I really loved this book. I'm not surprised though since I always love apocalypse stuff like the last of us so when I saw this book in the store I was like "Apocalypse? And it's queer?! Immediate YES!" and I was not disappointed. This book was really cute and fun to read even though it gave me a small existential crisis about thinking I definetly wouldnt be prepared like at all if the world did end.

3.5⭐️

My heart tells me to give this book five stars, because I love the characters in their juvenile nature and I genuinely believe that the author is such a sympathetic person that I hate not liking it more than I did. Really, it's a comfy read, even if I didn't give it five stars—I binge-read it, after all! Let's start with the good, though, and there are a lot of things I liked—as aforementioned, the characters, Jamie and Andrew were both amazing characters for me and I do find their voices to be distinguishable, while over time getting more similar, perhaps. But I interpreted it as simply happening after being together for so long. It's queer, that's always a plus point for me (I'm an easy person to please), and the queer representation was genuinely good, especially the bi panic, I love the bi panic. And the fear of not being accepted is very understandable to me—bigots are like cockroaches, they're unfortunately always there. Even if there's a super virus killing everyone especially if they don't quarantine. The vibes were immaculate, cozy, and genuinely I enjoyed it. It made me smile and it made me stay up way later than I should have just to finish it. Now, what did I dislike? Okay, I disliked the pacing, there were months missing at a time and, alright, that is understandable because there's only so much a walk can be interesting for, but I feel like because we cut so much, we're missing a lot of their development, especially regarding their feelings for one another. They're rarely ever alone and just conversing, or, well, they are, but the banter is short-lived before it gets skipped for the next big scene with random side characters happening. It's a little unbalanced, in my opinion. Andrew falls in love pretty early on (which, hey, average gay experience, honestly), while Jamie just suddenly blurts it out in his POV and it feels like okay, makes sense with the proximity and all, but I wish I could've seen more of them pining for one another with actions rather than words. That's another thing—the book has a habit of telling instead of showing. The characters have such a spot-on understanding of one another in explaining the other's feelings that I sat there and really thought: what are we dancing around another for? And why am I focusing the queer love story so much in the midst of the apocalypse? Because it's the focus and I LOVE that it is the focus but the superflu is very scarcely explained or even built up on, which feels weird especially because Jamie's mother was in the thick of it, "the front lines" as the book calls it. The missing birds will have a big impact on the ecosystem, even "just" a year after the outbreak. But it's never really mentioned, and that's fine for the main characters, they're teens, but does no one do anything about it? Covid—God, Covid, worst time of my teenage years, seeing it mentioned in a book gave me major whiplash. But also, hm, I just didn't think it made sense for the story to have had Covid as a predecessor for the bug, the societal commentary falls flat because of how unrealistic it sounds when it meant to happen right after Covid (or during it? Genuinely how long ago was that pandemic in this before we got the next?) In general, some of the political talk doesn't really feel sensible for me, but it does make sense for Andrew to be snarky and have conflicting remarks especially about Fort Caroline. He is a gay teen living in the wreck that is America. So that makes sense to me. However, if I have to hear any more mentions of Paul Rudd gifs and Tom Holland, wow, no, I can't—Have I gotten old? It killed my immersion and while it added a sweet part to Andrew's character, I was glad when these things got less the more the story progressed. Many of the decisions feel... rushed? They have no moments on page where they sit down and just talk about their next steps in detail. We know they happen but it's, again, simply telling us that it did. It honestly feels a little unbelievable? I can cut them a lot of slack for being dumb teens but why did they not turn around for example in the tunnel in Baltimore? why risk their lives to go forward? Aside from that the slow burn felt too slow to me. Jamie bottles up his feelings in ways that feel a little out of character with everything else we're told of him. He is clever enough to talk about the subject of bisexuality without having to mention Andrew in it, isn't he? A conversation about Andrew's homosexuality can also happen and help Jamie figure himself out without the focus being on him at all. It feels a little weird to me that we're never told about it. Lastly, the ending feels so unfinished, which I know is because of the sequel, I guess, but why do they already want to leave now that they found an accepting civilisation that is genuinely good to them and has everything they need? It makes little sense to me and destroys everything they walked these thousands of miles for (which also do not really feel like they've actually passed but that has to do with the pacing and description of the book, I'd say). Overall, my simple enjoyment was 4.5 stars while I see the execution of the story as 2.5 stars. So, 3 stars it is. Jamie and Andrew really carried it for me, and had I read it at 15 or 16, I do believe that I would've loved it even more because that was just the content I needed at the time, and I'm absolutely glad it exists.

Where do I even start? This book made me anxious, sad, happy, made me cry multiple kinds of tears, and had me hooked from the first chapter. The writing is easy to understand and makes it easy to follow the story and the characters. The world building is very good and realistic. So are the side characters, no matter if they're allies or foes, no matter if their appearance was short or long. Our protagonists, Jamie and Andrew, are wonderful characters, relatable and admirable. They're full of love and funny jokes but also a lot of trauma. But who can blame them in a world like theirs? Both of the boys, and actually all the other characters in this book, felt real. Their thoughts, their motivation, their emotions, and everything they did made sense for their character. The challenges these boys have to face never felt forced or just there to keep the plot going somewhere. It all makes sense (to me) and makes this apocalyptic world feel so real. I don't want to talk too much about what's happening in the book, but if you're looking for a story about two teenagers surviving the apocalypse while trying to understand their feelings for each other, this book is perfect for you. It has a lot of humor, good writing, and loveable characters, as well as thrilling and stressful scenarios that will make you worry for the boys.

So Sweet, Slow-burn, dramatic, Full of love and Full of near apocalyptic experience of the Corona Virus. I loved it so much❤️