I love the idea of collating a recipe book at the end of the world. I liked Dom's humour at first, too, and liked where the story was going. However I found it switched up very quickly into a militant operation which felt jarring, and the dream sequences were a bit off putting too. Overall the book didn't feel quite as cohesive as it could have been.

3 stars

I’m not sure how I feel about this book. While I did find some humor in it, it wasn’t quite what I was expecting. It was an enjoyable read though, so there’s that.
I did absolutely love the addition of the recipes, even if I’ll likely never make them, I always find it fun to see what my book characters are making/eating. It’s like 2 books for 1 when an author does this.

I loved this but it ended too soon for me. From a relatively slow build, the pace sped up frantically and then it was over! It is funny, clever and original - although uncomfortably credible in the current climate, I especially enjoyed the cats and the fox characters. Well written and original, this is not one to miss.

What to Eat During the Apocalypse is not what you think. It is a cookbook written by a man who feels a sense of impending doom due to an apocalypse. What a premise, am I right? The first 40% of the book is unputdownable - hilarious, witty, delicious, bizarre and introspective - case in point, I feel like a sex worker in Amsterdam, but my boss is Shrek.
Dom and Mango are perfect companions in a story where all feels lost and the lead had no way to distract from the existential dread filling them up. The claustrophobia of the setting is rivalled by our lead's reflections on life, politics, consumerism and authoritarianism. All's good so far.
And then BAM! The books changes course altogether, going down an outright insane path which evaporated all my investment in Dom. What I wished was a book about a man trapped in a house, who is resilient to the end, turns into the weirdest, far fetched plot ever. Even the absurd satire fails since the story becomes outlandish. I physically had to subdue all the thoughts it provoked in the beginning as it goes down the rabbit hole. What was the need for such a climax, I shall never know. The recipes at the end felt such a waste after that! Found family gone weird, the final chapters drove me craazy. On top of that, chapters about Dom's ex girlfriend were so trivial and mundane to me. Initially, it feels like they are building up to something & then crash and burn.

I really wanted to like this book. Out of all my currently requested titles on Netgalley, I was looking forward to this one the most. I'm going to delude myself into believing that I only read the first 100 pages and move on with my life.

Man, this book just wasn’t for me. I went in wanting to like it so bad because it sounded like a fun, witty, and whimsical read but it just didn’t happen. The story didn’t captivate me, it felt like it dragged on at first and then all of the sudden it was very rushed. There were a few moments that had humor but that’s about all I really enjoyed. I know it’s not realistic (obviously, lol), but some things were just too far-fetched, as well.

I almost DNF’d this but I have such a hard time doing that so I powered through and was glad when it was over. I know every author starts somewhere, but you can definitely tell this is the first book he’s written. I’m so sorry, but I just wouldn’t recommend this book in my honest opinion.

But hey, some people really enjoyed this book, so who knows!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What to Eat During the Apocalypse is a super quick read that is very heavy handed in its message. Steeped in a what if scenario that takes place approximately ten years in the future, it tells the story of Dom, an accountant in London who finds himself in the middle of the apocalypse, but there's more to the story.

A super quick read laced with humor and heart (and recipes!). If you're okay with some political commentary through your story, then I'd say give it a go.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I haven't laughed out loud while reading in a long time, so I definitely had a good time with this one. I look forward to reading other stories this author comes up with.

Overall rating: 3 of 5 stars

The beginning of the book—wherein there were what felt like endless paragraphs of musings from Dom—was difficult to slough through.

However, when Dom had other individuals to interact with, the development of his character blossomed.

I wouldn't necessarily call this *just* an apocalypse cookbook, though there may have been a time or two I snagged an idea for dinner, but the amount of cooking involved was somewhat refreshing. Something often overlooked in books (not as much in apocalypse/dystopia genres due to the general, distinct lack of food) is characters eating. It is often glossed over. It was refreshing that wasn't the case here.

I loved the included recipes at the end of the book, especially those from the author's native land. However, my only request would be to indicate how the lesser known (in English) words are pronounced. I'm confident I would unintentionally butcher trying to say what I'd be cooking due to that.

All in all, I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to see an apocalypse-adjacent book wherein the struggles faced are those that we truly can relate to. Plus, lots of shared love through food and recipes!

P.S., I am going to make papanasi's, they sound DELICIOUS!

Note, I received a copy of this book via NetGalley to read and leave an honest review of.

**** Note to publishers/author: I will post the same review on Amazon when eligible (after publication date). I want to thank you for the opportunity to read-to-review this book ****

Where do I begin?! This book was chaotic and fun in the best way. It’s based in a dystopian London which is so interesting. Dom and his side kick cat Mango jump into a quest to survive after the city goes black. They meet new people, friends and comrades, and join together to take London back from a mysterious force (no spoilers). It is funny but also explores more serious themes and I definitely shed a few tears while laughing. It’s also part recipe book! Enjoy!