Review: All That’s Left in the World (All That’s Left in the World #1)

All That’s Left in the World (All That’s Left in the World #1)
By Erik J. Brown

Published By: Hodder
Publication Date: March 8, 2022
Date Read: July 19, 2024
Genre: YA – Dystopia
Source: Bought
Format: Paperback
Pages: 368

From Goodreads:
Jamie and Andrew are strangers, and two of the last people on Earth. They don’t know what they’ll find on their perilous journey … but they may just find each other. A queer romance about courage, hope and humanity – this is How I Live Now with the heart of Simon Vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda.

When the Superflu wipes out most of the population, Jamie finds himself completely alone in a cabin in the woods – until an injured stranger crosses his path.

Life is dangerous now and, armed with a gun, Jamie goes to pull the trigger. But there’s something about Andrew … something that stops Jamie in his tracks. Jamie takes him in, and as Andrew heals and they eventually step out into the strange new world, their relationship starts to feel like more than just friendship …

But trouble isn’t far behind. As the boys make a perilous journey south, they’ll come face to face with a world torn apart and society in ruins. And who, or what, will they find waiting for them at the end of it all?

Honey, if all that stops people from killing each other is the laws of men, then maybe we deserved to be wiped out by the flu.”

All That’s Left in the World is a book that I probably never would have picked up if it hadn’t been selected as the pick for one of my book clubs. Oh my word… I am so glad this was chosen, as this book was utterly fantastic. I haven’t read a dystopia book quite a while, probably because we’ve all been living it the past few years, but I truly had forgotten how much I adore dystopia novels. This was everything I love in a dystopia novel, with a touch of adorable romance and a dash of humour. It was honestly fantastic.

All That’s Left in the World follows teenagers Jamie and Andrew in a post-apocalyptic world after 80% of the population have been wiped out from a superflu. As they meet and set off on a journey together, they start to grow closer and soon enough the only people they can rely on is each other. But as they travel across the country searching for safety… is it any use? Is there any safety left anywhere?

I absolutely loved everything about this book. It’s honestly such a fantastic book. It has such great humour for a dystopia book and I loved that. I find a lot of dystopia books are quite sombre… and rightfully so. They are, after all, set in a disastrous post-apocalyptic world. But I loved that Andrew had such a great sense of humour, and would crack lots of jokes all the time to lighten the mood. It, in my opinion, really set this book apart from others in this genre. It’s funny and it’s really cute and sweet. I got some serious ‘The Last of Us Episode 3’ vibes from Jamie and Andrew… but like the cute bit at the beginning and I was so here for it!! I loved them as characters so much and it was really nice to see a LGBTQ+ relationship in a dystopia novel. I’m not saying there’s not enough out there, as there might be, but there’s not many that I personally have become aware of so I really loved seeing this.

This book was just amazing. While it is post-apocalyptic, it is so real and tackles some real issues about what it is to be human. I personally loved this element of the book the most, there are so many quotes I saved while reading this because they were so beautifully profound and thought provoking. I loved that about this book, and for that reason it is definitely one that will stay with me for a long time. I know some adults will probably see this as ‘another YA’ book and not want to read it but honestly, this is such an important book to read for everyone as at the heart of it is the message of what it is to be human, and I adore that! This is without a doubt a must-read for everyone.

“All the progress the world made in the past hundred years or so, gone with a sneeze. Progress halted and possibly reversed. Reversed if people don’t fight for it, if we don’t remember what we had and hold on to it.”