As someone who has read more than her fair share of post-apoc/doomsday/what happens when the world ends type stories, this was a hilarious breath of fresh air. I loved the conceit - the sun explodes! now what? - and the characters were refreshingly normal. Loved the depiction of class warfare between Buildings A. B and C, and the fact that the "big bad" is a Boss-Babe MLM Hun was just totally spot on and hilarious - someone like that WOULD be the most evil. And then the twist ending! I did NOT know where things were going, so the ending really took me for a ride. This was just a fun, funny, satirical ride, in the all the best ways. Will definitely be recommending it to all my patrons who ask me for light and funny reads in the future.

Dan has a reason to be an unambitious curmudgeon-his elementary school aptitude tests scored him as a genius and predicted a bright future, but predictions fail. Now he writes copy for Marvel Maids, a MerryMaids wannabee, and watches his life limp by. But he does have a couple of redeeming qualities which are a smart mouth and his stellar girlfriend, Mara. He takes her to a just opened resort island in the Bahamas for a two-week vacation and as they loll in the pool on their second day, Dan sees the sun explode out of the corner of his eye. The owner of the resort, an incompetent but young wealthy billionaire, tries to calm the hotel guests, but Lillyanne, an ultra-celebrity influencer and self-help guru takes over and gives them work assignments, ration cards, water, and electricity levels based on their socio-economic status. After playing along, getting shafted, and having the temperature get colder and more rainy, the lower-level guests rebel, creating a lethal chaos egged on by a homicidal guard detail. WIll Dan grow a pair before his girlfriend has to do all of the rescuing? And what will it take for the guests to get off the island and back to their loved ones or learn the truth behind this dystopian new normal? This was such a gripping novel that I read it overnight-my "couldn't put it down-ness" level had to be cranked up to 11. I won't give away the ending, except to say that I didn't guess it and it was diabolical...5 stars, do recommend!

Zero Stars, Do Not Recommend has the building blocks of a great story, but the pieces don’t coalesce into something that makes it a particularly memorable book.

Average guy (or even below average depending on how he feels about himself at any given moment), Dan Foster is enjoying a tropical vacation with his girlfriend, Mara, when the sun explodes. Tensions between the haves and the have-nots at the elite resort quickly boil over and lead to a dictator-lite situation driven by a pyramid scheme fitness influencer. When opportunities for both escape and leadership present themselves, what’s a mild-mannered guy to do?

From a satirical angle, the book is largely successful. The guests and staff at the resort represent a cross section of humanity. Each is largely a caricature of what readers likely expect of them based on a few offered traits, like New Jersey deli owner or girlfriend of guy with chronic self-doubt. They all react about how one would expect them to in the dire situation they find themselves in at the potential end of the world. It’s funny because it’s probably true.

Where the satire succeeds, other things fall apart. Few characters aside from Dan are developed and some storylines fizzle instead of spark. The humor - particularly Dan’s self-deprecating style - is laugh worthy at first, but eventually became repetitive and stilted. Some subplots aren’t fully explored, which is unfortunate because they would have added depth and intrigue!

Overall, there was enough here to keep me reading to find out how things got resolved, but not enough for me to come up with strong talking points to add it to my readers advisory list.

4/5 Stars!!!

Dan Foster and his girlfriend Mara are at a resort on a remote island in the Bahamas when the sun explodes.... literally. Things only get worse from there when Lilyanna Collins, a fitness pyramid scheme - CEO, takes control of the resort. As temperatures drop and tensions among the vacationers rise, the islanders began to band together in hopes of surviving.
Dan accidentally becomes a beacon of hope but when one six-person plane is discovered that could get them back to the mainland, Dan has choices to make...

Honestly, I requested this book for an ARC because the title made me laugh. However, this book was hilarious, and the author's writing style made it easy to follow and enjoy. NetGalley had a lot of formatting issues that caused me to struggle a bit, but that was not the authors issue.

I really liked this book and highly recommend picking up a copy when it comes out!

A socially relevant story.. stuck on an island: a favorite trope of mine. Apocalyptic: another favorite them. This was definitely different than what I usually read and bent genres but it was original and interesting. Character development was great. I can't wait to see more from this author.

Once again, I've run face-first into the perils of being widely read in a specific genre. This didn't really have anything new to add that I haven't read or watched before, but I still read it all in mostly one sitting when it was too warm to read anything that required too much thought. I look forward to watching the inevitable movie with the group I play drinking games with every Saturday.

I really enjoyed this book. It was witty, with lots of one-liners that kept me smiling, and even made me laugh out loud at times. This book was exactly what I needed to get me out of my reading slump. It’s a debut novel, and I hope this author keeps writing. It’s one of my favorites of the year.

A couple is on vacation at this new resort in the Caribbean. They are hanging out on the beach and having a great time when the sun explodes. Obviously, there will be chaos if the sun explodes, but the author’s descriptive writing on how everything goes down is hilarious. Based on the fact that it takes place on a resort Island, it would make a great beach or pool read.

I was given an advance copy of this book for my honest review. Definitely add it to your TBR list.

Would not recommend, the writing style is horrible. And there was a racist joke within the first few chapters. Not something I can tolerate, so I has to put down and walk away.

This book had a really interesting premise that I think the author explored really well. I struggled to connect to the main character or his sense of humor/worldview but nevertheless felt that the narrative voice was really strong and that Dan’s character came across clearly and strongly. The book handled some heavy topics with humor and plenty of creativity.

While not my favorite, I still had a really good time with this book. I really like plots like these where the point of contention is something completely out of control. I think it was an enjoyable read.

This book had me laughing out loud in the first five minutes! The story was absolutely bonkers, the characters were funny and relatable, and I had no idea how the book would end!

Thanks to Netgalley for the chance to read an advance copy!

I didn’t finish this book. I was like 100 pages in and it was really boring for me. I also didn’t like the writing style. I think maybe if I were to read this at a different time I might enjoy it but it’s not for me right now. I don’t want to negatively review something I didn’t finish but it was not for me

Twenty Nine year old everyday man Dan Foster is finally going on a vacation to a resort with his girlfriend Mara. Everything is going good until the sun explodes.

Chaos ensues while the resort is run by a MLM woman and her pastor husband. Dan, his girlfriend Mara and other inhabitants of their building are forced to do chores everyday and ration their food.

I did enjoy all the main characters and felt there was character developmemt throughout the book. There was humor and suspense throughout the book.

I would recommend this book to anyone that likes humor, mystery or suspense!

Thank you to NG and the publisher for this opportunity because, despite some of the formatting issues found in the advance e-copy, I absolutely LOVED this insanity of a novel! Out of respect for both the author and publisher's requests, I will not post any spoilers in this review..... HOWEVER— what I will say, and with the utmost of confidence might I add, is that this book most certainly will be a hit this summer once it hits its official pub day. This book's very title draws you in (imho) by its wording alone; the plot is honestly so unique, unlike anything I've ever read before, and immediately engaging right off the bat; and the characters are all very compelling and well-layered/nuanced. As someone who loves sci-fi and dystopian tales, I went into this read completely blind and am so glad I did. Regardless of whether you're a sci-fi fan like myself or not, PLEASE CHECK THIS BOOK OUT! I promise you it's worth it and is just... so much fun. So different. Five stars, would definitely, definitely recommend.

4⭐️! 4 stars, DO recommend!!

This was such a unique apocalyptic story! It was a comedy mixed in with an end of the world disaster story.

I had a good time with this! But the middle was a little slow, and the writing style was hard to follow at times. I did find myself wanting to skim sometimes. But the ending made up for it! Totally shocked me and I love the life messages in this book. It was so real in how humans would react to a disaster like this.

2.0

Setting: Bahamas
Rep: n/a

I'll be honest - there are two main reasons I finished this book: firstly, because I'm trying to read books set in 50 different countries, and secondly because Z is the last letter I need for the alphabet reading challenge. Also, okay, the cover was good and the plot sounded fun. The actual book? Boring and amateur. It felt like it was written 15 years ago, weirdly dated. Also, very predictable.

Laugh out loud funny and SO relatable! The characters are likable and the story is fun and fast paced!

Honestly, probably the easiest 5 stars I have given to a book this year.

Picture this: you’re on a tropical island enjoying your discounted vacation and trying to enjoy yourself for the next two weeks. Then the sun explodes and everything just goes dark. Is it the apocalypse? The end of the world? For Dan and Mara, their vacation takes a turn for the… weird? Worse? Probably a combination of both. How will they salvage their vacation (and possibly save the world)?

If you are looking for a serious take on a crazy what-if scenario, then you are in the wrong place! If you are looking for a funny, crazy, sci-fi adventure that explores who people truly are in a crisis and has some of the best characters I have ever read in a long time, then stop what you’re doing and read this book.

(And next time you’re thinking about taking a vacation, you might want to check the travel insurance and see if it covers “sun exploding.”)

Huge thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the opportunity to read this fantastic ARC and the chance to write my honest thoughts and review!

It's so refreshing to find a funny book that also has heart and mystery thrown in! I can truly say I LOL'd numerous times reading this story, and was surprised by its many twists and turns too. To me, that's a winning combination: five stars, I do recommend.

In Zero Stars, Do Not Recommend, Dan and his girlfriend Mara are enjoying the beginnings of a two-week vacation at a brand new island resort. The resort is divided into three main buildings, with Building A being most luxurious, Building B being middle-of-the-road, and Building C housing the cut-rate vacationers. Suddenly, their day at the beach takes a life-altering turn when the sun overhead explodes and darkness descends across the island. In the ensuing panic, each building's people retreat to their respective areas, in shock and confusion. As each day after progresses, the true nature of all sides of humanity is on full display, with leaders and underdogs emerging, hoarding, forced labor, violence, and other issues arising, including Dan's internal struggles with where his life currently stands and how Mara sees him. Now, while this may sound dark and dystopian, the story is in fact heartfelt, hilarious, and hugely entertaining, with a fun cast of characters, plot twists aplenty, and a nice study of humans in all our glory.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was weird, witty, and totally unexpected. Don’t let the title fool you; I highly recommend it.

Dan and his girlfriend Mara are on vacation in paradise when the sun disappears, all hell breaks loose, and they’re stuck scrambling to find a way home. Alongside new friends and the resort’s new benevolent dictator slash woo-woo MLM founder, Lillyanna, things get hairy, and we’re along for a wild ride.

This book had it all: laughs, snark, social commentary, and an introspective main character in Dan that had me doing the Leo DiCaprio ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’ point more than once. The story took big swings but never took itself too seriously.

I was entertained from start to finish and will never pass on an Auntie Anne’s pretzel again. Can’t can’t believe this was the author’s debut. I hope to read more from him in the future.