My review is more 2.5 stars to begin with. I think my review about this book may lean more towards the time of which I've read this than the story itself. It's a truly interesting dystopian novel and I don't want to discourage the author. For myself, it's a difficult genre for me to get into, but I wanted to take a chance on this. There were moment where I had to go back and reread the scenes of what was present moment and the past moment. The action of storms being severe and almost like titans was gripping. I did struggle with connecting with the characters, sometimes getting lost in names of who is who. Although I leave this as my thoughts and review, I recommend those who are fans of dystopian genre to read this one and develop an opinion for themselves. Unfortunately for me, I just had a difficult time getting into it. Thank you for the gifted e-book copy.

A dystopian thriller that starts on the roof of the New York Museum of Natural History in waterlogged New York City. When a water storm breaches the City’s floodwalls, Nonie and her family and friends must escape NYC in an old native canoe via the Hudson River. Adventures and mishaps await this dystopian Band of travels.

This book is beautifully written, filled with thrilling, page turning adventure. It is not my usual fiction genre – nonetheless, I adored it – beautifully written with page turning excitement. Finished the book in one day. I highly recommend to all Readers - anyone that loves a good story.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an early read in exchange for a fair review. Five stars!

I wasn't sure I wanted to jump into a dystopian-type novel at this point, but I'm glad I picked up All the Water in the World. The premise is a bit terrifying - the world as we know it is now flooded, with Norah and her family ensconced in the American Museum of Natural History. However, a drastic storm hits, and Norah, her sister, her father, and their friend Keller must escape north to safety, all while avoiding the terrors of the world, including dangerous citizens, wild dogs, and more storms. This story grapples with loss in many ways - that of our friends and family, the creatures of the world, and society itself. It's easy to imagine the East Coast swallowed by drastic weather, which makes this novel even more terrifying. However, the writing style and flipping from past to present made this story fly by.

This book reads like water, a meandering brook that occasionally has rapids, that you're not exactly sure where it started and where it's going to end.

It is atmospheric; I could feel the cold damp seeping through the pages as I read. The characters are interesting, especially the autistic-coded MC, but not fully fleshed out. I never felt like i really got to know them.

This book felt like dipping into vignettes from a larger story instead of one cohesive unit that built from start to end. Enjoyable but meandering and slightly unfinished. 3.75 stars.

Nonie and her community are in the middle of at least a decade long apocalypse where the glaciers have melted, likely because global warming, sea levels have risen, and whole cities have been swallowed up by the water. New York City has been protected by a wall and floodgates but a terrible storm has hit them and the community needs to get out.

It took me about 5 or so chapters to actually start to understand the story and the characters and what exactly was happening but once I was in it, I was invested. The first half of the book felt a little slow to be but the second half picked up a good bit and a few of the plot points had me on the edge of my seat. The thrill of waiting to see what would happen next made me binge this book in a few days. I do feel like the very end, when they reached their destination, felt a little rushed and I would have liked a little more of that part fleshed out but it was overall an interesting read. Thanks so much to netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

I absolutely loved this literary climate fiction told from the perspective of Nonie, a 13-year old girl who has lived on the roof of the American Museum of Natural History for eight years, with her father, and sister Bix and a group of museum employees who used their keys to get in when the first big storm came. Nonie and Bix's mother died in the interim from the Time Before they had to evacuate their apartment and took refuge in the museum, which they call Amen. Nonie is clearly on the autism spectrum, as her family all said that her "brain wasn't wired like other people's" and she admits to not understanding how other people feel sometimes.

Nonie understands water and seems to be able to feel barometric changes when a storm is headed their way. The narrative shifts back and forth from the current time, when they have to leave Amen, and The Time Before or The World As It Is. Nonie and Bix, along with their Father, and Keller, an entomologist who has been on the roof of Amen with them, escape in a canoe saved from the indigenous Eastern Woodlands exhibit. They travel through what remains of Manhattan, up the Hudson. They're headed for a farm upstate that had been in their Mother's family for decades.

Nonie keeps a Logbook of water, her most prized possession, kept in oilcloth in her go bag. They encounter both kind people and dangerous ones, some who you can't tell which they are until it's almost too late. But Nonie has heard of a ship called the Sally Ride where scientists study the changed climate and she is determined to get there.

Caffall's writing is beautiful and full of wisdom. Nonie and Bix and Keller are great characters. I highly recommend it. And it was completely weight-neutral-no description of anyone's body size at all.

A rather slow, thoughtful story of climate change, rising waters, and the end of civilization as we know it, told by a neurodivergent girl. Very well-written, highly recommend.

In a word: unputdownable. A harrowing, beautifully rendered coming-of-age story in a dystopian future ravaged by climate change. Similar themes as The Light Pirate (another excellent cli-fi book) but with a different writing style. This one will stay with me a long time.

Pub Date: 1/7/25
Review Published: 1/5/25
eARC received from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I was excited to receive this as an ACR, Thinking that a dystopian sci-fi would be a new genre for me to dip in to. Though I made it halfway through and the writing is just hard for me to enjoy. If you enjoy a slower paced novel about climate change give this a try, you may enjoy.
Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for the chance to read this early in exchange of an honest review.
2 star

Fantastic, engrossing novel of dystopian fiction. In a world where climate change has broken the world, a small group of people live together in what remains of a museum, until the world breaks further. It’s a page turner, fascinating, riveting.

3.5 rounded to 4 stars.

All the Water in the World is a debut novel that intertwines a world ravaged by climate change, a quest for survival, a story of sisterhood, and a meditation on loss and humanity.

Nonie, her family, and others have taken refuge at the American Natural History Museum (AMEN) in the Life As It Is. Climate change has wreaked havoc on the world, glaciers have melted, sea levels have risen, and relentless storms have submerged coastal cities. At AMEN, the community strives to survive while also documenting and preserving history as best they can. Nonie keeps a logbook, chronicling daily life at AMEN and their fragile way of survival. Crucially, she has a unique ability to “connect” with water where she can sense when storms are coming, which has helped the group avoid catastrophe. But when Nonie fails to foresee a devastating storm that destroys their sanctuary, the survivors are forced to flee in search of a new home. Their perilous journey is interwoven with flashbacks to the Life As It Was, before AMEN, when Nonie's mother was still alive.

All the Water in the World is a quiet, introspective, and slow-moving story. Its lyrical prose beautifully complements the novel’s themes of grief, loss, and the exploration of what it means to be human. Some elements reminded me of Parable of the Sower, the logbook, the protagonist's unique ability, and the search for a safe haven. However, the tone and pacing are closer to Station Eleven.

I especially appreciated the author’s lens on this climate, a ravaged world as seen through the eyes of a younger protagonist. Nonie survived a plague that wiped out many people her age and grew up sheltered inside AMEN. Suddenly, she’s thrust into a brutal reality she’s never had to confront. The depiction of her coming-of-age against this backdrop was both compelling and poignant. Given the rising focus on climate fiction, particularly stories set in drowned worlds, I anticipate more novels tackling similar themes in the near future. This one, in particular, stands out as a quiet yet hopeful exploration of such times to come.

I’d recommend this to readers who enjoy introspective, non-linear novels and don’t mind some elements remaining unexplored or left to interpretation.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing an advanced reader's copy of All the Water in the World.

Really superb survival climate fiction. Our group is upended from the museum shelter they’ve been at for many years. They take off in an exhibit boat down the Hudson in hopes of reaching a safe spot to land. The weather, other people, and their own weaknesses all work against them.

It sounds very bleak and it is, but it’s also beautifully written and hopeful. They gain and lose some people along the way but the additions make it all worth while to have made the trek.

Although I did love this, it just didn’t quite have a 5 star feel. But i strongly encourage lovers of this type of story to give this a chance!

I received an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

There is such beauty in this novel, even through everything these characters live through. I loved this story, how deeply Nonnie wanted a future to hope for even in the midst of chaos and uncertainty. How badly she wanted to protect the only family she had left. It was moving, heartbreaking & thrilling

I really wanted to love this book. The concept and the writing were great, but the book left a lot of room for improvement. The lack of context behind what led to living in the museum beyond what the main character can recall from her short years alive made this a challenging book to get through. By the end I felt like I had more questions than answers. It did give a lot of Parable of the Sower vibes which was great, it just felt like I was missing the views and stories from elders in the book to really pull it all together.

I loved Station Eleven & looked forward to reading this dystopian novel. For this Florida resident who has experienced hurricanes this narrative is easy to imagine. I loved the setting of the NY Museum of Natural History. It is easy to picture the characters there for those who have visited & explored the halls. The setting & characters are very intersting & would lend to a great movie. The writing was disjointed at times & I found it hard to follow some of the descriptions. It seemed like the author had all the detials laid out in her head but sometimes forgot to spell them all out for the reader. However, I was invested in the characters & enjoyed the overal journey the writer takes. It would have been a 4 star for me if I didn't get a little lost in the details sometimes.

I loved the concept and idea of this one but did not like the pacing or structure. The action started right away, which I usually like, but I felt thrown in without knowing the characters and group they were talking about. The flashbacks were helpful but I would have enjoyed a more linear structure for this one.

Thanks to St Martin's Press for gifted access via Netgalley. All opinions below are my own.

This is a very quiet contemplative novel. Told through the eyes of a young girl living some time after the collapse of the world where the weather is constantly lashing and floods are ever present. She and her family live in the Museum of Natural History and take the preservation of humanity seriously. While they struggle to survive they log the artifacts of life. Danger is ever present; from the water to the weather to infections brought by mosquitos and sewage contaminated water and of course other humans. We meet them as they experience a terrible storm which deals them more loss and forces them from their beloved safe haven. The rest of the story follows their pursuit of a promised family farm where they can be safe but takes us through all of the dangers they face along the way.

I get the comparisons to Station Eleven which is a core favorite novel of mine. I enjoyed this story but it was missing some of the magic Station Eleven had for me. I felt like it had more of a Last of Us vibe.

I love dystopian books and (Station Eleven is an all time fav) so requesting this arc was a no brainer for me .

Unfortunately the writing style is just not for me and at 10% I’m just looking for excuses to avoid the book so I’ve decided to DNF 😞

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review

I enjoyed this refreshingly different dystopian novel. Rather than earth destroyed by war or heat or an EMP, extreme storms are the cause here. Besides the usual theme of survival, there is also the issue of saving knowledge for future generations. Nonie and her family try to preserve items in the museum. I like that additional emphasis.

The survival venture is good with lots of action and suspense. That aspect of the novel is somewhat typical, with some helping travelers while others will not share. Also somewhat typical is the attempt by an individual to establish a new community. Caffal makes reference to “lost” people, those who have forgotten that being human is to care for other humans.

The structure of the plot is good. I like the events Nonie remembered, flashbacks in a sense, helping us understand how the family came to be where they are. They also add a personal side to the survival story.

This is a good debut effort. Caffal's writing style is good and I'll be watching to see what her next novel will be about.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

I do enjoy an apocalyptic thriller and this one, taking place in a flooded future, had me turning the pages. Told in alternating narratives between The World Before and The World as it is by Nonie, a young girl running for safety with her sister, her father, and a friend, Keller, and the past, where Nonie, Bix, and her parents were living in a NYC museum before they fled in a canoe on the Hudson river for higher ground. Climate change has taken its toll. The world is flooded by torrential rains and 'hypercanes' which have left every man to fend for himself. The author is a gifted storyteller, writing a tense narrative that kept me glued to the pages. My only complaint was that the ending felt rushed.