Colleen Oakley is becoming a must read author for me. Her books are so unique, funny, and sort of quirky- I can’t get enough of them. Jane and Dan at the End of the World is no exception. Part mystery, part action, part romance, this book could really appeal to many different readers. I LOVED the tongue in cheek commentary on marriage throughout the book. The action kept the story going, but the humor and relationships between the characters really made the story a great one. Loved this. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-arc.

Jane wants a divorce.

That's the premise that drew me into this story, because as a 30-something woman in a long term relationship with a man, I get Jane. (No offense to my man.) However this story ended up being about so much more than wanting a divorce, and not –as I thought based on the title– about Jane wanting a divorce despite the world literally ending around her. I would argue instead that Jane & Dan's personal world crumbled throughout this story about being held hostage at a really really ridiculously expensive restaurant where a group of eco-warriors craft a new meaning for extreme protesting.

The story, with it's twists and turns had one plot point that was outright baffling, but it really was Jane & Dan that kept me involved. I did roll my eyes a few times at some of the dialogue, and even put the book down with a sigh a few times at the dad jokes. But overall this story wasn't really about the world ending. It was about what makes a marriage, and what makes it break apart. How love endures, and how certain people become indispensable to you, and that's what made me enjoy it so much.

I loved this book. Jane and Dan are celebrating their 19th anniversary, although Jane has decided that she wants a divorce. But before dinner is even served, activists take over the restaurant and hold them hostage. But Jane, a writer, recognizes the uncanny coincidence that the heist is just like her only book that did not do well at bookstores, playing itself out in real time. What the kidnappers say and the events are as if Jane herself wrote the script. Only she and Dan are aware of how this could turn out and they are fearful. Can they change the ending of this novel gone bad and maybe save their marriage? Some twists and turns the will surprise you. Delightful and engaging, I recommend this book. Many thanks to #netgalley #colleenoakley #janeanddanattheendoftheworld for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Jane and Dan at the End of the World by new to me author Colleen Oakley, published by Berkley Publishing, is a stand alone rom/com.
Jane is a 46 year old writer who suffers from lets call it writers block.
Her husband Dan is a podiatrist. They're married for 19 years with two kids. And Jane is unhappy and wants to change it. Dan is opposed to her plans when in slapstick manner they're roped into an überfall.
The writing is ok, a bit stilted, but the story is like a car wreck on the other lane of the highway, you just can't not look.
An ok read, 4 stars.

Jane and Dan have been married for nineteen years, and Jane isn't so sure she wants to make it to twenty. They go out for their anniversary dinner at the famous and trendy restaurant, Le Fin du Monde. It's a super upscale place sitting at the edge of a cliff, offering gorgeous sunset views. Jane is feeling stalled out in her writing career, only selling a small amount of her first novel, she feel unappreciated by her two children and she's pretty sure Dan is cheating on her. So Jane decided to tell Dan right then and there that she wants a divorce. While Dan is still reeling from this news, the restaurant's patrons and staff are all taken hostage by an underground climate activist group. Jane is shocked to be in this hostage situation, but also starts to notice that the events taking place are strangely similar to the plot of her unsuccessful novel. Even Dan has to agree that it's eerily similar.

As the events of the evening start to unfold, several shocking twists are revealed, none of which I saw coming. This was at times also quite funny and I found myself chuckling. But along with the hostage plotline, I felt this was also an exploration of a long term marriage with all it's ups and downs. So maybe if they can survive this night, maybe they can find a way to salvage their marriage as well. Overall, a really fun ride that I found witty and unlike any story I'd read before! Thank you to @berkleypublishinggroup and @netgalley for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. Publishes March 11, 2025.

I am a longtime Colleen Oakley fan and this book is one of my favorites by her. The plot is fun and interesting, but the commentary on marriage on parenting is what makes it so charming and enjoyable. It's a light and easy read, which we all need in challenging times like these.

some fun insights into a 19 year marriage and parenting teens but, overall, this book was just fine (to me). i didn’t love it but i didn’t hate it.

thank you to berkley publishing group for providing this book for review consideration via netgalley. all opinions are my own.

Colleen Oakley is now an auto-read author for me. Jane and Dan at the End of the World checks all the boxes for me - a complicated love story, a mystery, twists, humor, and family drama. I just loved it! Jane and Dan set off to celebrate their 19th anniversary at an exclusive and remote hillside restaurant. Jane decides to tell Dan early into their 9 course dinner that she wants a divorce. That little twist is soon interrupted by the restaurant being invaded by armed terrorists. I will leave it there so you can discover each twist for yourself. Highly recommend!

Due to be published on March 11, 2025, so pre-order now!

I went into this book blind and was delighted by the plot. Jane and Dan are on their anniversary date at a restaurant that is the crème de la crème of fine dining (where they are woefully out of place). Jane tells Dan that she wants a divorce during dinner and the night takes a turn that none of the diners would have expected. 98% of this story takes place in the span of a few hours. I finished this story in one day - I needed to know what happened! The book overall could have been 30-50 pages shorter; however, it was still captivating. Colleen's main characters were well-developed. I really enjoyed the setting of the story. This was my first Colleen Oakley book and I look forward to reading more of her work!

I really connected and empathized with Jane as she struggled with her identity in this chaotic and quirky family-drama-cum-comedy. The plot may have been just slightly improbable, but I think it helped to strengthen the message about capitalism, greed, and environmental impacts.

Thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for access to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

While a quick read, this book entertains. It has humor and nod-your-head moments that sound like me (or my friend's marriage.) It is fiction, so if you expect reality in every plot detail this book might not be for you. If you're looking for an escape from routine and heavy reads, pick it up. It could provide an interesting book club discussion when a lighter read is needed in the summer. Fiction imitating life, relationships, parenting, and anniversary dinners could be discussion topics. Overall, an enjoyable book. (less)

Jane and Dan are celebrating their 19th wedding anniversary, at a restaurant that's way out of their budget (but Dan has a coupon!), when their restaurant date is rudely interrupted by armed extremists. Jane, the author of one wildly unsuccessful published novel, suddenly finds that life is mirroring events in her book way too closely for coincidence. Prior to the date Jane was gearing up to divorce her husband, the sweet but seemingly clueless Dan. Jane and Dan are just two imperfect people, raising two imperfect children, who have become a bit complacent in the mundanity of their mid-lives but then are thrust into a life-altering situation. Will the shared danger bring them closer or just prove that their differences are too vast to stay together?

This was an engaging and absorbing book with much to unpack re: marital roles, the trials of parenthood, individuality vs. familial identity, and the weight of personal happiness. Domestic drama and existential crises fight for attention amidst the unfolding hostage situation as Jane and Dan try to figure out what's happening and why, both with the divorce bombshell Jane drops and the reason that terrorists have targeted the uber-expensive and exclusive restaurant where they happen to be spending their anniversary dinner. This story was a bit more twisty and tense than I expected, but in a good way, and it was nicely tempered by subtle humor throughout. Dual 3rd-person POVs, alternating between Jane and Dan's perspective. I found that Jane was a tricky character to warm up to. The anger over her marriage initially numbed her to the events in the restaurant, but she was already striking out at Dan before events started happening, and she comes across as self-centered at times. Dan seems earnest but maybe a little oblivious and not terribly introspective, although for large portions of the book neither of them seemed hugely self-aware. I found the ending to be satisfying, with enough surprises along the way to keep me reading to the end. If you enjoy imaginative and dryly funny writing, heists with a few twists and turns, and mid-life existential crises laced with relationship drama then you'll love this book! 4.5 stars rounded up to 5 stars. Publishes March 11, 2025. Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for providing an eARC of this book, this is my objective review.

I breezed through this one in 24 hours. It was the perfect read for a day at home. I would call it a cozy heist story. It was interesting to try and figure out who the bad guys were and exactly what the motives were. I’m someone who typically likes my books a little more grounded in reality but I could appreciate it for what it was. As someone who is currently single books about the dynamics of marriage are always fascinating to me and I think at the heart of it all that’s what this book was about which was enjoyable.

3.5 ⭐️

Jane, an unsuccessful author, finds herself celebrating her anniversary at a restaurant overtaken by climate activists who seem to be following the plot of her book. Even her husband, Dan, who reminders her the book only sold 500 copies, begins to notice the strange similarities. Does this mean Jane knows what will happen next? It's a twist that’s both intriguing and promising for a story!

While the plot had some surprising and entertaining twists, I was a bit disappointed that more of the story didn’t focus on Jane and Dan using scenes from her book to outsmart the activists and rescue the hostages. The book’s description, as well as the cover, gave me the impression that there would be more comedic moments with the “disorganized and bumbling activists,” but those elements didn’t play out as much as I hoped.

That said, mixed in with the action and suspense, there were surprising moments of reflection—on what truly matters in life: the journey of a mother as her children grow, the dynamics of marriage, and our connection to the Earth. Overall, I enjoyed reading Dan and Jane at the End of the World.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing me with an advanced reader’s copy of this book I’m exchange for my honest opinions.

Jane and Dan have been married for 19 years and Jane knows she isn’t willing to make it to 20. During their anniversary dinner at the upscale and overpriced La Fin du Monde Jane decides to ask for a divorce but before Dan can really respond all breaks lose when the restaurant is overtaken by a Climate Activist group. What at first seems to be a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time begins to seem more targeted when it seems the whole plan is the plot from Jane book which only sold 500 copies.

I have loved previous books from this author but this one was a miss for me. The humor I didn’t find that funny and I didn’t enjoy the characters at all.


Thank you Netgalley and Berkley for my copy.

This is my first book from Colleen, Oakley, but I will definitely look for more. Enjoy the story of Jane and Dan. It’s one of those kinds of stories that many of us can relate to. The familiarity of a long time relationship and feeling a bit lost in it. But I love how Jane and Dan came together in the end and understood each other in a way that maybe they hadn’t before. The character arc was very well written and I thoroughly enjoyed the story.

This was such a good book. I loved the story and the writing so much. The characters were great and the story flowed smoothly. Will definitely read more books by this author in the future.

One thing about Colleen Oakley is she’s going to take you on a RIDE. This was so fun and wild and engaging, and I was so here for it.

Jane and Dan are celebrating their nineteenth (twentieth?) wedding anniversary, and if Jane has her way, it will be their last. But they don't even make it to course two of nine at the fancy, overpriced restaurant before they find themselves in a hostage situation. A hostage situation that feels eerily similar to the plot of Jane's failed novel, that she's not sure Dan ever read. 

I was a little worried about the marriage-in-crisis situation but it ended up being a really thoughtful plot point. Not everything is as it appears, which made for effective twists that kept me turning the page. And it was FUNNY.

If you need to read about (and occasionally laugh at) someone who’s having a worse day than you, pick this one up!

Thank you Berkley Pub and NetGalley for the e-arc!

4.5/5 stars
I wasn't sure what to expect reading this since it is my first book by this author, but I was pleasantly surprised. The premise is fun and intriguing, and the book is light with some humor. I liked the exploration of their marriage throughout the plot. It has a few implausible moments, but I still enjoyed the read.

Thank you to Berkeley Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this fun, Date-Nightesque novel about a couple who end up having an anniversary dinner they will never forget. I won't lie-I identified with Jane quite and I found her relatable and funny. It's a great look at parenting older kids, staying happy in your marriage and finding purpose in your life in a really zany kidnapping-gone-wrong kind of way.