Caffall revolves around a group of people who are trying to survive the effects of climate change in NYC. After the ocean started to overtake the streets, they initially stayed in the city in the hopes the flood gates would hold. The gates eventually fell, and now they are fleeing for their lives after a hypercane destroys the museum that has been sheltering them for several years. Apocalyptic fiction is not my usual wheelhouse, but this is incredibly well written, descriptive, and ominously real. It has been a long time since I've stayed up late to finish a book but "All the Water in the World" kept me turning pages. I have already recommended this book to 3 people.

This book had an interesting premise and I love this genre of dystopian story but this was a really slow read for me, it didn’t captivate me like a Station Eleven (which this was compared to) did, and just felt a bit lacking in action.

An interesting take on a post-apocalyptic survival story. Nonie and her family are living at the top of the Natural History Museum after much of the world was destroyed. As researchers and scientists, they are concerned with preserving the history in the museum and also theirs. Nonie, a young girl with a gift for feeling when storms are coming and what kind, lets her family know that a hypercane is coming.
They head upstate to escape and find that people have learned to survive in a much different way.
This is a story about keeping records, preserving history, and survival even in the worst of times. A different read, but a good one.

This book really just took me for a ride. I loved the build up, the character development, and the writing. I would definitely read more from this author!

This was ok. Started off promising but then fell flat near the end.
I can see other people liking this though.

This was wonderful! I loved the writing style, the characters, the world-building…everything about it was top-notch. I will definitely be recommending this book!

Set in the not so distant future, All the Water in the World follows Nonie, a young girl raised in the abandoned American Museum of Natural History (Amen) in New York City along with her scientist parents, older sister Bix, and other fellow colleagues of her parents who strive to continue their preservation work amidst a global flood that has ravaged the city.

Told in alternating timelines, in the present, Nonie and her family must evacuate their home that they have known in search of higher ground and her mother's family's farm after they finally lose the museum to a new storm. In the past, Nonie remembers the early days at Amen after the initial flooding events force them from their family home.

In the vein of Station Eleven and The Road, All the Water in the World is a beautifully written and poetic look at climate change and the way different people cope and survive a natural disaster. Nonie's journey is heartachingly realistic and though she is young, she is very smart for her age and has a special relationship with water that helps her overcome her hardships.

Although there is action, this one is more of a slow meandering river of a novel that focuses more on character studies than plot. It is not a page turner in the typical dystopian thriller sense, but nonetheless keeps the reader on the edge of their seat, thirsting for more. 4.5 stars overall

Thank you to NetGalley, Eiren Caffall, and St. Martin's Press for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

This story was sensational, and thought provoking. The characters were so well thought out and well rounded. It was kind of a slow start for the first couple of chapters that were leading up to the conflict, and the beginning of the main journey. After the first couple of chapters, though, I was hooked and it was steady from then on with obstacles and hardships, with heartbreak and triumphs. If you've ever seen the movie Flow, it was very reminiscent. Since I've finished this book, it's lived rent free in my head and I just cannot stop thinking about it and how it has real world implications.

I love dystopian novels and this one set on the rooftops of New York city with a young protagonist and her friends and family was perfect. Will they make it to safety. Is there anywhere safe. that is the dilemma. Read it.

Beautifully told in a voice that is simultaneously wise and childlike, this is one of the most realistic post-apocalyptic novels I’ve read. A patched-together family of survivors eking out an existence in a flooded world using timeless methods and tools. No zombies, aliens, or sentient AI, just everyday people creating community and building a life in the literal wake of climate change.

I received an advance reader copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

All The Water In The World was a let down for me. I don't read a lot of dystopian books, but when I do, I usually love them. I'm usually stressed out when reading them (in a good way!), but this one I never connected to the characters. I was bored most of the time as the story felt repetitive and ready for it to be over.

This book is about survival and climate change, but it was more depressing than emotional. Sigh.

Thanks to #NetGalley and the publishers for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

setting: new York
rep: n/a

DNF @ 25%

Unfortunately I'm just bored. for a post apocalyptic dystopian about climate change (something I love to read) this is really dull and the characters all seem so flat and undeveloped; I don't care about anyone or anything.

***Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.***

All the Water in the World by Eireen Caffall is a well written, thought-provoking novel that’s a little hard to pin down—part post-apocalyptic survival story, part lyrical exploration of memory, evolution, and identity. Caffall’s writing style reminded me of Justin Cronin’s The Passage—minus the vampires*—with its atmospheric world-building and observations.

Told from the perspective of Nonie, the story takes place in a future where the glaciers have melted and her family, along with a group of researchers, now lives inside the Museum of Natural History. The setting alone is fascinating, and Caffall brings this flooded world to life with vivid detail and haunting imagery.

One of the novel’s most intriguing elements is Nonie herself—she possesses a kind of sixth sense, an ability to feel approaching storms. There's a mysterious, almost otherworldly quality to her, but unfortunately, this trait isn’t deeply explored. It surfaces only in a few scenes and feels like a missed opportunity for further development.

The plot picks up when a superstorm breaches the city's flood walls, forcing Nonie and her family to flee north on the Hudson. They carry with them a book of records—a symbolic remnant of what’s been lost. As they journey through this drowned world, navigating fragmented communities and harsh landscapes, the world-building remains rich and immersive. However, I found the character development lacking in comparison. While the setting is well fleshed out, the emotional arcs of the characters felt underdeveloped, especially given the intensity of their experiences.

Still, All the Water in the World is a poignant, imaginative novel that lingers in your mind. I only wish there had been more room to fully explore some of its most compelling ideas.

Just a haunting story that I partly hope never comes true but also if it does I hope people like the main characters in this book exist then to bring their nobility and knowledge into a desperate and changed world and society.

A beautiful post-apocalyptic novel reminiscent of The Last of Us, or The Walking Dead. Family, found family, and survival against impossible odds.

This is *exactly* the kind of book that keeps me feeling a low level of fear and unsettled throughout the entire story — and that’s just what it means to do. Climate fiction is scurry. Aside from that, this is a beautiful meditation on community and love and bravery.

thank you to netgalley for the e-arc. THIS WAS SO GOOD. set in the city, at one of my favorite museums made it really easy to suspend disbelief and be engaged in the story. while i don't think i would purposely read another climate fiction, this was done well and the writing was excellent.

All the Water in the World is one of those haunting, lyrical reads that quietly floods your chest with feeling before you even realize it’s happening. It’s not a fast-paced dystopian thriller—it’s slower, dreamier, like floating through a memory of a world we’ve almost lost. The writing is gorgeous, seriously poetic, and the vibe is very “climate grief meets found family museum-core.” I wouldn’t say it’s for everyone—definitely more vibes than plot at times—but if you’re into post-apocalyptic stories that feel like elegies wrapped in hope, this one will absolutely stick with you. I’m still thinking about it.

I was intrigued by the premise of this book, but unfortunately, it didn’t live up to my expectations. The pacing dragged in several places, and I struggled to stay engaged. The characters felt underdeveloped, making it hard to connect with their journeys. While there were a few interesting moments, the overall execution left much to be desired. I can see how some readers might enjoy it, but it just wasn’t for me.