The premise of this book is excellent - a group of twelve contestants compete against each other for one million dollars in a wilderness survival reality show, much like television's Survivor. The writing is brilliant, the pace is fast and the characterization excellent. I am now a fan of apocalyptic novels! Highly recommended

It's not real. That is what the protagonist in Alexandra Oliva's The Last One keeps telling herself. She's only been participating in this extreme Survivor-style reality show for a few days (weeks?) and every obstacle she faces, she tells herself it isn't real. What she doesn't understand is that a few days into the competition, a pandemic has swept the nation. The producers told her that part of the challenge will be spending extended periods of time all alone. She is sure that hidden cameras are following her every move. She's sure that the desolate towns she finds have been meticulously set up by tireless production assistants. She doesn't know that most of them are dead.

Told in alternating chapters and points of view, we see the beginning of the reality show production, told in third-person omniscient so that the reader has a clear view of how it all began. These chapters then trade off with first-person narrative chapters of our main character, of whose name we're never really sure, struggling through what she thinks is still part of a great big game. Part of the fun is in knowing what our heroine does not. In the third-person chapters, the reader gets a "grown-up Hunger Games" feel for the story. This is especially strong when we read about the editors "creating" characters and removing any shots that may disrupt the story about each contestant that they are trying to tell.

This book was intense and so much fun to read! I got a little frustrated wondering how long it would take her to figure out what was happening, but that was part of the suspense. The only thing that I really found irritating was that there were two sets of names- one set that the producers used to refer to the competitors (Zoo, Tracker, Waitress, etc.) and another that our main character uses when she thinks of the people she met on the show. With the alternating chapters, it made things even more confusing, though that could have been the intent as well. This book was hard to put down and I really liked it. This would make a great summer vacation read- be sure to add it to your list!

This is Survivor the TV show meets Station Eleven the book. I love the idea of thinking about what would happen if there were a world crisis when you are out of touch with the world. I found the book to be very interesting and engaging. As a Survivor fans, I enjoyed the parts about the show and the background. The book also gave me lots to think about as far as how I would handle the situation.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to review this ARC.

Our brave protagonist who the public refers to as "Zoo" for her love and aid to animals, enters an apocalyptic style game show that resembles survivor. She is teamed up with an eclectic mix of players and the show promises to be very riveting. It doesn't take long before the reader starts to pick up on a serious problem. The game is turning into something way more than a light hearted reality show. Camera men are not showing up, Zoo is all alone, and she has to figure out where the line between tv ends and reality begins.

Once I was able to really anchor down what was going on, I really got into this one. I was frustrated with Zoo for not figuring things out sooner, but sometimes I think our brain protects us from the awfulness of our reality. The ending was not tied up in a neat little bow, and I'm one of those weirdos that kind of likes that.

I may be in the minority here, but I just could not get into this book. It wasn't my "cup of tea" per say. Although, it might be a great book, I just couldn't get into it.

REVIEWED BY LAURA

It's good...just not amazing for me. Cleverly told, but I am not much of a dystopian fan. It was a bit close to home in terms of the dystopia.

RATING: 3.5 stars

I did not read this book yet. I can't seem to get the info off. I thought I was under another title.

In a world obsessed with reality TV, what happens when you are competing a reality show and the world around you ends? You have no idea that anything is wrong. You just keep playing the game. How long does it take to realize there is no game any more?

Good but not among the most captivating in this set of similar genre items; well told but with obvious flaws.

Engrossing and different enough to keep my interest. I wish I would have gotten to it before publication so I could post a proper review!