i was honestly quite confused by this one. it had very little meat to itself and the dialogue that it tried to make carry the story was never strong or even average. tysm for the arc.

Years after a pandemic nearly wipes out the world, one girl shares her experience of life before, during, and after contracting the disease known as Dover-Valle Syndrome. Decades after the appearance of DVS, medicine is able to delay the disease until puberty and girls like fourteen-year-old Mia Delgado are able to undergo safe and effective treatment of the disease with minimal discomfort. Mia’s experience with DVS allows her to explore the recesses of her mind.

The concept of the plot was interesting and unique. However, reading the story was confusing and I didn’t understand why this story was so confusing until the last bit. I pushed through to finish the story but was sorely tempted to stop. The author’s method to weaving this story is fascinating but seems likely to deter certain audiences.

Once again, I fell victim to a great fucking book summary with zero follow-through. After reading the premise, I was so excited to start reading. I thought maybe this would be the new dystopian YA hit, a coming of age story about a girl surviving a scary disease and finding herself along the way.

But then there's the reality. This book feels like a rough first draft, a vague movie script, or like it was straight-up written by a fourteen-year-old on Wattpad. I'm a dialogue girlie all the way, but there's barely any meat to this story besides the often cringy dialogue. I only got through the first two chapters, and that was painful enough.

I know nobody loves too much exposition from the start, but this book has the opposite problem. What's the setting? I don't know. We get tiny descriptions here and there, but it's confusing (and not in a good, intriguing way that makes me want to find out more). What is our mc feeling? What is she thinking? I couldn't tell you, and neither could the author, as far as I can see.

Maybe it all gets better as the story progresses, but I think I should know something more about the story and the characters after the first few chapters.

I am obsessed with apocalypse stories. The end of the world is relentlessly fascinating to me. Kaitlin Shanks imaginative take on the aftermath of a plague such as DVS was entirely captivating. She breathed new life into a genre that at times just focuses on the trials and tribulations of the character while forgetting the inner workings of the being.

Thank you to Kaitlin Shanks and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

This read is very relatable to the covid pandemic so it was interesting to see it in the form of a novel based on a virus that sticks around. Scarily familar!

honestly the concept of this book is quite good! the issue regarding dvs and having to get treatments till u get better or well die, is a interesting plot that has not really been explored. with that in mind i almost couldnt finish this book, it felt so weighed down with unimportant details. it def needs a little adjusting to make the story make sense, because i got a little lost in everything a few times. outside of that mia (the main character) is a VERY unlikeable character in my opinion, which makes this story harder to digest. i believe the author did this purposely but it really dragged the book a little bit for me:(
p.s. im sure this book has its audience who will adore it! and the premise is so interesting!

Immersing myself in the pages of Last Living Girl was an unforgettable journey into a world both familiar and eerily different. Through Mia Delgado's eyes, we witness the aftermath of a pandemic that altered life as we know it, yet also discover the resilience of the human spirit. The author's vivid storytelling and rich character development drew me in from the very first page, and I found myself rooting for Mia as she navigated the challenges of Dover-Valle Syndrome and the complexities of her own mind. Last Living Girl isn't just another dystopian tale—it's an exploration of survival, friendship, and the power of hope in the face of adversity. This book left me both heartbroken and inspired, and I highly recommend it to anyone seeking a great read.

Hey there, fellow bookworms! Get ready to dive headfirst into Last Living Girl—a pandemic story like no other! With its gripping plot twists, heart-wrenching emotions, and kickass protagonist, this book is an absolute page-turner from start to finish. Mia's journey through the chaos of Dover-Valle Syndrome had me on the edge of my seat, rooting for her every step of the way. But it's not just about surviving the apocalypse—it's about finding strength in the face of adversity, forging unexpected friendships, and uncovering the resilience of the human spirit. So, if you're craving a dystopian adventure that'll keep you hooked until the very last page, look no further than Last Living Girl!

Last Living Girl is about 14 year old Mia, who develops a disease that has been devastating the world for decades. It can strike when a child first enters puberty, in which they then get sent to treatment centers until they're better or they die.

Mia is not a likeable character, which while there is some intention from the author to make her this way, the writing itself made Mia feel uncaring. The only emotion she seemed to feel was annoyance, seemingly for no proper reason - there was never happiness, fear, uncertainty. It was like Mia was a robot only programmed to be annoyed at people who loved her.

The story jumped all over the place - we'd jump back into the past for long stretches, or suddenly jump from scene to scene with no transition or scene break. It made this a hard book to follow, since you might have to wait a long time before getting back to the current-day plot for a few pages before it jumps around again.

The best part of this book was the book which Mia reads while traveling. The book is a in-world diary of a girl named Marissa, who is writing about the disease as it happens those many decades ago. Marissa's diary deals with grief, loss, war and hope - nothing in which you get from Mia's side of this novel. The diary stuff was great, though you read the entire thing in large chunks, which didn't let the flow of the novel at all. Mia herself doesn't even reflect on what she reads until the very final page. She just picks it up, lets us read it, then the scene has moved on.

In my opinion, this book could do with a heavy round of editing. There's a good concept here, and I did enjoy the diary stuff, but all the Mia storyline drags it down too much.