The main character in this book is unnamed. She has survived a virus which appears to have wiped out the rest of the human race. She is alone and she doesn’t know what to do.

This book is so relevant at the moment, with people unable to abide by basic restrictions because they feel so hard done by, and you see a lot of the same behaviours in our hero. She panics, she sulks, she rebels, she feels that she wants to give up. Ultimately, she keeps on fighting.

The story is told in the form of her journal. Her back story comes out during the book, which explains so much about her personality. What I particularly liked is that she was far from perfect (quite frankly, she was vile and selfish at some points) but she grows and develops and I found myself cheering her on.

The book is, in parts, horrifying, disgusting, emotional and hilarious. Do not let the front cover fool you - this is no lightweight novel!

This is a very good dystopian novel and I recommend it for anyone who likes this genre.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

It's the year 2023 and the world has been taken over by the 6DM virus (6 Days Maximum... the time it takes to destroy the human body). However, in London, one woman has survived. Accompanied by an abandoned golden retriever, she begins to rebuild a new life.

Dystopian fiction is totally out of my comfort zone (I got sucked in by the gorgeous cover 🙄) but I ended up really enjoying this! The story is told via diary entries from an unnamed woman. I really appreciated that her character was realistic. It would have been easy for the author to give the protagonist an idyllic past, but it was refreshing to learn she had problematic friends and marital problems in her old life. 

As the book progressed, I found the author answered many of my thoughts and questions, should this happen in real life (!) How would I become self-sufficient? What about all the animals? How would I work the ovens at McDonald's?!!

I reckon some people might write this book off thinking the subject matter is too soon... but if anything it was quite a positive and uplifting read. The ending was very clever... I feel like I will be still be thinking about this book a year down the line!

This debut was amazing yet terrifying definitely a top contender for books this year already, and a story that will stay with me for a very long time. I found myself thinking how reading is quite an isolating experience and aware of how isolated this book made me feel, especially when reading at night in the dark alone in silence. Every sense of dread and panic within the book envelops you, yet I could not put it down. The feeling of isolation and loneliness from the main protagonist was overwhelming at times but none the less I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the authors ability to have a characters story impact me in such a way.

This will not be a book for everyone. It's 2023 and a deadly pandemic wipes out everyone across the globe, yet there is a sole survivor, fighting against herself before and after the deadly virus hit and now finding herself fighting to stay alive, and for reasons to stay alive. Bethany's writing immerses you into the world of the protagonist fully. Referencing back to our current pandemic some may struggle with the contents of this book, but it is the graphic and gripping storytelling within this novel that makes it a truly harrowing and fantastic read

tw: pandemic, gore

felt like i was reading half of this with my eyes closed, feeling a bit sick, but power through that feeling! it’s so worth it!

set in 2024, a flu called 6DM (bc you live for 6 days max after you get it) destroys civilisation within a matter of weeks. the uk learns from 2020 and destroys the channel tunnel, closes the borders, but before long everyone is dead, apart from one woman

going into it you have to be aware that covid 19 is referenced, 2020 is used as a preparation and a warning for the way 2024 and 6DM is handled. it’s so eerie and strange to read about times you’re currently living through

i loved the development and the journey this unnamed protagonist went on. she experiences depression, grief, addiction, joy, relief, as she travels up and down the country, attempting to find anyone, just anyone else. she gets a dog, which helps, and lists between giving up and powering through, and it puts you in the horrible mindset of how you would possibly deal with being the last person on earth

it’s funny too! the protagonist’s thoughts are quick, her humour is dark, and some of it is so absurd you have to laugh or you’ll cry. and there’s waves of hope that feed through it that meant i wasn’t in tears the whole way

as someone who was completely panicked about covid at the start and has had huge waves and struggles since, i really do recommend this one, once you get through the downfall of society, and the descriptions, i really loved

read it!!

October 2023 the world became aware of the deadly virus 6DM, so named because once infected the person had six days maximum. Despite putting protective measures into place by the end of November the first cases had been reported in UK and the unknown female protaganist of this novel started the journal that is the main part of this novel.

Was it sensible to read this during the Covid-19 pandemic? Probably not, but in truth if it hadn't been for the current situation I probably wouldn't have given this a second glance and I'd have missed out on a terrific read.

Just a few days after 6DM reached UK with over 2.6 million infected the UK Government announced that there was no cure and was offering 'death pills' instead, available to anyone who wanted them at multiple outlets.

I found this not only a compelling read but a really well written one too. There was wit, compassion and humour as the lone female found herself alone in London, roaming the streets and houses, browsing through shops helping herself to luxury items and sleeping in the best hotels. But don't think this is a lighthearted fluffy novel, there's a dark side too and the authors vivid scene setting made parts of this worthy of a place in a horror story. Most importantly though there's hope and thats what made this such a fascinating read.

In a journal written over the months following the outbreak its interesting to see how the central characters needs and behaviour changed as realising that not only had the virus seemingly not affected her, she could actually be the only person left and as such she needed to change and she needed to become self sufficient.

A great read, totally compelling and totally recommended.

My thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for the advance copy for review purposes, I was under no obligation and all opinions expressed are my own.

An excellent trip into the dystopian genre. What would I do if I were the last standing?
This is Excellent!

This was a hard read. It's set a mere couple of years from now, with COVID-19 fresh in everyone's memories. A new virus appears - this one called 6DM because it kills you in six days max.

As you can imagine, a virus so devastating rapidly spreads through the country of origin (the US) before anyone has a chance to figure out how to stop it. They don't even know how it's transmitted. Soon, America is dead. Europe is frightened. The UK blows up the Channel Tunnel in a desperate attempt to stop it landing on its shores.

It doesn't work. Our main character, a woman in the UK (3oish? Can't recall), watches helplessly as her partner dies next to her. She even pretends to be ill so he doesn't think he's going alone. A new medication is introduced that will kill you before the virus does so you can avoid its horrible effects.

Somehow, our character survives. But there's no one else. She ends up travelling around, desperately looking for survivors. Nearly dying several times, getting snowed in, getting addicted to drugs, she somehow continues. And continues...

It's a grim read, somehow told in something of a light contemporary women's fiction tone. Be warned, there's a LOT of vomit, maggots, and piles of dead bodies. It's quite gritty and for me, a little too soon to the current disaster to feel able to enjoy it (because often you can enjoy a grim book precisely because it's NOT real life).

It's not just a story of survival though. There are also flashbacks to the main character's last ten years or so, the jobs and romances she's had, and how she's grown (or not, as she feels at times). At first I found this second strand of storytelling a bit annoying, but by the end it makes perfect sense for the story.

The science is handwavey (ie there isn't any, because our main character doesn't know anything) and the future is bleak. But it was the sort of read you're really keen to get to the end to so you can find out if there's hope or not. I won't give it away but I did find it satisfying 'enough' if not exactly what I might have liked.

I think I'd enjoy this more in a couple of years, but have rounded up a star to take that into account.

Genre: Science Fiction / Dystopian Fiction

Release Date: 4th February 2021



Trigger Warnings: Swearing, References to COVID-19, Death, Drugs, Illness, suicide.



December 2023.

The 6DM virus has ripped through the world and life as we know it is over. Once you've got it, as the name implies, you've got Six Days Maximum left alive. The only way out? T600 - but it's not a cure, it's a suicide pill.

The UK has blown up the channel tunnels, started to fight over the one single tea plantation left in the country and tried its hardest to stop the spread. They had a practice run back in 2020 and handled it terribly but this time they've done everything right ... and it's still not enough. The doomsday clock has reached midnight. The human race is finished.

But by some miracle, she's still alive. Well, surviving anyway. After spending her entire life hiding in the shadows to please others, there's nobody left to impress but the golden retriever she found wandering around the abandoned street. Is she truly alone in the world? If there's others left out there, how can she possibly find them? And if there isn't ... there's always T600.

Our nameless heroine was all of us in our end-of-the-world fantasies - torn between the dread looming over us and the excitment of going whereever you want, drinking whatever you want, taking whatever you want with no consquences. Watching her journey into this newly savage world was morbidly hilarious and spine-chilling at the same time.

This entire book was a neck-snapping, visceral contrast page by page, jumping from champagne and cocaine to churches full of bodies and leaving me reeling trying to peice together the world being created here.

"Last One at The Party" is by far the only book that I've come across that has been able to honestly and respectfully reference the 2020 Pandemic without coming across as crass or gimmicky - everything was handled sensitively but of course it could be unsettling to some readers.

Addictively haunting and oddly beautiful, this was a deliciously dark story that is perfect for any fans of dystopian fiction, if you loved The Loneliest Girl in The World or The Girl With all The Gifts I can't reccommend this enough - with all the quirks of a classic apocolypse but with it's own unrepeatable, iconic identity.

Right from the very first, expletive line of this book I was sucked into a different world and stayed there in some otherworldly daydream until the very last page that somehow broke me and made me smile all at once, leaving me with painful questions and just enough answers for a dangerous glimmer of hope.

I have just one issue with this story - I'm extremely annoyed I'll never get to experience reading this for the first time again. But you can, and you definitely should.



RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐



Thank you to NetGalley and Bethany Clift for an ARC in return for an honest review

I loved this book. I wondered what it would be like to read a book about a pandemic whilst in the middle of one, but it was no problem. The book is so well written and absorbing, that I was totally immersed in this world and not ours.
I absolutely raced through it, always a good sign.
We meet our main character as she discovers she is the only survivor of a virus that has killed everyone else. What follows is her self discovery on who she is and how she can survive, as well as a more practical journey to try and find others. I loved the early days of the walking dead and this combined that vibe with a really strong and interesting female lead. It’s funny, heartbreaking, gory, tender and thought provoking. The flashbacks to life before also make a really good contrast to the desolation of being alone.
I’m really looking forward to what Bethany Clift does next and highly recommend this one. Very different to what I’ve read previously.

I was a little dubious about reading a book that sounds a bit too close to home with a virus killing people across the globe, you never think a new virus could be killing people in this day and age. I’m happy I took the plunge and decided to read it. It’s a fabulous book that is well written and had me hooked. A gripping and emotional reading. It’s funny, sad and moving. Definitely worth the read.

Last One at the Party has a cover that makes it look like a descendant of Sex & The City, and I would never have considered it had I not seen a glowing review on Facebook - but I’m so glad I did. It’s a brilliant story about a woman who finds herself the sole survivor of a deadly pandemic (much more deadly than this one!) in 2023, and has to learn to cope on her own as she looks back on her life before everything changed. The foreword explains how this was written pre-Covid and that she had to rewrite it to incorporate the events of the last year. You’d think it would be depressing but it’s not - I loved it and feel almost bereft that it’s over.

The narrator is 36 and working a dull job in a London office when the first reports of a horrific new virus emerge out of the USA. Dubbed 6DM, for six days max - how long you have to live - it sweeps the globe and within weeks she’s nursing her dying husband - who has always looked after her - and freaking out about what to do. When the buzz of drink and drugs wears off, she sets off to find other survivors, picking up a stray golden retriever she calls Lucky, new life skills, and an appreciation for the life that she was never previously happy with - but how can you go on when there’s nobody left?

I’ve always rather enjoyed post-apocalyptic fiction - it’s just a shame how often zombies have to feature. It might be strange for some reading this in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic: if the worst you’ve suffered is not being able to go to the pub, it might put things in perspective, whereas if you have lost someone to it, this could be triggering (and I’m very sorry.)
I’d idly pondered how I would cope in this scenario - probably a good deal better than our unnamed heroine, I imagine. Forget getting bombed out on tramadol, I’d be stockpiling chocolate, raiding a camping shop for a solar charger to keep my kindle running, finding the newest campervan I could manage and heading for the warmest part of Britain. But then it’s not my story and there wouldn’t be the same suspense as she fends off unexpected but terrifying threats (no zombies, I promise).

The most difficult part of PA stories is always the ending - since you can’t reset, you can’t imagine a truly happy outcome, and you don’t want it to be depressing, so I really wasn’t sure how Clift would finish this, but actually really liked the outcome - no spoilers. I loved the character’s evolution - particularly after we learn everything she’s suffered. Initially I hated her for not saving the animals, but she does redeem herself and it’s easy to judge when you’re not in her situation. She acknowledges her selfishness - which turns out to be a handy survival trait, and her behaviour is probably quite realistic. This is the author’s first novel and I’ll be looking out for whatever she produces next.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc which allowed me to give an honest review.

The first thing to say about this book is that it feels horrifyingly right for the times we're living through, and it certainly stays with you. It makes for compulsive reading, and has a satisfyingly open ending.

The scenario is a post-apocalyptic one - it is 2023 and in spite of the lessons learned in 2020 a new virus has swept across the Western world, a bit like a cross between Covid and Ebola. It starts with cold-like symptoms and has a 100% fatality rate within a maximum of six days, as your internal organs start to disintegrate. The UK keeps it at bay for about a month, but within 10 days of the first case there are 22 million dead including the Prime Minister, suicide pills are made available without a prescription and left by the open door of every pharmacy, and newspapers and TV broadcasts have ceased.

Our nameless protagonist is an ordinary Londoner in her mid-thirties and completely ill-equipped to handle adult life, never mind the end of the world. She is married, childless after several years of trying for a baby, stuck in a dead-end office job, suffering with bouts of depression and anxiety, and drowning it all out with bursts of slightly desperate hedonism. She nurses her husband through to the bitter end when he succumbs to the disease, relatively late, as they both try not to acknowledge the falling away of sounds from their neighbouring flats, the reduction then complete cessation of traffic, and the final broadcast from a dying Moira Stewart on the BBC. She, however, inexplicably fails to contract 6DM, as the virus is known, and left alone with her husband's corpse in a small one-bed flat, she soon has to think about what to do next.

In her introduction, the author explains that she set out to consider what it means to be a woman in today's society, and what might happen if humanity ended and you were the last person left alive. How would you survive? Why would you want to? These are big questions, and our protagonist's initial response is to avoid dealing with them for as long as possible, which is pretty understandable. But there is no denying the need to source food; the huge pyres of corpses under bridges; the myriad pets locked up in houses with owners who have died; the alarmingly rapid collapse of the fabric of our society as nature takes over in the form of swarms of enormous rats and packs of hungry wolves. We are with her as her initial glee at having free access to swanky hotels, bars full of champagne and recreational drugs on tap gives way to the realisation that there seems to be nobody left alive. Over the course of nine months, the journal she keeps reveals a lot of growing up.

The author makes it clear that this is not a novel about a pandemic, but about survival and personal growth. Like so many of us, our protagonist has been shaped by society and other people's expectations, and has never had the confidence to accept herself. In deciding to survive, to get clean of the drugs, to not use her suicide pills, to take responsibility for a golden retriever who will repay her by saving her life, she embarks on a journey to become the woman she always had the potential to be.

I will admit that I devoured the book in three days, but I found the woman at its heart quite annoying, especially at the start - an overgrown, petulant child-woman with no great sense of responsibility and indeed, not very much sense at all. I'd like to think quite a lot of 35-year-olds would be a lot more mature than this one is. And I did wonder whether it was plausible that someone with a lifelong history of anxiety and depression would shake it off quite so easily. But in spite of myself I cared what happened to her (and to the dog). And the ambiguous ending is perfect - I shall say no more than that!

I requested this book a little while ago, before lockdown 3 and the new mutant Covid strains, and hadn't really considered that covid would be referenced in this novel. This bought it too close to home in a personal level and I'm sorry but I was unable to finish it.
What I read of it was well written and I'm sure will be enjoyed by many others, the one star is a personal reflection rather than a comment on the author.
Thank you to netgalley and Hodder and Stoughton for an advance copy of this book.

Reading about a deadly pandemic during a pandemic was never going to be easy but this book is a triumph. Without ever finding out her name I feel like I really know this lone woman. The journey she & the reader go on is crafted in incredible style, some of it is horrifying (there’s a lot of death) yet some of it so sensitive & gentle, a real exploration of self. This is definitely one of those stories that will stay with me for a long time.

4 of 5 stars
https://lynns-books.com/2021/02/04/last-one-at-the-party-by-bethany-clift/
My Five Word TL/DR review : Horrible, Darkly Humorous, Brilliant, Emotional

This is going to be a fairly quick review because I basically don’t want to give away too much about the story. To be honest I had reservations when it came to reading this, which may seem strange as I did request it, but given the current situation (you know what I’m talking about right now, just picture me waving my arms around crazily) and the fact that we’re yet again in the middle of a lockdown (thank you Covid), reading a book about something that seems remarkably similar to the current situation, not to mention is set in a very close possible future – come on, it’s a bit scary. I had doubts but as soon as I started to read, the doubts were put to one side. The main character is a great story teller and you simply can’t help becoming involved in her story.

Like I mentioned, this is set in a very near future. Couple of years from now. Covid happened, not sure lessons were learned but now, we have a new virus – and it’s not taking prisoners.

So, this novel is refreshingly different – and I will explain why. Told by one woman as she journeys on a road to self discovery. We pretty soon find out that 6DM has swept across the world leaving death in its wake. Why 6DM? Basically, this is a virus that takes six days maximum to kill. Within fairly short order life as we know breaks down. And this is where the difference sets in. Apart from an initial little blip there’s no rampaging around, no scrabbling for food, no scavengers turning cannibalistic, there’s also no electricity, no gas, no water, nobody taking care of the usual things that we take for granted. 6DM kills quickly, people don’t have time to go through the usual emotions, anger, panic, etc. they die and they die quickly and they haven’t the energy to do anything towards survival other than giving in to a basic instinct to be with loved ones. There’s no time for solutions or vaccinations and so the best that the government can come up with is a, well, suicide pill to help people achieve a speedier and more comfortable end. Yes, of course that sounds bleak – but, allow me to continue.

We have our nameless woman. I confess I was scratching my head there for a moment and trying to figure out her name – basically we don’t find out her name so don’t sweat it. For some reason, and no explanations are given, this one woman survives and what follows are the emotions that she goes through coming to terms with the death of her husband, her parents and her best friends. I mean, I can see why you might think this would be depressing but in fact the story is well told, gripping, funny (if you will), sad, a little bit horrible at times, not to mention a little bit horrific on occasion and at the same time strangely uplifting. Of course it’s not very nice reading about an event that virtually wipes out everyone on the face of the planet, but watching the gamut of emotions that she goes through is just crazily compelling and, at the same time, the story is given some relief by the constant flashbacks that help to fill out the reader’s knowledge of the survivor prior to this. Having these flashbacks is such a cunning concept because it takes us to places pre-insanity. Gives us a break of sorts and explains our main character’s pov.

And the simplicity of it all works well. There’s no threat here for the woman. She drives from place to place, stays in hotels, drinks a lot of expensive booze – a lot. Throws herself a pity party and ends up addicted to drugs. Then she eventually starts to wizen up. The other cunning element that also plays into the simplicity here is that no explanations are forthcoming. We all know pandemics are a very real possibility and all the author does here is ratchet that up to the next horrific level and of course it seems plausible. We don’t need the science. We also don’t know why this young woman has survived – again, no explanations, but for me, this lack of some kind of over the top explanation works well. She doesn’t know why she survived so we, the readers, also don’t know why she survived. It really is that simple.

Now, before you become too complacent there are still threats here but they come under different guises and I’m not going to be the one to give them away. Find out for yourself. Also, there is a little bit of gore – well, there are a lot of bodies decomposing after all.

In terms of criticisms. Well, I loved the tone, the style, the writing and the voice – but, I felt like the ending was a little rushed. There was an element of our pov discovering things very quickly and becoming an expert in many things with remarkable speed given her previous ineptitude. I think I would have preferred a slower ending, a few more bumblings and an ending where she might not be an expert, but is still learning on the fly. Not a deal breaker though.

Basically, this was quite addictive. I loved the way it’s written and I must applaud the author for not only dispelling my misgivings but also providing a compelling read with a likeable character who is very easy to become attached to (which is pretty lucky as she is the only character in the story.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

This is an incredible book. The description is given as: "It's November 2023. The human race has been wiped out by the 6DM virus (Six Days Maximum - the longest you've got before your body destroys itself). The end of the world as we know it.
Yet someone is still alive. Alone in a new world of burning cities, rotting corpses and ravenous rats, one woman has survived. A woman who has spent her whole life compromising what she wants and hiding how she feels to meet other people's expectations. From her career to her relationships, to what she wears and where she lives, she's made a lifetime of decisions to fit what other people want her to be. "

Now, what shocked me, was the fact that, despite currently experiencing a pandemic and therefore thinking this would be the last thing I'd want to read, I was instantly pulled in to the story of the potentially last surviving human in the world. The introduction itself is a hook and then, as the story progresses, we learn not only about the lead character as she tries to survive, but, also through flashbacks to some critical experiences in her life.
She's such a well drawn character and despite the tragic experiences, I still laughed out loud a good few times.

It's a squeamish read at times and there were parts I had to rest a while before continuing. Overall though, it's such a well written tale of human spirit.

Thanks to NetGalley, Hodder and Stoughton and the author for the opportunity to preview this excellent read.

I think this was my favourite book of 2020. Despite being in the middle of a pandemic reading about the end of the world was very different. I was impressed by the way Covid-19 and Brexit were worked into the storyline. The preface at the beginning drew me in immediately.

I read it in two sittings, only because I started it at 10pm and by 3am I knew I just couldn’t keep my eyes open, no matter how much I wanted to! It is a story of survival rather than the pandemic and made me question how I would cope with waking up to find everyone else dead or dying…. what would I do? what would I think? There are funny bits, there are sad bits, there are thoughtful bits. It really does have everything.

I felt the ending left me hanging somewhat. Which I can’t talk about here as I don’t wish to give any spoilers. All I will say is I really hope there is a second book! The story and characters are so well described and

As a debut novel, this was EXCELLENT. The writing was brilliant and I can’t wait to read more from this author.

I received a proof copy of this book in December ahead of a campaign by The Book Fairies, where they hid copies around the UK on 31 December.

Rating: 3.4/5

This is one of those occasions where I really was in two minds as to whether warranted 3 or 4 stars. In the end I decided on the top end of a 3-star rating.

This is a very timely novel, dealing , as it does, with a global pandemic. Bethany Clift explains in her opening notes that she was already developing the idea before the world was struck by coronavirus, but it does mean that she has been able to incorporate references to the Covid-19 pandemic into this novel, as something that affected the world population a couple of years before the fictional 6DM virus took hold in 2023.

The book's chief protagonist and narrator (via a diary format) is an unnamed female in her mid-30s. As we meet her, the human race is in the process of being wiped out by the 6DM virus (Six Days Maximum - the amount of time anyone contracting the virus has before they experience a painful death). As time passes, so our narrator becomes increasingly convinced that she is likely to be the sole survivor. The novel takes the reader on the survivor's journey of self-examination as she seeks to come to terms with the new world order, and reflects, via flashbacks, on key events in her life that have shaped the person she has become.

The writing, for the most part, is excellent. The characterisation is well observed and the concept is intriguing and stimulating. The only reason that I decided not to mark this higher was that I found the narrative and the format a little samey at times. The opening 25% of the book had really grabbed me and even left me feeling a little breathless, but by the 50% mark I had noticed a touch of tedium setting in. However, I do accept that this may have been, to some degree, deliberate on the part of the author, who may have wanted to reflect the monotony of the existence that the surviving protagonist was facing.

"Last One at the Party" is certainly a thought-provoking read. At times it is poignant and moving, it can also be dark and unnerving, but on other occasions it is extremely humorous and even uplifting. Ultimately, I loved the choice of ending, which I think absolutely suited the mood and tone of this novel. Certainly worth reading.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for supplying an ARC in return for an honest review.

A woman surviving a killer virus and coming to terms with her new existence. Funny, horrific and very, very sad. Well written and entertaining in these troubled times. My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Just brilliant!!! I love post apocalyptic books and I have to say that this book is fantastic. It’s just the type of book that captures your imagination. This book is very different from the usual post apocalyptic books I’ve read, there are no zombies, aliens or genetically modified nanites. I have to say that the ending of the book isn’t what I expected at all. It’s a book I could read again. The book is up to date with what has happened during the 2020 Covid-19 and Brexit as they are mentioned in the book. To say that we are already living with a pandemic this book isn’t depressing as some people might think.

A pandemic break out in Kansas and it soon sweeps though out the world. The UK cut’s its self off from the rest of the world hoping to keep the virus away from its shores.

But in November 2023 the virus 6DM (Six Days Maximum) which is the longest time your body has once you’ve caught it. However one woman seams to be surviving, while everyone dies around her even her husband.

Once the lone survivor has lost her husband, she starts to realise that she appears to be the only person still alive. So she goes on a shopping spree in Harrods, drinking expensive champagne as she stacks trollies with designer things, expensive food along with anything that takes her fancy.

One she’s loaded up her car she goes to her best friends house to see if he’s still alive. But like everyone else he was dead. She found him in bed with two hot guys and a huge bag of cocaine. So she knew that he at least went out in the way he wanted.

She decided that she would stay there as his place was far nicer than her’s. He had all the mod cons as well as his own night club in the basement so for a while she went on a cocaine and alcohol binge.

One day she realises that she needs to go to the TV studio as it was still broadcasting. Once she arrived there it was obvious that someone had thought of everything. The doors were open and someone had kindly put up posters pointing the way to the way to the studio.

She ends up cussing herself that she wasted so much time feeling sorry for herself in her drug and alcohol haze instead of seeing if someone else had survived.

When the power finally went out she knew she had no other choice but to leave London and go in search of other survivors.

On her travels she wasn’t totally alone as she found a golden retriever that was half starved, as it was still locked up in a house. She released the dog thinking the dog would just go off and fend for himself, but he just kept trying to follow her. So she picks him up and puts him in the car with all of her supplies.

They travel all the way up to Scotland stopping every so often to beep the car horn to see if anyone is still out there. Most of this is done in a haze of Tramadol as she finds that she needs it to keep on going.

The journey isn’t that easy as she comes across different obstacles, such as getting caught in a snow storm, running from giant rats or packs of dogs. When she finally meets another person they threaten to shoot her.

She keeps on wondering as to the point of going on trying to keep herself alive. When she realises something, which changes her mind. She heads off to a place that she has been to before an eco cabin in the country that she know she could try and make as her home.

Will she always be on her own will she finally find other survivors??

This is a brilliant book. I like others would like to know about some of the missing pieces, so we can only hope that the author is able to do that in another book if we are lucky.

I loved this book so much that I have ordered a Signed Hardback Edition from Waterstones and I can’t wait for it to arrive!