This poignant novel is almost prophetic in describing the start and rapid growth of a global pandemic. From the initial reticence of health officials to the development of a vaccine and all the heartache and grief in between, it was at times hard to separate the novel from what was happening in real life.

A patient arrives in hospital with flu-like symptoms and within hours he's dead. His illness is like nothing anyone has seen before, and before anyone has chance to act the infection is sweeping through the hospital and beyond. The most bizarre thing is that only men seem to be affected. What do you do when the world's faced with losing almost half its population, and its accumulated skills and knowledge?
This isn't published till next spring, and I'm not sure whether its relevance to this past year will work for or against it. How many want to read more about pandemics? Will we have had quite enough of them by then?I'm not sure. I've happily watched Contagion (and criticised it) during lockdown, and raced through this. Maybe it's akin to watching disaster movies or real-life medical dramas? Whatever, it's a compelling read - particularity the first half/three quarters, it slows after that - and I rather enjoyed it even when picking fault with the characters' actions.

Unfortunately we're all now experts on pandemics, so a variety of things may grate - no lockdown, no mention of R number, no segregation of men and women. And as a voracious reader and watcher of apocalyptic pandemic fiction I like to spot details that I think might not hold true, and plan how I would do things differently and, of course, better (down the Winchester for a pint), so I did somewhat pick holes in the plot as I went along. As I said, though, I still enjoyed it. It's gripping, quickly paced, and highly topical!

It would make a brilliant read for a book club, or just to discuss among like-minded, slightly survivalist friends. I'd love to hear a man's opinion of it - though he'd probably insist he'd fall into the tiny immune group.

I’m sure every review for The End of Men will comment on the every comparisons between what is on the page and what is currently going on in the world, and when this book comes out next year I hope people realise it was written beforehand as truly there are bits that feel embarrassingly similar to true events, and others that are terrifyingly possible.

The End of Men follows a number of women throughout a pandemic that spreads across the world, killing the majority of men in a 5 day period that starts off like the flu, women can carry and spread the virus but they don’t suffer it’s effects. After Dr Amanda Maclean working in a Glasgow hospital notices a number of patients coming into A&E with what starts like a flu like virus, resistant to antibiotics, and deteriorating fatally within 5 days, she believes Scotland is about to face a pandemic. She contacts Health Protection Scotland with her early signs and is dismissed as hysterical. Very quickly, without governmental guidance or containment, this virus spreads, with cases Being found across the world and before long the future of men and the population of Earth is at threat.
This book follows Women who are doctors, in leadership, in journalism, in pharmacy, mothers and daughters and wives, as they search for the truth, as they search for a cure, as they search for answers and they lose the ones they love.

This is an incredibly well thought out book, truly the author has considered so many eventualities that could result from a worldwide pandemic, even down to a discussion about how technology would adapt to a wider female market (wither population of men decreasing) and how in turn iPhone handsets would become smaller due to women having smaller hands. So many aspects are considered, from discovering the source to finding a cure to how countries would monopolise on this to bargain and overpower others, from the pain of losing a child to the additional pain of knowing someone who hasn’t lost their child, to dating and reproduction and rebuilding the population, from panic buying and rationing to people rioting at the airport to leave, to training a workforce of women that has largely been controlled by men. This book explores a lot and while I can’t say I enjoyed it all, in that at times it’s at hard or at least uncomfortable to read (particularly when it comes to the inevitable and unavoidable deaths and the grief that follows), I have a lot of respect for this book.

My only criticism would be that that there are a lot of characters and at times it took me a moment to recall where we had a left a character, this may partly be due to the formatting of the ebook Arc though :) The characters themselves are varied and covers the international impact of a virus and a world handed to women to cure and rebuild.

Thank you NetGalley for the early copy in exchange for an honest review, I’m excited for everyone to read this next year.

Today we are in 2020, we are currently living through a global pandemic COVID-19 and I’ve just finished this book, based in 2025, originated in Glasgow and only affecting men. Wow. As soon as I saw this book I had to read it, although it was terrifying I was totally hooked, it’s very close to home with our current situation. It had me wondering what my thoughts and feelings of this book would have been if I’d have read it a few years ago, when a global pandemic was just a story that wouldn’t happen in our life time, I’d have still been gripped but I think I’d have been more relaxed reading it with it being just that, a story. I would highly recommend this book and I certainly will be shouting from the roof tops to all my friends to check it out.

Oh wow, this is going to be a tricky review. So, the story starts in 2025 and goes through to 2031. A futuristic tale of an unimaginable disease sweeping the globe and wiping out 90% of men... And a foreword explaining it was written in 2019. Which makes sense, because writing this book in 2020 would be unimaginable. Yes, I read this as the world was arguing about face masks and second waves, and for those who missed it, not long after an actual outbreak of the bubonic plague which got even less news coverage than the swarms of killer hornets because all anyone could talk about was a virus sweeping the planet.

Timing is truly the biggest problem this book has. If I'd read it in 2019 I think I would've loved it. It reads almost like a collaborative diary; a series of updates from an assortment of different people with different views and experiences. We travel the world with doctors, civil servants, maids, and mothers. As can be expected, some are more pertinent to the story than others. Some more likeable or more interesting too. But they all fit together and give a broad scope of a global crisis. It reads well and the story unfolds at a decent pace. It makes for a fairly open ending, yet things wrap up well.

It's good writing! It's just uncomfortable reading at times because, despite the near-future setting and work of fiction, the real world interrupts far too much right now. For such an easy to read book it took me far too long to get through. I can't decide which part I struggled more with - the bits that veered too far from the reality we have now or the times that it gets so close to the truth you have to check it's a book not the latest news bulletin.

That's where I ultimately find myself. This was a good book, and I did enjoy it in a slightly odd way. I just found myself reluctant to pick it up far too often because... well, global pandemic and all that. FInishing it gives me very mixed emotions. I think that, ultimately, your feelings about the book will be influenced by your feelings about the world in 2020, and that could easily ruin a very book for you.

Not one to force yourself to read. But if you just need a little nudge, consider this it - there's good stuff here.

Unfortunately this book I had to give up on so therefore will not share any public links.

I feel this is a book I will revisit when we are not in the height of a pandemic.

I hope by the time that you're reading this, there is a vaccine.

This book is AMAZING. Its surreal to read a book written in 2018, set in 2025ish and have it seem so far fetched yet real at the same time.

Im amazed how many similarities the author has made up that have actually been like our reality in 2020 (the government paying 80% of cost of children gave me chills!)

Likeness to reality aside, this book is a great book. It takes us through various POV over the years after the virus hits and it all comes together beautifully. I loved the depth each character was given, even if some of them we only spend a tiny amount of time with. I've cried. I've laughed. I've felt like I had lost someone.

It explores some really interesting points too! The changes to cars when women are the main customer was a quick sentence in the book but made me think a lot about everything.

Its such a good book. One of my favourites of the year.

It starts in a Glasgow hospital. A man comes in with a mysterious illness that claims his life. Two days later, men who were in the hospital at the same time re-admit with the same symptoms. All of them die. Slow-moving, Public Health does nothing, giving rumour and fear chance to spread among the population, who then run to their homes sometimes getting on planes and boats to do so. Suddenly an isolated sickness is everywhere. Men, boys, and male babies are dying at an alarming rate, and there is no vaccine in sight.
Told primarily through female viewpoints, The End of Men follows a Glasgow A&E doctor Laura, who identifies the Plague. She must navigate through this Plague from the point of discovery to the rebuilding of society after a vaccine. Her story is poignant because of her proximity to the Plague, as well as her loss. I won’t go into too many details, so you can experience her pain for yourself.
There are also snapshots from others struggling to remain sane. Catherine is an anthropologist who collects the stories compiled in the book. Toby Williams is trapped on a cruiser off the Swedish coast with his twin brother slowly starving to death. His wife, Frances, is speaking daily with Swedish authorities to get food to him and the others on the ship safely. Morven must look after 78 teenage boys on her land in Scotland while her son hides in the wilderness, so he is safe from any germs these newcomers might have. Some are complete stories, and others are moment which at times made it difficult to remember who was who, but that didn’t get in the way too much. Each of the stories come together in chronological order for a full-flavoured experience of panic, fear, grief, and determination.
The End of Men reflects all sides of humanity. Some handle their situation with determination, wanting to honour the memories of their lost love ones. Others crumble under pressure. Some characters struggle to find meaning, and others realise this epidemic can further their career aspirations.
Sweeney-Barid also explores the impact of the Plague on the LGBTQ community. The survival rate for men is 10% as some have natural immunity which means gay men have an even smaller pool of potential partners than women. The loneliness of their situation is poignant and thought-provoking. This attention to detail elevates The End of Men bove other apocalyptic stories and into the same untouchable category of brilliance as Max Brookes’ World War Z.
What made The End of Men stand out for me was my proximity to the characters. There is no barely-concealed narrator’s voice telling me who the author believes is right or wrong. The characters speak for themselves, and we are left to make up our minds.
The End of Men is not for the faint-hearted. Still, it is worth all the pain for the uplifting moments of breakthrough, the tender moments of support and compassion, and the moments you can hold the men in your family grateful they are still with you. Highly recommended.

It all starts with a man dying in hospital with flu like symptoms - not an unfamiliar scenario! He deteriorated very quickly. Soon more men are dying in the hospital and further afield of a fast onset flu like illness. Strangely it doesn't seem to affect women. It quickly becomes a pandemic around the world.
I very much enjoy reading this type of apocalyptic/post apocalyptic book. This was slightly different in that only men were affected which changed the whole dynamic of society. Large sections of society which were male dominated started to fall apart - government, armies, police, surgeons right down to electricians and car mechanics. As men died, women stepped up to fill the gaps.

Although I enjoyed the story and the basic idea, I really didn't get on with the structure of the book. This isn't a standard telling of events but is written from the point of view of different people within the events - Dawn in government, Amanda the A & E doctor, Catherine in London, the men on board a ship off Iceland, the American journalist, the Scottish farmer and so on. In fact there were so many different points of view that I really struggled with the continuity of this book. Although the chapters were clearly labelled - the person, their location and the number of days into the pandemic - I found it difficult to keep track of exactly what was going on in each person's story. I found that this became very disjointed and the story really didn't flow well. Don't get me wrong, I do like stories which look at things from different characters points of view but there were just too many of them. With hindsight it may have been better if I had written my own character list and a short precis of their story as the story went along. However that is not how I like to read a book.
I also had a couple of niggles about the actual nature of the virus. People now know an awful lot more about viruses, their structure, their death rates and so on than they did before the start of 2020. There were certain aspects of this virus and the whole story which didn't quite ring true.
This was an interesting book but it was one that I found difficult to settle into and enjoy. The disjointed style just didn't suit me.
I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley.

The summary of this book drew me, mainly as its primarily set in Glasgow and although its September 2020 I did actually want to read about a pandemic. It's 2025 and a man comes into A&E in Glasgow and dies almost instantly.  Then more men keep dying until it's obvious that whatever is happening is only affecting men.   Each chapter of the book is a woman's story and describes how the pandemic affects her as it ravages the world.  Some characters you get to follow their full experiences and some you only get a snapshot into their experiences.  It could sometimes take a minute to realise which person the chapter was about but it does work really well though as you do feel emotionally attached to some of the women and indifferent to others.  

What I wasn't quite prepared for was the consistent crying I would do while reading it.  I'm not sure if it was due to the writing but maybe as I'm the mother of one son it felt very personal.  It reminded me of The Power by Naomi Alderman but where that book pitted men and women against each other this book highlighted the sheer anguish the women felt losing the men that they loved.  It's truly heart breaking but does give hope as well.
I enjoyed this book immensely and would definitely recommend it.

Christina Sweeney-Baird says she started to write this book in 2018 if so she had a good crystal ball, Storey of a virus that comes from animals but only kills men the book is a mix of horror, sadness and feminist ideal of a better world maybe. The book does contain a few too many similarities to the current COVID-19 situation for me to believe it is not based on current position sorry but thats a fact. Still a good read and at any time other than now it would be really good.

When I read the summary of this book , I was very interested as the story was pretty recognisable from the pandemic that we are currently living through. This book is different though. It’s not only a story about a pandemic but also about humanity and life in general. The women in this book are the cure to the virus of the men. Such a brilliant idea.
The writings style was in my opinion very good. Not too overflowery and not normal. It is pretty unique and explains loads in powerful words. My only problem was with the characters as they didn’t seem alive for me. It felt as if the plot was dragging the characters to certain places instead of letting the reader see how it is that things happen. Some of the character’s choices were also weird and not explained.
The pace of this book was pretty fast and I appreciated that as I was scared the book would take a long time to arrive at a certain point. So instead of waiting until the drama was getting big, the action scenes came in unexpected times. And that really helps the reader to continue reading to see what else this novel is getting at.
I would for sure recommend this book to people that are into virus’s and science fiction.

What a novel to have written and have published in the covid-19 era. Clearly this was devised and written pre-2020...however I'd like to doff my cap to the author because what an imagination! The End of Men is an excellently written highly plausible (as we now know!) look at how fast a virus can spread around the globe and ultimately how useless governments - and us humans - are in response to it. I thoroughly enjoyed this look at the devastating consequences a virus can have on our society and how plausible the central female characters reacted to it. It's pacy and brilliantly written. Recommend.

I loved this book! Read in one sitting, even with the covid context it really pulled me in. Reads a little like world war z but more drama. Well written I would love to try more from this author!

I loved the concept of this book, and it felt creepily timely given the global pandemic we are now living through. At times uncomfortable to read, given current events, and yet also given this I found it even more fascinating to consider how a virus like this CAN infiltrate and tip the whole world off balance. I found myself absorbed by the idea in particular, I imagine it will get people talking - a great read.

A compelling read made all the more so given the world we currently live in.

Throughout this book (which is a fantastic read) I was torn between the story and the references and language that felt like they may have been added in on an edit after the pandemic took hold (an example being social distancing being a key phrase that felt like it came about as part of Covid19).

For me, whilst this is an obvious thing to do to make the book even more relatable and relevant it also made it more uncomfortable as at times it seemed to almost take advantage of the world we find ourselves in.

That said, as a novel the book stands on its own merit as well written, well researched, excellently characterised and addictive to read.

A great counterpart to novels where women are the ones subjugated and used for their reproductive capabilities!.

Thanks to NetGalley.co.uk and HarperCollins UK for the eARC

Oh my goodness. That was intense! It is absolutely incredible that this was written in a pre-Covid world but managed to get so many details right. The fact that this novel was so close to the current pandemic made it even more frightening. The author said it started as a thought-experiment but it has now become a terrifying reality. I was continually stunned throughout the book by the things Christina Sweeney-Baird was able to predict, and also intrigued by ideas that were implemented in her novel but have not (yet) been implemented in the real world.

If Covid 19 had never happened, I think this book would have been interesting but so unlikely that it would seem silly instead of the nightmare that unfolds between it's pages.

I initially thought I would get confused as each chapter is told by alternating characters, and I was worried I would mix them up, but this didn't happen at all as each voice was so authentic.

I absolutely loved this book and raced through it in less than a day! I would recommend it to everyone but particularly those who enjoy fast paced thrillers, and The Power by Naomi Alderman and Invisible Women by Caroline Criado-Perez

A shockingly accurate (given the current pandemic) “end of the world” novel that gave me goosebumps. Set in a future not too far from our present, Sweeny-Baird charts the devastation the deadly “Male Plague” virus through the perspectives of multiple woman. I loved the differing points of view and how these women were able to survive while facing unimaginable grief and loss.
The political discussions that take place later in the novel we’re particularly interesting to me, as well as the various newspaper articles which chronicled the events as they unfolded.
If you enjoy novels that really make you think while also giving you the chills, this one is for you!

I would like to thank Harper Collins UK for providing me with the ARC in exchange for an unbiased and honest review!

A difficult read in the current climate, but a thrilling, terrifying, and desperately sad book of a
global pandemic which kills only men. Read it right now or save it for a calmer world in the future. I’d be amazed if it wasn’t made into a film in the future. It’s like looking at our current situation in a parallel universe.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

"You always assume that the people in power will know what to do. Surely, they’ve all got it figured out but I don’t think anyone knows what to do. Nothing like this has ever happened. We’re all blindly stumbling around in the dark and none of us knows a thing."

It must be jarring to have written such an apt account of pandemic before the world had ever heard of Covid 19, sometimes The End of Men mirrors the real life events so closely that it's hard to remember that this is a work of fiction. Luckily the world was spared an epidemic of this proportion, and the women in this book bravely look ahead to a brand new economic and social future instead of clinging to the norms of the past.

I'm rarely a fan of too many shifting narrators but in this case I think the author gets it right telling a story in small snapshots, flitting from one character to another to tell the global tale of pandemic. There are understandably a host of different perspectives ranging from doctors to scientists to live in nannies but each paints a picture of a world in chaos on the path to rebuild. Things began to lose focus at the end for me as maybe there was an attempt to address too many far reaching details but on the whole this was a well written and certainly memorable book.