I'm a big fan of dystopian fiction and of satire, so The Temps immediately caught my eye. There were some aspects of this book that I liked, but I wish some of the execution had been handled a bit differently. The story kicks off when a yellow gas wipes out a large chunk of the world's population and mysteriously a group of temporary workers inside of a large corporation manage to survive while all of the permanent employees are killed off.

The book's best part comes in the way it shows the survivors after the catastrophe. The survivors start banding together and start recreating society and governmental hierarchies. A lot of this depiction seemed fairly realistic.

That said, some of the characters come across a bit hollow. Perhaps, that is the lean into satire, but somehow it didn't quite work for me. Instead of relatable people, we get sort of stereotypes of people. I wish this would've gone a bit more deeply into at least the main handful of characters.

Additionally, the ending felt like a total waste. There was an attempt at a poignant message, but the way it was delivered just left a lot to be desired. It also went against everything we've learned so far in the story.

This is a story about the end of the world as we know it, sort of!

If you ever wondered what 28 days later would be like if the creators of the office made it… this might be the book for you! It didn’t quite deliver the claustrophobic horror I was hoping for, but overall it was an enjoyable time.

Thank you so much Netgalley & Dreamscape for the audio.

"The Temps" by Andrew DeYoung is a gripping and thought-provoking novel that tells the story of Jacob Elliot, a recent college graduate who takes a temporary job in the mailroom at Delphi Enterprises. On his first day, a toxic gas descends on a meeting, killing all the regular employees and leaving Jacob and a few other temps stranded inside the vast office complex.

As the story unfolds, we are introduced to a diverse group of survivors, each with their own unique background and motivations. The author does a great job of exploring the dynamics of the group and the challenges they face in their quest for survival and understanding of the apocalypse that has befallen them.

What I enjoyed most about "The Temps" was its social commentary on modern life, reminiscent of George Orwell's "1984." The novel explores the absurdities and paranoia of the digital age, and the consequences of blindly following corporations and their agendas. The characters are well-developed and relatable, and their journey is both surprising and profound.

Overall, "The Temps" is a gripping and novel read that will keep you engaged from the first pages. It's a great exploration of survival, human connection, and the dangers of corporate power. I highly recommend it and give it 5 out of 5 stars. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* this was a really weird read, had no idea where it was going and overall it was pretty good, just maybe not really my cup of tea

THE TEMPS by Andrew DeYoung follows 20 something temp workers as the world falls apart around them and all the corporate employees of the Delphi office where they work are killed by a mysterious toxic gas...everyone except the temps of course. The temps form a semblance of a "society" to try to survive and basically stumble upon the real reason for the

This kind of felt like REDSHIRTS by John Scalzi meets The Office or the IT Crowd with some sprinkles of READY PLAYER ONE by Ernest Cline at first and I was pretty on board for a light and funny at least sci-fi adjacent story. I liked the narrator of the audiobook and was really intrigued with the premise. Not to mention that I love the cover art and the fact that this post-apocalyptic style story includes a mysterious toxic gas.

Unfortunately, I often found myself being a bit bored and not paying attention to the story. It did not hold my interest as much as expected, probably because so much of it surrounded discussing corporate office culture. The character development was also lacking which is a big one for me. And lastly, the ending felt a bit rushed and predictable.

This book has some things to say about corporate greed, workplace culture, and millenial/gen z angst about the current job market. I appreciate those subjects but found the delivery a bit forced. I thought I was going to really like this one, but it just kinda fell short for me, unfortunately.

However, if you are a big, big fan of Cline but without all the 80s references and Scalzi but without all the star trek references and cannot get enough of that kind of writing even if it is a bit watered down knock yourself out!

Thank you to @netgalley , the author and @dreamscape_media for the audiobook ARC.

#thetemps #bookreview #bookstagram #booksta #booksofig #instabooks #bookgoblin #booknerd #netgalley #dreamscapemedia #scifi #apocalypse #scifibooks

Thank you to Dreamscape Media for a chance to listen to The Temps via the NetGalley app.

I was intrigued by the early reviews and idea of a dystopian workplace, but this book just wasn't for me. I rarely give books 2 stars, but I'm afraid this one was too wild (unbelievable) and too slow.

I couldn't get excited about the characters or the plot. Sorry!

Jacob Elliott is starting a new temp job in the mail room at Delphi Enterprises, even though he knows he is capable of more, with his degrees. On his first day, disaster strikes: a toxic gas is released into the air in the outdoor theater where all regular employees had been meeting, killing them and leaving Jacob and the other temps of the company stranded inside the building. Among the other survivors are Lauren, a classics major now writing online quizzes for Delphi; Swati, a fitness instructor who dreams of opening her own studio; and Dominic, a business-school student working in the analytics department. With no messages from the outside world, the temps create their own society within the building, until one of them discovers a shocking secret about Delphi Enterprises.

This story is an apocalyptic satire of office politics and international politics. I enjoyed this book and did not expect the ending. The premise of the story is unique and entertaining. I would love to see a sequel, as the ending felt rushed and left a lot of loose ends. Paul Heitsch did a nice job with the narration of the audiobook.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an audio ARC of this book.

I always enjoy a good "evil corporation" story, and this threw in the apocalypse and bit of commentary on underemployment, tech culture, and capitalism. The pacing was a bit uneven in the first half but really picked up. Definitely a clever story and a fun break from some of the other stuff I've been reading.

I experienced this intriguing and thought-provoking novel in Audio first, then in e-format. Decades of reading print, then ebooks, and being a visual learner (rather than auditory) means reading is of more benefit to me. All that is to say that although I was intrigued by the audio (which is narrated well and I recommend it to audiobook enthusiasts), the novel's powerful impact for me came through reading.


Now I suppose one could enjoy this simply as an action thriller, also as an Apocalypse. But the reader sells herself/himself short by not opening up to the philosophy, the Classical Age underpinning, the "Sixth Extinction" unfolding [humanity's approaching extinction] and the totally in-your-face why-is-this-happening? character devolution (and in other characters, evolution), the sneaky layers of meaning.


I think when the Apocalypse [in whichever form] arises, any survivors will go through exactly this confluence of perception and thought. Author Andrew DeYoung clearly spent much time in thought about the varieties of the human condition, and its expressions throughout the tragedies of history. Maybe humanity hasn't yet suffered Global Apocalypse, but we have smaller local examples, such as Pompey, Krakatoa, Fujiyama, Mount St. Helens, Krakatoa, that we can study and ponder apocalypse on a small scale to perhaps better prepare ourselves for The Apocalypse.

ARC audiobook provided in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the premise of this story! The audiobooks narration is fantastic and engaging and is very easy to listen to for hours on end. The majority of the story takes place inside the same large building which at first I thought might get old fast and boring, but the way it was written with diverse characters and a well told story kept my attention the whole time. I will definitely recommend this book to anyone into sci-fi, particularly the apocalypse and technology themed!

This was such a fun and scary ride. I really enjoyed following The Temps as they go to their job at Delphi, a company that no one seems to know much about... even the employees. Then, a major catastrophe strikes, and the temps are left wondering how to survive in this new world or if what they just witnessed was even real. Is it all a big game or did the world really just end?

I loved this story. We don't get a huge amount of character work for everyone, but the ones we do get time with, I really liked. There were moments so scary I couldn't read at night and moments that were sad and heartbreaking too. Moments when I was so angry with some of the characters that I wanted to throw the book, and moments of connection when I thought everything would be okay. Such a great read. I loved it!

Ok, this is not what, I typically read. However I liked it. It’s enjoyable and was a nice change of base from everything I’ve been reading lately. It does get a little heavy times but in a good way. And the audiobook is incredible

A group of several hundred educated, but underemployed, temps are the only survivors in the Delphi office complex when an unexplained mist reduces all of the permanent employees to masses of uncontrollable rage. They either immediately destroy each other in a bloody frenzy, commit suicide or survive to stalk any others they encounter. Since the mist is still lingering outside, and is in fact all over the world, the temps have to stay inside Delphi where they create their own corporate culture.

The temps are possibly not the best choice to inherit the earth. It might be better to have people with more useful skills. The explanation for how the mist spread is pretty sketchy and a description of its impact on the planet is nonexistent. This book is a very insular jab at corporate group think. I wanted more “Lord of the Flies” or “The Road”, but instead I got temps in yoga pants. This book was ok, but if an event kills billion of people, I want a darker story. 3.5 stars

I received free copies of the ebook and audio book from the publisher.

That was so good! Couldn’t put it down! Will definitely be one of my favorite books this year. The ending was a total surprise! The two female characters were awesome. The social commentary is superb, top notch, fantastic! A novel for our time.

Highly recommend for fans of The Assistants, The Circle, Power, and The Maze Runner series.

I want to emphasize that this is not sci-fi or a “zombies” book, rather a global event that kills everyone is needed to create a backdrop for the story to exist.

Note: as a classics major, I really ate up all the thoughtful details in this book re mythology

Only complaint: I want to know what happened to the pack of furies and what made them. That explanation of those new types of “people” would be great and could lead to a book 2!

** spoiler alert ** This was an interesting premise for a book. I went into it blind w/out reading the blurb beforehand so I at first I didn't have any idea where I was headed!! Overall I really liked the book and the author's writing. I did love that the temps all seemed to be willing and able to work together to survive, it is my hope that if anything like this ever happens that I will find myself surrounded by people like that. My sense of fairness and justice hates that there really is none to be had. My only hope is that the women can help make the new world a different place by being among those on the inside making decisions.

#TheTemps #NetGalley

Part thriller, part sci-fi, I was immediately intrigued by this debut. It was fun! It kept me guessing and interested throughout even the parts that were mostly about typical office life. I really liked how the characters were different yet all had the same desires to be more than their current situations. I think underpaid & overworked employees are the perfect background for this story - it kept a dark concept light! This is perfect for any dystopian, thriller, sci-fi and/or satirical fiction fans!

I had the pleasure of being provided with both the audiobook and an e-copy in advance for review. If I had to choose between the two, I would say go for the audiobook. This is a book that you want to hear! I listened at 1.25 and 1.75 speed because I needed more, and faster 😅

The Temps starts out with Jacob. A down on his luck college graduate who is currently stuck living in his parent's basement. Lucky for him, he was just offered the temp job of a lifetime at Delphi Enterprises as a mail clerk. It’s his first day on the job and so far everything that could go wrong for him has. He went through the wrong entrance, was late to the mailroom, and every permanent employee is off to attend some super awesome meeting with Delphi CEO Tristan Brant, but temps aren’t invited. Jacob looks on enviously as the crowd cheers for their leaders arrival but this quickly changes to horror as he watches a chemical attack take place and everyone suddenly turns on each other. By the time Jacob turns away, not many permanent employees are left alive and Jacob goes in search of the remaining temps.

This book is so fun. Its full of twists and turns and will constantly have you guessing. Who is Tristan Brant, What is Delphi Enterprises and most importantly what next? This is a journey through the narrative of four temps; Jacob, Dominic, Lauren and Swati. Through the eyes of these four we get to watch as the future at Delphi and maybe the world begins again. I took issue with Swati and Lauren’s characters only because internally they were amazingly resilient and strong women, but externally they fell flat at times. I would have loved to see them both become more of who they were inside. The world as you know it has ended, what better time will you have to become who you have always wanted to be.

I highly recommend The Temps in any format. The audiobook was fascinating to listen to and the ebook is just as engaging. Due to some gory bits I would suggest this book for those over 16.

What a ride! The audio narration was very well done and I really enjoyed this book. The story focuses on a group of temp workers in large corporation who find themselves stranded inside the headquarters and needing to survive with only what they have inside the building. The narrations moves between characters and the reader learns not only about what is currently happening with the characters in the building, but also their backstory, making each character feel very well rounded. While the ending could be seen as a bit bleak, the last few lines give a small glimpse of hope for the characters of the book and mankind as well. A well done book that I hope more people will read.

The Temps by Andrew DeYoung was a whirlwind of a ride that was at times terrifying, introspective, and eye-opening.

When Jacob reported to his first day as a temp at Delphi Enterprises, he was expecting to be bored with a job that his college degree clearly made him overqualified for. But then, while all the regular employees are at a company-wide meeting, a yellow, toxic gas is let loose and kills everyone it touches. With only the temps remaining, Jacob and the others must come face to face with their new reality: they're stuck inside, the food is running out, most of the world is gone, and the company they worked for may very well be the cause of the apocalypse.

The Temps was definitely an adventure. As Jacob, Swati, Dominic, and Lauren watch their world fall apart around them - and then subsequently reform as a microcosm within the Delphi building - there is more tension, socio-political commentary, and violence than I was expecting when I started reading this book. DeYoung wove the story together so well, though, and these temps and their reactions to each new dilemma came across as so real and believable. The situation every character in this book faced was downright terrifying to think about, and I can't imagine being able to survive a similar situation.

Each character was unique, and I thoroughly enjoyed how DeYoung crafted each player in the game to bring different skills and perspective to their new world. Even secondary/minor characters had a roll to play, and who originally came across as a minor character didn't always stay that way.

DeYoung's apocalyptic event in The Temps definitely raised some questions regarding life in our digital age. After the gas destroyed life as they knew it, the characters all had to reevaluate what they knew and what their purpose was. For Jacob, especially, these questions were a lot; what do we do with ourselves when our self-worth has been determined by a college degree that no longer has any meaning? Other survivors had to similarly figure out their new place in the world. It's a scary prospect, especially on top of everything else that these characters had to deal with.

Once I got to DeYoung's big reveal towards the end, I found The Temps impossible to put down; I absolutely needed to know how the whole story was going to resolve. I did think things were a bit anticlimactic (the fact that things got less violent as the apocalypse got worse seemed a bit backwards to me), but I feel that DeYoung left the ending so Lauren, Dominic, and Swati's stories could be considered resolved or they could easily carry on in a sequel set in this new, post-apocalyptic world that they are helping to rebuild. Overall, The Temps was a thrilling, often-intense read.

If you have a chance to listen to the audiobook, Paul Heitsch does a wonderful job bringing multiple characters to life. With several points of view to narrate, Heitsch clearly differentiates between characters, and infuses everyone with just the right amount of shock, horror, despair, and hope. Heitsch put his acting skills to great use, and it came through in a fantastic audiobook performance.

A huge thank you to Dreamscape Media for providing an ALC via NetGalley.

When I first read the blurb for The Temps by Andrew Deyoung, I was immediately sure it would be an entertaining read. I was incredibly excited to receive the ARC audiobook copy from Dreamscape Media through NetGalley. I have to say I wasn't disappointed at all by what I found in this book! I'm familiar with big tech offices and Deyoung not only nailed how one feels in one on a normal day, he also painted a great picture of how it might feel in a post-apocalyptic situation. But more, it was interesting to see how he captured the human side of things. Overall I really enjoyed this book even though the ending frustrated me a little but
The narration was great for the audiobook as well. The only problem i had with the audiobook was the separate characters named Brent and Brandt. While who was being mentioned could be understood from context usually, they sounded similar enough at certain points.