I have tried to read this a couple times and although I love the premise, I couldn't get through it. I'm going to assume this is a me problem and say the world-building was interesting and the premise is one that so devastating and well executed. I just didn't love it.

I would still recommend it for sci-fi readers who are ready for an adventure where the teens are in charge and they have to work together to survive. This should be a well-loved book, it just wasn't for me.

3 out of 5 stars

I really liked this book, but I didn't love the ending so I took one star off. It was a tense ride the entire time and it really is lord of the flies in space.

Gosh I wish I could've liked this as I typically enjoy harsh survival stories but the characters just drove me insane. I can see why others would enjoy this story though. It takes miscommunication to a whole new level, it pulls on your heartstrings. It wasn't for me unfortunately. At least it was a fast read.
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Thank you to Net Galley, the author, and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This wasn't the book for me. I was intrigued by the idea of something being pitched as Lord of the Flies in space, it didn't really hold up to that description. It was a bit too all over the place for my liking.

I sometimes enjoy sci-fi--if it's executed well. This YA story was. I zipped through it really fast. Also props on whoever illustrated and designed the cover, because that's what initially drew me to this book that is otherwise outside my typical genres.

I enjoyed the more character driven writing style of this book. The build up of tension was written really well, and I would definitely read more works by this author. Thank you very much to NetGalley for the early reader copy, and apologies for the late review!

Alone Out Here is a fun YA read set in the future where a spaceship filled with teens are the only survivors after the earth reached climate devastation. This one could be viewed as Lord of the Flies in space. If you enjoyed The 100, this is one you cannot miss out on. The characters are well-developed with a good amount of strong female characters. There is plenty of teenage drama throughout. The stakes remain high. Highly recommended to readers who enjoy YA sci-fi novels. Be sure to check out Alone Out Here today.

This one definitely was not for me. The characters seems very child-like and whiny at times, and I wasn't really routing for any of them. Definitely better science fiction out there for teens.

Oh, this was such a great read! The whole concept was a bit terrifying, but I had to know what was going to happen! The idea of the only remaining members of humanity were a bunch of teens on a spaceship sounded really great!

The atmosphere was utterly fantastic! It starts off with the panic of having to leave the only planet that you've ever known. And then there's the whole, humanity is just these few survivors, in space, looking for a new planet to live on. It was so fantastic to read!

I want to talk about this cover. When I first looked at it, it was a girl looking out a space porthole. But if you look at the glass, there's 3 figures shadows reflected there. Just that level of detail that's not immediately noticeable was fantastic!

The question of survival-and how they're going to do it, who's going to be in charge, was the main part of this book. Of course, they're not trained professionals and things go wrong, and I had to know what was going to happen next! And oh, that ending! That was so unexpected, and it hit hard!

Really enjoyed reading this book, and I can't wait to read more from Riley Redgate!

I’m sure it’s fine, but it’s really dull and I couldn’t bring myself to finish it. Not worth the calories, as they’d say on bake off.

Special thanks to Disney Publishing Worldwide for the advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. This review is spoiler-free.

It’s the year 2072 and the entire world is bracing for an end-of-the-world volcanic eruption which will force residents of Earth off-world and into space to search for a new home. The choice of just how many earthlings will make it onto a ship has been cause for political upheaval, and central to it all is main character Leigh Chen, daughter of the President of the United States. Scientists believe that the cataclysmic event is still a ways off, and while preparations still have a ways to go, there’s progress being made. Leigh joins a group of teenagers on a tour of a prototype spaceship, the Lazarus, when the end of all things stars earlier than anyone expects. Panic ensues as the decision to launch the Lazarus is made, with only about 50 residents of the planet onboard, all of them teenagers. It’s up to Leigh and the leadership team that forms to create some sort of order out of the chaos. As they all soon discover, managing opinions and egos isn’t easy, especially when food is scarce and obstacles continue to arise, threatening the future of the human race forever.

Alone Out Here is written by Riley Redgate (Seven Ways We Lie, Noteworthy) and is a YA sci fi fiction novel that will keep you on the edge of your seat. From the very beginning, Redgate pulls you in with immediate action and intensity. It’s always a process when starting a new book, balancing getting to know the characters with the momentum of the plot. Redgate does a great job of introducing the main characters without sacrificing the pace of the plot, allowing readers to get to know characters over the entire length of the novel. This has a secondary benefit of leaving an aura of mystery around the teenagers on board the Lazarus, neither the kids themselves nor the readers truly know anyone very well, so anyone could have devious intensions.

Alone Out Here has been described as Lord of the Flies in space, and that’s an accurate way to sum this book up, but doesn’t fully encapsulate the novel. Redgate’s novel immerses readers into the headspace of Leigh, how her past has shaped her to be the person she is now. I often find that YA novels can treat teenage emotions unrealistically and authors use that to their benefit to do sometimes silly things with the plot and relationships. I didn’t get any of that with Alone Out Here, Redgate does an amazing job of honestly portraying the fears and emotions the cast of character are going through. Plus she has an amazingly diverse cast of characters from all over the world and utilizes a very smart way to have them communicate with each other. I thought it was a very cool glimpse into the future of humanity, one where even languages will no longer be a barrier to human connection.

I really enjoyed Alone Out Here, devouring it a handful of reading sessions. I give it 4444/5 – recommend!

I received this egalley as part of the ALAN conference and it is kept on a kindle in my classroom. My rating is based on the ratings provided by my students who have read the book and I look forward to when I get the chance to do so.

This was not a book for me. I was not a fan of the characters or the plot. I think this just a case of my type of book.

Sadly, this book was not on my favorites list. It was a tough read, and I put it down many times before finally finishing it. The plot dragged and the ending was a disappointment.

This was definitely a heavy scifi read but I think teens will really resonate with this book and be able to enjoy it.

Originally didn’t give feedback because I DNF, but it’s hurting my feedback ratio, so I will say that this book was not what I expected it to be. I also never rate books I DNF but this makes me.

Alone Out Here by author Riley Redgate is a thoughtful novel premised on an enthralling concept. It challenges readers to consider the question: What do you stand for when you're one of the last left standing?

Set in the year 2072, the world’s leaders oversee the time sensitive production of a space fleet meant to save (some of) humankind. Despite months of planning and preparation, an unforeseen volcanic eruption triggers catastrophic devastation, and the only way out is up and into space significantly ahead of schedule.

The leaders’ children are the only ones who make it out alive. On the weekend of the eruption, First Daughter Leigh Chen, accompanied by a group of other teenagers from different countries and different parts of the world, was touring the Lazarus, a high-tech prototype spaceship. When disaster hit, they were forced to launch the Lazarus on their own.

This is now the new world: a starship loaded with a catalog of human artifacts, a frozen menagerie of animal DNA, and 53 terrified young survivors. From the panic arises a coalition of leaders, spearheaded by the pilot’s enigmatic daughter, Eli, who takes the wheel in their hunt for a habitable planet. But as isolation presses in, their uneasy peace begins to fracture. The struggle for control will mean the difference between survival and oblivion, and Leigh must decide whether to stand on the side of the mission or of her own humanity.

This book has been pegged as “Lord of the Flies in space.” Devastating attempts of a stranded group of young people to govern themselves does indeed sum up both stories. While the concept, themes and story of Alone Out Here are dynamite at a high level and do follow a Lord-of-the-Flies-inspired formula, some slower moments in the middle and at the end of the book were lackluster and dragged on a little too long, dimming its shine. I was excited to see what happened when the crew landed on the target planet and their plans for settlement, but the story does not make it so far. It is solely about the struggle onboard the Lazarus and the tough decisions the crew must face. This does not make the story bad or boring per se, it was just not what I expected. Ultimately, the explosive start to the book tapers out too quickly. However, there is still much to applaud about Alone Out Here.

The story is propelled by diverse and extraordinary international characters with an Asian protagonist – Leigh Chen – at the fore. (The characters use translation devices to communicate with one another which I also thought was a very cool way of preserving their own languages as part of the story.) It was refreshing to have so many important characters from different parts of the world in one book, in one room, often speaking their minds. Such character choices enriches the relationships and conflicts throughout as the reader learns more about personalities and motivations as the journey unfolds.

What do you stand for? What do we owe ourselves? What do we owe each other? How do we choose what is most important and what to prioritize? These questions and more simmer beneath the surface of every page. They are a worthy assault on the reader’s own moral compass as they grapple with the choices and decisions explored by several characters at different points. Author Riley Redgate does an artful job of shifting perspective and getting inside the heads of other characters at times, despite the reader primarily being along for the ride with Leigh. This shift contributes to the intensity upon which readers will reflect on the above questions as things are not always what they seem.

Feelings of nostalgia and reminiscing about days of old also add a great deal of gravitas to the story. When Leigh reflects on these moments in detail, it even triggers feelings of personal contemplation and appreciation. “You don’t know what you’ve got ‘till it’s gone” is a key theme and one that Leigh explores in sufficient depth which keeps the reader engaged in her quest.


Alone Out Here is a good addition to YA sci fi novels and a solid starting point or launchpad for newcomers to the genre. While the drama and tragedy endured on the Lazarus kept the story relatively interesting, I could not help but feel that I wanted more overall. I wanted more reflection from the characters on where they had come from; their origins on Earth and who they were as people before being thrust into space vs who they felt they were becoming. I especially wanted more from characters other than just the protagonist. I also wanted more from the adventure side of the story – food shortages and riots over use of the virtual reality room were not enough. At times, it may feel like the reader is also stuck aboard the ship with nowhere to go. However, the important themes and critical questions are the book’s saving grace. They contribute significantly to keeping the story afloat and the reader engaged until the very end.

I had such a hard time getting into this one and I was forcing myself to pick it back up anytime I put it down so I ended up dnfing. I think it was just a little to slow and I wasn’t quite in the mood for it.

2.5 stars

Pitched as LOFT in space, this book should have had me on the edge of my seat. However, I was bored for the first 75% of this book but, I kept reading because I wanted to know at what point I would understand the comparison to one of my favourite classic novels. Sadly, I was not impressed by the ending. In fact, this ending is as bad as Allegiant for me. I was so disappointed by how long it took to build up the tension and a lot of the characters felt one note.

I was hopeful with the diverse cast of characters and modern twist on the classic with the climate change aspect that this would be a good replacement for LOTF as a school novel study (the whole reason I read this book in the first place), but unfortunately I don't think it has what it takes to really captivate the reader.

This took too long to get where it was going and missed the opportunity for some good conversations about nationalism.

A+ for the ending though.