So this was a bit of a stretch for me. I don’t typically explore sci-fi and or dystopian genre based books. It was an interesting, but different listen and honestly, quite disturbing. A group group of people get stranded on an island when the sun explodes. Within hours after all going to their rooms promising to work together, it becomes anarchy. As in off the charts, class based, killing and torturing each other almost the worst of humanity kind of insanity. The owner of the resort and most of an island) allows it all to happen as spineless . He puts the wealthiest people in charge because “they’re smarter”. Alliances form, change and it’s wild. They share the island with a researcher and seemingly is doing his own thing. With the exception of a very select few people, most of the guests and people working at the resort were truly horrible and the worst of the human experience. Were they that way before the explosion or did the explosion/potential end of the world push them to be that way? An interesting conundrum. So while this was a wild ride, it was not my cup of tea, but if dystopian sci-fi is in your wheelhouse, this is one to listen/read. The narration definitely added to the experience for me.

Zero Stars, Do Not Recommend by M.J. Wassmer is a wickedly funny and thought-provoking social satire that takes the idea of a vacation gone wrong to a whole new level.
Dan Foster, the self-proclaimed underachiever at the centre of the story, is an everyman you can’t help but root for. Wassmer does a fantastic job of making Dan relatable, capturing his mix of apathy and unexpected resilience as he navigates the chaos that ensues after the sun literally explodes. The island resort, once a symbol of relaxation, quickly becomes a microcosm of society’s worst instincts as elite guests seize control of the dwindling supplies, leaving Dan in the unlikely position of becoming a leader.
The novel is packed with laugh-out-loud moments as Wassmer skewers the excesses of modern life, from the absurdities of luxury travel to the folly of class divisions. The situation on the island is both ridiculous and all too real, with the darker aspects of human nature coming to the forefront as the guests fight for survival. Yet, amidst the satire, there’s a surprising depth to the story as Dan grapples with his own sense of purpose and what it means to truly live.
The pacing is brisk, and the tension builds as the characters are forced to make impossible choices. The discovery of a six-person plane capable of getting a few survivors back to the mainland adds a layer of moral complexity to the plot, forcing Dan to decide whether to prioritise his own escape or stay and help the others. Wassmer’s skillful handling of this dilemma adds emotional weight to the novel, making it more than just a comedic romp.
This novel is a brilliant exploration of the absurdity of life in the face of disaster, with a protagonist who discovers that sometimes the end of the world is just the beginning of finding out who you really are. Wassmer’s sharp writing and clever plotting make this novel an absolute delight, offering both laughs and a biting critique of modern society.

Thank you to RBmedia, MJ Wassmer, and NetGalley for this advance listening copy. All opinions are my own.

I, for one, can say more like Four Stars, Do Recommend when it comes to the new novel Zero Stars, Do Not Recommend by MJ Wassmer. This was a fun read, and I really enjoyed Stephen R. Thorne’s narration on the audiobook. I’m glad we followed the story from Dan’s perspective - he was the perfect character for it! Dan and his girlfriend, Mara, become focused on surviving the apocalypse when the sun explodes during their vacation to a tropical island. Soon, factions form and tensions are high as all communication is cut off and death is impending. I’m glad this was more humorous than I was expecting! And while I did start to ponder the twist before it happened, I still wanted to keep reading and find out for myself. I knew something fishy was going on!! If you’re looking for a fun time, definitely give this book a try!

This was wild and far-fetched and didn’t do it for me. I wanted to like it so much more than I did. I also didn’t love the narrator. The story had a good concept but the way it was executed wasn’t for me.

I was fortunate enough to receive this as an ALC from NetGalley. I am so grateful to NetGalley and the author M.J Wassmer

First off, I will say this was a four star read, and I highly recommend it!

I think this story does a great job of showcasing what an end of the world scenario would be like if trapped at an island resort while on vacation . It also feels weird to say but it is an incredibly fun story given the subject matter, and heartbreaking moments . Dan is the perfect protagonist to navigate this with because he perfectly represents the sort of every day man. He’s kind of coasting in life, unhappy with his job and his choices. Like a lot of people he feels stuck, and like there’s more he’s capable of doing. He has to confront a lot of toxic people and toxic ways of thinking to survive this vacation.


I really enjoyed this story, and the mystery revolving around the sun “exploding”. One thing I thought this book handled well was its satirical dark humor.

DNF. The characters and plot line were interesting but I just wasn’t invested at all in this. I think this has a lot of potential but it just wasn’t for me. I listened to both the audiobook and tried reading the e-book but I couldn’t get into it. To me it wasn’t funny but I could tell the author was trying a little too hard, and even though it was supposed to a parody I couldn’t get over the social injustice of the rich taking over. It bothered me so much , I know it would probably happen in real life so I don’t want to read about it too. I think this would appeal to a lot of people but I don’t thinks it for me

Thanks to NetGalley, RB Media, Sourcebook Landmark, and MJ Wassmer for the e-ARC and ALC

Although I found the premise of theis book engaging and enoyed the narration, I thought the storyline teetered toward the unbelievable at times and could have used characters who made more rational or logical decisios throughout.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book had good bones, and the writing was good. However, it was way too long. The story could have been narrowed down, moved faster, and enjoyed more. Narration was spot on and added to the humorous parts of the book.

The description of this book was SO intriguing! While vacationing at an island resort, the sun explodes and chaos ensues. Had the sun truly exploded, life on earth would quickly cease to exist and yes this is a sci-fi but I couldn’t get past that scientific fact. And yes maybe had I completed the book I would learn the Sun didn’t really explode and it was something else but unfortunately I am DNFing this one at 63%.

One thing that I took from this book is that in emergency situations, it likely would be the rich that think they are entitled to take over, especially if backed by their God.

I would highly recommend this book to fans of dry humor, social satire, and a lot of characters.

I'm not sure what I was expecting going into "Zero Stars, Do Not Recommend" — maybe based on the cover, I was expecting a fluffy beach read. And, to some degree, it is a light and breezy book, But it's also witty, satirical, and ultimately an entertaining ride through an apocalyptic comedy of errors.

Dan Foster, a self-proclaimed life slacker, is on vacation with his girlfriend at a brand-new, all-inclusive island resort in the Bahamas. Just as he and Mara are settling into the fun, the sun explodes and the entire world goes dark. Isolated and seemingly forgotten on the island, the couple and their fellow vacationers must switch into survival mode to adjust to their limited resources and new reality. Think Lord of the Flies, but with adults and umbrella drinks. With the group already split into social classes, thanks to the widely varied rates they paid to be there, social warfare quickly comes into play, as characters vie for control. Dan, an unlikely leader even on a good day but an all-around-good-guy, does his best to lead the group to peace and safety.

There's something about this book that had me feeling like I was watching a movie in my head. The voice of each character felt so distinct and unique that I was almost distracted by thoughts of which actors I would cast in each role. While the story is, admittedly, over the top, it's intentionally so, and if you refuse to take it more seriously than the main character does himself, you're in for an enjoyable ride. Stephen R. Thorne absolutely nails it on narration, giving a delicious bite to Dan as an unwitting hero.

I did have one small complaint focused around the character of Lilliana. Lilliana is the leader of Beach Bod, an MLM company. The name and focus of this fictional company is so strikingly similar to Beachbody, a real-life MLM company, that it seems this book may be walking a thin line between comedy and defamation. What really hung me up, though, was that Wassmer made reference to all the women who try to sell the Beach Bod lifestyle while sporting the mom-tummies that prove it doesn't work. All debate of MLMs aside, this body shaming felt damaging and just unnecessary to include. The book leans heavily on stereotypes, as much of comedy does.

Overall, this was a fun and unique book to get swept away by. Thank you to MJ Wassmer, RBmedia, and NetGalley for providing an advance copy for an honest review.

With this cover how could I resist the audiobook for a summer listen.? I wasn’t expecting this type of dystopian satirical story but I still had a good time listening. Going into it realize that these people really have zero survival skills and honestly aren’t worried about learning any. You’ll love to hate some of the characters. Just an honestly funny end of the world book.
I received this advanced listening copy from NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own..

While I was slow to get into this book (more a comment on me than the writing), once invested, I was hooked and couldn't put it down. It read like a Gilmore Girls level stream of consciousness from a dude who has long expected nothing from himself. The pop culture references were there. The humor had something for everyone. There was action, adventure, and intrigue - I didn't see the ending coming! I absolutely 100% DO recommend this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for this arc!

What a great book! This one had me blocked right away. Great storyline and great writing! Perfect summer read. I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. Also my first by this author but will not be my last! This book had me loling a lot.

"Zero Stars, Do Not Recommend" by M.J. Wassmer is a speculative fiction novel and also referred to as a social satire. I enjoyed this weird book.

Dan Foster and his girlfriend, Mara Nichols, are on vacation on a small island in the Bahamas. One day, they are on the beach when they see the sun melt and go dark. It gets colder every day.

The three buildings at the resort are based on cost and their wealth of the guests. Building A is for the richest guests. Building B is the middle of the road and Building C for those with the least money invested in their vacation. Not long after losing the sun, a guest from Building A announces she is in charge. Lilyanna is the CEO of a big pyramid scheme company called Beach Bod.

Dan and Mara make some friends and some enemies. It's quite interesting.

Characters - 5/5
Writing - 5/5
Plot - 5/5
Pacing - 4/5
Unputdownability - 4/5
Enjoyment - 4/5
Narration - 5/5 by Stephen R. Thorne
Cover - 5/5
Overall - 37/8 = 4 5/8
Rounded up to 5 Stars

Thank you to Netgalley, RB Media, and M.J. Wassmer for providing this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: 4/5 Stars
Pub Date: 8/6 - Out Now!
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Dan Foster is on vacation in the Bohemian Islands with his girlfriend Mara when the sun explodes. Things go from bad to worse when the elite decide to take control over the food and begin to assign jobs. Things get even more sinister when it comes to the end.
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I actually went into this one completely blind thinking that it was going to be some cute romcom and wow I was so far off. This is an apocalyptic story. There is definitely some dark humor and some comedic relief thrown in there for good measure but for the most part, this is pretty terrifying. I found myself totally emersed in this story as I was trying to figure out what exactly these people were going to do in order to get off of the island. And then when Ms. Body Pump and her pastor hubby take control I was immediately not about that culty life. Speaking of Ms. Body Pump and Pastor, I totally envisioned them as Steve and Sarah Newlin from Trueblood. The way they ran the place was like The Fellowship of the Sun.
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This story isn't necessarily one of those edge of your seat thrillers, but it's still thrilling in the sense that there is an impending sense of doom throughout the entire story. This is a more so a story about survival, it's about rising up against what's wrong, it's about fighting for what you love most. This was a very thought-provoking story. I found it to be steady paced and really enjoyed where this one led. I did not see the ending coming but I absolutely loved every single second of it. It is unbelievably clever. Everything comes full circle, even if its not what is expected.
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I listened to this via audiobook, and it was narrated by Stephen R. Thorne, who was absolutely phenomenal. I loved everything he did with this narration. All the stars to the narration. If you are thinking of picking this one up - be sure to grab the audio!!
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I highly recommend this one to all my apocalyptic reader fans. This was different, it was interesting, funny, a little panic inducing but overall a great read! Huge thank you to NetGalley, M. J. Wassmer and Recorded Books Media for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

Dan and Mara are at a beautiful resort on a private island in the Bahamas…until the sun explodes and everybody is left in darkness. Chaos ensues, as the classes battle for the remaining resources on the island, and everyone is in a panic as to how they might survive and get off the island.

As disastrous as that all sounds, this book was…funny? There are some twists that I won’t spoil, but the references made even when the biggest one is revealed are perfect. It was weird and funny and confusing and had moments of WTF?! But by the end I was really invested and excited to see how it turned out.

This darkly comedic book starts with a perfect vacation in a perfect setting which lasts approximately one-quarter of a page. Everything goes to literal hell in a handbasket when the sun explodes above the idyllic resort. Please hold your scientific issues at bay, because what follows in a complete cast of ridiculous characters trying to navigate this new world which quickly falls into chaos.

I thoroughly enjoyed every flawed character in this book and the twist at the end was a delight. The reader was also fantastic and did a great job of creating separate voices for each character that really enhanced their personalities.

Such a fun book and an original storyline. I had so much fun listening to this one. Very different than my usual reads but in a good way.

I loved the plot of this book , people are on an island enjoying beach and Sun, but then the Sun explodes and now its complete dark and the earth will freeze in next week or so and the planes were going to come to get the guests after a week. Communication is down so no option of communicating to mainland and the resort owner is a rich kid who doesn't know how to handle such crisis situation.
The loved the whole idea of apocalypses on a sunny, resort island. The resort is divided into 3 buildings, A, B and C and they are divided with different economics, like only super rich people stay in building A and they get all the luxuries, B is for average people and C is lower class with minimum amenities.
Dan and Mara in building B and once the sun explodes they are promised to get all the food and comfort till thee planes arrive but the very next day they get to know that the building A people transferred all the food and rations to their building and now they are in control.
They have to keep completing the assigned tasks to get food , there was security who were ready to kill people who didnt obey the terms.
I initially found Dan a tad bit flat but then I slowly realized that he is meant to be flat, ordinary. All he wants is to lay low and get his fiancé off the island and to her family. But Mara wants to help people and wants Dan to do the same. All the people around him expect him to do something.
We see their time on the island and all the things that happens during the apocalypse. I was hooked to the book and was mad at certain times when Dan and Mara had chance to leave the island but they didnt, they literally ran in the opposite direction. but then the author spun the story in such a way that everything made sense and I couldn't be mad at any characters and that was the author's biggest win. I am going to recommend this book to everyone and I will be looking forward to the author's next release.

Thanks to NetGalley and RBmedia for sending me an ARC of Zero Stars, Do Not Recommend in exchange for an honest review.

Dan Foster is 29 and stuck in a boring digital marketing job he hates even though he’s been told all his life that he’s “gifted.” But he’s got a good thing going with his girlfriend Mara, and they’re on vacation at the grand opening of a resort in the Bahamas, so what could go wrong? Well, the sun could explode. But rather than obliterating Earth in a fiery aftermath, the resort is merely cut off from the rest of the world, and slowly getting colder (and dark, of course). And when the wealthy Building A people steal all the food and takeover the island, Dan is forced to choose between finding a way for him and Mara to escape to the mainland and leading the class rebellion against the ruling class.

Obviously, if the sun exploded for real we’d all be dead about 9 minutes later, so you have to suspend your disbelief in Zero Stars, Do Not Recommend. You just have accept that the setup is one part a metaphor for our collective failure to address climate change and one part an excuse to bring the class tensions here to a boil. There are shades of Lord of the Flies here, but the tone here is all tongue-in-cheek. MLM-running, fascist dictator Liliana makes an entertaining foil for lovable loser Dan. The story drags a bit in the middle, and takes a hard turn at around the 80% mark that was very unexpected but makes sense in hindsight. But the story has got a snarky charm, and Stephen R. Thorne did an excellent job performing the audiobook. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4. Recommended.