A pandemic sweeps through the world. Some lose their memory and slowly whither away. Others become violent and attack others, spreading the infection. After her fiancé abandons her with a group of murdering bandits Casey manages to escape and flees the city to her childhood home and her prepper dad.

It's actually fairly typical for the genre and if I'm honest I wasn't really feeling it at first. But at some point (not sure when) I realised I was approaching it all wrong. Most books try to skirt around the edges of reality, keeping close enough that an average person with a little imagination could see it happening. The author puts people you would recognise in otherworldly situations.

That's not this book. She carries shuriken for goodness sake.

This book is Batman. It's Wonder Woman. It's Tank Girl. And it's a dozen other comics. And when I realised that I was suddenly enjoying it for what it is. An off the wall comic book bullet ballet.

Unlike the author, I do not think the idea of a post-apocalyptic romantic comedy is bizarre beyond imagining. It seems like two great tastes that could complement each other well, if a skilled chef were to combine them.

It might be easier to state what didn't work:
* "Enemies-to-lovers" is a trope because the passion is already there and gets redirected. "Psychological-abuser-to-lover" is more something we discuss in domestic violence situations.
* Clearly emotional intelligence and therapy play no part in becoming a doctor because Casey is a thirteen-year-old in mentality through most of the book.
* Likewise, Blake, who has a better reason to bury the hatchet, but still behaves as a pigtail-pulling bully whenever the plot demands, even though it makes no sense that he would. They are both twenty-nine or thirty, and they've been out of high school for quite some time. And yet.
* I am loath to pull an "Um, actually," especially when it comes to weapons. However, Rose has at best an overly optimistic idea of what throwing stars are and can do. (One to the eye would not kill a zombie, since zombies are crawling around that lack bottom halves.) Also, if you hold a sword the way you hold a gun, you will drop it from exhaustion almost immediately. A sword and a gun are meant for different purposes. It isn't that I care about the weapons themselves, but it takes me out of the action when the zombies-- I mean "biters" are the least unbelievable thing on the page.
* Some of the dialogue needed a few more drafts or to be cut entirely.
* Rose overwrites endlessly. One never just smiles. Each side of one's lips quirk up slowly, tentatively, flickers spreading to an upturning of the lips on one's mouth below the nose of one's face on the head of one's body. If she did this occasionally, fine, but there is never a simple action. Also, I am serious about the redundancy. One does not need to clarify that one has blisters on the palm of one's hand. One can just say "palm" unless there is a tree about. Likewise, one does not need to be stabbed by the blade of the knife. Either "blade" or "knife" suffices, unless the wielder is grasping the blade to stab with the pommel for some reason.
* Every character is paper-thin. There are no nuances. There is nothing beneath the surface or any way for them to grow that would be surprising or interesting.
* This does mean that the reader knows exactly what will happen to each character the moment they introduce themselves. The rest is waiting for Rose to wake us when they die or marry.
* This also means that the heel turn is so telegraphed that the only surprise is why the other characters would be surprised.
* Characters do things that do not make sense in order to move the plot along. <spoiler>There is no way Casey would leave the compound with Nate without additional weapons and backup, but if she doesn't, we can't move on to the next action scene</spoiler> or <spoiler>Blake freezing up long enough to get bit by a zombie he knew</spoiler>, for instance.
* That epilogue.

Things that were good:
* Most of the secondary characters, if cliches, were at least cute ones. Unless a character was undead or a murderous rapist, there is a good chance I liked them more than I did Blake and Casey. I probably couldn't describe them as anything more than Best Friend, Love-Obsessed Girl, or Maternal Figure, but they embodied these roles well.
* The premise could have been executed well.
* Rose can be vividly gross in her killing scenes, which is a hilarious contrast for the romance, especially when she opts for prim euphemisms in the sex scene. I would love to think this was intentional, but I suspect it was not.
* Owing to her overly descriptive narration, I had a clear idea of what the compound looks like.
* The parallel of the opening chapter and the last proper chapter was well-crafted.

This was, unfortunately, a lite DNF for me – while I did technically finish it, I was very much skimming. I didn't expect this to be a typical Jeneva Rose book, but it felt almost YA-adjacent with the writing style, which made it hard to get engaged in. The post-apocolypse setting did add something unique, it didn't feel like every other romance novel, which is a positive.

Ok this was fun and a refreshing take on the apocalypse. Jenevas writing is definitely interesting and gotta be in the mood for it but overall, I enjoyed it.

So fun! This book was such a quick read but captivating the entire time. You've got enemies to lovers, action, slow burn, second chance romance, not super spicy. This is nothing like a normal Jeneva book. But that ending?! 👀

I laughed, I cried, I gasped, and I held my breath throughout this book. This was something completely different from what I'm used to reading from Jeneva Rose, and just in general. This is probably the second zombie based book that I have read, and it did not disappoint.

I love how descriptive Jeneva gets with certain scenes because I can actually picture it all in my head. The tension and banter between Casey and Blake was top tier, and I could not get enough. Their character developments were great, especially after learning why they were the way they were. They are both strong, independent people who tend to deal with the big things by themselves, but it ends up pushing away the ones they care for the most. I very much hate Nate so much. From the very beginning, I felt like something was off about him and that Casey was pretty much just settling with him.

With the way this book ended in the epilogue, I cant wait for the day we get the announcement of a second book. There are still some things that need to be answered and cleared. I want to see what crazy explanation Jeneva Rose comes up with about how this zombie outbreak happened. I can't wait to get the physical copy of this book, especially since Jeneva Rose is on my list of authors I automatically buy.

DNF @ 25%

I was very excited for this one and unfortunately it just didn’t work for me at all.The writing felt childish and the FMC was immature and bratty. This is my first Jeneva Rose book so maybe she’s just not the author for me.

Dating After the End of the World is a fast, funny, and unexpectedly swoony romp where zombies are only half the problem. Jeneva Rose throws a doomsday-prepper’s daughter back into the bunker with her childhood nemesis, and the sparks fly as fast as the undead close in. Equal parts apocalyptic action and enemies-to-lovers banter, it’s perfect for readers who like their end-of-days with a side of romance and razor-sharp humor.

✨Book Review✨

📚okkkkay, this book is like your best friend having a secret talent that they forgot to tell you about. Jeneva knocked this out of the park. We’ve got apocalypse, romance, suspense and a touch of mystery all wrapped into one story. Did I know Jeneva was great at mystery and suspense? YES. Did I assume she probably had another genre up her sleeve? Yes. But I was still surprised by how much I enjoyed this one! I have not been drawn to zombie style books before, but with Jeneva at the wheel I knew it was worth a chance - and boy did she deliver! This writing is perfectly paced and well plotted out. It felt sweet and sour, expertly crafted.

🌟If you like Jeneva Rose, post pandemic worlds, and a book you won’t be able to put down - this is the one you need!

Thank you to @NetGalley and @JenevaRoseAuthor - set to publish October 1st this fall.

More about: Dating After the End of the World, Jeneva Rose

📖 Casey grew up with a doomsday prepping father, and a high school bully who never let her live it down. She finally escaped to the city and became a doctor - but then a viral outbreak changes everything, people included. With the world ending there’s only one place to go… home.

#BookReview #BookRecommendation #Bookish #BookLover #NetGalley

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Jeneva gave us another good one! I’m definitely not a zombie fan, but I decided to give it a shot and I’m glad I did. Casey was so easy to root for, and I loved her history with Blake. Had to skip through some of the gory parts, but it was a thrill ride.

Thanks as always to NetGalley for the ARC.

Hilarious, chaotic, and totally original! Dating After the End of the World is a wild ride full of sharp humor, unexpected twists, and quirky romance. Jeneva Rose nailed it again—I couldn’t put it down!

A smart, fast-paced blend of apocalyptic survival and second-chance storytelling, this novel delivers both heart-pounding tension and unexpected emotional depth. Casey Pearson’s reluctant return to her doomsday-prepper roots feels both ironic and inevitable, setting the stage for a compelling journey of reckoning—with her past, her estranged father, and Blake Morrison, the reformed bully turned reluctant ally. The viral outbreak and its zombielike consequences create a terrifying backdrop, but it’s the complex relationships and sharp character dynamics that steal the spotlight. Equal parts survival thriller, enemies-to-lovers romance, and personal redemption arc, this book proves that even at the end of the world, there’s room for growth, forgiveness, and a new beginning.

I absolutely love this author, but I was unsure about this book when I heard about it. I’ve never been a big zombie fan, but went in to it with an open mind. I’m glad I did! I laughed, cried and cringed all throughout the book. Although some was a little laggy and predictable, I will still recommend this book as a palette cleanser or just a quick rom com!

This was a nice true apocalyptic book with a tad of romance in it. I am a huge fan of The Walking Dead so I particularly enjoyed this. It's a little gory if you don't love zombies but overall a good plot. The ending really shocked me. I hope this means that there will be a second book! what a cliffhanger

This book is so fun! It’s romantic, funny, dramatic, suspenseful… a bit of everything! It’s an excellent crossover of horror, science fiction, and rom-com that will appeal to readers of almost any genre. I think this will be a super easy recommendation and I’m grateful for the chance to have read it early!

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake publishing for the ARC. Who knew I would like a zombie book. Totally not up my alley but it was written in a way that was completely readable for me. Enemies to lovers trope wins out in the end. Very different from Jeneva’s other books. Well done.

This book hooked me so hard, that I finished it in less than a day. It’s exactly what I needed.

Fast paced, unique, and slightly gory, this book also has a romantic element to it that will satisfy the romance readers! Especially if you enjoy romantic suspense.

I don’t want to write much more, as it will give things away, but I really enjoyed this one!

I enjoyed this. It was fun and funny. I liked the main characters banter, and the easy, without being disjointing flashbacks to their past. It was a bit gory for me, but it does border that real thriller line, and it is a Jeneva Rose book LOL. But I was determined to read.

I finished it in one day, stayed up late AND NO NIGHTMARES! That means it's a good zombie novel that has scares without the real terrifyingness of zombies. At this point, I'll read anything Jeneva writes, and it's never been a late down.

Can't wait to put this on my shelves!

I really enjoyed this even though it was outside of my normal genre. The writing flowed and the characters were interesting.
Going back home to a place you’ve resented for whatever reason is hard, but Casey is strong-willed and determined to survive when the world is in chaos. Facing a childhood bully, she re-hones her combat skills while managing to find love during the apocalypse. Loss, love, betrayal, revival, it’s all there.

I loved this! I've been wanting to read a Zombie apocalypse book for a while now and when I heard Jeneva Rose was writing one. I knew it would be exactly what I was looking for! This book hit in everyway possible. It made me laugh, it made me mad and it made me cry. I loved Casey's character and even though Blake was shitty to her (mostly in her past) I still found him to be a loveable character.