The Last Bookstore on Earth

De: Lily Braun-Arnold

Narrado por: Bailey Carr

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Two teen girls fall in love and fight for survival in an abandoned bookstore weeks before another cataclysmic storm threatens to bring about the end of the world in this unforgettable YA debut. Perfect for fans of Station Eleven and The Last of Us.

“A thoroughly original, intimate, and sometimes harrowing meditation on survival, forgiveness, and learning how to love again at the almost end of the world.”—Nicola Yoon #1 New York Times bestselling author

The world is about to end. Again.

Ever since the first Storm wreaked havoc on civilization as we know it, seventeen-year-old Liz Flannery has been holed up in an abandoned bookstore in suburban New Jersey where she used to work, trading books for supplies with the few remaining survivors. It’s the one place left that feels safe to her.

Until she learns that another earth-shattering Storm is coming . . . and everything changes.

Enter Maeve, a prickly and potentially dangerous out-of-towner who breaks into the bookstore looking for shelter one night. Though the two girls are immediately at odds, Maeve has what Liz needs—the skills to repair the dilapidated store before the next climate disaster strikes—and Liz reluctantly agrees to let her stay.

As the girls grow closer and undeniable feelings spring up between them, they realize that they face greater threats than the impending Storm. And when Maeve’s secrets and Liz’s inner demons come back to haunt them both, they find themselves fighting for their lives as their world crumbles around them.

“A hauntingly beautiful story of love, loss, and the raw fight for survival.”—Jarrod Shusterman, New York Times bestselling author of Dry

“Hopeful, thrilling, and twisty…the snarky sapphic dystopian of our dreams.”—Jennifer Dugan, author of Some Girls Do

©2025 Lily Braun-Arnold (P)2025 Listening Library

Reseñas de la Crítica

★ “Just the right amount of action, balancing the introspective scenes, a blossoming queer romance, and a well-executed slow doomsday reveal . . . A beautifully realized addition to the genre.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

★ “[A] poignant sapphic debut dystopia turns a suburban New Jersey bookstore into a haven for survival and romance in a world of ‘death, and rot, and memories.’”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

"[Braun-Arnold] manages to create a sweet romance amid the chaos of the climate impacted world, and the conversations in flashbacks about climate and how close humans are to the “point of no return” will invoke a familiar anxiety."—Booklist

I like it.

Easy to read, the flow of the story seems slow for me. I like the character Liz, though. If I were in an apocalypse situation, I wouldn't want to leave my place too.

Apocalypse Not so Nasty!

The best part about this book is that not everyone in what's left of the world is violent and out for blood. There are a few survivors that believe their survival is based on the extinction of others, but it's not the prevailing theme, which was refreshing. Altho the book was lovely, the premise of the disaster(s) is all too believable, making it even more horrifying. Basically, I loved the protagonist. I recommend pairing it with the other debut by a new author, All the Water in the World (also very believable). I liked them both, but this one most.

Hated main character

It was very cringe, even for a YA novel. Either do a apocalypse or romance novel not both.