This book had good bones, and the writing was good. However, it was way too long. The story could have been narrowed down, moved faster, and enjoyed more. Narration was spot on and added to the humorous parts of the book.

The description of this book was SO intriguing! While vacationing at an island resort, the sun explodes and chaos ensues. Had the sun truly exploded, life on earth would quickly cease to exist and yes this is a sci-fi but I couldn’t get past that scientific fact. And yes maybe had I completed the book I would learn the Sun didn’t really explode and it was something else but unfortunately I am DNFing this one at 63%.

One thing that I took from this book is that in emergency situations, it likely would be the rich that think they are entitled to take over, especially if backed by their God.

I would highly recommend this book to fans of dry humor, social satire, and a lot of characters.

I'm not sure what I was expecting going into "Zero Stars, Do Not Recommend" — maybe based on the cover, I was expecting a fluffy beach read. And, to some degree, it is a light and breezy book, But it's also witty, satirical, and ultimately an entertaining ride through an apocalyptic comedy of errors.

Dan Foster, a self-proclaimed life slacker, is on vacation with his girlfriend at a brand-new, all-inclusive island resort in the Bahamas. Just as he and Mara are settling into the fun, the sun explodes and the entire world goes dark. Isolated and seemingly forgotten on the island, the couple and their fellow vacationers must switch into survival mode to adjust to their limited resources and new reality. Think Lord of the Flies, but with adults and umbrella drinks. With the group already split into social classes, thanks to the widely varied rates they paid to be there, social warfare quickly comes into play, as characters vie for control. Dan, an unlikely leader even on a good day but an all-around-good-guy, does his best to lead the group to peace and safety.

There's something about this book that had me feeling like I was watching a movie in my head. The voice of each character felt so distinct and unique that I was almost distracted by thoughts of which actors I would cast in each role. While the story is, admittedly, over the top, it's intentionally so, and if you refuse to take it more seriously than the main character does himself, you're in for an enjoyable ride. Stephen R. Thorne absolutely nails it on narration, giving a delicious bite to Dan as an unwitting hero.

I did have one small complaint focused around the character of Lilliana. Lilliana is the leader of Beach Bod, an MLM company. The name and focus of this fictional company is so strikingly similar to Beachbody, a real-life MLM company, that it seems this book may be walking a thin line between comedy and defamation. What really hung me up, though, was that Wassmer made reference to all the women who try to sell the Beach Bod lifestyle while sporting the mom-tummies that prove it doesn't work. All debate of MLMs aside, this body shaming felt damaging and just unnecessary to include. The book leans heavily on stereotypes, as much of comedy does.

Overall, this was a fun and unique book to get swept away by. Thank you to MJ Wassmer, RBmedia, and NetGalley for providing an advance copy for an honest review.

With this cover how could I resist the audiobook for a summer listen.? I wasn’t expecting this type of dystopian satirical story but I still had a good time listening. Going into it realize that these people really have zero survival skills and honestly aren’t worried about learning any. You’ll love to hate some of the characters. Just an honestly funny end of the world book.
I received this advanced listening copy from NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own..

While I was slow to get into this book (more a comment on me than the writing), once invested, I was hooked and couldn't put it down. It read like a Gilmore Girls level stream of consciousness from a dude who has long expected nothing from himself. The pop culture references were there. The humor had something for everyone. There was action, adventure, and intrigue - I didn't see the ending coming! I absolutely 100% DO recommend this book.

"Zero Stars, Do Not Recommend" by M.J. Wassmer is a speculative fiction novel and also referred to as a social satire. I enjoyed this weird book.

Dan Foster and his girlfriend, Mara Nichols, are on vacation on a small island in the Bahamas. One day, they are on the beach when they see the sun melt and go dark. It gets colder every day.

The three buildings at the resort are based on cost and their wealth of the guests. Building A is for the richest guests. Building B is the middle of the road and Building C for those with the least money invested in their vacation. Not long after losing the sun, a guest from Building A announces she is in charge. Lilyanna is the CEO of a big pyramid scheme company called Beach Bod.

Dan and Mara make some friends and some enemies. It's quite interesting.

Characters - 5/5
Writing - 5/5
Plot - 5/5
Pacing - 4/5
Unputdownability - 4/5
Enjoyment - 4/5
Narration - 5/5 by Stephen R. Thorne
Cover - 5/5
Overall - 37/8 = 4 5/8
Rounded up to 5 Stars

Thank you to Netgalley, RB Media, and M.J. Wassmer for providing this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: 4/5 Stars
Pub Date: 8/6 - Out Now!
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Dan Foster is on vacation in the Bohemian Islands with his girlfriend Mara when the sun explodes. Things go from bad to worse when the elite decide to take control over the food and begin to assign jobs. Things get even more sinister when it comes to the end.
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I actually went into this one completely blind thinking that it was going to be some cute romcom and wow I was so far off. This is an apocalyptic story. There is definitely some dark humor and some comedic relief thrown in there for good measure but for the most part, this is pretty terrifying. I found myself totally emersed in this story as I was trying to figure out what exactly these people were going to do in order to get off of the island. And then when Ms. Body Pump and her pastor hubby take control I was immediately not about that culty life. Speaking of Ms. Body Pump and Pastor, I totally envisioned them as Steve and Sarah Newlin from Trueblood. The way they ran the place was like The Fellowship of the Sun.
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This story isn't necessarily one of those edge of your seat thrillers, but it's still thrilling in the sense that there is an impending sense of doom throughout the entire story. This is a more so a story about survival, it's about rising up against what's wrong, it's about fighting for what you love most. This was a very thought-provoking story. I found it to be steady paced and really enjoyed where this one led. I did not see the ending coming but I absolutely loved every single second of it. It is unbelievably clever. Everything comes full circle, even if its not what is expected.
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I listened to this via audiobook, and it was narrated by Stephen R. Thorne, who was absolutely phenomenal. I loved everything he did with this narration. All the stars to the narration. If you are thinking of picking this one up - be sure to grab the audio!!
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I highly recommend this one to all my apocalyptic reader fans. This was different, it was interesting, funny, a little panic inducing but overall a great read! Huge thank you to NetGalley, M. J. Wassmer and Recorded Books Media for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

Dan and Mara are at a beautiful resort on a private island in the Bahamas…until the sun explodes and everybody is left in darkness. Chaos ensues, as the classes battle for the remaining resources on the island, and everyone is in a panic as to how they might survive and get off the island.

As disastrous as that all sounds, this book was…funny? There are some twists that I won’t spoil, but the references made even when the biggest one is revealed are perfect. It was weird and funny and confusing and had moments of WTF?! But by the end I was really invested and excited to see how it turned out.

This darkly comedic book starts with a perfect vacation in a perfect setting which lasts approximately one-quarter of a page. Everything goes to literal hell in a handbasket when the sun explodes above the idyllic resort. Please hold your scientific issues at bay, because what follows in a complete cast of ridiculous characters trying to navigate this new world which quickly falls into chaos.

I thoroughly enjoyed every flawed character in this book and the twist at the end was a delight. The reader was also fantastic and did a great job of creating separate voices for each character that really enhanced their personalities.

Such a fun book and an original storyline. I had so much fun listening to this one. Very different than my usual reads but in a good way.

I loved the plot of this book , people are on an island enjoying beach and Sun, but then the Sun explodes and now its complete dark and the earth will freeze in next week or so and the planes were going to come to get the guests after a week. Communication is down so no option of communicating to mainland and the resort owner is a rich kid who doesn't know how to handle such crisis situation.
The loved the whole idea of apocalypses on a sunny, resort island. The resort is divided into 3 buildings, A, B and C and they are divided with different economics, like only super rich people stay in building A and they get all the luxuries, B is for average people and C is lower class with minimum amenities.
Dan and Mara in building B and once the sun explodes they are promised to get all the food and comfort till thee planes arrive but the very next day they get to know that the building A people transferred all the food and rations to their building and now they are in control.
They have to keep completing the assigned tasks to get food , there was security who were ready to kill people who didnt obey the terms.
I initially found Dan a tad bit flat but then I slowly realized that he is meant to be flat, ordinary. All he wants is to lay low and get his fiancé off the island and to her family. But Mara wants to help people and wants Dan to do the same. All the people around him expect him to do something.
We see their time on the island and all the things that happens during the apocalypse. I was hooked to the book and was mad at certain times when Dan and Mara had chance to leave the island but they didnt, they literally ran in the opposite direction. but then the author spun the story in such a way that everything made sense and I couldn't be mad at any characters and that was the author's biggest win. I am going to recommend this book to everyone and I will be looking forward to the author's next release.

Thanks to NetGalley and RBmedia for sending me an ARC of Zero Stars, Do Not Recommend in exchange for an honest review.

Dan Foster is 29 and stuck in a boring digital marketing job he hates even though he’s been told all his life that he’s “gifted.” But he’s got a good thing going with his girlfriend Mara, and they’re on vacation at the grand opening of a resort in the Bahamas, so what could go wrong? Well, the sun could explode. But rather than obliterating Earth in a fiery aftermath, the resort is merely cut off from the rest of the world, and slowly getting colder (and dark, of course). And when the wealthy Building A people steal all the food and takeover the island, Dan is forced to choose between finding a way for him and Mara to escape to the mainland and leading the class rebellion against the ruling class.

Obviously, if the sun exploded for real we’d all be dead about 9 minutes later, so you have to suspend your disbelief in Zero Stars, Do Not Recommend. You just have accept that the setup is one part a metaphor for our collective failure to address climate change and one part an excuse to bring the class tensions here to a boil. There are shades of Lord of the Flies here, but the tone here is all tongue-in-cheek. MLM-running, fascist dictator Liliana makes an entertaining foil for lovable loser Dan. The story drags a bit in the middle, and takes a hard turn at around the 80% mark that was very unexpected but makes sense in hindsight. But the story has got a snarky charm, and Stephen R. Thorne did an excellent job performing the audiobook. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4. Recommended.

This isn’t necessarily my genre of choice. But decided to give it a try when our book club was sent this book from @bookmarked for this months pick. The cover and title drew me in and begged me to love it. Although it wasn’t love for me, I did appreciate the story and the mystery to it. I could picture the resort in my mind as they were moving around and could see the different classes of guests. I did start to wonder why large groups getting bullied don’t stand up and fight. Not that I can say I would but definitely makes you think. All in all it’s a well thought out story and one I would recommend to anyone who likes the science fiction.

I did not expect to like an apocalyptic end of the world satire book as much as I enjoyed this one! There were elements that were a little much, naturally, but I thought the story was certainly original and I really enjoyed the themes touched on in this book. I suggest going in completely blind and enjoying your time with this book. I found Dan to be quite obnoxious in an older brother way, where you just wanted to roll your eyes at some of his decisions but could totally see somebody making the same poor choices. I really enjoyed the side characters much more, especially Lenny. He was definitely a real one. The narrator did such a fantastic job of bringing each character to life. I thought this was a fun ride, and will likely be one I think about for a long time in the future. Highly recommend if you like thinking about what you would do if it was the end of the world as you know it, and you enjoy a little laugh along the way.

Thanks to NetGalley and RBmedia for an advanced listening copy of this book. All opinions within this review are my own.

All I keep hearing in my head is that video clip that’s like “looks like a cinnamon roll, could kill you” - that’s this book 😂 the cover is adorable and gives major cute vibes. But the story is NOT a rom com and this is a seriously insane book. Think a dash of Emily Henry meets whole bucket full of Lord of the Flies - this book was a wild time!

I got some major Palm Springs (the movie) vibes from this book and therefore pictured the main character as Andy Samburg the whole time and it absolutely was a perfect fit.

This book took turn after turn - i literally could not put it down!

I saw another reviewer mention Shawn of the Dead vibes and I completely agree. This book is incredibly campy, dripping with satire, and so dystopian. It was a wild ride that I was not expecting.

The narration was well done and made the story even better.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

Thank you to Netgalley and RBMedia Recorded Books for the advanced copy.
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This was delightful. I had no idea what to expect and essentially picked the book for the cover and title. A dream vacation to the Bahamas turns into a nightmare when the sun explodes, plunging the world into darkness. The resort becomes a chaotic dystopia when the elite guests stage a coup, steal all the supplies and force the other guest into servitude.

Lead male protagonist and professional underachiever, Dan Foster accidentally becomes the beacon of hope to other survivors. However, when one six-person plane is discovered that could get them back to the mainland, Dan realizes he has a choice to make. Does he escape the island with Mara? Or does he stay and fight to become the most unlikely hero of the end of the world?

There's a lot more surprising twists and some memorable character bound to entertain readers.

3.5 stars.

This book is great for the right audience. The humor is dark and sarcastic, making this dystopian vacation story quite a bit lighter. I thought it was going to be a rom-com with this sci-fi theme due to the cover, because all roms and rom-coms seem to have the same style cartoon cover these days. Never judge a book....

The story was slow and I was downright frustrated that *no one* in the three groups of vacationers had any semblance of survival skills or common sense. Why were they so obsessed with the pre-stocked food and not with finding a sustainable source, fishing, hunting, etc.? Why weren't they utilizing fires more? I had so many questions and was so irritated but it seemed like the author went straight for the implausible and hung onto it for dear life. The story was all supposed to be fun, I suppose, despite the guns and murders, with everything hinging on being rescued, which itself didn't make sense. I did like Dan being this unlikely and resistant hero to the regular folks, even though he did almost nothing. Mara was fun and I liked her, as well as other characters, but it dragged on and on. Thankfully I was listening to the audiobook and could do other things. If it had been an ebook, I never would've finished.

The idea was creative and interesting, the humor was similar to my own, and I was entertained by how quickly it devolved into a class war. Would that really happen? Who knows? We haven't been in the position and everyone is different anyway.

What a fun and surprising book! While the characters were annoying at times, there was enough action and storyline to keep me going. With a little bit of White Lotus meets Hunger Games vibes (you will get it if you read it), this was a truly entertaining story. I loved the social satire aspect. Imagine you are at a resort on an island and the sun explodes. What would happen? What would you do? What would the people around you do in this post-apocalyptic world? The crazy plot and great writing were easy to follow. There were many laugh out loud moments. This was a page turner. I listened to the audiobook and could not put it down. Stephen R Thorne is the narrator, and he does a fantastic job. I almost didn’t request this on NetGalley because it was sci-fi. I am glad I did. For those looking for a book that is a bit different from your current reads, this one is outstanding!

This was a fun beach read with a twist. Experience your vacation with panic and worry, but don't worry we have food! Set in the Bahamas, this one has all the parts you'll need - humor, unlikeable characters paired with one's you can't help but hope come out on top, and a doomed planet. Enjoy this one for what's given to the reader and not what's truly plausible. Great pacing that made me really enjoy this one.

If you find yourself enjoying end of the world stories, look up The Hopkins Manuscript by Sherriff for one about losing the moon, originally released in the 1930s.