I really liked this concept. The backdrop of being both post and pre-apocalypse add an interesting level of stakes. Society has already broken down and survivors are barely holding on when another world threatening event is expected. The weary partnership and evolution into romance of Liz and Maeve was extremely well done. You understand why both girls respond to each other the way that they do, and having an outsider come into Liz's isolated space added a level of uncertainty and tension. As the girls start to fight against outside threats, the book ups the suspense a lot!

This YA dystopian novel is pretty short and sweet, but the world is fascinating--I always appreciate a dystopian novel that explains what went wrong. I haven't read a great dystopian novel in a while, so I really enjoyed this one.

This is a post-apocalyptic/dystopian YA- I enjoyed the book…mostly. The pacing on the front end was a bit of a slog for me. It picked up roughly a quarter of the way through. I really enjoyed Maeve’s character. She was curious, intelligent, and gutsy. She was a “do what needs to be done” kind of girl. Liz was, let’s say, less so. She made a really stupid decision and paid a price for it. Her character development was next to none. I did appreciate that this gives LGBTQ+ representation and I do believe that the YA population will quite enjoy it.

The Last Bookstore on Earth is a warm dystopian novel about a girl living in a bookstore after a world-ending storm. The protagonist's voice is clear, well-developed, and kind, and the author does a great job establishing tone almost immediately. The reader feels the urgency of the coming storm while still lingering in the nostalgia for life before and finding hope in the humanity that remains. Fans of All the Water in the World and the softer parts of the Last of Us will enjoy this sharp prose and tragic, yet beautiful, world.

This was a good start on a post apocalyptic take on what the world could be like if acid rain wiped out a large portion of the population. But for someone who loves dystopian fiction, this didn't hit the mark for me. Many of the struggles you would imagine in a world that has crumbled were glossed over - like how to actually stay alive and feed yourself, care for yourself, deal with emergencies. Liz is living in a bookstore since she no longer has her family, and instead of learning anything from the crisis that wiped everyone out, she chooses to ignore the issues the building has and do NOTHING to keep herself safe. She doesn't even have a door that locks. WHAT? She is literally living amidst books that I imagine could help her do things like fix the holes in the walls and roof. So then it takes Maeve to come along and do it all for her, which almost felt like Maeve was written as the female "white knight" coming to save the princess. The love story between the two of them felt like it was just thrown in there to make this book sapphic, and didn't really serve an actual purpose to the storyline.

I was certainly looking for more, but I will say that this was a very quick read and had a good basis of ideas that just need more detail. Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read an ARC of this book.

Meh! I expected a little more action for a post apocalyptic book. Liz frustrated me so much reading this. I understand people cope in different ways but she expected the people she met to risk their lives because she’s too scared to move on. Okay read but not at the top of my list for 2025.

Ebook received for free through NetGalley

I found a put the book aside several times but I’m glad I came across this book. Thanks for the read.

Readers follow Liz Flannery, as she is etching out what’s left of her life after a post apocalyptic Storm that has obliterated the world as she and everyone else has known. Living in abandoned bookstore that she used to work at in post-Storm New Jersey. She trades books for supplies, and people stop by to post letters for loved ones. She journals the coming and going of the people who pass by. As another horrific storm is approaching she finds herself in desperate need of more supplies, also the bookstore needs repairs fast. Her situation changes when the book store is broken in by another teen named Maeve. Liz gives shelter to Maeve and realizes that Maeve just might be what she has needed.
This moving human element storyline completely surprised me. Set to a futuristic post cataclysmic storm, the tender romance was perfectly executed. Through Lily Braun-Arnold narrative I fell in love with the engaging character and the detailed setting.

Great book with good representation for YA readers. I enjoyed it. Thank you netgalley for this copy.

3.75 stars

The introduction of Maeve shakes things up, both in terms of the plot and Liz's emotional journey. Their relationship unfolds in a believable way, and the moments of connection between them felt genuine. I think their connection is mostly due to circumstances, but that's how life works sometimes.

However, the external conflict with the group in the woods felt pretty contrived. Logically, why wouldn't they just take the generator and leave? Violence, especially in a resource-scarce world, feels like an unnecessary risk if the threat isn't immediate. This plotline strained my suspension of disbelief a bit. Maybe they're just jerks, but the girls weren't really a threat, so why bother?

Despite those hiccups, the story still had an undeniable charm. There are some lovely emotional beats as we uncover Liz's past and the more playful moments between Liz and Maeve are where the book shines brightest.

The Last Bookstore on Earth by Lily Braun-Arnold was a fantastic novel with a unique twist. I enjoyed it.

A YA post-apocalyptic story about two girls who fall in love as they try to survive in an abandoned bookstore.

I really liked the premise here, but just was not drawn into it. I think it was largely the writing style, which maybe was just me? It just didn't give me the vibes I wanted for the setting.

I received a free copy from NetGalley. Great title, but I struggled to get into the book and to keep reading. Slow forward movement of the plot and telling of the backstory of how they got there. It had potential, but didn't quite get there.

I just finished The Last Bookshop on Earth by Lily Braun-Arnold and here are my thoughts..

Can the world really end… twice?

The first storm was devastating but to know its coming back for another turn? It changes things for Liz. 17 years old and she has made a life in an abandoned bookstore. She’s been alone for a while but her whole world is flipped on its head when Maeve tries to rob the place. They couldn’t be more different but they start an unlikely friendship and while Maeve is running from her secrets and Liz from her demons, doesn’t stop them from fighting to survive what's coming..

I don’t read a lot of YA novels. I actually don’t know why I don’t if this is the kind of book I am missing out on.

I love dystopian novels but after 2020 I got off the train and this was a nice introduction back into the end of the world reads.

Liz and Maeve were really different characters and they really complimented each other in a classic way. I enjoyed watching them both find the better versions of themselves with each other. They were both fiercely protective.

So the world has almost ended after the acid rain and Liz has managed to survive in the bookstore. Maeve did things she isn’t proud of to survive. It was awesome seeing how someone's nature changes when they have to fight to survive and it often isn’t a good change.

I loved the ending. The banter wasn’t the best but it did get better as it went on. We see two timelines, Liz in the past before the storm and present day. It was tragic for Liz and my heart hurt for her.

I loved the plot and I really enjoyed the book!

4 stars

Thank you @netgalley @randomhousekids for my gifted copy!

I’ve missed dystopian/end of the world books. Publishing trends come and go in waves, I get that, but one of the most endearing parts of dystopian books, particularly those that focus on the end of the world, is the unintended focus they bring to the question: what makes us good?

Liz and Maeve are two very different girls that have been trying to survive in very different ways. Each has faults and each thinks the other’s way is utterly ridiculous, but they do what they must.

The blend of tense action and internal struggles helps to set the vibe throughout the story and give insight into Liz’s demons. Her backstory is sprinkled throughout, each time giving a little bit more.

Throughout their journey, I enjoyed watching the relationship between Liz and Maeve and how each of their worldviews was shattered and learning that being a “good person” is more than a checklist, but a scale that has to constantly be rebalanced based on circumstances.

Overall, this was a fine YA dystopian novel. The premise was very intriguing especially since climate change is having huge impacts on our earth. Unfortunately, I wanted more information about the storm and it would have been cool to get world updates instead of just from the travelers who passed through the bookstore. I also felt that some parts of the story were very unrealistic. I highly doubt that Liz would have been up for a hike the day after she had her hand amputated.

Book Review of The Last Bookstore on Earth by Lily Braun-Arnold

Cover Story: Montell Jordan
BFF Charm: Eventually
Swoonworthy Scale: 5
Talky Talk: Meta
Bonus Factor: Bookstore
Anti-Bonus Factor: Horror
Relationship Status: Storm Shelter

Cover Story: Montell Jordan
I was going to write something pretentious about post-apocalyptic literature and finding beauty in destruction – I even had a T.S. Eliot quote ready from a poem I’d never actually read until I Googled “fire and roses” – but never mind. This cover’s just really pretty. Also, if you look closely, the flowers are made of printed paper.

The Deal:
Liz Flannery runs the last bookstore on Earth, as far as she knows. Since “The Storm” (a deadly acid rain) ended the world as she knew it, her store has become the only source of information (and distraction) in what’s left of New Jersey. She trades books for food, passes on messages, and writes down people’s survival stories, but no one stays for long. It’s lonely, but it’s relatively safe … until a fierce, beautiful stranger shows up needing shelter and bringing news of another approaching Storm. Can the worn-down building take another disaster? And can a girl who’s been alone for much too long handle living with another person again?

BFF Charm: Eventually
I found Liz’s self-pity and sarcasm grating at times, but I understand how she came to be this way. Losing family, friends, and an entire community to death by acid rain doesn’t tend to make you pleasant company. I do respect her commitment to the power of the written word, even – especially – at a time like this, and by the end of the story, I had to admit that she’s a lot braver than she thinks she is.

Swoonworthy Scale: 5
Catching a burglar in your store and letting her stay in exchange for repairs is an unusual meet cute, but Liz and Maeve make it work. Their strengths complement each other: Maeve drags Liz out into the fresh air, while Liz provides Maeve with the shelter she was missing. It’s a slow burn romance, which makes sense; given what both of them have gone through, it wouldn’t ring true if they fell in love too fast.

Talky Talk: Meta
As a first-person narrator who loves books, Liz is constantly contrasting her life to dystopian series like The Hunger Games or The Walking Dead. She doesn’t think much of herself compared to her “badass zombie-busting heroines”, and ruefully admits that life-threatening situations are “awesome in theory”, but not to live through. Flashbacks of her life before the Storm serve as poignant reminders of everything she’s lost, while her interviews with fellow survivors add some perspective beyond hers.

Bonus Factor: Bookstore
This should go without saying, but I love bookstores. The idea of one being maintained even through an apocalypse is deeply reassuring.

Anti-Bonus Factor: Horror
The night of the Storm and the deaths of Liz’s family are described in the kind of detail that made me reach for the nearest Regency romance after I finished this book, as an antidote to help me fall asleep.

Relationship Status: Storm Shelter
If Liz and Maeve don’t mind a third wheel, I could think of worse places to weather an apocalypse than the Last Bookstore on Earth.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sending me an eARC for an honest review of this book.

This was about exactly what I expected it to be. Nothing more and nothing less. If you like apocalyptic stories or maybe you're new to the genre I think this would be a great place to start. It's unique in some of the premises, like the backdrop of an abandoned bookstore and are main character Liz who might seem a lot softer than a typical character in a story like this who's been hardened and has to survive. I like that contrast and the premise of the disaster that brought on this end of civilization as we know it was interesting as well. I also thought it was interesting how the story was told. How we flip flop from present day to the past and also little bits of other people's story that's written in a book our main character has.

While there's a lot of promising aspects and I had enjoyment while reading this overall I felt like the story itself and the relationship between our two main characters just felt very basic and predictable. Neither I felt like had any crazy character development and growth and what little there was felt very rushed. I just didn't conn,ect with the characters or story as much as I would have wanted to.

I wasn't sure how much I was going to like this book going into it as I'm usually not a fan of apocalyptic books but I really enjoyed it. I enjoyed the uniqueness of the burning rain and it surprisingly had some good action. I loved how bookish Liz was and I really enjoyed her and Maeve's relationship. For a debut novel this was pretty good and I'm excited to read more by this author.

A young woman clings to the last shred of normalcy in a new, decidedly not normal post apocalyptic world by surrounding herself in the place she felt the most comforted and one that brings her familiarity — the bookstore she used to work at. Her semi-peaceful existence is rocked when a mysterious stranger breaks in to her bookstore and what happens after changes the course of both her and the stranger’s life.

This is the second book I’ve read recently where the end of the world was brought about by climate change, and I really enjoy (and fear) the plausibility of that scenario. The world that’s left after this particular apocalypse is rough, as one would expect, and I loved the cozy aspect that the bookstore brought to Liz and the overall story. The bookstore is her oasis, her safe haven, and all of that is upended once it’s breached by a stranger.

As anticipated from a novel about the end of the world, this story had plenty of danger and tension alongside the cozy moments. It’s a story of survival after all, and Liz finds herself in several situations that threaten her existence. The survival/dystopian aspect of this story and the accompanying suspense was the highlight for me, and I loved how well it was balanced with some lighthearted moments between the characters. There’s also a bit of romance that helps to further brighten an otherwise bleak book, which is always a welcome addition if you ask me. Pick this one up if you’re a fan of:

❄️Sapphic romance
❄️Dystopian/survival fiction
❄️Climate disasters
❄️Strong female characters
❄️Cozy bookstores
❄️Important themes such as guilt, grief, and loss