I have admittedly been on a queer fiction kick lately. The Extraordinaries and They Both Die at the End preceded my inhaling of this book. And though most of the books involve characters that are very confident in their identities, I really admired that this book was centered around an openly gay kid and a straight kid who ultimately ended up questioning his own identity, even if some of the romantic feelings may have sparked from proximity.

I am a huge fan of all things apocalyptic, and this was no exception. The theme of a rogue virus threatening humanity hit a bit close to home after the craziness that was 2020, but I truly did appreciate the anecdotes about the United States going rogue and allowing the virus to ravage while the EU eradicated through calculated methods. The dead bodies in the streets, the rogue zoo animals clearing the roads, the litter and the signs indicating that there was food or a running car - is it strange to call such things charming? I'd say perhaps they are more realistic than anything - and I truly appreciated Jamie's ability to see the good in humanity, even without reason.

Now let's talk about the characters. We have Andrew and Jamie, and though they sometimes hide things from each other, their relationship is the center of the book and they are so darn cute together. I would want to be best friends with both of them, even if only to hear Miss Congeniality narrated. I really adored Cara - is there a bit of a transgender spinoff there with the "him"? I would have loved for that to have maybe come out a bit more. And then there is the side quest that encompasses much of the second half of the book - bringing the message to Henri's daughter that she is alive and thriving. The scene with the tool broke me. I would absolutely devour a spinoff book of Henri and family reuniting - please, for the love of all that is holy to the Fort, write this. That was probably the only thing I wasn't sold on by the end - I just wanted one small happy reunion story within the chaos.

Ultimately, I loved this book. I think it will do excellently once published and am happy to review on my social closer to time. As someone who also freelances for a few local newspapers, I'd love to feature a blurb in the columns. I'd say for many young adults the themes are quite heavy (you know, the shooting, the corpses, not to mention the white supremacists and America's end) but for an older teen/young adult crowd, I'd highly recommend.