Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sending me an advanced review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have a lot of the same positives, and same problems, with The Shutouts that I had with its predecessor, Yours for the Taking. Namely, that Gabrielle Korn is able to create a compulsively readable story, and build characters that, while pretty thin, you’re able to care a lot about, only for the entire thing to fall flat on its face by the end.

The Shutouts serves as both prequel and sequel to Yours for the Taking, filling in some background to the world and characters from the first novel, while continuing the story of others. I didn’t remember being particularly interested in the backstories of any side characters, but learning about the ways the world started sliding towards what we see it as at the end of YFTT is surprisingly satisfying. The writing is still fast-paced and it’s not hard to get sucked in.

Unfortunately, as with its predecessor, The Shutouts has some other plot issues that really make it hard to love. Here, it’s mainly that despite getting told repeatedly how dangerous and unsurvivable the future landscape is, our characters never really seem to be in real danger or become that desperate. Much like Yours for the Taking, the ending didn’t feel earned, with things working out in a way that felt implausible and far too neat against the tone of the rest of the story.

If you liked Yours for the Taking, or were mixed on it like me, you’ll probably like this one too. If you didn’t, I’d say there’s much worse cli-fi out there than this.

3/5 stars.

“Like something from the past; humans returned to their most wild state. How ironic that it was not the past but the present, as though the age of advanced technology was simply a detour from some sort of true purpose, from living in harmony with the earth.”

Gabrielle Korn first crossed my radar with her NF… Everybody Else is Perfect. So when the release Yours For The Taking was announced I immediately added it to my TBR… fast forward and spoiler… I LOVED THAT BOOK! Make sure to circle back around and check out my review for that one because in it I said… I could have taken 100 more pages but loved the short novel length and would love a follow up and here my friend is The Shutouts!

It’s not often a follow up is just as good as the first but Gabrielle wrote the heck out of this Queer dystopia series! Will this be the last? I’m not sure. Did it give me what I wanted? Yes!!! The story, timeline, buildup, back history… all there with a neat little bow that is dysfunctionally curled on the ends.

An author on my auto read list and one I recommend to many.

Thank you St. Martins Press for the free advanced copy.
Releases 12/3

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I liked this book, but just didn't love it. It does pick up parts of the first book, "Yours for the Taking") and provides some closure for that book as well) but mostly it's doing it's own thing and for some reason that didn't engage me as much as the first book (which, IMO moved faster and had higher stakes and was totally awesome).

The pluses of this book are that I again loved the characters and the relationships between them. I was interested in Kelly's story and how she tied into the rest of the book. And I would have liked even more with Ava, Orchid and Brook (the scene with the family in the bunker was FANTASTIC).

But the story of the couple up north just felt like filler to me. It was intriguing, but moved pretty slowly.

As with "Taking," the writing is lovely in this book and that made it a worthy read for me (would I have liked it even more if I HADN'T read "Taking" and kept comparing the two? Perhaps) with quotes like this one, "It does change you, to be treasured. It makes things possible in a way you can't imagine before you've felt it."

Overall, a very cool book, but one that just didn't quite knock my socks off like the last one. Thank you to the author and NetGalley for granting me the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.

The next installment by Korn following her outstanding first novel, Yours For The Taking.

In 2041 we meet Kelly as she drives across the country to find her daughter. 40 years later, we follow another woman doing much of the same. The individuals are connected tangentially and the story is tense between the flashbacks and the knowledge of what a wreck the country (world) is.

I love that the characters were varied and the queer characters were not subdued or sidekicks. I didn't love the ending, but perhaps this will be touched upon in the next story? A trilogy or more would be brilliant. Korn has created a scary and believable world filled with all too memorable and dangerous individuals.

Join Kelly as well as Ava as they trek across a United States that may be shocked to encounter!
#stmartinspress #gabriellekorn #theshutouts

This was hard to read because of how good it is. It is so plausible that this could be our reality, and that is absolutely terrifying. Great writing and a really interesting and engaging plot!

I LOVED this book. It can best be described as a non-linear, post-apocalyptic, dystopian queer romance. Sounds ambitious, but it really works amazingly well.

I spent half the book getting to know the various characters, timelines and locations without having any idea how they were connected. I was so engrossed in the storytelling and compelling characters that the anticipation of learning how everything intertwined was just delicious. Sometimes it’s annoying to jump between different POVs and time periods like the author does here, but this one was such fun despite the subject matter. I loved how the story unfolded and my only complaint is that I want more of what happens to these characters, who were all both believable and relatable, beyond the book’s ending. I also applaud the queer representation, which felt very authentic without condescending the audience.

The world the author has built is equal parts vivid, terrifying and believable. There isn’t much suspension of belief needed for those of us who believe in climate change, and it’s an eerie sort of look into our future should we choose to continue to ignore its effects. It’s not a totally different world, it’s what ours will become. I got some serious The Last of Us vibes, those of you who also watched that great series will get what I mean.

I had no idea this book was part of a series, and it didn’t feel to me as though I was missing anything that wasn’t answered in the course of the narrative. I will go back and read the first book, and wonder how my perception of both books will now change.

Wholeheartedly recommend this book, and can’t wait to read more by this author.

Oh. My. Gosh. First, let me say how thrilled I was to get this ARC (big thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin's Publishing Group). I've recently discovered how much I love dystopian novels. Add to that the terrifying theme of climate change-related disasters and a group of queer characters, it had to be good, right? BUT...this was so much better than I anticipated! I felt nearly every emotion throughout my reading - excitement, sadness, anger, frustration, happy tears, hopefulness - it was A LOT, and very worth it.

One of my favorite things about this book was how wonderfully the author constructed issues between characters. Even when there characters that made you want to reach through the book and shake them (Rick, I'm looking at you), in a way, you could still understand where they were coming from & why they made certain decisions. It made the characters feel so much more real & relatable. I noticed this multiple times, with multiple conflicts.

I can't believe this was my first introduction to Gabrielle Korn, but I'm so glad it was! I'll now be going backwards and reading Yours for the Taking, along with literally anything else she writes. This is one of those books that will stick with me & make me think of it often.

The Shut Outs was a highly anticipated prequel/sequel to Yours for the Taking that I couldnt wait to get my hands on. It definitely delivered. This was a solid story with a great cast of characters and a message of hope in the end. Although the author said it can be read as a stand alone, I don’t think the experience will be as good if you don’t read the debut, Yours for the Taking.

Also, it did take me a little to get truly invested in the book because the letters from on it the characters was throwing me off but they actually ended up being extremely helpful for moving the plot along. The Shuts has a much slower pace than Yours for the Taking but the stakes are just as high. Gabrielle Korn is an incredible writer and I am looking for more from here in the future.

First and foremost, the queer representation was great and very welcomed.
On the other hand, this book ended up being heavy on the fantasy elements - which were not unexpected at all, but I'm not really a fantasy reader.
I picked this up because of the queer rep and dystopian vibes.
I liked what the author did with the natural side of the story, and the climate changes. It was also quite fast-paced, which is always a plus.
But I'd say this book is more targeted for fantasy readers, which I am not.

Gabrielle Korn has another winner on her hands! This is what I would consider a somewhat indirect sequel of "YOURS FOR THE TAKING". You could certainly read it as a standalone though. In terms of being a sequel, there are continuations with favorite characters, but not everyone. About half of the book is devoted to new characters and storylines. They do merge beautifully, though.
Many readers have gone on record saying this book eclipses the first. Much like a survivor after a few years into the apocalypse, this book is leaner and meaner. It knows what it wants to say and gets to the point. I love them both so much! #MoreQueerPostapocalypseStories
#NetGalley

"The Shutouts" is such a perfect follow-up to "Yours for the Taking", Korn's first novel, and is a gorgeous standalone as well. I devoured the book when I first got my hands on it and was (and continue to be) so excited about the characters, both old and new, that make their way through this book. As with YFFT, "The Shutouts" explores ideas--climate change, extremism, idealism, sexism, queerness as both profoundly liberatory and mundane, and so many more--that I love reading about in fiction. An incredible novel, and I can't wait for whatever Korn writes next!

*Full review to be posted closer to publication*

Wow, was this a ride! I have been really enjoying the uptick is sci-fi climate change dystopia/thrillers/etc. that have been popping up in the past couple years, and The Shutouts is no exception. I previously read Yours for the Taking and really enjoyed it, and this book takes place in the same world, though I think you could read it as a standalone and be just fine. There's tons of amazing rep found throughout this book and I loved how the author managed to include so many important messages and themes in ways that felt natural and fitting to the story. The characters were vibrant and brought this entire world and story to life. I will continue to recommend Gabrielle Korn's books to people and also continue to look forward to whatever she writes next!

The second recent dystopian novel that I’ve picked up. Perhaps it’s the dystopian political landscape right now, but these are just not quite hitting for me right now. But, perhaps a bit of it’s not you, it’s me.

The moral of the story here is that queer people will ALWAYS persevere……

I feel so grateful to have had the chance to revisit this world so soon after reading Yours For the Taking; thank you to both NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of The Shutouts!

I recently read Yours for the Taking, so was very pleased to be able to read an advanced copy of The Shutouts. I preferred this book to the Yours for the Taking. The writing was similar in style but the character development was significantly better for this one. We were able to learn more about what drove the characters and informed their decisions and behaviors, which made it more relatable to me. The ending felt a little “tidy” in some ways but also left me wanting more back stories of other characters that weren’t developed as well. Overall, would recommend to friends for the content and conversation starters but not necessarily for the “excitement” of the book.

This was really a spell-binding read!! I tore through this book because I just had to know what happened next. I highly recommend for dystopian readers. My only critique was that I felt like a lot of the characters were similar to each other and also did not feel like I was reading stories about 50+ year old characters -- but more like everyone was YA. That said, it didn't affect how I enjoyed the read!

This was a story about missed connections.

I wanted to love this bc it’s queen and dystopian & I love those things, but sadly it just didn’t really land for me. I found the characters to be super off putting, which skewed my experience of the story as a whole & left me feeling disconnected from the narrative. That being said- I can absolutely see how this would work for a lot of its readers!

Thanks so much @netgalley & @stmartinspress for the eArc.

A solid follow-up to Yours For The Taking. The first book was a little stronger, as it had to build the world and create some of these amazing characters, but this one was still interesting and I was excited to see where the characters ended up. I don’t want to give much away, but my 3 is a very solid, good 3 and I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed the first of the series. Thank you NetGalley for the arc.

When I requested this, I did not realize it is set in the same world as an already existing book that I have not read (Yours For The Taking). Luckily, I don't think it is vital to have already read it to enjoy The Shutouts.

All of the characters here are interesting, even when they are making decisions that literally had me saying YIKES aloud. Set in the near-ish future, when all our climate change problems have somewhat passed the point of no return, each of these people are just trying to survive the best way that they can. The environmental concerns are very realistic, and I hope it makes readers give our potential impending disasters some thought. Even if we can mitigate damage, even if our future doesn't shake out exactly like this, it's going to be difficult nonetheless.

When I reviewed the story's first book, Yours for the Taking, I expressed hope for the story once the extensive (but excellent!!) world-building was established. Thrilled to say Gabrielle Korn delivered, beautifully delving into the characters that had to take a backseat to the plot in the first book. With a slower pace, The Shutouts gives a more complete story of how the world we know now shatters into the devastation of the book's timeline just a few decades into the future -- and systematically lays down how the answer to avoiding such a terrible fate lies in everyday people coming together to save us. Korn wraps this story with a bow that made me emotional and hopeful.