The author described this as both a prequel and sequel - of course I was intrigued! An immersive and imaginative world. I look forward to what's next!

While The Shutouts is definitely a sequel, it deals with a completely different aspect of society as the Yours for the Taking. The storylines alternate between Kelly Green in 2041 and more familiar characters in 2081, living in a climate change dystopia. I enjoyed this book even more than Yours for the Taking. Living in a world destroyed by dangerous storms was interesting, and the story carried hope that was encouraging and inspiring.

Beautiful. Dystopian. Romantic. Unnerving. All valid descriptions of this story. In a world where women’s rights and climate change are challenged to the detriment of society, we find a cast of characters simply trying to navigate love and existence. I often get distracted by the overly political stance, but know how important it is to have these voices in our literary world.

Thank you NetGalley, St Martins Press, and author Gabrielle Korn for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

St. Martin’s Press eARC
I have mixed feelings about this book. It’s definitely a sequel, so if you haven’t read Yours for the Taking, go back and read it first. I liked seeing a bit more of the outside world, since the first book was focused on the Inside. But there was a lot going on here, and sometimes I had a hard time keeping everyone straight. But it’s definitely a novel that will make you think about climate change and what’s going to happen once the point of no return is hit.

I requested this for consideration for Book Riot's All the Books podcast for its release date. After sampling several books out this week, I decided to go with a different book for my review.

When I requested this book, my gut told me that this could be a fantastic book, and I was right!

This is a queer dystopian story with separate narratives that are connected with each other. The first one takes place in 2041, and we meet Kelly, who's looking for Orchid, the daughter she left behind seven years ago. Fast forward to 2078 and we found Orchid, now a grown-up woman, navigating in a world devastated by climate change consequences alongside other survivors.

I didn't knew this book was the second installment in a series, but I could read it easily, even with all the references to the first book. I found the main characters very compelling and believable. Also, the queer aspects of the story are perfect; we have characters (and relationships, obviously) whose queer identities doesn't define them, nor are their queerness the center of any big issue. The story has fabulous thoughts about our society, climate change and human resilience. The writing is clever and very informative. A nicely balanced plot, with some flaws, I have to say, that speaks about a well researched book from an author who takes care of the details.

"The Shutouts" is a gripping and thought-provoking dystopian novel that examines survival, motherhood, and the consequences of the collapse of society. Gabrielle Korn crafts a hauntingly plausible future where the world is unraveling, yet human resilience persists. The intersecting narratives are compelling, with well-developed characters whose struggles feel raw and urgent. While the pacing occasionally slows, the tension and emotional weight keep the story engaging. The novel’s atmospheric world-building and timely themes make it a standout read.

I did not realize that this story was a companion to a previous one, luckily I don’t feel like I missed too much. I would enjoy going back and getting more of Ava and Orchid’s story together though. This book can work as a standalone, it definitely comes out at an interesting time and I did enjoy the concept though I felt there were points that dragged - a lot of when Orchid and Ava were travelling together. I liked how everyone connected and the background story of Kelly was probably the most interesting to me.

Incredible follow-up to YOURS FOR THE TAKING. I loved learning more about this dystopian future, meeting new characters, and getting to know the old ones better. Each book works as a complete story in its own right, which is an impressive feat. I can’t wait for Gabrielle Korn’s next book.

Korn is just not the author for me. I was already on the fence to read this one as I did not like her previous work. This had so much going for it but the audicity that white people have in this world was seriously too much for me to take. I do see the appeal of the book it just did not work out for me.

I thoroughly enjoyed Gabrielle Korn's ‘Yours for the Taking’, and its follow-up ‘The Shutouts’ did not disappoint. Though marketed as a stand alone book in the ‘Yours for the Taking’ universe, I think ‘Shutouts’ is experienced most richly when read as a sequel.

Like ‘Taking,’ ‘Shutouts’ is a queer, sweeping dystopian epic. Also like ‘Taking,’ ‘Shutouts’ occasionally forgoes a deeper look into its characters’ internal lives in favor of a vast narrative, timeline, and world. While this may not work for all readers, I found it as effective and all-consuming with this book as I did the first time around. 5*.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing this e-arc.

In The Shutouts, Gabrielle Korn returns to the dystopian future of her first novel. Not a direct sequel, it explores parts of the world that the first book didn't touch on. Korn excels at world building and the book was a harrowing read because this future seems horrifically plausible. I also enjoyed seeing the different strands of the narrative come together at the end. I loved this book and will be eagerly awaiting whatever Korn decides to write next--hopefully more speculative fiction!

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.