Thank you to Delacorte Press and NetGalley for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
In this dystopian young adult book, The Storm has decimated mankind. Seventeen-year-old Liz is holed up in the New Jersey bookstore where she used to work. It has become a trading post of sorts, survivors trading food, batteries, etc., for books or to post messages for loved ones passing through. Liz feels relatively safe and secure, that is, until another teen girl, Maeve, breaks in seeking shelter. The girls butt heads but Maeve has some useful skills that Liz does not. Liz needs Maeve’s help to fix the bookstore before the next predicted Storm comes through. Both girls are keeping secrets that threaten to destroy what they are trying to save.
This was a quick read for me – I enjoy dystopian novels and it was relatively short for a YA book. I could see elements of The Walking Dead and The Last of Us, minus the zombies, in the behavior of the survivors. I liked the way the author told of Liz’s life before the Storm in flashbacks leading up to the disaster. I would definitely recommend this title for ages 14 and up.
#TheLastBookstoreOnEarth #NetGalley #LGBTQ
This title will be available January 7, 2025.

I'm always a sucker for apocalyptic fiction and quite enjoy the depressing nature of the situation faced. I think our teen readers will also really connect with it and will be begging for more books by this author. Will purchase for the collection.

This book captivated me. Made my heart happy. The YA authors are booming this year!!!!This plot was perfect.Characters strongly developed and easy to identify with.

I enjoyed this book, but it definitely could have been better. I did really like the characters, they were done well, and I enjoyed reading from Liz's perspective. I really wanted to know what would happen next, but I was disappointed that a few things weren't explained more. I wanted to know why the storms were happening, and what the science behind them was. I wanted to know more about Liz's relationship with Eva, cause it wasn't shown that much, so I didn't really care. I would have liked to explore Liz's loneliness more, too.

But, if you're looking for a post-apocalyptic novel that isn't about zombies, has cute queer representation, and will keep you wanting to know what happens next, The Last Bookstore on Earth might be for you!

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Children's for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Full disclosure: I do love an end-of-the-world book.

The Last Bookstore on Earth is one of those end-of-the-world books that I ultimately find comforting. Despite all the hell and strife and confusion, people can still do good. And their stories will live on.

Braun-Arnold takes the ideas of stories living on literally by situating her novel in a bookstore. Our main character Liz was an employee there when the massive Storm hit. After all the tragedy, she relocates from her home to live in the apartment above the bookshop. She still runs the bookshop as well, but ends up become a post office as well. She is sort of at the crossroads of humanity. A bulletin board holds messages for passersby in a way that I might imagine the postal service was in the frontier. Liz is dealing with her own trauma when she gets word that another deadly storm is coming. But her bookshop needs repairs. Enter (quite literally) a thief named Maeve who Liz caught breaking in. They soon forge a bond and Maeve is working to repair the shop.

This story looks at survival on both a corporeal and psychic level. What does it take to survive? Soup cans? Connection? Shelter? Dealing with past trauma?

It is absolutely lovely, but not free of violence--after all this is the end of the world and people are trying to survive. But there is a hope that glimmers thoughout the piece that I found just wonderful.

Definitely buying for my library.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this book.

I absolutely loved this book! It was a fantastic read. Highly recommend.

Everything about it was perfection.

Five stars!

Loved this book, but wanted to strangle Liz for her indecisiveness and apathy at times. It’s a beautiful coming of age story, as Liz finds the strength to leave her hiding place and open up her heart yo Maeve. Each girl has to negotiate a path between fear and old behaviors before they can arrive at any sort of beginning.

I very much enjoyed this apocalyptic story that took us through the days of Liz and the bookstore. I was super drawn into this world of seemingly benign and peaceful existence and intrigued by the rules that Liz set for herself. This is an awesome book that will really pull you into Liz's POV and you won't be able to put it down til the end. Would love to see another book detailing life after the second big storm!

In a future where physical books are nearly extinct, a quirky bookstore becomes a sanctuary for those clinging to the past. The story follows a group of misfits who find solace in the store, navigating their personal struggles while trying to keep the magic of books alive.

With a mix of nostalgia and adventure, this novel explores themes of connection and the power of stories. It's a heartfelt tribute to the love of reading, reminding us why books matter in a digital world. A delightful read for book lovers!

This one sucked me in quickly! I thought the characters were well fleshed out and I loved the relationship dynamics. I could have used a little more information to fully flesh out the acid rain storm situation but I still enjoyed what was on the page. A solid dystopian YA read overall, that was really concentrated on the characters and relationships more so than the action/adventure story.
Thanks to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for the ARC!

The premise, someone hiding out from the climate apocalypse in a bookstore, appeals to me. I would absolutely want to have an endless supply of books to read in that scenario. But, other than that, and I got the Nancy Pearl prescribed 43 pages in (you have to read 50 pages, unless you're over 50. For each year, you subtract one page). I like books and dystopia, but I guess I just didn't like the main character enough to put up with how ineffective (depressed) she was.

If I had to spend my final months on earth somewhere, I'd probably choose a bookstore too. I completely understood the need to not leave, knowing that this was my safe space, even when it wasn't really so safe anymore. A beautiful cover and a really good read! The missing star is only because of the predictability of the final fight scene. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Kids will like this one, and I will be adding it to our collection of dystopian novels. Nice to see the importance of community, purpose and story included in a dystopia. Comparisons to Station Eleven are apt.

The first half of this book was much better than the second half. Much of the drama between the two main characters didn't feel earned or fleshed out enough. I was also confused about the timeline of the age of the character. Seemed like she graduated high school at 16? I really wanted to like this book and it started out great.

This is going to be an instant hit with young adult and new adult readers. It has heart, drama, suspense, romance, and books. What more could you want? The Last Bookstore on Earth is an impressive debut.

This was so unique and original! I haven’t read a good post apocalyptic novel in a long time and this totally delivered! I loved the bookshop it was a character in itself and the characters were amazing. Will be adding to my library 100%.

This was a GREAT BOOK! My FIRST 5-star read of the year! I absolutely loved the writing and the plot was to die for. Going to order this book when it comes out!

Engaging and immersive. A recommended purchase for YA and HS collections where dystopian is popular.

... well, fuck, i guess MY slightly autistic stomach metaphor was not so original! damn you, lily braun-arnold for calling me out

Thank you to Random House Children's | Delacorte Press for allowing me to read this book! No matter how much I did feel called out.....

I thought it felt a very good slice-of-life, self-contained book set during the apocalypse. I also very much enjoyed the hope that was there-- people are helping each other out, passing along warnings, letting each other know what happened and what's happening. I felt like many other such stories could have taken place or been set during the same time, with how small the general setting was, which is something I appreciate a lot.

I think my students would enjoy this!

Even after the world has ended, we still need to find meaning and purpose in our lives and that is exactly what Liz does at the bookstore she used to work in. The last bookstore on Earth isn’t just a place of solace for others, it is for Liz too. With nowhere else to go, why not go to her home away from home?

This story has a great blend of tense action and emotional moments between characters. Liz’s backstory is one I won’t forget anytime soon. I loved all the references to some of the author’s favorite books and can’t wait for readers to discover this on shelves in real bookstores.