Wow, I loved this one! Just a third of the way through, there had been numerous moments just packed a punch-so powerful. This one is a tear jerker for sure.

All the water in the world starts with a bang. A big storm and the flood gates have opened. The family we follow is forced to leave their shelter and head north. We are on the adventure along with them and then we get pieces of what led them here in the form of flashbacks throughout. This structure worked for me!
Lots of emotions. I joked it’s like The Road but with water. (Though I haven’t ever read The Road, so I can’t say.)
So good! I recommend!!

Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC!

I found this dystopian climate crisis to be slow-going, but once I got past the first 20%, I found it to be an intriguing story worth the read. Sure, it had some issues with pacing, but the storytelling made up for it.

SYNOPSIS

- In a world where the glaciers have melted and most of humanity has perished, thirteen-year-old Nonie lives with her family on the roof of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.
- Their fragile existence depends on survival skills and resourcefulness, but when a devastating hypercane strikes, they are forced to flee north in search of safety.
- Armed with little more than a book that documents their way of life, Nonie and her family encounter the remnants of civilization—some welcoming, some dangerous—while struggling to stay alive.

MY THOUGHTS

- A promising premise that never fully delivers. The idea of a drowned world and a family surviving atop a museum sounds fascinating, but the execution is lackluster. The worldbuilding is serviceable but lacks the depth and originality needed to make it stand out in the crowded dystopian genre.
- Slow pacing and not much happens. The book meanders through survival scenarios and encounters with other groups, but the tension is minimal. There’s little momentum, and I found myself waiting for something truly gripping to happen—but it never did.
- One-dimensional characters. Nonie and her family are never fully fleshed out, making it hard to invest in their struggles. Their relationships feel surface-level, and their dialogue is often flat.
- Bland and unmemorable. For a book about the end of the world, it lacks the urgency and emotional weight that should come with that premise. It felt like it was going through the motions rather than delivering a gripping, immersive experience.
- The ending was… meh. Without spoiling, it didn’t feel particularly satisfying or meaningful. It just sort of ends.

TL;DR: ⭐️⭐️A dystopian novel with an interesting concept but weak execution. Slow pacing, flat characters, and a lack of compelling storytelling make this a dull read. Not much happens, and the ending isn’t satisfying.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book is out now.

A thrilling academic thriller with a captivating unique premise. Can’t wait for the big screen adaptation.

In moments of crisis, what do we tend to hold onto the most? For some survivors in Eiren Caffall’s poignant novel “All the Water in the World,” it’s a cherished historical diary that symbolizes the preservation of knowledge, history, and a connection to the past amidst mounting chaos.

This powerful dystopian narrative explores a hauntingly plausible future where the melting ice caps have dramatically reshaped our world, swallowing entire cities and leaving only a handful of people, like our protagonist, Nonie, and her family, to navigate the aftermath.

As if the reality they face isn't challenging enough, young Nonie and her family have clung to life for years atop the Natural History Museum in a submerged New York City. They have found ways to survive—growing, hunting, and gathering—as relentless extreme weather threatens their fragile existence. The threat escalates when a superstorm finally overwhelms the last defenses around Manhattan, forcing them to confront their fears head-on.

With just an ancient canoe borrowed from the Museum, Nonie and her loved ones set out on a brave journey up the Hudson River, carrying a flicker of hope. They seek refuge at an old family homestead far upstate New York, yearning for a sanctuary where they might find safety and dry ground.

What dangers will the intrepid travelers encounter on the journey? Will their food supplies hold out during the trip? Do they make it to their destination? What awaits them there?

JoyReaderGirl1 extends heartfelt gratitude to NetGalley, Author Eiren Caffall, and Publisher St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this Advanced Reader’s Copy Electronic Edition for Review.
https://www.goodreads.com/joyreadergirl1

It took me a little while to get into this dystopian climate crisis novel but once I did, about 25% in, i couldn’t put it down. I I found it heartbreaking, terrifying, hopeful, and all-too possible. 3.5 ⭐️

I tried getting through this book, but I had a lot of trouble doing that. I normally finish all books I start, but this one was confusing me. I’ve read books before that start off with worldbuilding that doesn’t quite make sense until stuff is explained, but in my opinion, that just took too long for me to want to keep reading. The premise of the book was great, but actually reading it was tough.

I went into this blind and was immediately drawn into the story of a world with rapidly rising water lines. There beginning was very propulsive and I couldn’t wait to get back into the story each time I had to set it down. But around the middle the pacing fell apart for me and felt very reminiscent of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, but without the truly horrific aspects.

Overall I enjoyed the read but it ended up dragging on for the second half.

Rating:
It was ok

What you’ll find:
Debut novel
Short chapters
Climate fiction
Speculative fiction
Dystopian
The Road but not as dark

Thank you St Martin’s Press for the digital copy through NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for a complimentary audiobook.

I listened to the audio version of this book. The narrator did an excellent job bringing the story to live. The author wrote an excellent literary fiction novel. The characters and story line were both interesting and well done. The book uses water as a metaphor of how its is ever changing like the characters and her struggles throughout the book. I think it was well written, and I can't wait to read more from this author. I highly recommend this novel to the literary fiction readers.

Thank you Net Galley, St Martins Press, and Eiren Caffall

After the glaciers have melted, Nonie, her parents and sisters and a small group of researchers stay behind in New York City living in a settlement on top of the American Museum of Natural History. They become self reliant and use Central Park as a source of food while they work to save the collections of human history from the museum. When a superstorm reaches the city, they must escape North towards what they hope will be safety where they can keep preserved all that they have saved. This dystopian and climate-fiction unfortunately seems truer to a near reality every day, so in that aspect this was especially scary. Though Eiren Caffall's writing is very talented, this particular story just fell slightly flat for what could have been a true 5 star read.

Wow… just wow. I loved this book. It was thought-provoking, scary, hopeful, inspiring, and also quite sad. I love a book that makes me stop and think, that prompts me to put myself in the scenario and question how I would respond. This book did that. The storyline was interesting, the characters were likable, and the pace of the story was just right. I highly recommend this book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book.

This started out so interesting - it reminded me of Station Eleven meets the Day After Tomorrow. I did get really bored after the first 20%, but then it picked back up for a meh ending. I found it didn't really have a consistent narrative - so the imagery was ok, but overall, I just will forget it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

“You are allowed to hope for something that doesn’t just save...”

Living on the rooftop of the abandoned American Museum of Natural History in New York City, besieged by storms, Nonie and her family have survived the initial aftermath of a global catastrophe. Together with a handful of other survivors, they take on as their mission the preservation of museum artifacts, and an accounting of events. For a time they eek out a meager existence, but are forced to evacuate their haven in the wake of a “hypercane.” Driven by a need to seek a path forward and in hope for the future they journey out into the unknown in search of a family owned farm Nonie’s mother frequently spoke of located in up state New York. It is through the narration of Nonie’s interior thoughts, memories and reflections, that we learn and become invested in the fate of this lonely band of survivors, and of those they encounter along the way.

All the Water in the World, Efren Caffall’s debut novel, is a stand-alone speculative fiction about one family’s fight for survival in the midst of catastrophe. It is ultimately more than just a hopeful survival story, it is about the power of remembering, the need to preserve and understand our history in order to pave a corrective path forward.


Many thanks to the author @eirencaffall , @StMartinsPress, and @NetGalley for the pleasure of reading this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to both netgalley and the publisher for access to the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I don't think this book will ever leave my mind. I don't think i've read such a poignant, heatbreaking but ultimately hopeful story such as this in a long time, and I cannot recommend this enough, especially considering all that is going on climate-wise in today's' world.

The plot is engaging and the characters (though a large cast) are memorable on their own. There were genuine moments where I felt for them, and more than once I found myself crying alongside them, or hopeful for their futures. The prose is beautiful and the author definitely has the talent for making readers feel for her writing.

3.5 stars. This mid-apocalypse dystopian is a view of the world following the melting of the polar ice caps and the subsequent flooding of previously heavily populated areas. The story begins in New York City with a family harbored in the Natural History Museum and follows through the POV of a young girl.

The story is a bit slow to get started and has some issues with organization of flashbacks, but the concept and intrigue are something special. I enjoyed the use of a child POV, especially one who has very limited knowledge of "The World As it Was". Her view of life and "normalcy" are different than had there been use of an adult POV and I think that allows for a more gentle and critical evaluation of both the situation and the progression of the apocalpytic scenarios.

Once the basis had been established and the plot truly got in motion, the story was very interesting and it held my attention quite well. I do wish the plot had been more heavy on this section of the novel.

The ending wraps up rather quickly. It was written well, but somehow left me feeling a bit whiplashed. After the tenseness of the last third of the book it just felt something like a sudden stop in a way that made the prior section of the novel feel a bit off kilter. It somewhat downplayed the severity of the situation and the difficulty of adaptation and survival. I can't say much more without spoilers, but just know I wish this would have been fleshed out a bit more.

TLDR: An excellent concept with good attention to potential issues, but fell a bit short on the initial pacing and the plot development of the conclusion. A decent think piece for sure.

This was quite an interesting read. I at first felt a little confusion while getting myself settled into the world and exactly what happened that created a world of water. I also got confused at times just learning about the new civilization and the workings of the new governmental systems. But even when I felt confused, I always felt compelled to continue. The story always kept my interest, and I was always invested.

Caffall has created an intriguing and fairly believable dystopic world in which the natural progression of global warming has melted the polar icecaps and flooded a great deal of the world. Our narrator, Nonie, is a young girl who is living with her parents and sister Biz in the top floors of the AMNH in New York. They are part of a small group of former museum employees and friends who are trying to preserve what they can of the exhibits while they attempt to survive in a very uncertain world. Nonie has a sensory connection with water and can tell when storms are coming. Over time resources become fewer and some of the group die, including the girls’ mother. After a terrible hypercane in which the flood gates are overtopped and several more of the group are killed, the girls set off with their father and the other remaining man to try to reach their mother’s family farm inland. Of course, they encounter a variety of problems on the way. The book was a little uneven, with action sometimes slowed by internal conversations and unnecessary details, but it kept my interest. There was an unfortunate attempt to wrap things up too neatly at the very end, but some like that. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC in return for an honest review..

All the Water in the World takes place in a not-so-distant future, where the world is experiencing devastating fires and flooding. The novel follows two young sisters, Bix and Nonie, as their home built on the roof of the American Museum of Natural History is wiped out by a “hypercane”, and they must travel north by canoe with their father and friend, to find safety and shelter.
The novel is told from 9-year-old Nonie’s perspective, going back and forth from the present to stories of the world before.

3.5 stars. It took me a little bit of time (60% through) to finally have real emotions for the characters. Nonie is very withdrawn and book smart, which makes sense with all the horrors she has witnessed at an early age but ultimately had me struggle to connect to the characters through most of the book. The ending is what made me fall in love with the story. Throughout it all, there was hope and love, and the story blossomed into an adventure I wanted to follow the characters on.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for my review!

This book is about surviving the world throughout it changing. Very interesting and kept me hooked right in.

All the Water in the World is told in the voice of a girl gifted with a deep feeling for water. This is part literary thriller, part climate change dystopian novel, and tells the story of people serving in different ways in a world where the climate has created chaos.