This was a delightful read; I couldn't put it down! A must-read for fans of queer and dystopian literature.

First and foremost, someone give the cover illustrator an award. It is stunning.
The Last Bookstore on Earth is YA climate change sci-fi with a side of sapphic romance. In a post-apocalyptic near future, teenage Liz is alone running a trading post style bookstore, missing her former co-worker who abandoned her 9 months before. It will absolutely hit with its target demographic. I liked it well enough to read in under one day. It's fast and interesting, though at times very juvenile. The main characters make absurd decisions at times, and I feel like a bulk of the conflict could have been avoided with some basic diplomacy. There is a lot of tension throughout this narrative, and I really loved that the stories Liz collects about others is woven within the narrative. I wish there was more of them, and some connected more with the characters were already knew. I feel like there was a disconnect there I would have really loved to see. Overall, this was a solid debut from a young author.
3.5 ⭐
Thanks to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for this ARC!

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. The Last Bookstore on Earth was a captivating read that kept me invested from page one. I loved the characters and the apocalyptic setting kept up a unique background for the story. Even thought the tone is different, I would recommend to those that enjoyed reading the Life As We Knew It series. A more formal review will be available on my IG/TikTok and Goodreads for release.

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

Seventeen-year-old Liz has been living in an abandoned bookstore where she used to work. After The Storm that destroyed her home and changed everything, she has been bartering books for supplies with the few remaining survivors who wander into the bookshop. It's the only place left that feels safe... that feels like home. One night, a girl named Maeve breaks into the bookshop, seeking shelter. Clashing at first, Liz decides to let Maeve stay, realizing she needs Maeve's help with the shop's many repairs. As they grow closer, they soon learn that a second Storm is coming, but with other dangers lurking beyond their suburban sanctuary, it could be the least of their worries.

I really liked this! I enjoyed the writing style from Liz's POV. It seemed realistic to how a 17-year-old would think and speak. It was easy to become frustrated with Liz's naiveté and decisions, but also easy to sympathize with her given everything she's been through. It's relatable to feel attached to a beloved bookshop, no? She seemed like a well developed character and I enjoyed reading her story. I liked Maeve right away, despite being a little abrasive. Their connection was cute and their feelings seemed genuine, despite only knowing each other a short time. When it came to Eva, Liz's former co-worker, I think there should have been some flashbacks or more background story on her to feel a better connection with her story.

I would have liked a little more information about the Storm. Why the acid rain was occurring, how did that guy predict the next storm, why did it only seem to happen once a year (so far), how much of the world was it covering? Answers to at least a few of those would have helped bump this up to a 5-star read.

Other than that, this is a fantastic YA debut! I read it quickly and was engaged and invested in the story. Definitely recommend for YA and dystopian fans.

“I’ve given this whole thing enough thought that I can confidently say overtime sucks. ”
Here are reasons to read the YA Scifi book:

Bookstore - Liz works in a bookstore. But in this case, it’s kind of the end of the world
Storm - after a devastating acid rain storm has eliminated most of civilization
Alone - and her one friend has left to find more out there, Liz finds herself alone, save the few visitors to her shop
Stranger - until one day a strange shows up to loot the store which turns Liz’s world upside down

This story is for those of you who wish that they could just live in a bookstore or have dreams that at the end of the world, you are surrounded by books. But this story in interesting because it does discuss some ideas about how you would survive if you didn’t know how to hunt or do maintenance on your living structure. It’s also about trusting people, which if you watch any “end of the world” tv, you know is a very big theme. For me the book was a faster paced read, but there was a lot I wished it did explore more - like the books and the people that Liz encounters. If you like dystopian, give this a try.

A character reflection. That is how I would describe this. The setting is secondary to the main character’s thoughts. Interesting.

I enjoyed the premise of this book, but it needed a bit more.

What caused the acid rain? Why wasn’t the MC’s house looted when there was gunfire in the streets? Why did no one loot the bookstore until a year after the storm?

Also, I felt there should be more build up between the love interests. It felt a bit flat - more like a friendship than a romance, but then they are kidding.

The sapphic nature of the romance also felt a bit forced. She has never had a girlfriend, never kissed anyone before, wouldn’t that have a bigger effect on her?

Thank you to Random House/Delacorte and NetGalley for providing am eARc in exchange for an honest review.

Content warning: explicit gore

I'm a little on the fence about this one. It definitely held my interest and I found the two main characters well-drawn and empathetic. Finding out more about the apocalyptic storm - what happened and why, how Liz's family died and why she felt responsible, when and whether society would rebuild and find a way to protect against additional acid rainstorms - kept me turning pages. Ultimately, some of these questions were answered and some weren't. The story's resolution fell a bit flat for me because of that. I did enjoy the relationship between Liz and Maeve. Their slow burn toward an eventual deep connection felt realistic and satisfying. The peripheral group of characters from the woods, who provided the story's main conflict beyond physical and emotional survival, felt a bit forced to me.

Ultimately, I think this will be a fun read for teens with a dark side, and my issues with the story may not matter as much to them.

The Last Bookstore on Earth was a fun and unique read, even with its dystopian setting. I loved the idea of a bookstore as a post-apocalyptic sanctuary, and Liz’s journey from isolation to finding trust, love, and bravery was engaging. The way she traded books and acted as a postmaster added a creative touch to the story’s survival themes.

While it’s definitely trope heavy, the story kept me hooked, and the mix of quiet, heartfelt moments and post-apocalyptic tension made it stand out. It’s a great read for fans of dystopian stories with a balance of grit and hope.

I do not gravitate towards romance-centric works so although this book has a romance element, I gave it a try regardless because of the Queer rep. The premise and characters are well-written and developed but with a distinctly YA flair. This book will appeal to the YA dystopian crowd who likes a romantic sub-plot, which I have unfortunately grown out of taste-wise as a reader. I think I would have adored it if an adult audience was the intended audience. DNF at 15%.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 out of 5 stars

When The Storm hit, Liz took shelter at her place of employment – a bookstore, where she worked with Eva. One day, Eva left, stating she couldn’t stay in one spot for the rest of her life. Liz heard “I can’t stay with you.” From that point on, Liz was convinced of her unworthiness, but couldn’t make herself leave the bookstore. Why would she? It had been pretty stocked when Eva left, and Liz had brought some items from her own house. There are people who come and go, buying books or leaving messages for people they expect to pass by. Liz has become the de facto postmaster of the area.

One day, though, someone breaks into the bookstore while Liz is sleeping. After confronting the intruder, Liz decides to let them stay until after the next storm. But when Liz sticks her hand in a generator, Maeve, the intruder, helps her. She also seems to be handy with tools, and the bookstore needs a lot of repairs before the next storm.

But maybe Maeve is hiding something, and when Eva comes back, the hostility between the two might be more than jealousy.


My gripes: YA tropes up the wazoo. Seriously. Liz's angst and emotional self-flaggelation. Enemies to lovers...can we pick a different trope?

But those were pretty easy to get past. The idea of the story was phenomenal, right? Post-apocalyptic bookstore sanctuary? The character-building was okay. I just felt like it could have been so much more, if it weren't a YA novel first and post-apocalyptic novel second. Liz's backstory was brutal, especially considering the rest of the story could be considered almost cozy.

Still, it kept my attention. I would read more by this author.

The Last Bookstore on Earth is a post Apocalyptic novel about a girl who remains with a bookstore in order to survive. She does business by trading books for items and occasionally food. She also becomes a quasi postal worker by accepting notes from passersby and posting them for people who come by afterward. I kept wondering how she was able to find food and survive. She didn’t experience any violence from others until one night when someone broke into the bookstore. At that point, everything changed for her. She found friendship and love. She also became brave enough to go beyond the boundaries she had set for herself. That action lead to a violence she had not known.
As bleak as apocalyptic novels seem to be, this one does give a glimmer of hope. I like this book. It vaguely reminds me of The Last of Us without the constant violence. I don’t , however, think that the Lesbian element had to be there. I realize that the trend in writing is to introduce LGBTQ+ elements, but it now seems trite and overused.

I love anything post apocalyptic and this was everything I was looking for when I signed up to receive an arc of this book.

Seeing how charectors coped with loss and being alone was so relatable and I loved that it was discussed a lot. I also loved the love story between Liz and Maeve and thought how they found friendship then love was executed perfectly.

I definitely recommend this to teens who want to read something like the Last of Us that isn’t as gruesome!

This had a very interesting "end" to the world. It was very compelling, reading everyone's stories about the day or times of the end. Liked the coming of age love story. Does not hold back on the gore.

This is a dystopian novel, about a time after "the Storm" a never quite explained massive storm that came with extremely acidic rain, flooding, and then extreme cold, followed by a hotter-than-normal summer. The Storm was anticipated, but occurred somewhat earlier than expected, and Liz Flannery is the only survivor of her family. Unable to remain in her family home, Liz moves to the bookstore where she worked before the Storm and sets up housekeeping there instead. A year later, people are trading for books and for the use of her store as a mail drop, and Liz has settled into a routine - a routine that's disrupted when Maeve appears one night, and turns Liv's world upside-down, in multiple ways.

There are multiple themes in this novel - survival, betrayal, love, among others - that will appeal to a wide variety of readers. Liv is an engaging character, dealing with a traumatic experience that is expected to recur, and fighting to maintain at least a little normality following the Storm that ripped her world apart. I was quickly caught up in Liz's story, and finished the novel in a couple of days. Recommended for teens and adults.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Last Bookstore on Earth follows Liz as she works to survive in an abandoned bookstore in New Jersey. After The Storm decimated the world as they knew it, Liz has been mostly alone after her friend left one night. She spends her time trying to keep the place running and trading books for supplies with other survivors. Everything is going somewhat fine until she learns another Storm is coming and a girl breaks in at night. Maeve is prickly but handy and the two girls strike a deal to work together before the next Storm comes. As Liz and Maeve grow closer, their secrets threaten to tear them apart when their pasts come back to bite them.

I’m a sucker for post-apocalyptic books and I thoroughly enjoyed this one! It’s a lot quieter and slower than some of the others I’ve read, but I loved the vibe and introspective quality of the novel. It was really refreshing and exactly what I was looking for. While there’s not tons of action, the scenes we do get are intense and gripping. The whole story is really beautiful and I adored the setting. It felt so fitting for an end of the world story. I really loved the writing and found myself swept away with this lovely story.

Liz is a great main character. She’s strong but she’s also not the kind of girl to run headfirst into danger and it was so refreshing to see a mc like that. She’s perfectly content to stay in the bookstore. But it was also so nice to see Maeve pull her out of her shell and realize that to survive you have to make yourself uncomfortable. Both girls are truly such great characters and their romance was really sweet. The flashbacks and snapshots of other characters were such great additions and the reveal of information was really well done. The ending was great and the Storm was so intense and scary—really great concept!

Overall, if you’re looking for a post-apocalyptic book about two teen girls falling in love in a bookstore while trying to survive, this is definitely one you don’t want to miss!

Thank you to Penguin Teen CA and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley, author Lily Braun-Arnold, and Random House Children's: Delacorte Press for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

I haven't read a YA dystopian novel since my reread of the Hunger Games trilogy last year, and I forgot how addictive they are!! I absolutely FLEW through The Last Bookstore on Earth and was hooked from page 1. I was pleasantly thrilled to see that Braun-Arnold is still in college because her writing style felt way beyond her age, and I already look forward to reading whatever comes next for her. I liked both Liz and Maeve and having a sapphic element to the story definitely helped to pique my interest as well. Everything is high stakes and super fast-paced, and I liked the home base of the bookstore. My biggest complaint is that because it is so fast-paced, there are things that are resolved a bit too quickly <spoiler> (for example, Liz's arm injury?? I felt like that was unbelievable that she would survive such a severe injury, and I wish it wouldn't have rushed past that so much!). </spoiler> I would have also liked the book to be a bit longer, so that the world building and history of both of the main characters could have been more developed. As an action story, however, it worked well for me and was a lot of fun to read!

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
I admit I’m still not a huge dystopian reader, but I was drawn to the concept of The Last Bookstore on Earth, as I love anything to do with books. And in that regard it definitely met my expectations. As we’re seeing with our own dystopian hellscape, books and knowledge are incredibly valuable and I appreciate the way the story depicts the value of books themselves as well as the value in preserving and rebuilding the abandoned bookstore space.
However, while there’s references to the chaos going on in the outside world, the setting being confined to the bookstore means that there is very little context for what is going on outside beyond a handful of references. The lack of sense of place or other context for the “why” behind the storms or other aspects of the state of the world.
And because it’s so cozy, there’s not a ton of suspense or action. There’s some danger, but I didn’t feel a real sense of stakes because I didn’t understand what the characters were dealing with.
Characters wise, it was pretty decent. Liz is fairly easy to relate to, as she carves out a passable existence for herself sheltering in the bookstore trading books for supplies. The romance with Maeve was cute, but the romance also didn’t really rock my world.
This is a fine debut, but I think I went in with different expectations for what this book was going to be than it ended up becoming overall. If you’re expecting the typical action-packed dystopian, I don’t think you’re going to have a great time with this book. But if you happen to enjoy a cozier take on the genre, and are also craving a love letter to the varied ways books and bookstores serve society, I recommend giving this a chance to see what you think.

I feel so bad, but I had to DNF this book. I wasn't a fan of the writing and the beginning seemed to drag for me making it hard for me to get through. I tried to push through because I never wanna DNF and arc but it was putting me into a reading slump and I had to stop. I will still be posting and sharing on release day though, as well as recommending it. Even though I didn't like it, I know other people who might!