The Quiet at the End of the World by Lauren James – Book Review

How far would you go to save those you love?

Lowrie and Shen are the youngest people on the planet after a virus caused global infertility. Closeted in a pocket of London and doted upon by a small, ageing community, the pair spend their days mudlarking and looking for treasure – until a secret is uncovered that threatens their entire existence.

In the quiet at the end of the world, Lowrie and Shen must decide what they are willing to sacrifice to save the whole human race…

One of my favourite books last year was Lauren James’ The Loneliest Girl in the Universe. It’s my favourite (very specific) genre – space-based sci-fi YA – and it’s packed full of suspense and a world-shattering plot twist. So when I found out about her new book, The Quiet at the End of the World, at YALC last July, I was instantly excited. Safe to say, my expectations were high…

And HOLY HELL, were those expectations met!! I LOVED this book so much. It was everything I wanted it to be and more. I’ve been in a reading slump for a while now, but I powered through this book in just a few hours in total. I couldn’t stop reading. It’s one of those books that you keep saying “only one more chapter and then I need to sleep,” and you keep saying it and keep saying it and then you’re racing to the end and turning the last page and it’s 2:30am. But staying up way past your bedtime even though you’ve got to get up for work in the morning is TOTALLY WORTH IT for such a beauty of a book.

The Quiet at the End of the World includes some gems like adorable robots that honestly make you want to have one for yourself so you can be best friends with it; perfect world building that gets into your brain and helps you to imagine every little detail; an incredible storyline with a terrifying premise that is completely intriguing, but you’d absolutely never EVER want it to actually happen in real life (fingers crossed); a world-shattering plot twist; and on top of all that, perfect bisexual and trans representation. Ugh. This book is EVERYTHING.

If you love YA sci-fi, read this book. If you want more books with bi and trans rep, read this book. And if you’re looking for a book with a completely original and imaginative story with lovable and relatable characters, and a mind-bending plot twist, read this god damn book. You’ll love every second.

Find out more or buy the book!

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