I really didn't think a book could get any more beautiful than Korn's first, but I am SO ecstatic to be wrong! I devoured this one in one sitting and I'm still reeling...

***Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of this book to review.***

Unfortunately, this book wasn't for me. Although the premise was interesting, the execution was very bland. I tried to reread it with fresh eyes several times, but no matter how many times it never quite held my attention. I would much rather not leave a star rating because this was a good book, but it wasn't for me.

I had very high hopes for this book and unfortunately it just did not hit the mark for me. It was slow and seemed on the YA side which I didn’t think it was supposed to be. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to review this title.

Gabrielle Korn's THE SHUTOUTS outshines the first book in this duology YOURS FOR THE TAKING. I really enjoyed Yours for the Taking. I could not quit reading The Shutouts. Korn's second novel in this duology focuses on Kelly and Ava, from the first book, and Ava's daughter Brook. It was very satisfying to learn about Kelly's experience, since she was one of the people left out of The Inside Project. The experience of the "climate refugees" (and especially the climate refugees in various areas of the once-was United States) felt very real. So real that, now, when I hear stories of tornadoes at unusual times of the year and see the heartbreaking, horrifying fires in California, all I can think is that we are already well into the age of having climate refugees in our country.

One big standout in THE SHUTOUTS was that it had characters who were not physically able to run or carry heavy things or do all the physical movements necessary to get from one place to another or even make their own meals. That type of physical (and mental) experience seems ignored in most sci-fi or climate-dystopian writing. Granted, this was just a tiny start, but at least it was there. I can't wait to see what Gabrielle Korn does next (and neither can my creative writing students).

A great sophomore novel from Gabrielle Korn. While the first book doesn’t have to be read I do feel like it adds more context to this book. A great sci-fi novel about what could happen in our not so distant future.

The first novel by Korn set in this dystopian world was engaging so I was excited to come back to this world. The Shutouts take us across a span of years as several characters grapple with climate change and government conspiracy. The writing was beautiful and terrifying all at once. Some of it did not seem so dystopian. This novel is a good follow-up and is thought invoking.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

After giving Yours for the Taking 5 stars, I am thrilled that this was also a 5 star for me!! I thought it was a great but happily rushed follow up answering every question I had and introducing a good cast of characters! I flew through this and was immersed in the world the whole time. The rich descriptions really helped me imagine the unbelievable heat and struggles the characters had to overcome.

Second novels can be a doozy of a situation for authors, especially when their debut novel hits a high note. Unless you are Gabrielle Korn, and not only match the intensity of your debut novel but create a second in series book that, in my opinion, exceeds the first. I absolutely loved The Shutouts and secretly hope we get to visit the characters again in a third book. Hint, hint. Told in a dual timeline dystopian future the novel focuses on what it looks like when select groups of people are shut out of the elite society and left behind to fend for themselves. While not advertised as a second book in a series I do think there is a benefit to reading Yours For the Taking first to get a better background of the characters. As The Shutouts is almost a prequel and sequel built into one novel. Well written, smooth and easy pace, and queer centric characters. This novel makes you feel good even if the plot isn't the fuzzy feeling inducing type of storyline. You will find yourself intrigued, frustrated and rooting for the characters as they venture through a climate ravaged world. I highly recommend to those that love a sci-fi dystopian end of the world kind of novel.

Thank you to netgalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review honestly an advanced digital copy.

This definitely picks up where Yours for the Taking leaves off - I would not recommend dipping into the story without having read that first since there is almost no recap. This was a great insight into the backstory of the Inside and touched on a lot of interesting ideas about capitalism, climate change, and social issues. The combination of climate migration with the epistolatory background of the years leading up to Yours creates a layered and thought provoking narrative that would be great for book clubs.

Thanks to the publisher for providing an ARC through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

This book and its prequel/companion are definitely among the most engaging stories I've read recently. The characters felt real, the stakes were high, and I was riveted the whole time I was reading. This dystopian world with all its climate change horrors felt a little too possible. The books were not light or happy, but they were kind of strangely hopeful.

This book can be read on its own, but I think it works best if you read Yours for the Taking first. This book tied up most of the loose ends from that one and the ending felt pretty definite. I wouldn't mind reading more about the characters though. I've definitely grown attached to them and their world. It's the kind of world that I found fascinating to read about but would never, ever want to live in.

I read an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All comments are my own.

DNF’d at 54%. This book is not pitched or marketed as a sequel to this author’s previous book, Yours for the Taking, but I’d argue that it should be. This near-future dystopian book follows a few characters that were introduced in that previous book and definitely spoils some plot points and reveals that I personally wouldn’t want to read out of order. I’m glad I had read Yours for the Taking so I could identify that information as a reviewer, but I wasn’t interested in a sequel and am not invested in the characters we follow in this second book enough to stick it out to the end.

This might have worked better as a separate standalone. It's quite different from the first (as must happen with setting) but I felt like that led to some missed opportunities for character development. I had totally forgotten the characters as it'd been too long, so I felt confused about some motivations and relationships. Korn writes in an engaging fashion though and I was psyched to be reading this, although I also found it to be incredibly dark and had to put it aside to handle my own dark feelings about the world at points.

The time jumps were jarring for me and while I loved the last book, the writing style in this one felt different.

Really struggled to get through this one as I was really traumatised as a stay at home mom with babies during the pandemic. It was just not my cup of tea due to my own personal journey but the concept is incredibly fresh and exciting and I know for a fact it will find a die hard audience that will eat it up entirely and want more.

Thank you for the opportunity.

The Shutouts is a delightful mix of thriller, science fiction, horror, and queer feminist story telling. Per usual, Gabrielle Korn creates masterful worlds that reflect our current condition and make us question how different her stories are from reality.

"The Shutouts" by Gabrielle Korn, was a wonderful, well thought out futuristic experience, with wonderful characters and different timelines weaved together. Second book in this series, was nice to follow through the story as well as zoom in to the lives and outcomes of the characters presented in the past, reflecting forward and backwards through the generations. Strong women prevailing through a very difficult existence. Thank you NetGalley, the author and publisher for the review copy. All opinions are my own.

In 2041, the world is falling apart due to rapidly accelerating climate change. The cities are being destroyed by storms, fires, and viruses. So many climate refugees find themselves without homes. Kelly, a hacker and activist, is traveling across the United States. Seven years ago, Kelly joined a group she believed would save the world. In 2078, a group of queer characters seeks out new ways of surviving in a world that is unimaginable and nearly uninhabitable. Survivalist Orchid sets out to save her ex-girlfriend Ava from the Inside Project, a highly selective, government-funded climate protection program. Meanwhile, Ava and her daughter, Brook, have escaped the Inside Project. I am not disclosing more as I want you to read the novel to discover what characters do in this dystopian world.

The author tells the story of those who have been shut out from Inside, and their fight to survive. There is an interconnectedness larger than all of them. The novel is a page turning queer, feminist dystopia. I enjoyed it immensely after learning what the Inside Project was.

I didn’t realize this was another book in a series that had already started when I requested this, but I honestly think it still made sense even without reading the first one in the series!! I really enjoyed the actual idea behind the story- super unique :)

Author Gabrielle Korn returns to her dystopian world, and follows six different women in two different time periods, 2041 and 2078:

-Max: Born into a cult, the Winter Liberation Army, which started as a group of activists attempting to live totally independently of everyone and everything then devolved into the men holding all the power, in 2078 Max attempts to escape with their crush, but gets hurt and abandoned. They eventually encounter Camilla, who had been living with her father, Orchid and others.

-Orchid: In 2078, she left her settlement to find Ava (they were lovers in book one years earlier) in New York City. She finds Ava and Brook outside of their Inside Project compound, and they begin travelling back to Orchid's home together, encountering difficulties and some dangers.

-Kelly: She left her young daughter Orchid behind to join a group of people, the Winter Liberation Army. She becomes disenchanted with their behaviour and changed aims eventually, and attempts to return home in 2041. We learn about her through a series of letters she sent to young Orchid.

-Camilla: Shelby's (from book one) sister, cares for Max, and waits alone for Orchid to return, with the intention of them all reuniting with the others, who have moved to a safer location to settle after storms made it too difficult to stay.

-Ava: Back in the world, and finding it hard to adapt, but is also glad Orchid is with them. The three women travel the long, hard road back to reunite with Camilla.

-Brook: Eager to find a way to reconnect with July, who is living in New Zealand after the shuttle carrying the wealthy landed there.

The writing is compelling, fleshing out our understanding of Orchid, Ava, Brook and Camilla, and introducing new characters, who are equally well drawn.
-Orchid's independence and behaviours (in book one)become clearer with information about Kelly, and how Orchid manages the trip back to her home with a struggling Ava and naïve Brook.
-Kelly's letters are a combination of exciting revelations as she works with the activists, and gradually show a woman full of regret whose choices took her far from the daughter she loves.
-Max must learn to overcome the prejudices of her cult and open themselves to new experiences, ideas and relationships.
-Camilla has become incredibly resourceful, and it's great to see Shelby's younger sister come into her own.

Korn shifts perspectives repeatedly, and each person's section is full of drama, intimacy, pain, and wonderfully brought to life as we see the climate continuing to devolve over the thirty year timespan of the novel. Korn does a wonderful job of making us care about each character, and we see the importance of connection and community in a hard, unforgiving world.

I switched back and forth between the prose and the audiobook, and enjoyed both. Gail Shalan does a great job voicing all the different characters, so that I always knew whose perspective I was listening to. Shalan conveys each person's emotions beautifully, while also bringing the damaged world to life as they make their way through it.

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for these ARCs in exchange for my review.

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for the arc. This was so so good. I loved it so much. I was hooked right from the beginning and could not put it down. This sequel can definetly be read as a standalone, I ended up reading the first one after I finished this, and I wasn't confused when reading it. Gabrielle Korn is now an autobuy author for me. This was so creative and all the characters were rich and vibrant. It was set in such an interesting world, and the world building was so well done. I loved that nearly everyone was queer, and seeing how the different stories all came together. I highly recommend this, one of my best reads of the year.