I really enjoyed this book! I was immediately drawn in as we meet the main character Hannah Darling as she heads to her execution. The story is set in a post-apocalyptic world in which a deadly virus has wiped out a majority of the population. Hannah is the feisty leader of the resistance, a group who is trying to seek a cure for the virus. Society has been taken over by the oppressive Keepers, who have captured and imprisoned Hannah for the last year. Hannah's only hope comes in the form of a childhood friend, who is a Keeper Guard, and son of the head of the Keepers. An enemy to lover's trope that is fast paced and full of twists. I think I have been craving a dystopian novel for such a long time that I devoured this one. It will appeal to reluctant readers because it is under 300 pages and the first book of a series. I am looking forward to reading the next book.

Ich weiß ehrlich gesagt nicht, wie ich dieses Buch bewerten soll, da ich es aufgrund relativ kurzer Ausleihdauer (ohne Verlängerung) nicht lesen konnte.

This novel is incredibly thrilling and I was very immersed while reading it. The pacing wasn't quite consistent but the romance and the characters were so relatable and developed. The characters were also very likable, but had flaws which made them well written. The writing could use a little work, but overall the plot and characters were so fun to read about.

4 Stars for me!

"Rebel Darling" delivers a gripping tale set in a dystopian future where the remnants of society are controlled by the oppressive Keepers. Hannah Darling, a teenage girl with the cure to a deadly virus, finds herself at the center of a struggle for freedom against the tyrannical regime.

The dynamic between Hannah and Anthony Fletcher, once childhood friends turned adversaries, adds depth and complexity to the story as they embark on a perilous journey to save humanity.
I found myself on the edge of my seat while reading about the two of them.

While the plot may follow some familiar tropes of the dystopian genre, the execution is compelling and keeps readers engaged throughout. The twists and turns keep the story unpredictable, and the stakes feel high as Hannah and Anthony race against time to save humanity.

As a fan of The Last of Us, this story brought me back into that world that I loved as a gamer.
This book is a must-read for fans of "The Last of Us" and anyone who enjoys a blend of action, romance, and post-apocalyptic intrigue. Overall, "Rebel Darling" earns four stars for its captivating narrative and unforgettable characters.

If you like the Last of Us, The Walking Dead, Divergent, and/or Ling Ma's Severance, this is the book for you! In this book, we travel through an apocalyptic world consumed by a deadly virus. Hannah Darling's immunity is the key to saving the world from the waves of the deadly virus that has left the world population in a decline--including the death of her father. The world has shut down, but there are different sectors of society that has divided the world. Mainly, the Keepers are on the hunt for Hannah, the leader of the Resistance, as she is trying to end the Keepers rule that has dominated, and find a cure for immunity. Her adventure is altered when a childhood friend tags along, but he's a part of the Keepers and a deliverer to the Resistance--Anthony Fletcher.

Plot: The plot of this book was honestly engaging, and as someone who is learning to appreciate dystopian and post-apocalyptic worlds, I couldn't help but ponder about this book quite often. This book gave off vibes from other books, shows, and games that I'm familiar with, but in many ways, it has its own twist and turns that made it unique. The ending was quite predictable BUT given that Anthony is supposed to be a messenger for the Resistance, I believe that there is more to unpack in the second book. Overall, I appreciate how the ending of this book was drastically different from the first half. It provided it some space for complexity.

Characters: Hannah Darling is a very straight forward character, and she is definitely a strong FMC. Anthony Fletcher is quite complicated, and I'm still trying to wrap my mind around the ending and his thoughts. By the end, we kinda loose a sense of Anthony's personality, but it was heavily focused on Hannah--which I liked, as it keeps the reader hungry for the second book and what Anthony thinks.

Writing style: The writing style for this book is easily digestible, especially given that this is a YA book. As someone who researches YA texts in education, I definitely think that adolescent will love this book! It's easy to picture the environment of the story, and as someone who frequently thinks about readers who want to pick up a book that is easy and fast paced, this book is heavily accessible to that.

**This book is in third-person point of view.**

Critiques: Three reasons why I subtracted a star on my ratings are due to (1) lack of world building, (2) some parts of the writing were quite confusing, and (3) the MC's last name. I haven't fully caught on to the sectors of this book's world, and I feel that there could have been more time spend in explaining who they are, especially the Strangers. I would also appreciate more insights of the three waves of the virus, and how it impacted these sectors. Also, there were some areas where there were holes in the writing, especially at the end. The ending felt a bit rushed compared to the rest of the writing. Lastly, I STRUGGLED through Fletcher calling Hannah "Darling." I don't know how I feel about that name, because it makes Fletcher quite unapproachable and creepy at times when he would refer to Hannah as her last name...

My rating: 4 stars :)

Thank you, NetGalley and 8th Note Press for providing this ARC!

Thank you Netgalley and author Valerie Best copy in exchange of my review.

"Find someone who makes the world worth saving. In what was once New York City, where the government has fallen and the violent, martial Keepers now rule, teenage Hannah Darling possesses the cure to the world’s deadly virus within her veins. When she's captured by the Keepers and sentenced to death for leading the Resistance, her only hope lies in Anthony Fletcher--once a childhood friend, then a school rival, and now son of her greatest enemy. No one is more surprised than Hannah when Anthony is willing to hide her. No one except Anthony himself. Anthony barely recognizes the wounded and traumatized Hannah as the girl who launched the Resistance at only 15. But Hannah is still determined to end the Keepers violent rule, and she's now desperate enough to escape the city towards a CDC that might be in ruins. So she sets off on a dangerous cross-country odyssey with Fletcher as her reluctant companion. Together, they face not only the infected, Zombie-like Strangers, but the relentless pursuit of the Keepers. As their bond deepens, they discover startling truths about themselves and each other, realizing that, like their pasts, their futures are irrevocably intertwined. But when betrayal strikes from an unexpected source, Hannah must race against time to secure the vaccine that could save humanity, unaware that Anthony—the boy with the secrets, the boy she’s fallen for—is the one who holds the power to save their world ... or let it burn. Combining non-stop action with a page-turning enemies to lovers romance, Rebel Darling is the perfect YA novel for fans of The Last of Us."

I did enjoy reading the book. It does give the "The Last Of US" vibes.

Entretenido sin más. Me ha faltado un poco de todo, más romance, más world building, más descripciones.

Si te gustan las historias post apocalípticas tipo The last of us seguro que disfrutarás de esta lectura, para mí se queda un poco corta.

Gracias a netgalley por el ARC.

Rebel Darling is a captivating apocalyptic enemies to lovers romance book. Though the book is on the shorter side it’s still had a lot of plot and under 300 pages.

My first reaction to this book is that the title is awfully heavy handed. As far as the plot is concerned, it's built on a decent premise. We have a devastating virus after at least a decade, societal collapse and all that. The bones are strong - isolation and secrecy masquerading as protection. The plot is scattered and the characters too extreme to be properly believable. Too difficult to engage.

The main character is Hannah, who is the face of the resistance in a post-apocalyptic world that has been overtaken by a deadly virus. Hannah tries to fight against the Keepers, who prefer that only certain chosen people survive in this world and they don't care about others. One day, Hannah escapes from the Keepers, who previously captured her, and her former (enemy) classmate Anthony Fletcher finds her and hides her with him. Hannah and Anthony are essentially on the other sides and believe more in a different truths, but at the same time they both want to fight for justice, so they decide to achieve something together and change the world.

- the writing style: It was more amateurish than I would like, but it was still captiving and I couldn’t put this book down.

- plot: It was like in lot of other books with post-apocalyptic setting, nothing new -> the MC trying to be the big savior, a virus turning people to monsters, the MC is in resistance group…

- characters: Hannah was okay I guess, but was lacking more of depth to her character and was trying too much to be tough. I would like to know more about her. Anthony was the typical bad boy of the story, who was also sarcastic playboy without real depth.
I think that Vic is a character that liked the most and was just a side character.

- romance: I think that the romance was the main thing that drove me forward. It was not much romance there but I was still glad when I read anything happening between those two characters. I hope that in the sequel, we will have more of the romance and it will be more complex.

What I did like:
• kinda enemies to lovers;
• forced proximity;
• only-one-bed trope;
• strong FMC;
• post-apocalyptic setting;
• it reminded a little bit of Aaron & Julliet, Snow & Lucy.

What I didn’t like:
• the name of the FMC is Hannah DARLING,
• I still don’t know how old was the FMC and MMC;
• the lack of worldbuilding and description of people’s look & other things,
• predictable plot,
• the romance was dull and insufficient,
• kinda amateur style of writing (but it’s the first book of the author, so I guess it’s not that bad)…

BUT overall I still enjoyed it and I am excited for the sequel of this series.
Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

2,5* of 5*

Thank you Netgalley and 8th Note Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

"Rebel Darling" by Valerie Best is an engaging and captivating YA book set in a post-apocalyptic world where a deadly virus has ravaged the population and sinister forces control the remnants of society. At the heart of the story is Hannah Darling, leader of the Resistance, determined to fight against the injustices perpetrated by the Keepers, the powerful faction responsible for the chaos. If you are a fan of the popular dystopian books from the 2010s, then you will definitely enjoy this book.

The story kicks off with Hannah facing imminent execution for her defiance against the Keepers. However, a daring escape leads her into the hands of Anthony Fletcher, the son of a prominent Keeper. What ensues is an unlikely alliance as Hannah and Anthony embark on a perilous journey south to find a vaccine for the virus plaguing their world.

The plot is pretty fast-paced, though the beginning of the book started a bit slow after the initial escape. After the first few chapters, the plot definitely picks up, which keeps you engaged until the very ending of the book. I did find the initial introduction of the worldbuilding, like some of the different terms and characterizations, a bit confusing. I found it a bit difficult to keep track of everything, so I wish the worldbuilding had been developed more; this is such a fundamental part of a dystopian novel, especially when the MC is a leader of the resistance group. However, once the story gains momentum, it becomes a gripping rollercoaster ride of action and suspense and I was better engaged in the world that Best created.

I really enjoyed the dynamic characters in the book, particularly Hannah and Anthony. Hannah's resilience and determination to fight for the greater good are commendable (though a bit stereotypical in a dystopian book), while Anthony's complex journey from childhood rival to reluctant ally adds depth to the narrative. Their evolving relationship is both heartwarming and fraught with tension, adding an intriguing layer of romance to the story. I really liked Anthony’s character while Hannah’s was lacking in a bit of depth. The supporting cast also was not extensively developed, but they still left a lasting impression, like Vic and Jackie.

Overall, "Rebel Darling" delivers a fun reading experience that will appeal to fans of dystopian fiction and action-packed adventure. I recommend this book for anyone who wants to scratch their itch for dystopian books.

I just finished this and immediately need to get my thoughts out….

I’m trying to rein in my dramatics…but I’m actually so ENRAGED with the ending.

Nevertheless, let me take a breath and talk about everything that came before that.

First, I love the FMC. She exudes grit, determination, and pure strength, both physically and mentally. I wish there was more of her backstory woven in.

The first line, and heck even the whole first chapter, really sucked me into the story immediately. I liked the pacing throughout, as well. I was consistently reaching for this book to find out more.

There should’ve been explanations for all of the different “groups” of people. We’ve got the Keepers, Strangers, Susceptibles, Immunes, Resistance, etc. and it was confusing to understand what role they each played within the story.

I felt like the “romance” happened very randomly. It didn’t really ever feel natural between the two main characters. There were some sweet moments, and a couple of swoon-y lines, but it just didn’t flow well with the rest of the story.

I enjoyed the dystopian aspects of this story. The outbreak felt plausible and realistic enough for me to really get into the story. Plus, the Walking Dead vibes were a nice touch.

*Minor spoilers ahead*

Okay, now back to that ending…I just have one main question: WHYYYY?
Why in ALL of the endings and ALL of the directions this could have gone, did the author choose absolute violence against my soul.
My stomach DROPPED when the “twist” was revealed and I kept thinking “Surely not. Surely this isn’t actually happening. Any second now there’s going to be a “just kidding!” moment. Please.” But NOPE.

*End of spoilers*

With all of that being said, I can’t decide if I want to read the next one or not. I would hope that the next one would have a better outcome, but I honestly might be too scared to get my heart broken again.

Find someone who makes the world worth saving.

This was just fine. The characters and world-building were okay but left a little to be desired. Overall, I didn't hate it.

Thank you to NetGalley, 8th Note Press, and the author for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Our FMC Hannah Darling is the leader of the Resistance, a group whose aim is to fight against injustices in the wake of a virus spreading across the nation, and the people who are causing them - the Keepers. On her way to her execution, she escapes from her captors and falls into the hands of an old enemy, Anthony Fletcher. Fletcher is the son of one of the Keepers founding members.

An unlikely friendship (and perhaps more) ensues as Darling and Fletcher race south to find the vaccine for the virus plaguing the world.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, the plot was quick and kept me entertained from page 1. The story flowed well and I was on the edge of my seat multiple times!

I do wish the different character types had been fleshed out a little more in the beginning because I found myself for the first 50 - 100 pages being slightly confused by the different names (Keepers, Strangers, Immunes, Susceptibles, etc.) Once I understood I flew through this book.

It was very different from a lot of the books I read and it was a breath of fresh air. It also hit close to home because it had a lot of themes that felt very similar to the pandemic we all are living through. I was also getting the Walking Dead vibes and couldn't get enough.

The betrayal at the end shocked me, and even though I should have expected it, I didn't. It hurt my heart but also made me need to read the next book ASAP to see how Fletcher and Darling's story unfolds.

The pacing was a little weird in this one, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it. This was giving huge The Last of Us vibes and for that alone I will recommend. Hannah is the face of the resistance and just escaped her execution. She teams up with her childhood rival to reach the CDC in Atlanta to find a cure for the Stranger's disease. But everything isn't what it seems. I really liked Hannah's character. You can see she has a goal in mind and will not let anyone stop her from accomplishing it. She is also very self sacrificing. More interested in helping the survival of mankind in general, rather than only herself and the people she cares about. Something I really though was cool is that we see Hannah suffer the long term consequences from the beatings she got in prison. She doesn't just miraculously heal up and become perfect again. She suffers from symptoms of her traumatic brain injury and had to find way to compensate for that.

Anthony Fletcher, when I see you again it's on sight. That man put me through an emotional rollercoaster that ended in anger. I'll fight him for Hannah, no questions asked.

This book was a really great call back to the 2o10s Dystopian phase. I hope we get a full renaissance because I love these kind of book and I think we the success of The Last of Us show there is an open market for it. I can't wait for the next book in this series and I hope Fletcher is ready to do some groveling.

This was a quick, fun evening read! It’s the perfect combination for anyone who loves THE LAST OF US and the good old days of YA dystopia (aka the early 2010s).

Since this book is just a little over 200 pages, the world-building was not quite there. It felt like it had a bit of an abrupt start, but found its groove around halfway through.

That being said, the storyline is still compelling and entertaining. I really liked Fletcher. He reminded me of a cross between Four (Divergent) and Aaron Warner (Shatter Me). I would’ve loved to get inside his head more, and the same goes for Hannah. The 3rd person POV was a little more limiting in this context, but it did work.

The foundation is all there in this book, I just wanted more!

This book was just ok. There were definitely some interesting aspects, but it just felt a little lacking. The character of Hannah had a lot of potential, but she never really stepped into that.
The twist at the end was unexpected, and that definitely made the book worth reading - even though it was a fairly predictable twist, the author's execution of it was well thought and hooked me. I also liked a lot of the side characters, especially the Wanderers, and I wish we could have known more about them.
On the other hand, there was a lot that I felt fell short. The disease that infects everyone isn't really explained, there is only a tiny bit of information about what it does to the victims. I think it would have benefitted from some more in-depth world-building and information.
Hannah's brain funk was also not really explained, but the reader is just expected to accept it.
The relationship between Hannah and Fletcher was good, and seemed very realistic in the setting, but again, I wish we were able to explore it more.
The novel was a spin on the video game and TV show The Last of Us, but certainly didn't live up to my expectations. That being said, it is not a bad book, and I do think some people would enjoy it.

Rebel darling is gripping dystopian novel that takes place in New York city. What drew me to this book is because the plot in this and I love how Hannah ends up falling in love with Anthony this book was good. It just took me a while to get into it.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and 8th Note Press for the ARC!

Rebel Darling is set in a post-apocalyptic world reminiscent of "The Last of Us" with themes similar to the covid-19 pandemic regarding vacines. This book was an easy quick read for me with an engaging plot and FMC that kept me engaged. Because I read the book rather quickly, I did not find that the story developed slowly like some other have stated, but things didn't start getting super interesting until nearly 75% of the way through. I genuinely enjoyed Hannah Darling's perspective and rage-against-the-system attitude, but found that some of the other characters were lacking in development.

Towards the end, I found myself wanting more from the story, but not enough to want to read the sequel. Overall, a decent book!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for alloying me to read this book and review it

Thrilling and entrancing, this book starts with our protagonist, Hannah Darling, beaten, defeated and going to her execution; her crime, trying to find a vaccine for the virus that has decimated the population of the United States. Daring and refusing to back down, she is ready to go against the establishment and the leaders of the new force that has taken control in her post-apocalyptic world. Anthony Fletcher, son of Anton Fletcher, current leader of the force that holds what used to be New York's inhabitants under control; he has known Hannah all their lives, friends in their childhoods, rivals during school and opposites in their ideologies; they must work together to ensure the creation of a vaccine that will allow the survival of non-immune people. While differences separate them, both want to make the best of their situations. Eventually a romance evolves, it is heartwarming to see people be able to find love in such hostile environments, and its progression is so natural that you can't help but fall in love with it yourself.

Most of the side characters were endearing, although there was not much depth to them, the story revolving around the main characters in a way that I didn't mind that much. Some of the bad guys actually gave me chills, they made me hate them so much because I was disgusted by their behavior and the ways living in a post-apocalyptic world had changed them. The cravens, this world's version of zombies, sounded terrifying and in a way they reminded me of "Maze Runner", in how the people that had the disease eventually lost their minds. I do wish that there had been more information about the world, they mention there were 3 waves of the virus but do not enter into the complications or political relationships and repercussions of them. I also did not understand the plot twist at the end, I don't think it was clear enough but other than that the plot was easy to follow and quite laid-back.

Furthermore, I will be waiting for the sequel eagerly