The Last Bookstore On Earth

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The Last Bookstore
Age Range
13+
Release Date
January 07, 2025
ISBN
978-0593899489
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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.

Editor review

1 review
The Last Bookstore On Earth
(Updated: June 07, 2026)
Overall rating
 
4.0
Plot
 
4.0
Characters
 
4.0
Writing Style
 
4.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
N/A
Right before Liz is scheduled to go to college a horrific event changes her life forever. She goes to the only safe place she knows, the bookstore where she used to work. A fellow employee and friend stays with her until she leaves Liz behind. In the meantime, other survivors come inside the bookstore and barter for books. Then one night an intruder breaks inside. Maeve can fix the damage from the acid storm. So they make a deal to help each other out. Liz is not used to being close to others after the deaths of her family. But there are even bigger threats than the incoming storm. Liz has to find the courage to fight back even when the world she knew dissolves around her.

What worked: Haunting, poignant story of a girl who ends up staying at a bookstore while the world around her is destroyed due to acid rain. I really liked the character development of Liz who has seen firsthand the horror of climate change and the struggle she has to move on. She needs to step out of her comfort zone and trust those around her. This is a hard thing to do especially considering how she's been let down in the past.

The descriptions of the acid rain and the damage that is left behind are accurate. The author also shows how some brush off the concerns as nothing until it's too late.

Liz and Maeve are opposites that do work together to survive. Their romance is more of a slow burn. Both fight against the attraction but come together when times get rough.

There's other things more dangerous than acid rain. A band of people in the woods with secrets threatens Liz and Maeve's attempts at rebuilding the bookstore before the next storm.

Add to all this are the betrayals of former friends who take survival to a whole new level which includes only looking out for themselves.

Raw, gut-wrenching post-apocalyptic tale of a teen who after witnessing the world collapse needs to have the courage to not only go outside her comfort zone but open her heart to another in order to survive.
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User reviews

1 review
Overall rating
 
2.3
Plot
 
1.0(1)
Characters
 
3.0(1)
Writing Style
 
3.0(1)
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Boring
(Updated: June 07, 2026)
Overall rating
 
2.3
Plot
 
1.0
Characters
 
3.0
Writing Style
 
3.0
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N/A
This book was underwhelming. It started off well enough and I wanted to see where it went. But it ended up being so boring. The sapphic romance couldn't even save it.
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