What do you do when the world ends? Maybe just keep going to work.

After The Storm, Liz still works alone in a bookstore in New Jersey. Now the customers only wander in occasionally to trade various supplies for books. She moved into the apartment on the floor above the shop. Liz has took on the role of an informal post office, and started recording the stories of regular visitors in a journal. Liz finds this existence a relief; she hardly ever has to bother with people and all the stressors of her old stressors have been washed away. With another Storm coming, Liz realizes how precarious her situation really is, with dwindling food supplies and a building in desperate need of repairs. One night, she’s awakened by a creaking noise from downstairs. Armed only with a hardcover edition of Anna Karenina, Liz confronts the intruder—a girl about her age, Maeve, who’s in need of a place to stay and happens to be good at fixing things. The two form an uneasy alliance.

This post apocalyptic novel is filled with cynical and witty characters who are exploring the nature of and need for human connection. The story contains just the right amount of action, balancing the introspective scenes, a blossoming lesbian romance, and an executed slow doomsday reveal.




The author has written a post-apocalyptic novel.

Why was this so fun? It's giving sapphic the last of us.....but YA. I literally have no notes, but if you like Si-Fi mixed with queer vibes, mixed with bookstore vibes, then this is for you. READ IT!!!

Thank you to Netgalley & the publisher for my early e-arc.

This was the first non-zombie post-apocalyptic story I've read since the Hunger Games, and I'm glad I got the chance to read it.

A storm came through and destroyed almost everyone and everything. Liz, our main character, is all alone in the bookstore where she worked before everything went to hell. She's young and afraid of moving on, mostly because she doesn't believe she deserves to. She was relatable in some moments and kind of annoying in others. She lives day to day in a loop of tending to the bookstore and the few customers that come through. While this seemed a bit odd for a post-apocalyptic world, it was an endearing concept.

Enter Maeve, a young girl who is nothing at all like Liz. Once she arrives, shit hits the fan for poor Liz. Everything she'd be hiding comes to light. Danger and accidents happen. This is where the action really begins.

I loved their back and forth banter. I liked that even though they were both hiding their pasts, they were able to get to know each other and try to move forward. Maeve more so than Liz.

I liked how we got both past and present aspects of Liz's life. It helped to flesh her out. However, I don't feel like there was a lot of growth for her until the very end. And that in itself felt a bit rushed.

I would have loved more world building, though the description of how people and places were affected by the storm was very well written.

Overall, it was a unique and intriguing story that I really enjoyed.

a post apocalyptical adventure, a teenage romance, and the struggle to stay save, stay alive all coalesce into an amazing, unique story. a girl who cannot move on and a girl who cannot stay put, both circling around each other as they both try to survive in a world where resources are slim, and people are rare. a coming of age adventure that starts out surprisingly cozy, until it speeds up into a train wreck waiting to happen. secrets might tear these two lovebirds apart... if the storm that is coming doesn't do it first. it only gets worse when those secrets could very well risk the minimal safety they have left.

this book made me gasp, cry, and cringe. the author doesn't shy away from the grim reality of a world after everything else has gone to shit. of injuries, of fights, of attempting to stay safe. of doing everything you can to find food, and learning to trust another person even when your not so sure you should. a heartwarming tale of learning to love... and a nail biting journey of trying to protect what little you have left.

The author of this book is young, still working on her English degree. I don’t want to be too discouraging; props for even managing to put together a complete story.

However, this book is missing the heart. The plot feels like, “things need to happen here, so here’s some things to happen.” The main character reads like a self-insert. The romance (and most of the character conflicts) feels unrealistic/overly dramatic. They don’t act like real people would act. And everyone just seems immature.

But the character motivations for both Eva and Liz were good, I think. That was a conflict that would happen in real life.

Overall, disappointed with the apocalyptic world-building. People are living in the woods but passing up empty houses? Some people are murderers and some still visit bookstores? I suppose that might happen, but more detail about why would’ve been helpful.

I think the author should think long and hard about the story she needs to tell, about the message she wants to send out into the world, and then try again.

Compelling characters, and an interesting plot for readers like Station Eleven. My favorite parts are: mostly focused on one scenery and one character, but the arrival of a new character who is the opposite of who Liz is will bring more disruption to her life than the end of the world. An imminent storm is coming and she can't stay as she is anymore, so she embraces it all, chance, a relationship, and the new cruel world outside. I like the many references to famous and wonderful books classics or modern, even some pop culture. It's more of a YA take on a dystopian. The main character is sweet and naive and has some hilarious thoughts and takes.

Thank you Random House Children’s and Netgalley for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The premise of this is FANTASTIC, riding out the apocalypse inside a bookstore, and for the most part I did enjoy this book, but some of the execution wasn’t great.

It took me until around 1/3 of the way through to get into this one and I nearly gave up on it. But I ended up drawn in by Maeve and all the things she was hiding along with the second storm coming.

Liz was such a flat main character in all honesty. Kind of relatable in that she spent a lot of time doing nothing and feeling sorry for herself, but frustrating to read about a lot of the time.

This really is a character study more than anything. I was left with more questions than answers.

I loved the small human touches like the Peacoat Man and the small stories Liz had collected from customers since the storm.

The romance between Liz and Maeve was really sweet, too. I did overall enjoy the journey this book took me on. I think if you go into this expecting not much plot or world building and just a character study, you’ll enjoy it.

The Last Bookstore on Earth by Lily Braun-Arnold is a uniquely original and intimate exploration of survival, forgiveness, and rediscovering love in a post-apocalyptic world. This harrowing tale delves into the depths of human emotion and resilience as characters navigate the challenges of a world on the brink of collapse. Braun-Arnold's poignant storytelling captivates readers, offering a thought-provoking reflection on the enduring power of hope and redemption in the face of adversity.

Thank you to Lily Braun-Arnold, Delacorte Press, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

First, the cover of this one instantly grabbed my attention. I love it so much. Second, this was really good. It was an interesting premise that held my attention. Liz's backstory really tugged at my heartstrings.

Liz is a teenage girl living alone in a bookstore, one of only a few survivors of a climate-related disaster she refers to as The Storm. Through flashbacks to before the storm, we get to know Liz’s family and we learn about their increasing concern about the climate. In the present day, Liz’s family is gone and she starts to hear rumors of another impending storm, one potentially as devastating as the last one.

Liz has spent the majority of the last year alone comforting herself with the books that surround her. Until, one night, Maeve breaks into the store. The two slowly become friends, and then a lot more, and ultimately come to rely on each other for survival. Maeve’s arrival forces Liz to reengage with the world outside of the bookstore and all its terrors. When another disaster strikes, the two teens find themselves in a fight for their lives.

This book had me on the edge of my seat. The impending feeling of dread was palpable and kept me turning the pages. But this book was also a love story between two young women. It was a coming-of-age novel as Liz and Maeve try to figure out the people they want to be under circumstances where the stakes are about as high as possible. This book would be an excellent choice for any high school student who likes post-apocalyptic fiction with lots of action but also with a lot of heart.

A dystopian novel about two girls that hide out in an abandoned bookstore just as a horrible storm is about to come through and bring forth the end of the world as they knew it. Liz Flannery has been hiding out in the bookstore she used to work, using the books to trade for other goods she may need while living in an apocalyptic world. Then one day, she learns that another storm is about to come through that may bring forth the end of everything. That’s when Maeve enters her life. She breaks into the bookstore to take shelter for the night, not realizing someone else is already in there. Their relationship builds up as they brace the storm together. A cute LGBTQ novel with likeable characters that I was rooting for! More lighthearted than The Last of Us, but a good read for teens!

As I read this title, I couldn't help but think of my own teenage years, working in a bookstore, looking forward to going off to college. So to set this story in that vulnerable in-between time, where you're looking forward to a not-so-distant future for the main character, and then to have it all go so horribly wrong, was to me a brilliant choice.

This story is set about a year after an apocalyptic (literal) acid rain storm destroyed most of the America, and the world, and follows Liz a young woman, defeated by circumstance, and largely alone. She survived everything, seemingly by accident. (Some people just have good fortune) and set herself up at the same bookstore she once worked at, to keep tradition alive. As it works with these kinds of stories, she meets a girl (Maeve) she falls in love, theres a near death experience, there's unhinged post-apocalypse rationale from other groups of people. It made for an interesting story, that to me had something clear to say about individuality vs group think in a end-of-the-world situation.

While Liz as an individual was passive, and almost letting life pass her by, as soon as she had someone to defend she did it. Whereas the group that we meet, even if someone wasn't into fighting, or killing, they were egged on by their peers. To fit in with the group they "had to do what they had to do to survive". To me the message was, on your own you can survive, even thrive, but as soon as you have people pressuring you to do something you don't want to-you could make a fatal choice. That even applies to her bookstore visitors. On their own they're searching for something or someone, so they use the bookstore as a way station. They don't harm her, they don't fight, they trade & barter. But the group doesn't trade, the group takes, even though Liz on her own seems like she's willing to share.

This was the kind of book that I found myself immersed in. I wanted to know the secrets Liz & Maeve kept. I wanted to know more about the people who came to the bookstore to trade. I was endlessly curious about the story, and truly think I could read another set in this world. But If there's not a sequel or s spin-off in the works, I, like Liz am content staying in the Last Bookstore on Earth.

Despite the glorious cover (seriously, if this book could be judged by its cover it would be 10/5 stars), intriguing twist on a post apocalyptic premise, and LGBTQ+ romance promise, The Last Bookstore on Earth is a slog. Maybe I was prejudiced by the fact author hasn’t even graduated college yet, but I found the story dull and the romance pretty much nonexistent. Granted, the fight for survival from the apocalyptic rains that look over the entire book are pretty much the opposite of sexy, but we are told rather than see Liz and Maeve begin a relationship, but this consists of zero indicators of any attraction, a single kiss, sharing a bed, and deciding to stay together at the end of the book. None of the other characters are fleshed out beyond basic descriptions.

Even the attempt at a major shock reveal involving Liz’s twin sister and family’s deaths falls flat because there is so little detail given beyond tired cliches in the multiple chapters that set up the action—the mother is a workaholic, the father is a dreamer, the twin sister is perfect. Sigh. At least the dialogue flows fairly naturally, though I could have really done without the asides Liz imagines being made by future alien civilizations as they remark on her current antics (yes, it’s just as strange and stilted as it sounds).

1/10, glad it was less than 300 pages so I didn’t waste too much time on it.

Content warning: body horror, gore, physical violence, murder, gun and knife violence

3.5 rounded up to 4 stars.

Honestly, it feels ominous that a novel about apocalyptic weather decimating society and life as we know it comes out at the start of a new year. Hopefully this isn't a prediction of what's to come, though severe acid rain is a realistic way to wipe out society.

While this is a story about survival, it's a pretty quiet and slow moving plot focusing on two teens accepting what they've done (or haven't done) to survive. I don't blame Liz at all for trying to ride out the apocalypse in a bookstore and I really liked the community connecting role she and the bookstore play within the plot.

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley, Random House Children's, and Delacorte Press in exchange for an honest review.

Lily Braun-Arnold's debut YA post-apocalyptic novel is both gripping and thought-provoking. I especially loved how it handled grief and the tough choices the teenage characters had to make to survive. The teens felt real, and their struggles were deeply moving.

Thank you to Random House Children's Delacorte Press and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read The Last Bookstore on Earth. This charming, heartfelt story is a love letter to books, readers, and the magic of storytelling. Set in a near-future where physical books are nearly extinct, it follows a quirky cast of characters as they rally around the last bookstore standing. It’s equal parts uplifting and thought-provoking, with plenty of humor and a touch of mystery to keep things interesting.

The world-building is rich without feeling heavy-handed, and the characters are wonderfully relatable, each with their own quirks and struggles. At its core, this book is about connection—whether it’s through the pages of a book or the people we meet along the way. If you’ve ever been enchanted by the smell of old books or the comfort of a cozy reading nook, this one will feel like a warm hug.

The pacing is steady, though it takes a little time to build momentum—but once it does, it’s a rewarding ride. The Last Bookstore on Earth is a must-read for book lovers and anyone who appreciates a story about the enduring power of the written word.

Immensely impressed by Lily Braun-Arnold's debut YA post apocalyptic tale of survival in a future all too possible. What I truly loved about this story was its handling of grief. The teenage protagonists were haunted by the loss of possible future that are not impossible and the awful choices one makes to survive. Its always a bonus when the teen characters act like teens especially in conforting insurmountable obstacles. Overwhelmingly enjoyed!

Thank you to Random House Children's | Delacorte Press and Netgalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

I LOVED THIS BOOK. and I thought there could have been a little bit more character and plot development. I appreciated that it was a quick read I could lose myself in, and it was fun (terrifying) to consider the post-apocalyptic realities, especially given the current state of the world. I did greatly enjoy it and I would recommend it to others. It just fell a little bit short in building my interest in the two main characters and I didn't find myself necessarily rooting for them to succeed.

The Last Bookstore on Earth by Lily Braun-Arnold is an unforgettable blend of dystopian tension, poignant individual narratives, and a beautifully layered sapphic romance. The novel masterfully alternates between the stark present—where the remnants of humanity cling to stories as their last vestige of hope—and the fractured past that led to the climatic, world-altering event. Each individual story within the main narrative enriches the larger tapestry, offering deeply personal stakes that make the overarching collapse feel all the more devastating. As the FMC, navigating this intricate world was both a harrowing and empowering journey; the growth and resilience demanded of me was a testament to Braun-Arnold's skill in crafting authentic, flawed characters. At its heart, the tender, healthy sapphic relationship between the protagonist and her love interest shines like a beacon, reminding readers that love and connection can thrive even in the darkest times. This book is a triumph of storytelling that left me breathless and inspired.

My thanks to NetGalley and Delacorte Press/Random House Children's Books for the ARC of "The Last Bookstore on Earth" in exchange for an honest review
Harrowing and heartbreaking, this is the end of the world as experienced by two teen girls thrown together in a struggle to survive.......and somehow struggling with their growing connection to each other.
in the uncomfortably nearby future, Mother Earth's uncontrollable climate takes an apocalyptic turn with lethal acid storms that wipe out all but isolated pockets of humanity. In a pocket all to herself sits 17 year old Liz, now the sole proprietor and resident of the abandoned bookstore where she used to work. A few wandering stragglers left alive stop in to trade their random valued items for books, interrupting Liz's solitude. But then Maeve, another teen girl breaks into the store for a longer stay, putting Liz at odds with her. Maeve's own terrible ordeals toughened her enough to stay alive and she's got the practical skills that could help Liz turn the bookstore into an acceptable shelter. And it's a shelter they'll desperately need since another toxic storm is heading their way.
In their dangerous quests for needed supplies, Liz and Maeve's encounter with other survivors turns violent. So in addition to finding supplies, they've also made some vengeful enemies whose fundamental human need to live through the next storm is no less than theirs.
Liz and Maeve's separately tragic stories slowly bring them together as more than just colliding survivors. You'll feel your heart aching for them as they find a way to a working, uneasy friendship and then on to genuine deep affection. And all of this occurs as the girls face one life threatening challenge after another. Believe me, that makes for one can't-put-it-down book.
If you're willing to endure the nightmarish scenario this book envisions, "The Last Bookstore on Earth" takes you on the kind of emotional ride that's well worth the read.