Until the End of the World

Review also on My Book Addiction part of #zOctober2013!Until the End of the World is very different from the zombie books I have been reading lately. It's not horror, per se, but more of a post-apocalyptic chick-lit zombie tale.. and I was perfectly happy with that. This character driven story is told from Cassie's POV. The beginning was slightly clumsy, but it did smooth out about a quarter of the way in. I really dig stories that begin when life is normal so we can find out how the shit hits the fan along with the characters. It's suspenseful because I know it's coming, but they don't yet. It's like watching a horror movie and knowing the monster is hiding behind the door. You begin biting your nails, then start screaming at the screen, wishing they could hear you and run the other way, but they can't hear you and before you know it.. BLAM!!This post-apocalyptic tale begins with an introduction to our main character, Cassie, and her closest friends, Penny and Nelly (Nelson). The three of them work in the same building and find out about the infection hitting their city together. Other parts of the country had been dealing with this strange affliction, but it hadn't come near them.. until now. We learn that Cassie has some major drama from her past that she has yet to overcome. It's not just one thing either; her baggage would never get checked for free with how heavy it is!There's a hefty amount of backstory mixed in with the present day apocalyptic chaos which I rather enjoyed. I was able to get to know the characters, and not just one or two people, but a handful of them, in a very intimate way. I chuckled at their quips and cried with them through their pain. I also wanted to beat the piss out of Penny's sister, Ana, and Cassie's ex-boyfriend, Pete (I'm calling him Pete because he hates it. hehe). Having so much information to process did make it a slower read for me, but I honestly didn't mind. I've been reading some seriously fast-paced, over-the-top craziness this month so the change of pace was really nice. Some people prefer non-stop action and having every other page dripping with guts and brain matter when it comes to zombie fiction, and to those people I have to warn that this may not be your speed. This is more contemporary/apocalyptic than horror, but it's not without awesome moments of gore, suspense and action. And we all know there is more to fear in the zombie apocalypse than just the undead.What I really fancy is the amount of prepping content in this book. I am fascinated with prepping and although I tell certain people it's for any potential disaster, most people know it's all about the zombie apocalypse for me. I'm not the queen of prepping by any means. I don't have a gravity-fed water supply or intricate things of that nature, but I do have food, water, medical supplies and even weapons stored securely in my basement. I was happy as a lark reading about how prepared some of the characters were in this story, and could relate to some of the eye-rolling going on.Overall this is a solid four "zombie head" read for me, and that is no easy task to accomplish with a debut novel. Kudos, Sarah! You have a fan for life. I recommend Until the End of the World to all fans of post-apocalyptic zombie fiction mixed with suspense, drama and a dash of romance.** UPDATE ** It's been days since I finished reading this book yet the characters and their story continue to resonate in my mind. I love this book enough to read it again, and for me to read a book more than once is almost unimaginable. For these reasons I am changing my rating to FIVE zombie heads!

I have been reading ZA almost exclusively since I've had my KF and I have read an embarrassing amount of them if you consider the fact that I would not have been caught dead reading sci-fi or anything similar prior to that. I guess that makes this my guilty pleasure.Ok, after that self centered intro, I have to say that this has been one of my favorites! It is a really good story, a REALLY GOOD STORY! From the moment I started it kept me in there with the characters. I read some about the author since finishing this story. She said that while she does not listen to music while she is doing the actual writing, but most of the writing takes place in her head. She sees the characters and the events going on in her head with the music etc. like a movie. (I'm not sure if I've worded that correctly) I knew exactly what she meant because while I was reading her story I could see the characters as well. That is a very special gift for an author to have, in my opinion. I have said in these reviews at other times that for a reader, the author is our sports hero, our rock star etc., for an author to be able to transport me to the place & time of her characters & out of my own world is such a great gift! Thank you, Sarah Lyons Fleming! You took me away, it's not that my life is a terrible place, like most I have my issues to deal with & when you can escape those things for a bit, it is a really nice escape, even if its to a apocalypse. :-)I don't tell about the book in my reviews because I don't like that ruined for me & I don't want to do it for other readers, so I am just going to say that this ZA story is also a love story in a way but a story of the type of people that would survive if our world as we know it ceased to exist. The learning to deal with the nightmare experiences and the starting over again are what makes this genre good for me. I read one reviewer say something to the effect of, things just seem to easy & everything worked out so perfectly for these people, that there was not enough zombie or bad guy action so it didn't fit his view of a ZA story. I do not agree with that at all! If all you are looking for are graphic descriptions of rotting corpses attacking, brutal rapes and murderer described in detail without much of a story then you probably won't like this book. This story has some pretty horrific events...how could it not? But the focus of the book is how the survivors, well...survive. They do! They handle fear, injuries, attacks, heartache, and more. They keep on going & coping with whatever life throws at them while worrying and fearing for their loved ones, and still trying to stay true to humanity.This is a great book, I can't wait till her next book on this group. I hope she writes more on these people as a whole and branches off into some of the other characters in this book. I can see the possibility of many books in this series, I would love to see it on TV too. You should absolutely read this book!!!! I know you will get as much enjoyment out of this as I did.

I absolutely loved this. Good plot, found family, and author who does her research…this was engaging and suspenseful and had the best relationships. Huge kudos to the author for a heroine who was just so real with both good and bad traits but still so likable. I’ve found it very hard to find well-rounded female protagonists in fiction, and Fleming nailed it.

Amazing & they really just need to make it & the other books into movies or better yet a tv show.

This story follows Cassie and her group of friends. They live in New York when the news breaks of an outbreak of a virus.That virus is overtaking the country and these people dying from the virus... well they are not staying dead. The government is not telling the truth to nation but fortunately they get word that they need to get out now. Luckily Cassie's parents were preppers and they have a cabin that's not surrounded by much but its well stocked. So they decide to make their way there..This story is focused on the characters. All of the characters have depth and you have some you love and hate but they are also well developed and go on their own journey from the massive change in their life. I absolutely adored this!

This is one of my favourite genres but this one, I found tedious to read. The heroine had more of a reaction about a brand new pair of shoes hurting her feet than watching zombies eat people.... Also you know there are zombies coming out of the woodwork but you park by a camping spot for days and decide to unpack everything you have??? Really. What kind of survivalist does that? It's like a camping trip not a matter of life and death.What really sealed the deal for me was all the past boyfriends relationship drama. I think it's always better to pick people up as they go along, that way we are not bored to death by old relationships that have already run their course. When a book already has a friendship dynamic in this case four friends who've know each other for a very long time. It alienates the reader, we don't get to know the characters we are just constantly told about them. Not my favourite writing style.

This is the book that started it all... my so far 3 year obsession with all things zombie. Trying to find a series to top it however has been so far fruitless, or brainless... this book and the following 5 books and novella cannot be matched. They will make you belly laugh, ugly cry, make new friends and life long enemies... Sarah Lyons Fleming has a gift. A gift that keeps on giving. I've never been so engrossed in a story... and it's a Zombie story I might add... that's what makes it so funny. This lady could make me read a stamp. Weather your into Zompoc or not to yourself a huge favour and give this a read/listen, the writing is beautiful. The relationships truthful and the full series worth the credits... 5☆'s.

Not your usual zombie story, I liked how this was different and that there was actually a lot more to the story line than just zombies. It was a page turner for me and I was happy that the characters seemed more real than in most apocalyptic fiction I have read. I read that some reviewers found the characters annoying but I think that was because they were meant to be that way, they are based on young people who in my experience really do speak and behave exactly in that way so for me it was very convincing. Would definitely recommend to others. Until the End of the World (Until the End of the World, Book 1)Until the End of the World (Until the End of the World, Book 1)

First up I am not a big fan of zombie apocalypse books, but I was intrigued by this one and I'm glad I did give it a go. Secondly, I don't normally read romance but again I was surprised by this effort. I do like end of the world as we know it survivor stories and this has that in some detail.Most of the book was grown up except the romance which came across as young teenager embarrassed engagements which I did find annoying. Thankfully the lead character Cassie and the storytelling overcame this hardship. Yes it has the usual group of survivors against all odds. Huge detail on methods of surviving maybe slightly overdone, but not too much. The escape from NY is probably the best bit alongside the non-zombie attacks.Did not quite buy the whole becoming expert zombie killers but the rest of the tale made up for this minor criticismGood effort!