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

I picked this book because of the title not knowing what to expect at all. I had not idea this book fell into the following categories:

YA
Dystopian
LGBTQ+
Survival
Coming of Age

Would I have picked it to read? Probably not because I am not a fan of dystopian novels. Am I offended by the other categories related to this book? Oh my gosh, NO! Dystopian novels just freak me out because I start to worry, this could really happen, especially with the threat of increased destructive conditions because of global warming, and some people’s belief it is a hoax.

This books subject cataloging with LGBTQ+ might keep it from being purchased by some schools and public libraries which would be a travesty for fans of this genre. There are no scenes of sexual interaction except a few kisses which are not extreme. In my opinion, I would not really even classify the book as falling into this category necessarily. If two people were plunged into situation where they were alone together for an extended period of time not knowing if they would ever have contact with someone else, I think they would want to have the comfort of person. I will reinterate there is no sexual relationship between the two main characters or any characters in the book.

For this non-fan of dystopian novels, I enjoyed the story. I loved the fact Liz lived in a bookstore following the storm and took advantage of the time of the situation to read.

2⭐️

One of my many MOST ANTICIPATED reads of 2025. Oooh how I wish I enjoyed this so much more.

This started out as a promising 4.5 star read. I mean, who wouldn’t want to read a story about a girl surviving in a bookstore after her hometown suffers from “The Storm.” The minute that I finished Chapter 1, I knew that I was going to fall in love with the atmosphere of the bookstore. Being able to hear different authors’ names being dropped. Being able to read about how Elizabeth Flanney (FMC #1) got her job at said bookstore as well as how she has managed to survive so for sounded priceless. I couldn’t wait to read about her past, from her family to her time in high school. Was she an overachiever??? Was she a huge fan of reading or only got the job at the bookstore because it felt easy and she just wanted to be lazy??? I had so many questions running through my mind that I practically read Chapters 1-6 in one sitting. I then turned around and stayed up until 1:30 in the morning reading Chapters 7-14. And thing were going great. I was still loving Elizabeth and got even more excited when Maeve (FMC #2 and no last name was mentioned) entered the picture. Maeve being introduced into the story spiced thing up tremendously. She came off as mysterious, full of knowledge, and felt like she had her crap together A LOT more than Elizabeth. I just couldn’t wait to read more of about Maeve. I was even able to predict that these two would fall for each other and their relationship was just what I needed.

But…Oooh how things took a serious and unlikable turn from Chapters 15-39. The epilogue was okay.

It took 15 chapters before the annoyance of Elizabeth Flanney took place. It took 15 chapters before I found myself thanking God that I chose to read along with the audiobook. I quickly sped up the audio to 1.75x and I was able to read the last several chapters in three hours. Elizabeth had no character growth. She was weak, naive, and helpless. To make matters worse, SHE KNEW THIS and did ABSOLUTELY nothing to change it. And, to add insult to injury, she made the MOST dumbest mistakes. The amount of times Elizabeth talked about the “end of the world” books that she read as well as the amount of the movies and tv shows she watched and she still managed to make mistakes. This made no sense!!! She talked wwwaaayyy too much to strangers and everyone knows that Rule #1 to any “end of the world” situation is that: YOU DO NOT TELL PEOPLE WHAT YOU HAVE!!! Maeve even told her this and Elizabeth still failed to listen. I am sorry but, Elizabeth did not deserve Maeve, especially during and after their third act breakup. Every time Maeve did something wrong Elizabeth would get mad at her but then talk about how she was a hypocrite because she had done the same thing. It took 15 chapters for the eye rolling to begin and I couldn’t stop until I hit the end.

Nothing hurts a book more than when the last chapters of it are just there. When the reader finds themselves ready to get things over with. To feel this way from Chapters 15-39 was both bothersome and heartbreaking. I really wanted to love this book. It was a new piece of literature for me. I can watch post apocalyptic movies and tv shows but to read books about them always makes me feel uncomfortable and scared. But, The Last Bookstore on Earth was something different. Falling in love with the cover was what pushed me to read the synopsis, which then led to me requesting the ARC. As soon as I started reading this piece of literature, I found it both easy to get into and a helpful palette cleanser. One might also find themselves wanting to read this on a rainy day (feet kicked up and drinking coffee, hot cocoa, or hot tea). I don’t know but this book just felt relaxing. The audio is only 9 hours total and can be finished in one day.

Do not shy away from from this book if you find yourself wanting to read it. Your experience, thoughts, and feelings could be different from mine. And I hope that turns out to be a good thing.

Thank you NetGalley and Delacorte Press for granting my request for an Advance Reader’s Copy of this book in exchange for my honest and personal opinion!!!

I really enjoyed this book! Despite it being an "end of the world" book, it was... cozy? I really liked how Liz was just... doing her thing. She was helping people and everyone was kind, and it wasn't a typical end of the world type deal.

I did not love it as much as I had hoped, which was a bummer, but I think the author has A LOT of potential and I can't wait to read more things by her!

I’ve read my fair share of post-apocalyptic stories featuring a teenage heroine. It was refreshing to read the perspective of an average teenager whose idea of survival is to simply stay put and see what happens. Liz is seventeen, and hunkered down in a bookstore after losing her family, friends, and most of society to a terrible storm. The Last Bookstore on Earth is a story of an ordinary person trying to live a somewhat normal life in a dangerous new world.

Liz has an unhealthy attachment to the bookstore.

With her family and friends gone, Liz is processing survivor’s guilt and abandonment issues. There were warnings of the big storm before it tore through the world. Many people (including her family) didn’t take the warnings seriously enough until it was too late. When another survivor warns Liz that another storm is expected, she doesn’t want to believe it, but she knows she has to somehow fortify the store.

It may be “easier” to give up and let the storm do its worst. Liz doesn’t believe she should have been spared in the first storm anyway; however, the will to survive is too strong. At times it seems like her stubbornness to stay inside the store is a weakness. Yet I began to recognize it as her desire to stand her ground. The store became her home when she wasn’t ready to live alone. It provided her a sense of comfort and normalcy from her life before the storm. In her desire to fight to keep the store secure, she’s standing up to the broken society outside, and the power of nature that took too much from her the first time.

Tying our characters’ survival to a bookstore was a unique twist on the post-apocalypse theme.
I recommend to readers interested in a young survival story without the overdone plot of “saving the world”.The bookstore was not only a safe haven for Liz and Maeve, but it served as a beacon of hope for others. The Last Bookstore on Earth is a story of finding purpose after tragedy.

This was a good book. I enjoyed it. I feel there were a lot of things that needed expanded on and I just didn’t feel a connection with the characters. I ended up skimming the last 25% because I just wasn’t as invested as I was at the beginning. I do think if I read this when I was younger I would’ve loved it a lot more than I did now. Overall, it was a good book with a nice premise. I just feel like it needs more.

Overall a good read. The relationship between the two characters worked well with how contrasting their personalities were. Little disappointed that it was more a book about characters self development which was well written in that aspect. However, you don’t see much of what happened with the outside world. It is mostly centered in the bookstore which would be the center focus as it is part of title but it just was very hard to care for the character when we’re only get glimpses of what sure experienced and sometimes it puts her in an unfavorable light.