This is such a unique and interesting apocalypse story and I found it endlessly fascinating. Equally, a commentary on class as it is on survival, Zero Stars, Do Not Recommend is a satirical look at what we will do to survive and protect those we love. Dan and Mara are on their perfect trip when the sun goes dark. Cut off from the rest of the world, the group of vacationers quickly falls into their own toxic community. Dan is driven to save Mara to step up for his past failings. While I would hope that the world would not devolve like this island did, sadly, the craziness seemed inevitable. Dan was the unlikely hero of the story. There were twists that caught me off guard and the ending was impressive. I will be looking forward to what MJ Wassmer writes next.

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the advanced reader copy.

While the title says zero stars, this was absolutely a 5 star book for me! It isn't often that a book can make me audibly laugh out loud and this one did it many times. I loved the satirical/biting humor and tone that brought levity to a grave situation - the sun exploding (lol). As the resort descended into chaos and Lord-of-the-Flies-esque behavior, we got to see how ridiculous human behavior really is.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Zero Stars, Do Not Recommend by MJ Wassmer opens with Dan and Mara enjoying a trip to an all-inclusive resort on a beautiful island, relaxing beside the water and enjoying the freedom from their everyday lives and then the unexpected happens: the sun explodes, and the world stops. Soon, Dan and Mara find themselves struggling to survive what will be the last few days of their lives as the temperatures quickly plummet. Their fellow guests find themselves divided, as the rich and famous occupants of building A quickly take charge and commandeer all the food, water, and control the power to the resort. Murmurs of rebellion against the rich begin to grow and soon Dan finds himself a leader for the group. All Dan wants is to keep Mara safe. When a single plane if found on the island, the twists and turns begin.

I highly recommend this novel. It was funny in the right spots, dramatic in others, and it gave me the vibes of an early 2000's sci-fi movie, the kind I found to be a guilty pleasure and you know would still have reruns going today. While Dan deals with his Dan-ness as the world around him crumbles, it gives the other characters time to shine, and while I probably should've seen where the plot was going, I still thought the twist was done very well.

If you like cheesy apocalyptic movies or are looking for a fast paced enjoyable read this is definitely the book for you,

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the Advanced Release Copy in exchange for an honest review. The book can be found in stores on August 6, 2004.

I am a historical fiction reader for the most part but this one seemed intriguing so I requested an advanced copy. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.

I seriously could not put this book down for the whole first 3/4 of the story. I read a lot of it before bed and then had a hard time sleeping. Nightmares or dreams? Not sure but this book definitely lingered into the night. Lots of suspense. I was sucked right into the whole "sun exploding" secret tunnels and mad scientist vibes on the island.

My only criticism would be the "battle scenes" between the different buildings on the island. A few of those could have been left out of the book without any harm to the overall plot. Highly entertaining and was a quick read.

I was happy to see a mostly happy ending for this one.

Starts off with a bang (sorry, couldn’t resist) with a light and breezy tone, and a bit of snark. You think this will be a light and easy read. But as things, and people, unravel it takes on a seriousness that feels real and inevitable – yet it still maintains its humor and ease that make it so readable. The writing isn’t perfect – but for a debut novel it is really impressive. I look forward to this author perfecting that style and tone in future novels.

Dan is a generally likeable and relatable everyman protagonist. As a lazy underachiever, he struggles with the idea of becoming the reluctant hero everyone wants him to be. His feelings of self-preservation and protection vs fairness and greater good are very human. Dan Foster is a perfect imperfect character to head up an apocalyptic satire. And Mara – another fantastic character - is a perfect partner for him.

The plot is a fun ride. It’s The Resort and White Lotus meets Lord of the Flies. Throughout the escalation of action and plot-reveals, I stayed engaged and entertained. I love the title. I love the cover art. I love all the characters. And I enjoyed the twisty, clever plot. It’s escapist fun. Highly entertaining, humorous, and fast-paced; I do recommend for a quick and easy summer read.

Thank you NetGalley, Sourcebooks Landmark, and the author for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book (available on August 6th).

Title: Zero Stars, Do Not Recommend
Author: MJ Wassmer
Format: E-book

Have you ever scoured the reviews of Yelp, Amazon, or some other company to find an over-the-top, hilarious, and slightly deranged review-gone-wrong about someone who obviously is laughing through their tears at how bad their experience was? Now imagine they were talking about a resort in the Bahamas during the apocalypse. That's a little bit of what it was like to read Zero Stars.

Dan Foster persuaded his girlfriend Mara to visit an island resort he saw on a Facebook ad. It was going swell, until the sun exploded and thrust them into a global cooling catastrophe similar to a nuclear winter. Naturally, humans being humans means chaos ensues. Dan has to decide how he wants to cope with his new environment, navigate newly established political alliances, and decide what he wants to do for his final days.

The most striking thing about this book is the writing style. It comes off as stream-of-conscious wit that dives into tangents and makes jokes out of everything. I believe I heard it best from another review that said they were expecting it to get old fast, but it just never did. The writing is spectacular, and soon you realize that the tangent stories that you thought were completely pointless and needlessly detailed were purposefully sprinkled throughout to give backstory, as they get referenced in future passages.

The story is also a good story. I had no idea where the book was going, and kept trying to predict what would come next. My first impression actually ended up being the real ending, but I had given up on that idea multiple times throughout all the twists and turns, so it still felt fresh when I read it. The plot kept me gripped the whole time.

Probably the only part that I could give constructive criticism would be that the main antagonists felt a little bit two-dimensional, and I wish had more depth.

Overall, this is an easy 5 star for me. I've already began recommending it to others. I can't wait to see what other gems this new author comes up with.

Thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the digital advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I couldn't get past the first chapter, although I tried - I really did. Poorly written, it sounded like a middle school student wrote it with no grasp of sentence structure. Conceptually ridiculous as well - the sun exploded? And ran down the sky? I had a hard time suspending reality to attempt reading this book, and gave up.

Zero Stars, Do Not Recommend has a satirical approach to an apocalyptic event, so it's not necessarily something that can be taken completely seriously. The book felt fittingly chaotic, especially as a societal hierarchy formed between the different buildings of guests. A lot of the characters weren't necessarily very likable, especially in this situation where humanity is at its worst, so I never really connected completely with the main characters. Along the way the story has a bit of a twist to it, but honestly, I had already suspected it, so it probably didn't have the impact on me that it would have otherwise. There was enough going on in the story to keep my interest, and it felt like a pretty quick read, but it wasn't quite as much "the book for me" as I thought it would be.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the early review copy of Zero Stars, Do Not Recommend! All opinions in my review are completely my own.

Fun and quirky concept! I got bogged down in the extreme caricature-ness of the main villain(s), but Dan and Mara are exactly the kind of people I'd like to be trapped with at the end of the world.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
(4/5)

This kinda gave This is the End vibes but make it a vacation time end of world book. A very fun and unique concept!! Four Stars, definitely recommend. ;) Perfect summertime read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC!

This book sucked me in from the first page. I loved The White Lotus vibes it had. But really any locked door mystery always makes me happy. This book also had so many other tropes I loved, which I can’t say or they would be a spoiler. This is a page turner that will keep you up all night trying to figure out the mystery. Unlike the title, I do recommend it! Thank you to NetGalley, Sourcebooks and MJ Wassmer for an eARC for an honest review of the book.

Hilarious and sobering. Characters are well fleshed out and believable. Great pacing and kept me interested. Dan is the reluctant hero we all need at the end of the world!

Wassmer's post-apocalyptic novel was a delight from start to finish. Our narrator's sarcastic brain was a wonderful vantage point for experiencing the fallout of a cataclysmic event at an all inclusive resort. The inevitable divisions that emerge, the small skirmish as a leader is selected, the strain and formation of relationships - the messy beginnings of a societal system with all its flaws. There are many inevitables but also many surprises. A gratifying think-piece of a beach read.

This book was such a joy to read! It's the first book in over four years on Bookstagram that caught my attention through a sponsored ad (major kudos to this man's wife—her videos are fantastic!) I was so excited to get approved for a NetGalley copy. Once I started reading I couldn't put it down!

It's like a modern-day Animal Farm, but set on an island. When the sun explodes, cutting off all contact with the outside world, uncertainty grips the island's vacationers. With no way of knowing if help will ever arrive, divisions quickly emerge and chaos ensues. The characters are somewhat clichéd—an underachieving protagonist, his optimistic fiancée, the MLM tycoon and her entourage of boss babes, the strongmen who can easily be paid off, the quirky astronomer, the hopeless rich entrepreneur—but the author's witty portrayal of each had me laughing. I pre-ordered the book immediately and can't wait to share my physical copy with friends! It's the perfect lighthearted summer read for a vacation getaway.

Lord of the Flies goes on vacay ☠️☀️
This was a darkly hilarious mess (I say affectionately).

There was some predictability in the plot, but the twists were executed in a satisfying way. The characters had a Glass Onion lovable caricature vibe to them, and the humor was somehow both over the top and tongue in cheek? The scene of the main characters baby talking at gunpoint had me cackling.

Overall this was a very enjoyable read and I devoured the whole thing in one day.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the ARC!

ZERO STARS, DO NOT RECOMMEND is MJ Wassmer's debut, but it certainly doesn't read like one. It's about an average guy, on an average Caribbean vacation, having a perfectly average day... until the sun goes out. It becomes survival of the fittest as everyone on the island competes for resources and supplies, makes alliances and enemies, and tries to find a way home to see their loved ones before the end.

This was one of the most enjoyable reading experiences this year, with literally laugh out loud one liners, despite the dire circumstances the characters find themselves in. It gets intense sometimes, but the darkness is cut with levity, which is exactly what I'm looking for in a summer read. It's one of my favorite books I've read this year.

Venturing into 'Zero Stars, Do Not Recommend' was an unexpected journey into chaos. Set in a vacation paradise turned survival nightmare after the sun explodes, Dan and Mara navigate a world gone mad. Wassmer’s narrative grips with its dark humor and unpredictable twists, akin to a modern-day Lord of the Flies. While the premise is intriguing and the cover enticing, the execution left me questioning its dated humor and scientific inconsistencies. Despite its flaws, Wassmer delivers a wild ride that keeps you glued till the end.

I tried … I really did with “Zero Stars, Do Not Recommend” by MJ Wassmer. This book is supposed to be satirical - okay, but it wasn’t my type of humor - in fact, it felt very dated. I thought the concept was interesting, but that was about it (okay, the cover’s also pretty dang cool - kudos to the illustrator). But shortly after the sun explodes, my scientific brain kicked in … and things just didn’t make sense. I’m okay suspending scientific facts, but the fact that people were concerned about Internet made me think that people at the vacation get-away were not the brightest … and that’s when I figured out what was going on. Not the book for me … and if you cannot ignore basic scientific facts, this won’t be the book for you either [unless you can and are okay with insulting so-called humor and put-downs). Great concept … but I wish the book had lived up to that very promising cover!

Thank You, NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark
Publish Date: Aug 6th, 2024
⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

thrilling novel that begins with Dan and Mara's vacation at a newly opened resort. Their peaceful getaway is shattered when the sun explodes, plunging everyone into a desperate struggle for survival. Stranded on the island with no way to contact the mainland United States, Dan, Mara, and the other guests must navigate the chaos and fight to stay alive. Wassmer masterfully builds tension, creating a fast-paced and gripping narrative. The resort, initially a paradise, quickly becomes a sora-like cult because they start to ration food and shower time you have to do a certain time depending on what building you are in building A is in charge of everyone they are super rich and building B is the middle class and C is slightly lower than B.

Zero Stars, Do Not Recommend" explores themes of resilience and community. Wassmer’s vivid descriptions and relentless pacing make the catastrophic scenario feel real and urgent.

Wow I truly truly had no idea what I was getting into with this book. Don't let the cover fool you, this one is intense. It has some funny moments, in fact it has a lot of funny dialogue. But it's also some version of Lord of the Flies with the rich and the less rich vs the children.

And like Lord of the Flies, it has some moments that really make you question humanity. It goes in unpredictable directions even when you think you understand what's going on. I had lots of issues with it but I have to admit that I read the whole thing in one sitting and I could not put it down, so that alone means it's a four-star read for me.

It gets bonus points for being a crazy, wild ride.

with gratitude to SOURCEBOOKS Landmark and netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review