Can you imagine waking up and finding that every one has seemingly disappeared? July gets to live that lonely story. This book seems almost poetic.

Book Review: The Only Girl in Town by Ally Condie

The Only Girl in Town is a young adult contemporary novel about a high school senior who finds herself alone after every single person in her town disappears.

July Fielding has become isolated after the summer before her senior year ended in a series of personal setbacks. She stopped speaking to everyone and despite being a team captain she quit running on the cross country team too. She’s now in therapy and struggling with feelings of guilt, grief and depression. When the entire town disappears with no indication of what happened July has to follow a series of clues connected to that summer to find out the truth.

There is an urgency in The Last Girl in Town that makes it hard to put down. As the reader I only had July’s flashbacks and her therapy sessions as background on what happened the previous summer which lead to so many theories all the way up until the end. But despite the unique storytelling The Last Girl in Town is at its heart a novel about growing up, relationships and letting people go.

I’m still left with so many questions (I might need to schedule a re-read) but I highly recommend The Last Girl in Town to young adult readers that enjoy stories with elements of magical realism, coming of age and struggles with mental health.

4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Only Girl in Town- Ally Condie @penguinteen This was very lyrical. The writing flowed and the situation is chilling. The short chapters and alternating timelines made this is quick read.

I wasn't a fan of this. I was pretty compelled by the main mystery/story line of this--everyone vanishes, leaving only July behind. Where did they go? But then, the ultimate ending of the story left me questioning what I had just read. I didn't like most of the characters, especially teens and their interactions. I feel strange about this read because on one hand I was compelled to finish, even with the things I didn't like about the story. But, on the other hand, I didn't necessarily enjoy my time at the conclusion of the story and looking back on my reading experience. I do think that while this is a pretty interesting exploration of loneliness and was pretty mysterious, though. So, if those are things you're interested in exploring then you'll probably enjoy this.

The Only Girl in Town by Ally Condie was a really great story I was so excited to get the chance to read this book.
My first time reading Ally Condie’s work and I was very impressed.
An emotional story of love, friendship, self-discovery and loneliness.
The cast of characters are very well-rounded and realistic.
And their journey is an adventure.
I enjoyed this story tremendously.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Dutton Books for Young Readers for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

This kept me so so entertained! I loved every second of it. I highly recommend! Five big ol stars from me.

Thank you to NetGalley for an e-ARC of this book!

3.5 stars, rounded up.

The Only Girl is Town is a very interesting book. July is a teenage girl who suddenly finds herself all alone--the entire town has seemingly vanished. For the first part of the book, it is not immediately clear if everyone has actually vanished, or if July's experience is something more allegorical. It is the latter, and the book is a deep look at loneliness and how the important relationships in our lives can change, often resulting in significant pain. My favorite part of the book was its structure--very short chapters and varied writing styles made for an engaging and fast read. My only real frustration with the story is that (in my opinion) July never really did anything to warrant the ways her friends drifted, though I know that does happen. I do think my high school students will enjoy this!

Allie Connie is an incredible writer and I read her books years ago when I was in middle school/high school. So this book follows July who was having a normal summer until everyone was gone. I love these types of stories and figuring out what happens. The book is listed as YA mystery/thriller but gave off very dystopian vibes. The plot of this story is something you would read in the early 2010s and I miss those types of stories. Connie did an amazing job with the storyline and I was instantly hooked as I just needed to figure out what happens in the end. The chapters were short and written in verse form. I liked it but sometimes the verse format with mystery made it confusing.

July was a great character and I enjoyed following her story. Her journey was fun and I liked the development. There were many twists and turns she had to experience in the story that kept me interested. The rest of the characters I won’t spoil as you the reader don’t know if they exist or not. It’s all part of the mystery.

The ending was well done and I loved the outcome. I was wondering how the story was going to end because so much was happening. Overall this was a great book and I really enjoyed it. Condie has written an amazing variety of books and this is one of them. I totally recommend checking it out as you will love it.

*this e-arc was sent to me by the publisher to give an honest review in return*

This book was quick, easy read. The chapters were very very short mostly one or two pages. The story was interesting and well written. I didn’t care much for the ending but it was okay.

Wow! I could not put this book down. I had to know what happened. The story alternates between now and then. It leads you thru some false herrings before getting to the truth. Very well written self discovery story.

I really wanted to like this book, but unfortunately it just didn’t do it for me. I thought from the description that it was going to be more of a dystopian novel, but it really wasn’t. The past and present alternating chapters were a good way to help unravel Julys emotions and actions. I wish however that I had learned more about the secondary characters in addition to July. The chapters were also incredibly short, some only a paragraph long. I think that is honestly what pushed me through the story. Without giving away any spoilers, I also wasn’t thrilled with how things played out at the end. Overall I think there just needed to be more depth of characters and plot line.

This book has so much about it that I really enjoyed, including well-drawn characters, authentic young adult point of view voice, an intriguing mystery, and a lovable cat with an ironic name.

I was able to suspend my belief without any problems or questions when everyone just disappears from July's world. The short chapters helped speed this mystery along and I often didn't want to stop reading. Twists and possible danger always caught me off guard and I loved that.

I thought the ending rushed in too quickly and left too much in question. It also seemed to be missing a big hunk of story and I still can't grasp what was needed for a satisfactory ending for my tastes--maybe an epilogue? Maybe another session with July and her therapist?

This novel gave me so much to think about and the abrupt changes in July's relationships with her friends broke my heart for her. I felt July's loneliness completely, so I know the writing is excellent.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for the digital ARC of “The Only Girl in Town” in exchange for my honest opinion. I have read everything by Allie Condie and had the pleasure of meeting her at a book signing several years ago. The writing style of this book is unique and has an undercurrent of sadness from the first page. I feel like there was good suspense throughout and it also deals with many teen issues, one of which is loneliness that has been compounded recently by the effects of Covid. I felt her word choice was very intentional and her use of verse was masterfully done. I would highly recommend to young adult and adult readers.

This was a good read, but I was left feeling confused and unsure of how I felt during the reading. When I would put the book down, I had contradictory feelings. I was interested in the story, but it fell short for me with the characters (I love good character development) and it just wasn't there. I felt the story was missing something to truly keep my attention, obviously July searching for everyone was riveting, but it felt like it was a hole in the story. A fun unique read though!!

The Only Girl in Town was a haunting and poetic YA novel. I'm not sure that I have resonated with a characters internal struggles more than I did when I was reading this. It was not at all what I expected it to be, and enjoyed the entire thing thoroughly. The chapters are very short and digestible, there's a dual timeline between past and present, which I really liked. I liked how mysterious and atmospheric it felt. I tried the entire time to guess what was happening and found myself getting proved wrong a few times throughout which was honestly pretty nice.

I genuinely think that it should maybe come with some trigger warnings on it, to warn readers that there are thoughts of suicide, exploration of teenage depression and some more.

Overall, I think this novel was great, but for some should be read with care.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley! This was such a cool premise, what happened if you woke up and you were the only person left in your town! It definitely took a turn with some darker themes but I liked Julie’s journey to discovery and to find the people in her town. Also I liked how it was written in verse!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for this DRC.
A young girl is the only person left in her town. She visits various places seeking her family and friends but can find no one, can connect with no one. It is real? In her head? This book was a quick read but sometimes frustrating in its internal meandering. I sometimes wished that aliens had stolen everyone else. It’s a book of self-discovery and coming to terms and I could relate to the feelings but it still kind of drove me crazy.

#TheOnlyGirlinTown #NetGalley

"...dying was like being called in from playing outside on a summer's night."

This was such a unique book. It was hauntingly beautiful, poetic, and mysterious. The themes of loneliness and sadness really resonated with me, and the way these feelings are described is so accurate and breathtaking. It's a fast read with short chapters and desperately making you run through it. I only wish it wasn't quite so ambitious and mysterious, as there is a lot of suspenseful buildup for an overall ending letdown.

In particular, I really enjoyed the setting. It reminded me of We Were Liars/The Summer of Broken Rules with such a cute, small, summery town (vastly juxtaposing the overall vibe of the book). There's also a very lovable cat as a bonus.

Thank you to Penguin Teen and Netgalley for providing an arc copy in exchange for an honest review! Please be mindful of trigger warnings if you decide to check this book out.

"I don't know who I am without sadness anymore. It lives in my heart, my stomach, my limbs, my head, every vein threading through me."

Read if you like: We Were Liars, I'll Give You the Sun

The Only Girl in Town is a must-read for fans of mystery, and suspense. Ally Condie's skillful storytelling and well-crafted characters make this novel a captivating and unforgettable experience.

That was such a cool concept of the book. I really liked the story and how it was going. Would definitely recommend if u want something fast paced!!