Jane and Dan are going out to a very expensive restaurant for their anniversary dinner (the 19th, not the 20th). The evening doesn’t go as planned. Broken up into timed sections, the book takes us through the night — giving it a harried feel. Occasionally, the exposition drags and I guess we’re just supposed to not worry about the chef anymore. This is the Good Housekeeping March book club pick.

Loved this book about a woman in her mid-to-late 40s having something of a midlife crisis as she realizes her one published novel seems to be the blueprint for a hostage takeover at the prestigious restaurant where she and her husband are having an anniversary dinner. As with the best novels, this one manages to be funny, keenly observed, and poignant.
My thanks to the author, publisher, producer, and #NetGalley for access to the novel for review purposes. It is now available. Read it!

Read If You Like:
- Fast-paced, deviously clever narratives
- Hilarious and witty storytelling
- Explorations of midlife and marriage
- Unexpected plot twists
- Engaging character development

A seemingly ordinary date night spirals into an extraordinary adventure, testing the boundaries of a couple's relationship. Jane and Dan, navigating the complexities of midlife and marriage, find themselves unexpectedly thrust into a high-stakes situation that challenges their perceptions of each other and their commitment. As they confront unforeseen dangers, their journey becomes a testament to resilience, rediscovery, and the unpredictable nature of life.

The novel seamlessly blends humor with suspense, crafting a narrative that's both entertaining and thought-provoking. The evolving dynamics between Jane and Dan offer readers a fresh perspective on relationships, highlighting the importance of adaptability and understanding in the face of unforeseen challenges.

Jane and Dan at the End of the World is a captivating read that combines elements of surprise, humor, and heartfelt moments, making it a standout choice for those seeking a unique and engaging story.

Thank you Berkley for my ARC and finished copy!

I ended up not finishing this one- it’s not so much i didn’t like it, but the tone of the book wasnt working for me. It was a pretty serious situation that the author was very much trying to keep it lighthearted. The characters were being unserious but the plot felt unserious. Idk. Unfortunately it was just a miss for me.

Jane and Dan are out celebrating their nineteenth anniversary at a fancy restaurant, La Fin du Monde, where Jane plans on telling Dan she wants a divorce. She’s pretty sure Dan’s cheating on her, but she’s been unhappy anyhow for a while. However, their issues go on the back burner when a climate activist group barges into the restaurant and takes everyone hostage.

This sounded like a fun premise and the story started off strong. I thought we’d see Jane and Dan working together to survive or escape. Discovering why they fell for each other in the first place along the way. Instead, I think their interactions (which were limited because of how things went down) underscored why they weren’t getting along. I wasn’t convinced by the end that they rekindled their old feelings and repaired the damage. Plus, their story was muddled by an additional source of conflict (the Sissy issue) that took the focus off of their journey.

The resolution wasn’t believable, IMO and I wasn’t thrilled how everything was just brushed under the rug with the Sissy situation. Still, I was invested enough to finish the story and find out how it all turned out.

Jane and Dan are out to dinner for their anniversary. In Jane's mind this is the day that she will ask Dan for the divorce she's been thinking about for over a year. In Dan's mind he cannot believe this exclusive dinner costs upwards of $200 per person.

However, all of their thoughts and plans are tossed to the side when they become part of a hostage situation. One that seems to be pulled right from the pages of Jane's one and only novel.

The premise for this book sounded kind of bonkers (in a good way) and immediately made me want to read it. I was not expecting to get a story that deals with how we contend with marriage and motherhood and aging and, basically feeling as though you're failing at all of them.

Jane is a difficult character at times because she is at this precipice where she feels absolutely stuck and knows no other way out than to completely, figuratively, tear everything down. For all the times I cringed at her actions, I also inevitably saw myself in her and the way she's feeling.

Amongst all that, we do get points of view told from various other characters which helps to broaden the scope a bit from the narrow confines of the restaurant. However, Jane is our main narrator. I did particularly appreciate the scenes from Dan's point of view just because it's like we're seeing the other perspective of Jane. She's a lot to handle in her own voice / words, but looking at her from his point of view, I think it's easier to see that she's constantly anxious and feels like she is letting everyone down around her. The fact that he knows and sees this in her, understands her, and even sometimes makes allowances for her speaks a lot to his character. It doesn't mean that Dan was the perfect husband and Jane was wrong, but it highlights the idea that in trying to remain in control of all the chaos going on around her, Jane will often pull at whatever thread she can in order to wrest some control, which usually just sends things spinning out further. Considering the hostage situation in which they find themselves, spinning out of control is not best case scenario.

The story takes place in one night over the course of a few hours (there's even a countdown) which means that it goes by at a good clip. This heightens the chaotic feeling that runs throughout because there's also not a lot of down time. I felt like Colleen Oakley did a great job with the pacing.

Overall, I was surprised by this read. I don't know that there was ever a point where I felt like things weren't going to work out in the end, but there was a lot I wasn't expecting out of it. Mostly I appreciated the commentary about aging and the general fear of not being enough. I think it's a universally relatable topic. If you're looking for something that tackles more serious topics like that, but in a quirky way, I think this is a perfect read.

Jane and Dan at the End of the World isn't a post apocalyptic novel, but if you are familiar with Colleen Oakley, you weren't expecting that anyway. Instead, Jane and Dan are celebrating their anniversary at an absurdly expensive restaurant called La Fin du Monde.. If you've ever seen the movie "Date Night" you won't be surprised when everything goes hilariously and dangerously wrong and they find their relationship being tested. They go from discussing issues with their very boring routine marriage to being pressed into extricating themselves and another loved one from environmental terrorists. Complicating this taut situation is that the terrorists seem to be following the plot of a book Jane published several years ago. Mixed in with the suspense and tension are moments of hilarity and unexpected twists in the story. This is another winning combination that you would expect from Colleen Oakley.

My thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for an advance ecopy. My opinion is my own.

JANE AND DAN AT THE END OF THE WORLD provides many laughs and hairy, scary situations at a frantic pace. It stars a couple on their wedding anniversary, Jane and Dan, who celebrate it at a fancy restaurant. Jane, who is an author, is having marriage problems and decides she is going to confess to her husband, that she wants a divorce. Pandemonium breaks out before their second course even arrives! An environmental terrorist group brandishing weapons bursts into the dining area taking everyone hostage. Jane is stunned when the hostage situation and all it's ramifications are scarily similar to Jane's first failed published story. So, it's up to Dan and Jane to save the day. Can they take down the terrorists? What will happen to Dan and Jane's marriage?

Wow! What an original story! I never expected anything like this to happen to a couple dining out at a fancy restaurant. It starts out slow, but then the pacing picks up when bedlam breaks out at the restaurant. The characters are flawed and relatable. I was rooting for Jane and Dan throughout, even with their imperfect chemistry. The secondary characters are all fantastic and have their own stories to tell. The gripping story line kept me way up past bedtime to see what happened next. The author provided many astonishing twists with the tense, riveting plot. This is a stunning story with plenty aha moments and a lot of heart. Hilarious, polished, entertaining page-turner, JANE AND DAN AT THE END OF THE WORLD has oodles of chutzpah!

Thanks to NetGalley and Penquin Publishing for an ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is 1000% one of my absolute favorite books of this year, if not this decade so far. Colleen Oakley has outdone herself, which is saying a lot, since her first two novels were incredibly joyful and hilarious. Jane and Dan, a married couple, go out to the fanciest restaurant in the country for their anniversary dinner. But little does Dan know, Jane is going to ask for a divorce. But little does Jane know, a group of probably violent hijacker/protesters is planning to take over the restaurant and kidnap Jeff Bezos. Or like, the book version of Jeff Bezos.

A fantastic ride from one page to the next, this book is laugh out loud funny, but also very affecting. An EXCELLENT choice for your next read.

The End of the World is a very expensive--absurdly expensive--restaurant near Malibu, and somehow Jane and Dan have received an invitation to make a reservation there for dinner. Dan chooses their anniversary date (which he says is their 20th and she says is the 19th) and little does he know that Jane is going to ask him for a divorce. The first course is strange but delicious. It's a shame that they don't get to taste the second, but a climate activist group bursts into the restaurant and takes everyone hostage. This is stressful enough, but Jane realizes that most of what is going on mirrors her first and only published novel. There are going to be more surprises this evening, but this gets things off to a good start.

Jane and Dan at the End of the World (the restaurant is of course called Le Fin du Monde, no plebeian English for them) is a sprightly novel where regular middle-aged people are tested and either rise to the occasion or don't. Colleen Oakley creates a lively cast of characters with a surprise ending that will satisfy and please readers. I wish that Dan had had a little more heft. He's one of those mildly amusing nice guys who seems to be cheating on Jane. Jane is a writer struggling with her second novel, feeling like her kids don't need her anymore and her husband is interested in someone else. It's time for her to start a new chapter in her life. Will Dan be able to shift that balance or is he too clueless? Let's just say that nothing in this book is wasted. which is why it's so good.

Thanks to Netgalley and Berkley publishing for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

This book houses a mix of humor, confusion, and emotional depth made me genuinely care about the characters.

I won’t spoil the plot, but once Jane realizes the terrorists are following a book she wrote, her outrageous actions add a piece of hilarity. Dan may not be a traditional hero, but his calm demeanor gives him a heroic quality in this chaotic situation. I loved how their teamwork not only aimed to save the other, but ultimately helped to mend their marriage too. This was a thoroughly enjoyable and well-rounded story; just so much fun to read!

Thank you netgalley for the advanced copy.

This is my fifth book by this author. While her first books were tear jerkers, the latest have leaned into the crazy and this one really leaned. I can't say this book is believable - or even plausible - but it is readable, absorbing and entertaining. It started strong, lagging a little in the middle and ending ridiculous but sweet. Was it convenient? Yes but this a perfect easy beach read with a nice heart.

4 stars

When Jane and Dan go out to dinner for their nineteenth anniversary, Jane’s plan to tell Dan she wants a divorce is interrupted when an environmentally concerned terrorist group storms the restaurant. This sounds like it would be an edge of the seat read, but rather it is a statement on marriage, as well as on the damage we are doing to our world, told in a funny and quirky way. Jane’s dialog with Dan, and at times with herself, tells of a woman who is not sure she has accomplished much, and is looking for more in her life. Recommended. Thanks to NetGalley for this crazy romp.

What starts out as an anniversary dinner at an exclusive restaurant goes horribly wrong for Jane and Dan. Starting when Jane blindsides Dan asking for a divorce to a terrorist group taking over the restaurant. That may not sound like the making of a light and funny story but that's just what it is. I smiled or laughed out loud so many times at the antics of both Jane and Dan and their interactions with each other. So much fun.

I thought this book was definitely super unique! Not like anything I have read before, so that was an enjoyable aspect in and of itself. However, I didn’t absolutely love it! I thought the pacing was a bit slow. I ended up doing a combo of reading it digitally & listening on audio. I preferred it on audio. But thank you so much for the advanced digital copy as well!

This book was a lot of fun to read! The story follows an unhappy married couple who out for an anniversary dinner at a prestigious restaurant, find themselves in the middle of a hostage situation. From the very first page, this book has my full attention. It's fun, fast-paced, and an engaging read.

The only thing that threw me off at first was that the daughter's name-Sissy-which, luckily, we later find out is actually Sarah (and the explanation for it is pretty funny).

This book took a heartfelt turn at the end, which I was not expecting but I really enjoyed!

If you're hesitant on reading this, read it, I don't see how anyone could not have fun with it.

The book blurb was interesting, it had promise that in my opinion never manifested. Jane is an author who wrote one boring book that no one read. Except it seems a terrorist whose group has taken control of a restaurant Jane happens to be dining in. While not a complete duplicate Jane recognizes sections from her story unfolding. Her husband thinks she's on an ego trip because no one read her book. Even though she's right so is he, she's on a high thinking it all has something to do with her. Jane is having the worst inner dialogs that are part angst, anger and fear. Her emotions and moods gave me whiplash.

I found Dan to be as dull as the book Jane wrote. Dan is thinking about being a hero or not, mostly not. His Bruce Willis syndrome takes up a lot of space in his thoughts. Dan is middle-age typical. The most interesting characters are the eco-terrorist but their cause is a woke joke. Climate change is no longer a hot cause to be involved with, it's about a decade too late. After the first third of the book, I started skipping around and the ending was just as awful as the rest of the book. It could have been an entertaining finish but it was overly complicated.

#JaneandDanattheEndoftheWorld #NetGalley #ColleenOakley # BerkleyPublishingGroup #crimestory #penguinRandomHouse

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for an advanced reader copy of Jane and Dan at the End of the World in exchange for my honest review.

I love, love, love this book! I loved the concept and there were so many funny, laugh out loud moments. It was a joy to read.

Now I need to go track down other books by Colleen Oakley as I've found myself a new author.

Thank you so much @prhaudio for the early listening copy and @berkleypub for the early reading copy

I have been loving Oakley’s books for some time now.

I read You Were There Too in 2020 and it’s still a book that lives rent free in my head.

I love her characters tremendously and Jane and Dan are no exception.

This book dragged a bit for me when I was reading the physical copy and decided at about 70 pages to transition completely to audio and what a good choice that was because Hillary Huber, where have you been all my life?! The narration was STELLAR. I know I am going to miss Jane and Dan and Sissy and even Brick. They have been voices in my ears for the last few days and it’s my favorite when I meet characters that feel like friends.

The premise of this book was also very engaging to me. A date night that goes off the rails… I mean how could that not be entertaining! You get to meet an entire cast of characters at the restaurant La Fin Du Monde and it was just so fun!

This is the perfect beach, workout, long drive listen!

I ended up really liking this one once I settled into the story and the author's witty and emotional voice. When you can insert funny emotion into a hostage situation, you're doing something right! I loved the high concept premise of this book (won't say too much more, since it's part of the fun) and I thought Oakley really delivered on it by the end. Also a touching take on a long-term relationship, with the stakes dialed WAY up. Will certainty read more from this author in the future!