Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an e-arc of No Stars, Do Not Recommend by M.J. Wassmer.

This is a twisty locked room thriller with a sci fi heart and the dark humor core. Told in 3rd person, our MC Dan’s dream vacation with the girl of his dreams, Mara becomes an actual nightmare after the sun explodes on the second day at a recently opened Bahamian resort. After a coup by residents of elite Building A led by Beachbody boss, Lilyanna and her preacher husband Pete, the residents of Building B and C look to Dan as a leader following a megaphone fueled rally speech. But all our reluctant hero wants to do is find a way to get off the island with Mara and new found friends. Through temperature drops, work camp conditions, rationing, a few fight scenes, and a chance encounter with the island’s resident scientist, Dan begins to piece together the truth behind his new reality. Who knew that the end of the world could bring about new beginnings?

I guessed the twist…but the explosive ending made up for it. I would recommend this book, but maybe not as a take along to an island retreat. 4/5 star read

I was so thrilled to get an advanced copy of this book! I loved the idea behind it.

What would you do with your time if the sun exploded and the world was about to end?
Overall, I felt this was a good book. It was funny, witty and pretty enjoyable!
The author did a decent job of painting a picture in my mind. With the repetition though, it was difficult to get lost in the book and fully love it.
I ended up giving it less stars, because the amount of times that words were repeated began to make me roll my eyes. The banter was funny, but became a bit much at times. I feel like in this one, less would be more.
I liked the way it wrapped up. I questioned at times throughout, if it was something like that.

Thank you NetGally and Sourcebooks Landmark for allowing me to read it early.

Absolutely hilarious! Smart writing that grabs your attention with it's relatability. And though this was full of humor, it did not lack depth and character development! I loved seeing the characters evolve as they faced their apocalyptic challenges, and how they handled every twist and turn they encountered. What an absolutely fun read! Would love to read more from this author!

Thank you to NetGalley and SourceBooks for this ARC.

Loved this a lot more than I expected! This is much more a Stanford prison experiment and less an apocalyptic dystopia, but I really enjoyed the writing style and almost satirical nature of the plot.

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced copy! I went into this book not reading much of what it was about or what to expect, but I did end up liking it. Great novel!

While I was slow to get into this book (more a comment on me than the writing), once invested, I was hooked and couldn't put it down. It read like a Gilmore Girls level stream of consciousness from a dude who has long expected nothing from himself. The pop culture references were there. The humor had something for everyone. There was action, adventure, and intrigue - I didn't see the ending coming! I absolutely 100% DO recommend this book.

Thank you #Netgalley for the advanced copy!

This was not what I expecting at all, but I loved it! I thought oh this nice couple is on a private island we will see what they get into. Little did I know there would be an end of the world type situation and we see how all different people react. Loved Dan's sarcastic perspectives and how he navigated this situation. This was a funny read and really surprised me at the end!

This book is going to do well.

Think:
Witty.
Lord of the flies.
An all inclusive resort with strict class division.

I can hardly believe this was a debut novel.

Dan and Mara go on a vacation. Finally.

Life has been so stressful and the stars finally aligned that they could get away. Until one of the stars goes out. Specifically the sun.

What’s a Caribbean vacation without the sun? Chaos.

Who steps up? Who bands together? Is it a free for all? How can they get home to their loved ones when their phones won’t work?

I honestly didn’t expect to find a book set at the end of the world so funny. Well done. I can’t wait to see what MJ Wassmer writes next!

This book was a surprisingly fun and interesting read. I had no expectations going in and I was pleasantly surprised with an enjoyable book.

The characters were mostly well rounded and unique. I couldn't exactly identify with the main character but he was a sympathetic character overall despite his lack of confidence and lack of any sort of skills beyond talking a lot and speaking up against injustice. The girlfriend Mara probably deserved a bigger role. I could hear the New Jersey deli owners voice as I read his parts. The villains were entirely believable and all too human. The story was elements of science fiction with human drama and a bit of apocalyptic survival story.

The setting was perfect. The secluded resort. The 3 socioeconomic tiers of guests and their separate buildings. And of course the remote observatory complete with an eccentric scientist.

If it had a rating, it would be R for violence and language. Sexual content was fleeting and not crass.

Continuity was well done. Items were not mentioned and then promptly forgotten. Just about everything was in the book purposefully and effectively.

The firearms use could have used some work. The only guns mentioned by name were Glock 19s but then reference was made to cocking them and Glocks don't need that particular action.

Overall a worthy effort and it hits the main point for fiction. Be enjoyable.

Dan Foster is vacationing with his girlfriend, Mara Nichols, for the first time in 10 years on an island resort in the Bahamas. Dan is not a confident guy. He feels like he has wasted his potential and not lived the life he should have been living. He wonders what his beautiful and intelligent girlfriend sees in him. Dan is just starting to mellow out and have fun when the sun explodes. Bummer. The impending apocalypse brings out the worst in many of the resort guests, with the bougie inhabitants of “building A” hoarding supplies, water and power and lording over the inferior guests of buildings B and C. Can Dan figure out a way to grab Mara and escape this madness? Or will he step up and be the leader that Mara and others seem to believe he is?

When I read the description of this novel some time ago, I knew I had to read it. And it lived up to all my expectations. Dan is an engaging and likeable character. As a child, he was told he was “gifted”, and his teachers and parents were full of anticipation for his future. As an adult, with a disappointing series of mediocre jobs behind him and no money, he feels like he has wasted his potential or perhaps he never had what others saw in him. When calamity strikes on his vacation and building A stages a coup, the other guests look to him as some kind of leader of the common man. Dan isn’t sure he can do that, or if he even wants to do that.

The events that unfold will have you turning pages long past your bedtime. The characters are so well-depicted that I have a mental image of all of them. The plot twists will delight you and there are many laugh-out-loud moments. I am definitely planning to purchase a physical copy of this book and reread it. I think this is my favourite book of the year so far! Immense thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark for providing me with a copy to enjoy.

Reading this, I was in slight disbelief this was a debut novel! Wassmer deftly uses satire and dark humor in painting an unforgettable case of characters stuck in a highly unusual situation. Part White Lotus, part Lord of the Flies, this novel explores what happens when an everyman is faced with an apocalyptic scenario. I enjoyed the realistic characters and the well-drawn setting. I look forward to future releases by this author.

This book caught my eye because of the unique plot. It started off a bit slow for me and the unlikeable-ness of the characters made it difficult to fully dive in. However I am glad I stuck it out because I ended up overall enjoying the book. I enjoyed the overall tone of the book and the contrast of humour in such a dark situation was the best part. The writing itself was very well done and I found it to be very witty!

I LOVED the concept and a lot of the execution of this book, but didn't love where it ended up going in the end - that said, I still overall enjoyed reading it!

I feel like this had some real Andy Weir/Project Hail Mary and John Scalzi/Starter Villain vibes with the sad trombone male protagonist who is unwittingly thrust into a trying situation and forced to become his best self whilst making snarky comments and feeling inadequate. Like both of those books, there were some genuinely super funny moments, even though mediocre white dudes feeling sorry for themselves are the pretty much the opposite of my love language. The GirlBoss Beach Body by Lilyanna lady and her insane (and inane) preacher husband were by far my favorite characters - everything they said was HILARIOUS.

Three-Point-Five Stars Rounded Up, DO Recommend

I found the premise of this book unique and interesting. However, some parts were slow and many of the characters so unlikable that I would put the book down for awhile. The twist was fun.

Zero Stars, Do Not Recommend was such a unique read! Post apocalypse setting with a slew of unlikeable characters paired with a snarky main character. I struggled with the pacing a bit for the first half, but once a hidden mystery was hinted at, I was racing to the last page to see if I was guessing correctly. This book was absolutely dripping with satire.

Readers who enjoy White Lotus, apocalyptic fiction, or find themselves thinking "wtf" at the general population from time to time - this book is up your alley.

I received an ARC from Sourcebooks Landmark via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I borrowed this one based on the premise and wowwowwow, was I impressed by this wildly entertaining debut novel! I was pulled in from the first chapter and enjoyed each and every page of this even when I was shaking my head and hating on certain characters; tbh, I couldn’t turn the pages of this dark comedy quickly enough.

Definitely not a ‘zero stars, do not recommend’ from me - this was fantastic and I can’t recommend it enough ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I’m already looking forward to reading whatever MJ Wassmer writes next!



Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the DRC

What a neat book. It had a unique premise, which I think was acutely reflective of certain aspects of our current society, but it was presented in a coy and humorous way. While I found the main character to be a bit annoying at times (due to their glass-half-empty approach to the world), the supporting characters and plot kept me engaged and wanting to find out what happens next. 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 stars. Thank you NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for the eARC of this book!

Thank you @netgalley and @sourcebooks for the eARC of Zero Stars, Do Not Recommend by @wassmerwrites in exchange for an honest review!

📖📖 Book Review 📖📖 Dan is enjoying his tropical vacation with his girlfriend Mara, and it is the perfect 82 degree day when the sun explodes. This scenario was not in the travel book. The question lingers for all of us: how would you respond to the apocalypse in paradise? This book answers that question and so much more, filled with a gracefully executed existential humor that will keep you turning the pages in endless delight! Zero Stars, Do Not Recommend is unapologetically actually a five star, would recommend to anyone and everyone read!

Review is posted on Goodreads and will be on Instagram well ahead of publication!

This book was an interesting, dystopian, omg the world is ending kind of book. This could definitely be a movie with the right budget and writers. I do not recommend you read this at your next resort vacation, but a chill day at home is an ideal setting for it. Could you imagine, the sun just disappears without a trace? The center of our universe that powers everything? Like what? The characters are great and you immediately know who you will like and dislike. And its crazy how the smallest pleasures in life can be vanished in an instant, really makes you think.

I had so much fun with this book! Between the lovable characters, comical writing, and fast paced unpredictable plot, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Playing with the idea of an apocalyptic setting with modern characters and humor is a fun premise where many books set at the end of the world can be super serious and a bit dull. The perfect book for getting out of a reading slump, this book keeps you on your toes and having a good time.