Wasn't sure I wanted to get into an apocalypse book, but I couldn't help myself after reading the premise. The Apocalypse Seven was a wild ride that I'll have to try again! So much nuance and story, but so easy to read!

I really enjoyed this novel for probably 80% of the book.

The premise was revealed in a way that kept you very interested and the characters were brought in, bit by bit, and were engaging and enjoyable to uncover. The author obviously wanted to introduce diversity into the novel since with the 'seven' there's a clear and impressive range of human beings - it becomes clear later than it's not just an effort to introduce diversity into the character base.

Here's the thing, though, I realized at that 80% point that we may have been running out of time and pages to be able to have a satisfying pay0ff to the the long and enjoyable buildup so it was either going to be a disappointment or this was the first book in a series. And, for me, unfortunately it turned out to be the former.

The climactic scene lasted just a few pages and I found the rationale almost incomprehensible. The characters were well drawn and likeable, the story and the unusual post-apocalyptic narrative interesting, but the denouement was a real letdown.

Imagine waking up and not having a clue as to where you are or how you got there. It seems like your bed in your dorm room, but it's not. There is no one else around and everything is overgrown with wildlife. This is the situation that seven strangers find themselves in The Apocalypse Seven, a novel by Gene Doucette, courtesy of NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. While it may be labeled as science fiction, there isn't a lot of science (and what is included is pretty wacky and out-of-this-world) but there is a lot of enjoyable and suspenseful fiction. This is a zombie-free look at a post-apocalyptic American city.

The seven survivors, who seemingly have nothing in common, wander through an overgrown Boston trying to survive, find food, stay away from scary creatures and find out what happened. The writing is well-paced, funny, and often sweet, and help my interest. Almost. The author introduces a plot device to bring the novel to a conclusion that really didn't work for me in the context of what came before.

I enjoy reading apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, which is what first attracted me to the book. The book transcended the genre somewhat, for which I was delighted. These are dreary times and we don't need depressing books on a regular basis. This is a great read, with lots of surprises, and a lot of fun.

I haven't reviewed anything in weeks, and I'm out of form, but here goes nothing.

<b> I received an Arc from Netgalley and HMH in exchange for an honest review </b>

Personal rating- 6.5/10

The book starts with Robbie waking up. He's in some other person's dorm. Everything's a bit different somehow, the plants are overgrown, his phone isn't charged, and there aren't any people around on a usually busy street. Where did everyone go? wait is that a deer in the middle of the road?

Carol, a blind person wakes up without their support dog. Things aren't where they are supposed to be.

Toure, Bethany, Win, Paul, Amanda. Everyone asks the same thing. Where did everyone go?

Did they sleep through the apocalypse or something? These are the Apocalypse seven.

Now that I'm done trying to sound professional, let's get back to my opinions, that's all my reviews are worth anyways.

First things first, I feel like this is a plot-driven story even though I noticed a few attempts to make it character-driven. This is neither a pro nor a con for me. It's just something that I noticed.

I'm gonna rant first and gush later, as usual. What I disliked-

- The Opening: I'll be honest it just wasn't that good. It was very easy to put down for about the first 100 pages. I wasn't very invested in it. Someone on the reviews said it'd be more interesting if we woke up on Carol's perspective, and I agree. Ir would achieve further emotional investment from the audience. Oh well, missed opportunities I guess.

- Ananda. No, I didn't have any problem with the character but I have problems with the character but the name itself offended me. I had a conversation with my other Bookish Desi friends, and we all agreed that Ananda is a masculine name. This name is used for a female character. We were NOT pleased. Please change it in the finished manuscript.

- Paul. Yes, this time I do have a problem with the character. It Just seems that he never made any wrong decisions. I love that the other characters did make wrong decisions given the circumstances, or were just plain stupid. That made them human, Paul seems to have been written with a narrative bias and I found him very uninteresting. The one time he was "wrong" I immediately called it; I was right but I really wish I wasn't. He had an amazing foundation as a character tho.

- The Rising Action. It builds to one climax and that's it. Don't get me wrong, I actually loved the climax and was laughing like a maniac, but that said- if I hadn't liked that climax and plot twist, that'd be it for me. It'd be a 1 star, no questions asked. Because there isn't; anything else worthwhile or a big enough sub-plot to keep me invested in liking it. To be absolutely honest, I did consider DNF-ing this many times, and I probably would've had I not owed a review.

I'm done ranting, now onto the gushing.

- Great tone. I really vibed with this on. The world-building is FANTASTIC! It captures the feeling of being alone in such a big world very well. Keeping the locations and setting concise was a brilliant move. The Setting was tough to navigate, but the World is so much bigger. You get this feeling when you're in a mountain peak, looking down upon the realms; or when you stargaze and you feel so small, and insignificant... so alone, within the vastness of the universe.

- Character Growth: Apart from Paul (I didn't like how he was written) and Toure (I love to hate him because he's such an a**hole) but seeing that he got this much reaction out of me is saying something. I loved the other characters, Win is such a badass. I'm not gonna dwell too much on Character Arcs since I'm going for a spoiler-free review, but Bethany and Robbie's arc was so satisfying to complete. It was done really well. I loved Carol's internal fight to stay useful, I get that feeling sometimes and it was painful yet nice to see. I'd like to think of Robbie as the MC so IDK why the synopsis I read focuses on Toure.

- The Diversity. IT MATTERS!! Aside from that Ananda hiccup, it was done well... I think. I don't speak for other cultures, and I don't specialize in sensitivity reading. But at its core, the representation is of the type where the characters just exist, and we love to see it. You don't get the "struggles of PoC in western society" narrative because there IS no society anymore, that's the point. There is a disability rep (Carol is blind), and an Lgbt rep (Bethany is bi/Gay), again this is not about their struggles as minorities. This is about the fundamental human experience of trying to survive and trying to make sense of the world around us. This curiosity of our existence transcends race. That said- PLEASE CHANGE ANANDA'S NAME!!!!!

- The Ending: IT WAS SO GOOD! It was a bit abrupt but I liked it nonetheless. I was thinking that something was up, I have to say that the plot twist was a bit tamer than what I was theorizing but it was satisfying, and I'm happy with it.

Ps. I'm categorizing it as new-adult because of the ages of protagonists. It's easily accessible to the YA audience. I think of it as a great intro to adult/NA. There is some violence and gore, I'd rate it 16+ but I'm not the best at this either so take this with a grain of salt,

That's all I had to say about the book, here are my points I thought were noteworthy. Give it a go if you're interested in it. Thank you for reading my review this far. Happy reading!

Well...this was not exactly what I had expected when requesting it, haha.

The Apocalypse Seven follows seven individuals as they awake in an unfamiliar world. While the structure from the human race linger deep under the overpowering force of nature, animals run free and aggressive. At first, there's no trace or other life as each member awakes, but soon they find each other and begin putting the pieces together of what might have happened to the rest of the human race...and what they discover is out of this world...

Overall, I was NOT expecting the outcome of this apocalypse and honestly, I'm a bit confused still about how it all works. To me, from what I gather, they're now living in a continuous loop? It's a bit unclear now I'm afraid, but really this was an interesting read.

Each character was "saved" for a particular reason, no one is seemingly there by random so it's up to each of them to figure out the why. The difference in each member of the pack is unique and they all have their strengths and weaknesses. I found it quite humorous that they wake up in a post-apocalyptic world and, at first, none of them were too worried about the basic needs to survive. Maybe that's the prepping in me, LOL, but I think I would be looking for a safe shelter, water, and food before worrying about ensuring I wasn't the only remaining human on the planet....especially with the unpredictable weather, it's best to be prepared. I will say that the age of the Apocalypse 7, the first few you meet at least, give way to a bit of "they're young, they don't know any better."

Even though it was not the post-apocalypse book I was hoping for, it was still a cool read. It's easy to see the author did their research and thought through most of the scenarios presented so it made it an easy read.

This book was unexpectedly fun from beginning to end. I have read a alot of end of the world novels, starting with Ballard, and most sound just like something I’ve read before. Apocolypse Seven is unique. First, the appealing characters, then the plot like nothing I’ve read before and the twisty and satisfying ending.
Truly, one of the best books I’ve read this year, and the perfect antidote to the endless pandemic.

I LOVED this!!! What a fun ride. I was immediately swept up in the mystery of the Apocalypse Seven. How did these people remain on Earth while everyone else was killed or MIA? And why is the world overgrown, or overpopulated with wild beasts of animals?? This book gripped me from page one and had me reading late into the night to see what would happen. I love books like this because they take the reader on a journey to places they could never imagine. This book was a joy to read!

This book had a really interesting premise and I couldn’t tell what it was building up to. I was really confused about how the story would be resolved. The resolution was fine, but not satisfying. I was expecting an aha moment or a twist that just never came. Overall, it was still a good book.

Wanderers meets Stand and Revolution series vibes. It’s not too close definition of this quiet mind spiraling, grey cell fryer, thought balloons popper, teeth gritting, nerve bending novel but at least it is a start!

Seven strangers wake up in different places, finding out the earth they were living is deserted, overgrown with wild life. Pigs, wolves chase them at the night. The electricity failure seems like permanent malfunctioning.

A college student Robbie finds himself at another person’s dorm room ( the room number is right but he finds other person’s clothes at the drawers) and only thing he cares is not getting late to his class! What kind of drinks he had at party? But he wakes up to a different world! The dorms look different! The vegetation, the buildings, even the air he breathes is different and only person he finds a young Chinese blind woman who is agitated because her guidance dog is missing! Her name is Carol and she has no idea what the hell is happening to them! Why the streets are isolated? Why there are more animals touring around?

A geek boy on his bike stops at the last minute not to hit Robin and he congratulated them for missing the apocalypse just like he did last night. His name is Toure and last thing he remembers he passed out in front of his computer when he was coding.

And the rest of gang includes Bethany, 14 years old girl who is really good at opening the locks, Paul: a convicted man who becomes preacher in his early 50’s, Ananda: a smart, middle aged, scientist and Win: a badass farmer girl who is better arrowing skills than Oliver Queen!

You keep asking yourself: what the hell happened to them? Are they denying their situation and they are like Bruce Willis acting like curing a young boy till they understand they are on the ghosts the boy can see? Did somebody kidnap them? Or are they living in parallel universe? Are they aliens? Is this really end of the world?

And you keep thinking why they are chosen ones! Instead of badass Win and some street smart knowledge of Paul, none of them have surviving skills. But that must be something they are in common, what makes them so special!

My brain is on fire! Too many conspiracy theories exhausted the hell of me. I partially find some answers but the conclusion was unexpected! Did I like it? Yes! The ending was well-served and played!

And at least three characters became my favorites! Geek boy Toure was my number one because he was the only one having so much fun about the idea of apocalypse and without him: this book couldn’t be one of my favorite sci-fi novel without his existence!

And badass, intestine carver, horse rider Win carries her big girl pants so stylishly!
Let’s not forget Bethany is quite genius girl is another badass teenager who can break into the places, find resources to survive, fire guns like she’s related with Dirty Harry but she is still lost, emotional kid who still tries to understand what they are dealing with and interestingly she’s closer to find answers!

This is well written, riveting, entertaining and surprising survival, sci-fi, apocalyptic story with remarkable characterization which deserves my full five stars ( and the stars of the universe where those 7 last standing survivors live! )

All around the Boston area, seven complete strangers wake up to find that the rest of humanity has seemingly disappeared. The power's out, everything is overgrown, and huge wild animals roam free. As these seven people struggle to survive, they also have to figure out what has happened to them and the rest of humanity.
From the very first pages of this book, I was hooked. The mystery surrounding these seven characters mixed with having to survive the heightened elements led to it being a very fast-paced and compelling read; I read the second half of this in practically one sitting. The anticipation for the reveals at the end was well-built and paid off very well by the end. I thought there was just the right amount of explanation at the end as well. A specific mystery that one character investigates reminded me very much of An Absolutely Remarkable Thing, a favorite book of mine. I was also surprised at how humorous this book could be - I laughed at several lines of dialogue.
In regards to what I didn't like, the copy that I received had no indents and sometimes paragraph breaks in the middle of sentences, but that says nothing of the content of the story. My main complaint is directed at the characterization in the novel; once the characters are introduced and their stereotypes and basic beliefs laid out, they are left static and undeveloped to focus on the plot. If this book had taken the final steps of developing the main characters beyond their original parameters, going in-depth into their backgrounds and philosophies through flashbacks or inner monologues or the like throughout the novel, this would have been a five-star for me.
All in all, The Apocalypse Seven was an extremely fun ride from beginning to end that I'll definitely be recommending to sci-fi/dystopian fans!

Imagine waking up one day to find the whole human race vanished while you were asleep. There is no electricity, no running vehicles, no reliable source of food or water, deserted streets and roads with overgrown weeds with wild animals roaming around to hunt. On the top of that list, you are just an ordinary person who has no idea how to hunt or keep yourself safe from bloodthirsty animals and weird violent weather.

Does this idea seem crazy to you? This was exactly the main plot of this book where instead of just one, seven different people—all strangers to each other—woke up one day in all different parts of Boston and found themselves all alone in the whole DAMN world.

I am already out of my words when I am writing this because, again, I know that no matter hard I will try; I won't be able to justify my reading experience for such phenomenal work of post-apocalyptic fiction. I can state dozens of reasons why I consider it a masterpiece and still it won't be enough. This book is kind of those movies or series I can watch over and over again and still won't get bored, and that's all because of the author's excellent narration.

I was reading this book bits by bits because I was completely into it and didn't want it to end. I was in that premise with those characters and felt every emotion that they felt. I became an integral part of each one of their lives, and lived and suffered everything that they did.

I always fall for the characterization of the book, but this time it was way beyond that because this time I read something very flawless; from its start to the end, from its characters to the plot settings, from its narration to the realistic presentation of the story and the way it proceeded; everything was flawless.

I am an absolute sucker for anything post apocalyptic even when zombies are not involved. The Apocalypse Seven is a story about seven people who wake up to find the world around them vastly changed. The story takes place around the campuses of MIT and Harvard University. As these seven survivors begin to find each other they realized that they may be the only ones left on the planet. It's up to them to find out why and what they find is completely bizarre.
This was such an original take on the typical apocalypse tale. I absolutely loved it, I'm pretty sure this was a stand alone book and certainly works at one, but it does leave you an opening wanting to know more. Highly recommend for fans of post-apocalypse stories. Very entertaining read!

This was a wonderfully inventive book. I thought the characters were credible and interesting but mostly they seemed realistic. Who would normally have a blind woman in a post-apocalyptic world actually thrive? I like the different things that were tried for survival, the knowledge gained little by little and the joining of forces to effect victory over their challenges. I didn't want this story to end.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars. Half a star deducted because I got lost at some of the science talk but other than that a brilliant and different concept for the end of the world. Some nice dark and witty dialogue at times. All the characters are extremely well written and the story just seems to flow with them.

It's been a while since I got to read a book about an apocalypse. I ended up enjoying this more than I expected. It turns out Dystopian and I haven't fallen out of love thank god XD

The title kind of sold it away lol. The book is about 7 people waking up from their sleep in their same old places, just to find out everyone has vanished and everything has been abandoned. They try to get to one another and to figure out what has happened.

I like the idea of the characters being absolutely clueless about everything at first and their journeys in search of other living people. The writing is well-paced; the dangers that the group had to encounter and how they managed to deal with them were pretty realistic but still enjoyable, in my opinion. And since my brain is small, I am incredibly grateful the author didn't throw in a bunch of scientifically complex terms and force me to understand everything to get a grip on crucial details. The ending is somewhat bittersweet, but rather makes sense (I hope it's not a spoiler).

I just wish the characters showed more of their emotions and talk... less, and that we get to know more of the elements involved in the third part of the book.

Fantastic! What a story! Okay, here goes:
In and around a college outside of Boston, 7 different people wake up in their homes. Immediately it becomes clear something (everything?) is wrong. There’s no electricity. The doors are all locked. No one is around. And the birds are going absolutely HAM. There are animals everywhere. And they’re not in the clothes they remember from the previous evening. This begins the whateverpocalypse.

Slowly but surely, these survivors (?) find each other and try to survive.

Things I loved:
The characters. Especially Touré. He’s fantastic. He’s the kind of human I want to befriend but will likely never meet because our circles are highly unlikely to intersect. But all of them are quirky and wonderfully defined. Plus, Doucette does an excellent job of changing voice as they alternate narrators.

The science. It’s one of those SciFi novels where the science exists far beyond my understanding but us explained in such a way that it feels just out of reach rather than incomprehensible.

The thrill, the tension. It’s a constant, fascinating battle for survival. I was rapt from the very first moment.

The sense of magic and wonder. What a planet we live on, even after the apocalypse.

I think my teenagers who can handle a LONG book (I don’t know how many pages because I read it on kindle, but it felt long, in a good way) will love this. It’s feel accessible to a popular YA audience in a way that Station Eleven, also a stunner of an apocalyptic thriller, is not. Sure, there aren’t as many of those OMG-isn’t-that-just-a-gorgeous-sentence moments, but there are plenty of plainly written thought gems dropped in there.

I highly recommend this as a read, and I am thankful to NetGalley and #yalsa20 for gifting me this ARC in exchange for an honest review. I hope birds of a similar reading feather will add this to their 2021 reading list.

In THE APOCALIPSE SEVEN, by Gene Doucette, seven people with virtually nothing in common wake up in the Boston area to find that the world has changed while they slept and they are they only ones left alive in it. As these seven slowly find each other and begin to put the pieces together as to what has happened, they realize the impossible has become possible and more has changed than they ever could have fathomed. Only by working together to find the truth do they discover what is really going on.
The makeup of the seven people, each with distinct strengths and weaknesses, provides some wonderful moments of humanity and mutual discovery. Doucette has done a good job of really considering how people would handle being alone, confused, and suddenly forced to survive in a way they never even had to consider before. If I had a better understanding of the geography of the Cambridge/Boston area, I could have wrapped my brain around all of their movements a little better, especially considering how much of the book is about traverse the land to find each other, then to find supplies, as well as several search and rescue moments. There was a nice moment of transition in the book when the reader finally feels the success of these seven finding each other and beginning to figure out how to live life from this point forward, then the book takes a twist that entrancingly hooks the reader for the rest of the novel.
Well-crafted, THE APOCALYPSE SEVEN feel like an epic tale, but with only the good parts and without pages and pages of excess unfocused ramblings than some epic tales fall into. It makes you wonder how would you handle waking up to an empty world.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. I found it to be engaging from the first page. This apocalyptic story was told from each characters voice and I found myself drawn into each character's perspective. I thought it might become confusing, or disjointed, to hear from all characters, but it did not read this way at all. It helped to keep the pace of the story and add another level of interest. I would have liked more character development once they had come together, to really examine the differences between people, the inevitable moral dilemmas and relationship complexities that would have had to face, This was touched on, but I think it could have been delved into further.

I was kept guessing as I read a long and enjoyed reading how they determine what has happened to the planet. I was a tad disappointed with the sci-fi addition, however I can't think of an alternative ending that would have satisfied me.

Quite good. Probably best described as sci_fi, but could also be just good fiction. The mystery aspects are mostly engaging, and there are some interesting characters. This is an experienced author that know how create and tell a tale, so I'm not surprised I liked this. Recommended.

I really appreciate the ARC for review!!

Well, that took some turns I didn't expect.

I don't think I have fully digested and processed my feelings about it, but I would say that I am inclined towards saying I enjoyed it. The characters felt a little flat for me, but the setting and plot more than made up for it.

I feel quite certain that almost no one is going to predict how this one ends. Worth the read for that alone, if nothing else.