I don't know what I was expecting, but this exceeded those expectations. The story starts with our sometimes unlikable main character and his girlfriend watching the sun explode while on vacation on a remote Caribbean island. As in most apocalyptic stories, the humans quickly begin fighting for supplies and control of island along class lines. Who comes out in front -- an MLM "boss bitch." Despite the darker implications of class warfare, power struggles, and fascism, this was a super fun read. The characters and author don't take themselves too seriously. The plot and action move at a great pace. And I didn't guess the twist until closer to the revelation. This book reads like an action-adventure dystopian film with some unlikable characters. I really enjoyed the experience of reading it and was smiling throughout. Then again, I have a bit of a dark sense of humor. Unlike the title, I HIGHLY recommend this fun, fast read.

I have to say I was so stoked for this book. My social media feeds are full of ads for this book. I wanted to like it a lot more than I did. It was a bit too chaotic for me. I can’t say that I would recommend this book to anyone that I know either.

3.5/5 ⭐️
Dan and his girlfriend Mara are at an all-inclusive resort in the Bahamas when the sun explodes. Everyone there can't tell if it is a joke at first, but then reality sets in. Soon, the wealthy people on the island commandeer the supplies and put a strict work regime in. Dan is desperate to get off the island, but finds himself torn when he becomes a sort of people's champ.

I'd say the first half of this one felt more like a horror novel with the way people were being treated and the situation the characters were in. It wasn't really until Dan's wedding that I felt it shift, but still even then it didn't really meet what I was expecting it to be. I guess I just thought it was going to be more of an apocalyptic romp, but it was more like Lord of the Flies at a resort. Maybe the humor was supposed to be the craziness of some characters? But I guess I just didn't get it. I'd say this is more for people looking for a commentary on society rather than people looking for a post-apocalyptic world.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Trapped on Island Resort After Sun Explodes

Zero Stars, Do Not Recommend by MJ Wassmer is a speculative social satire that follows the story of Dan Foster, who finds himself trapped on an island resort after the sun explodes. The novel, described as a blend of "White Lotus" and Kevin Wilson's works, explores the chaos and survival tactics of vacationers stranded in this apocalyptic scenario.

Zero Stars, Do Not Recommend excels in its satirical take on an apocalyptic scenario, providing both laughs and moments of reflection. The characters are well-developed, and the plot is engaging with unexpected twists. However, some readers might find the blend of humour and serious themes a bit jarring. Overall, Wassmer's debut is a commendable effort that promises more exciting works in the future.

Listen, I tried. I tried to read it but MCs Dan and Mara didn't quite click for me. The plot was intriguing enough to catch me for the first 25% of the book, but I couldn't seem to get past the 35% mark without losing interest.

This is definitely in my top 5 books of the year. This book was absolutely bursting at the seams with wit and humor, but was genuinely anxiety inducing in the right moments. I also mostly (looking at you Lilyanna) loved the characters, but each was written masterfully. One of the best debut's I've read in a while!

Mara and Dan go on a trip to a Bahamian island when all of the sudden the sun disappears.

Prior to the sun disappearing everyone came to the island paid to stay in one of three buildings. Building A full elite experience , building B the middle of the road, and building C the motel.

As you can imagine this plays right into the post apocalyptic fight for survival and hierarchal class system.

Will they get off the island, or won’t they? And most importantly did the sun really explode? The book takes you on a fun journey with an exciting twist at the end.

Such a great read! Highly recommend this one.

Many thanks to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to the publisher and @netgalley for the ARC! This was the most unique book I have read all year. I didn’t expect to be not only thrilled by the dystopian action and compelled by the story, but also hysterically laughing.

The narration was great (I did a tandem read with the audio), all of the characters were so lively and distinct. What a story, with many twists and turns, and pauses for me to finish laughing, this was incredibly fun! Zero Stars, Do Not Recommend is actually a book I highly recommend!

Dan and his long-term girlfriend Mara are on their dream vacation… until the sun literally explodes. The planet doesn’t instantaneously end, though. As Earth’s temperature steadily drops, Dan has only one goal in mind: get Mara off this island and give her the chance to see her mom and sister one last time. Unfortunately, everyone wants to get off the island, too. Mayhem ensues, until #BossBabe Lilyanna steps in. She creates a hierarchy system that several people are unhappy with, but as their food rations lessen and the climate grows colder there isn’t much they can do to fight back. They look to Dan to lead a rebellion, but Dan never wanted all that responsibility. He only wants to save Mara, and maybe himself, too.

Is this book funny? Yeah, it has some moments. It isn’t necessarily clever humor or anything that made me physically laugh, but the tone is light-hearted despite the serious plot subject, making it an interesting book in that regard.

What fell short for me is Dan. He isn’t a rootable character. His actions are incredibly self-motivated and he makes absolutely no connections with any of the side characters. Several people try to be his friend, but Dan doesn’t care about them unless there is something he has to gain. Not every protagonist needs to be a chivalrous hero or anything, but I need some redeeming qualities to care about what happens to them.

The plot, while intriguing, fell short for me quickly. The first 20% of the book was fantastic and made me excited to keep reading, but after that nothing significant happened for a really long time. Whenever I would go to read, I would put the book back down after only a few pages. Eventually at 42% in, I decided to call it quits. I did skip to the end to see what was going to happen, and holy smokes there was an insane twist! I wish the middle would have kept my interest up enough to push me through to the end. I also don’t believe there were any hints or crumbs regarding this twist in the first 42% of the book. If I had known to expect something crazy, some sort of mystery unfolding or the characters asking intriguing questions, then I might’ve pushed through to get to that satisfying reveal. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen.

If you read this review and think to yourself, “Well this book still sounds interesting, and the negatives pointed out don’t seem that bad,” then I think you should definitely read this. I hope you find great entertainment value from it. However, if you need a higher-pace plot and/or character attachment to love a book, then this isn’t for you.

Thank you NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for an eARC. I am voluntarily leaving this review.

Let me just start by saying that I loved Zero Stars, Do Not Recommend. There are so many interesting and easy to love/hate characters in this book, that kept me completely engaged from beginning to end.

Imagine being on a tropical vacation with your significant other and suddenly the sun explodes. This is what happened to Dan Foster and his girlfriend Mara. Told from Dan's perspective we get to see how he and other guests at the resort handle this scary development and how he got to be the unlikely "leader" of the middle and lower class vacationers (there are 3 different buildings depending on how much you could afford to spend).

It was fascinating to see how things changed as the tension started to rise. With the sun gone it was starting to get cold and there no way to communicate with the mainland. Not to mention everyone was worried about how long the food, water, and electricity was going to last.

I must admit I felt a bit of anxiety when reading about Zero Stars, Do Not Recommend. It really made me think about how easily the scenarios in the book could pan our in real life. Wassmer did a fantastic job of making things realistic.

I'm a huge fan of dystopian books and this had a fun twist to it that I was not expecting. I highly recommend Zero Stars, Do Not Recommend and can't wait to read more from MJ Wassmer.

Dan, perpetual under achiever and average guy is on holiday with his girlfriend when the sun explodes. Trying to cope with the world coming to an end, will Dan finally step up to the plate or will he run away and hide?

A group of fun, charismatic characters, and an apocalypse like scenario, what could go wrong? It’s interesting to see how those on the island react and act when the sun explodes and who steps into what roles. I did find myself almost giving up around the half way mark, more so it just wasn’t to my liking, but I had he audiobook as well and decided to listen and that helped me get through to the end. It’s fun but has more depth to it then just a raunchy comedy.

For one this title. Love it!

I kept seeing the instagram reels from the author and his wife for this book. Of course it made me want to read it.

I enjoyed this one for the most part. I think I was expecting something completely different. More end of the world dramatics. But… then you get to the last 20% and of course it’s exactly what I was predicting the whole time reading this book. Let’s just say Stephen King! Ugh!

This book was one of the more creative ones I have read in a long time. Reminded me a lot of Lord of the Flies but modern and with a diabolical twist. So much commentary on our present society, especially classism, and how certain people are given or usurp power in a new situation. More violent than I was expecting at first, but I really liked how it all pulled together at the end. Certainly requires some suspension of reality, but it’s well written and compulsively readable.

This one was a RIDE. There was some self-aware humor throughout, particularly at the start, and enough zany and surrealistic twists and turns to keep readers guessing. The premise was super I interesting. I did feel like the characters were trying to walk a line between satirical stereotypes and more complex and life-like folks — for me, the balance wasn’t quite right and they would have been better served going one way or the other. All in all, a pretty fast and unique read if you’re looking for something different and are willing to plow past some of the more basic elements!

The cover of this novel is deceiving. At first glance, it looks like a light summer/beach read with its colorful design plus playful title. Who would guess that it is actually a post-apocalyptic story where the sun exploded while people were vacationing in Bahamas?!?! And in the aftermath, the people immediately went into a class system mode where the rich took over while the average people “worked” to earn their meals and basic necessities! Intriguing right?!?! Right!

I had so much fun reading this satirical novel! I loved the author’s humorous writing and how memorable the characters were. I even enjoyed hating the villains (Lilyanna, CEO of BeachBod and Rico and Pete!!! Ughhhhh!!!) I also cheered for Dan and was really glad to see his transformation throughout the story. The unexpected twist was clever and it fit with the bizarreness of the whole situation. The book made me think long and hard how I would react and fare should this happen in real life. Will I surivive? Will I be one of the good guys? Or will I succumb to my fate and just be a follower?!🤷🏻‍♀️

Suffice it to say, despite the title, I highly recommend this unassuming novel to be added to your tbr pile. It’s a doomsday story yes, but also one with humor and heart. Ignore the title, it sure deserves all the stars in the world!!!!

Don't let this fun summer cover fool you, this book is jammed pack full of apocalyptic destruction. Think modern day lord of the flies based on class systems at a resort in the Bahamas. I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It has a dash of romance and though the underlying theme is deep it's done well, with fun characters and tons of comic relief. Very entertaining I was sucked in constantly questioning how I would handle this if I was in this situation.

This is a hilarious and yet interesting look at a world-ending event while away on vacation. How does a random group of strangers survive after witnessing the death of our sun?

I loved our main character. I did this as an audio and it really brought out the story and the characters. Dan was not a great boyfriend but I couldn't help but love him. Mara was feisty and yet so empathetic. They were a cute couple to adventure with through the apocalypse!

But the breakdown of this island and the social order of things was so funny and, yet, scary. I absolutely loved it! It felt realistic but kept things light, at times, so it didn't get too deep. The story did the perfect juggle - keeping it entertaining while making you really think. The twists were interesting and the reveal was so good! I really loved this one, highly recommend the audio!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Started with a bang (pun intended) and then felt a little slow, but about halfway through I binged it until the end. I LOVED the twist - I suspected it after Mara talked about Jane's disappearance but, like Dan, I was like, "Nah, it couldn't possibly...". Lots of one-liners that either made me laugh out loud or reflect on my own life. Overall I really, really enjoyed this one!!

Dan Foster is on a dream vacation with his girlfriend Mara on a secluded Caribbean Island that hosts their beautiful new resort when the sun explodes, leaving everyone on the island desperate to get back home before the end of the world comes.

I found the plot of this book a little triggering (I mean, it's the end of the world), but I also really liked the flow of the book and MJ Wassmer's writing style. I loved Dan, the main character, who is self-depreciating, funny, and relatable. Other characters, I really hated, and they kept me invested in the outcome. The book was both loveable and heartbreaking. I'm looking forward to MJ Wassmer's next one.

Thank you to NetGalley for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.