This apocalyptic romance was an entertaining but not groundbreaking. It was an exploration of a relationship during global crisis - which I love. The book provides an interesting premise with the main characters navigating the end of the world, but falls slightly short of being truly great.
While the book maintains an engaging narrative, it doesn't quite elevate itself beyond a standard apocalyptic storyline. The characters are relatable, and the plot moves at a steady pace, making it a solid read for those who enjoy end-of-world scenarios with a romantic twist.
The story lacked that exceptional spark that would push it into the higher star ratings.

I've been seeing this title pop up on a lot "must read" lists, and for good reason.

Jane is approaching middle age (well, let's face it - 35-40 is technically middle-aged, and she is past that), worrying about her teen kids who are launching into adulthood and frustrated with the fact that her life has been spent taking care of the home instead of forging an identity beside a wife and mother. At their nineteenth (twentieth according to Dan) anniversary dinner, Jane casually asks for a divorce minutes before the Michelin-rated restaurant is stormed and the diners and staff are taken hostage. After the 'WTH' reaction passes, Jane notices that the events playing out are eerily familiar. She finally realizes what is happening IRL is following the plot of her one published book.

This was a very engaging book on a lot of levels. The portrayal of Jane - a wife and mom of certain age - and the self-doubt and melancholy that happen when the children are raised and posed to 'fly from the nest,' are very realistic and relatable. I would recommend this title to fans of Fredrik Backman.

This book is a delight from start to finish. From the very first page, the story grabbed my attention with its unexpected twists, humor, and surprising action. I was constantly guessing how things would unfold—and I was completely surprised by the ending.

As a long-time fan of Colleen Oakley, I’m always amazed that she isn’t more widely recognized in the reader community. Her books consistently deliver a perfect balance of heart and humor, and she has a rare talent for creating quirky yet deeply relatable characters. Jane and Dan are no exception—they’re the kind of characters you find yourself rooting for, laughing with, and sometimes cringing at. This book is the ideal choice for anyone looking for a quick, easy, and thoroughly entertaining read.

I couldn’t help but imagine how great this story would be on the screen. With its messy characters, humor, and fast-paced plot, it has all the makings of a hit show.

This is a book for those looking for a quick read who are willing to suspend belief. There is mix of things in this book: humor, mystery, suspense, action, romance, and family ties. Unfortunately, while Jane and Dan were fairly fleshed out characters (Jane more than Dan), Jane's character grated and Dan's character felt like a bit of a wet blanket. Additionally, without being too spoiler-y, the part that Jane and Dan's daughter played in the novel was so silly that it made an already implausible story utterly ridiculous.

This book is funny, heartfelt, thrilling, and was an overall joy to read. I really liked getting both Jane and Dan’s perspectives, though Jane obviously shines the most. This should be made into a movie!

I usually love Colleen Oakley books, but this one wasn't it for me. The premise is so promising, but Jane was so bothersome to me and her and Dan's relationship wasn't established enough for me to even care about it. Jane and Dan's daughter Sissy bothered me to no end. The second half of the book was a bit discombobulated and was almost hard to follow.

A fun, albeit ridiculous ride from start to finish!

Jane & Dan get more than they bargained for when their fancy 19th anniversary dinner turns into a hostage situation that is eerily similar to the plot of Jane's low selling book.

Super quick read that can easily be a fun beach read! It's funny even in the most tense moments, and these characters are fun to laugh at.
Love the twists and turns it takes. Is it absolutely a ridiculous and far fatched read? ABSOLUTELY!
But if you lean into it and suspend belief, you're in for a ride.

Feel like it would make a great audiobook as well!

Thank you the publisher for my advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

Maybe it’s just that I’m been married for 18 years, but I found this book hilarious and entertaining.

The familiar jabs at each other that really just show how much they actually know and care about each other…while maybe getting a divorce? Maybe out celebrating their 20th (no wait, 19th) anniversary? Maybe in the middle of a hostage situation?

It was quirky, funny and far fetched. Not a relatable tale of something that would ever happen, but maybe what would happen if life really were a sitcom.

I was also delighted as I read that at many interludes of sharing how much time before the world ended, my time left in book matched perfectly. We really were on this journey together!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book was a can't put down, funny, entertaining read! Jane and Dan are a couple that have a pretty ho hum life, until one night when everything changes. The pages are filled with twists and turns. Although a little far fetched, it was a fun book to read.

I loved Colleen's previous book, The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise, so I was very excited to received an ARC of her new book. I love the author's dry humor writing style and matter of fact dialouge. While most of the book was entertaining, I was a little disappointed that the summary didn't accurate depict the plot. It felt like it took about 60% of the book to really see how the summary was playing out. The ending was also a bit convoluted and confusing but I still overall enjoyed the book.

3.25 ⭐️

In this novel, Jane is going to ask her husband Dan for a divorce while they are at a very expensive restaurant. But soon the restaurant is taken hostage by a group of terrorists, including…their own daughter. Jane is an unsuccessful author, and she soon finds that this hostage situation is unfurling much like her book of a similar plot.

Admittedly, it was difficult for me to get over the outlandish hostage situation and coincidence after coincidence. At times, things felt rather forced. While Jane had some nuance, I thought Dan was a rather bland character. I think I would have liked to be in his head more.

I actually liked how this novel pulled together at the end. Was it realistic? No. But I knew 5 pages into this book that you had to toss realism out the window. It gave me the vibes of ANXIOUS PEOPLE, a book I really didn’t like much.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.

JANE AND DAN AT THE END OF THE WORLD publishes March 11, 2025.

I thought this book was just okay. It was a wild / cute read. But I felt like the book was pretty predictable. I honestly don’t think this is one that I would want to reread.

I would like to thank Net Galley and Berkley Publishing Company for the opportunity to read this as an ARC. I have read 2 other books by Colleen Oakley, I loved the Invisible Husband of Frick Island and liked The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise. I really really liked this one- not quite love, but a strong like. It is a quirky story and one that is hard to summarize. Jane and Dan have been married 19 ( or maybe 20) years. Jane wrote a book some years ago that was not a success, in fact it sold about 500 copies. It was about a terrorist group that took over a teahouse and held the dinner guests hostage. Jane is feeling stuck in life, her daughter Sissy is getting ready for college and her son Josh is a teenager. Dan has been getting texts from someone named Becca. It is Jane and Dan's wedding anniversary and they are going to a fancy restaurant named El Fin du Monde- the End of the World. It is chic and pricy, not at all like the Macaroni Grill where they usually go. And nothing tonight is like their usual night. First Jane tells Dan she knows he is cheating and wants a divorce. Then a group of terrorists come in and take everyone hostage. Then, Jane realizes that the terrorists are following the plot of her book. The story is a bit hard to follow at times, and a bit madcap. but it is fun.It is a quick easy fun read. I think you will enjoy it.

This book will hook you from the very beginning. Jane and Dan start the night celebrating their 19th anniversary at the most exclusive, opulent, coastal restaurant in the Pacific Northwest. They end the night being questioned by police - victims of a hostage takeover. But why is Jane lying to the police? And why was her failed novel found in the suspects' van? Follow Jane as she navigates the hostage crisis while debating whether she should divorce her husband. A very satisfying thriller, this book also has much to say about wealth, privilege, family, and marriage. Another home run for author Colleen Oakley.

⭐️⭐️⭐️From Berkley Publishing: Jane and Dan have been married for nineteen years, but Jane isn’t sure they’re going to make it to twenty. The mother of two feels unneeded by her teenagers, and her writing career has screeched to an unsuccessful halt. Her one published novel sold under five hundred copies. Worse? She’s pretty sure Dan is cheating on her. When the couple goes to the renowned upscale restaurant La Fin du Monde to celebrate their anniversary, Jane thinks it’s as good a place as any to tell Dan she wants a divorce.

But before they even get to the second course, an underground climate activist group bursts into the dining room. Jane is shocked—Nearly everything the disorganized and bumbling activists say and do is right out of the pages of her failed book. Even Dan (who Jane wasn’t sure even read her book) admits it’s eerily familiar.

Which means Dan and Jane are the only ones who know what’s going to happen next. And they’re the only ones who can stop it. This wasn’t what Jane was thinking of when she said “til death do us part” all those years ago, but if they can survive this, maybe they can survive anything—even marriage.
*******************
My review: This book definitely kept me interested. It jumps right in to the action. While I didn't find Jane or Dan particularly likable, especially in the beginning, their representation of marriage- the common language, the small annoyances, the back and forth- was realistic and at times funny. The hostage situation in the restaurant was confusing, unrealistic, and at times intriguing. That it mirrored Jane's book (which no one liked, but wait, a lot of people did?) was hysterical. Was Dan ever going to listen to her? I was eager to see what happened, even though the ending was very far fetched. Definite laughs, suspend disbelief, and remember...you're not just a mother or a wife, you're someone.

⭐️⭐️⭐️Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for an advance digital copy in exchange for my review.

Jane and Dan are going out for their 19th wedding anniversary to a super fancy restaurant. What can go wrong? EVERYTHING! This book is hilarious. Jane springs it on Dan at the dinner that she wants a divorce. Before they can discuss the divorce, a group comes in and takes them all hostage! The characters are great, I enjoyed the story, and I read it in one night. I do wish we had more of the after just to tie a few things up. I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.

Jane Brooks is bored with her life. She has always wanted to be a best selling author, but the only book she has had published sold 500 copies 6 years ago. Her kids are going to be leaving the house and she finds text messages on her husbands phone from an unfamiliar woman. So when her husband suggests going to a very fancy VERY expensive exclusive restaurant for their 19th, or is it their 20th anniversary, she decides to ask him for a divorce at the restaurant. That, of course is where everything goes south. Not only is her husband, Dan the podiatrist, completely surprised, by her request for a divorce, it is followed by a gang of activists taking them hostage, in a scenario eerily like her novel.

I thought the premise was unique and I really enjoyed Colleen Oakleys last Novel about Tanner and Louise so I was excited to pick up this one. In order to enjoy this one you really need to suspend reality and go with the flow, and when I did that I was able to get a few chuckles out of Jane and Dan and the hapless crew of activists. The author makes some important points about what we are doing to our earth as well. I really would have enjoyed more character development however, and we really get no depth at all on any characters other than Jane and Dan. If you like a fast moving plot driven novel with lots of humor I think you will enjoy this one, it just didn't work well for me.

Thank you to the publisher and net galley for the e galley of this book in return for an honest review.

With every new book from Colleen Oakley comes a story that leaves a mark on my heart, and Jane and Dan at the End of the World is no exception. In fact, I might dare to say it’s my favorite.

Jane is a character I can truly relate to. She’s been in a long-term relationship—married for over 19 years—and finds herself unsure of what’s next. Her teenage kids no longer need her, and her husband seems distant... or does he? Her literary career hasn’t taken off yet, with her first book selling fewer than 500 copies. So, it feels almost poetic that their anniversary dinner would be celebrated at a restaurant called La Fin du Monde—“The End of the World.” Is it the end of her marriage, too?

Then, a climate activist group storms the restaurant, throwing Jane and Dan into survival mode. The bizarre twist? The situation mirrors a scene straight out of Jane’s novel, as if her story has come to life.

What I loved most about this book is Jane’s resilience—her ability to reassess her life and put things into perspective. There are laugh-out-loud moments, gripping scenes, and unbelievable twists that pulled me in completely. I adored the witty banter, the inner dialogue running through Jane’s mind, and the sheer determination to see her through this harrowing ordeal.

This is a solid five-star read. I absolutely loved it.

I was delighted to receive a galley of Jane and Dan at the End of the World by Colleen Oakley because I have been a big fan of her past work and was anxiously awaiting this 2025 release. This book had a really unique premise. Jane and Dan have been married for 19 years and their marriage is just feeling very lackluster. They aren't happy, and Jane is considering asking for a divorce. So in an effort to shake things up, instead of their normal anniversary date night at Macaroni Grill, they go to a fancy and expensive restaurant - La Fin du Monde. Things quickly go off the rails when the restaurant is held up by armed climate activists in what becomes a comedy of errors. Jane and Dan are forced to consider what is important in their middle aged years, their marriage, parenting, life, and love. The storyline was just fresh and different. The character development was quite good. I really got invested in both Jane and Dan's storyline and headspace throughout the books. I found myself rooting for them as a couple and as parents. A mash up of a family drama and a comedy!

Colleen Oakley has written some of my favorite books over the years and I was so excited to get my hands on Jane and Dan at the End of the World. This story is a bit more kitschy/quirky than some of her other novels, but still very enjoyable for me. Jane and Dan are celebrating their anniversary and all is not as wonderful as it may seem on the outsiders, but what happens at this dinner certainly takes everyone for a surprise.