Joan of Apocalypse is a hilarious mix of horror, action, romance, and dark comedy. I actually was shocked by how much I enjoyed this book! The cover was so gorgeous I had to give it a go, and I’m glad I did! It felt like watching the Zombieland movies for the first time again.

Joan is a struggling (and failing) actress trying to prove herself in Hollywood and deal with her deadbeat boyfriend. When she finally gets a callback for her dream role, the zombie apocalypse hits. Joan has to team up with Ryan to survive and make it to the studio for her callback.

I’ll be honest, the entire time I was reading this I couldn’t decide if I wanted to throw the book because I hated Joan so much, or laugh out loud because she is the funniest character I’ve read in a while. The humor and chaos of this book were so much fun. I laughed and groaned and rolled my eyes the whole time. I was so invested in what happened next. The only part I struggled with was the end/epilogue, but I also don’t see any other way I would’ve done it. It’s such a unique story it’s kind of hard to nail the ending. I think I would’ve preferred it be left open. Overall if you need a good laugh this book is excellent. So over the top and genuinely funny!


Read this book if you like:
•Unlikeable characters (no seriously they are all awful. I think only one person is even kind of redeemable 😂)
•Zombie Apocalypse
•Poking fun at Hollywood culture
•Explosions, chase scenes, and chaos
•Unserious romance

Thank you to Chloe Lukas and NetGalley for the ARC 🩷

This book is hilarious and full of action. Our heroine is probably the most self obsessed, funny, delusional characters that I’ve ever had the pleasure to read about. She’s horrible but has moments of humanity,… fleeting moments. She’s single minded to a fault and she’s determined to make it big in Hollywood even though she’s not that talented!
The world is under attack by zombies and Joan has to survive the apocalypse in order to make it to her big audition. Joan and her very sexy partner, Ryan, travel around LA killing zombies and making their way to safety. Joan is not as helpless as you might think especially when she is 48 hours away from her possible big break. This book is soooo funny, has nonstop action, and is very entertaining. There are a lot, maybe too many, action scenes with more and more outlandish rescues but this is an apocalypse book so why not go over the top. And a lot of these action scenes are laugh out loud funny with the craziest outcomes. I will say Joan’s selfishness and one track mind does get annoying at times.
Thank you very much to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author Chloe Lukas for allowing me an advanced copy of this book to review.

3.5 🌟

Absolutely ridiculous but entertaining! I read it in 24 hours!

🧟🧟‍♀️🧟🧟‍♀️
Premise:
Joan is a failed actress and narcissist still clinging to her glory days as head cheerleader.

She’s dragged to the listening party of an aging metal band, just as a zombie apocalypse kicks off and as she finally gets a call back for a role.

Desperate to make it to the callback, she ventures through an undead riddled LA, willing to use anyone to succeed in her mission. Including the hot, but aloof Ryan, who may just be as deadly as her!

🧟🧟‍♀️🧟🧟‍♀️

It is so over the top, but so so fun! And also really takes the mick out of all things Hollywood, even making digs at the craziness of fandoms, with a Taylor Swift-like fandom who want to switch from the Gregorian calendar to the ‘eras’.

And don’t get me wrong the main character has no morals. But like some books, where you’d likely see character development, I kind of love that Joan just drags everyone down to her level. Her corruption of Ryan was rather fun! (And her little minion she gains at the end!)

And there is a romance plot, although more of a lust plot at times (note: it is fade to black). But I did love how well Ryan and Joan’s feral natures matched up by the end! I’m kind of intrigued if there will be a book 2, based on the ending??

And finally the action. This definitely had me reminiscent of Shaun of the Dead with the comedic zombie killing. From her first weapon being a guitar to the dropping of grenades for lols. It was really entertaining, especially as it took us all over LA.

All in all, a really fun read! Is it the most thought provoking book? No. But will it have your laughing out loud? Yes!

I really wanted to like this book, I was so excited about the idea and the story. Unfortunately it was not for me. I found the FMC to be generally unlikable and not my cup of tea

This was definitely something! This was ridiculous in a mostly fun way - it was at least pretty unique and absolutely chaotic.

It's at its best when it's schlocky zombie killing and blowing things up. The characters are all unlikable in one way or another. I understand what the author was trying to do with Joan, and I do actually enjoy books full of terrible people, but there was absolutely nothing redeeming about anyone. Joan was over the top awful all the time and it got tiresome.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Overall, it was a likable story. There were moments where it got too repetitive, which made me partly want to DNF but the concept was so interesting that I pushed through. The ending left a little to be desired. Joan isn’t supposed to be a tolerable narrator, however there were parts where she was just a little too insufferable. The premise was good.

If it's possible that there is a category if dark comedy horror this book is it. It's corny as hell and seriously funny so be prepared for a book completely out of the ordinary.
Joan, the main character, finds herself trapped underground with her horrible boyfriend and crush while a zombie apocalypse rages above ground.
Go into this book, knowing it's goofy, the main character is awful and it's all in good fun and you'll be just fine.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for giving me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I had to DNF it about half way through. I couldn't stand the main characters egotistical ways and manners. She never changed or grew or developed during half the book so I grew tired of reading about her.

This book was not what I was expecting unfortunately. DNF at 70%

*review contains spoilers*

Joan of Apocalypse follows a self-absorbed aspiring actress trying to make her big break in Hollywood. After yet another audition, she gets some of the best news of her life: a callback. Unexpectedly giddy despite feeling dragged down by her metalhead low-life boyfriend, Joan decides to attend an event of his favourite band with him. Once in the the Vault, an underground hideaway for the band's lead singer, something terrible happens on the surface: a zombie apocalypse. This new and looming terror is threatening Joan's first chance at an actual gig. Determined, she won't let a simple apocalypse stop her from landing one of the biggest roles of her career. The reader then follows Joan on her violent journey to seize her starring role with the help of an aloof and handsome stranger.

The first few chapters, I was so on board with the story and the writing. Joan is a HORRIBLE person, but she is also a riot to read about. The characters felt campy, and the storyline was extremely outlandish. The idea that she not only wants to go back to the lot where she auditioned to claim her role during a literal zombie apocalypse but then becomes an actual coordinated deadly zombie assassin was fun to think about. The origin story of the virus was also in my opinion, pretty strong. I loved the idea.

However, what did not work for me, was the lack of character development. I was really expecting some sense of self-awareness around the mid-way point. That moment never came though. She continued to be selfish and vapid and hyper-focused on being hot and famous. I think because she was never actually actualized as a character, this also contributed to the lack of chemistry with the main love interest. On that note, the main love interest was the plainest character I have ever encountered in any piece of media. Genuinely, he lacked so much personality, and I know that the author was potentially doing this intentionally to make him seem more mysterious, but it was to the point where he was just a blank slate.

I also recognize that this book is written from the first-person-perspective, and therefore we can't really trust anything that happens because Joan is so egotistical, she warps every interaction and encounter that happens. The story became a big mess of action with zero character development. Which is just not for me.

If you like fast-paced plot focused books with little character development this may be for you. It's also quite funny if you can look past all the horrible things the main character does and puts others through.

Thank you NetGalley, Chloe Lukas and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

DNF

A promising concept with a premise that absolutely roped me in, and I know they say not to judge a book by its cover, but as soon as I set my sights on the cover of 'Joan of Apocalypse' I absolutely FELL IN LOVE! Like, a Joan-of-Arc modern retelling in a zombie apocalypse, perfect for fans of The Last of Us and Shaun of the Dead! I think I had my expectations a little high, and while I pushed myself through the first chapters, I got to 34% of the book before I realised that this novel isn't for me :(

I really wanted to enjoy this book because I love zombie apocalypses and darkly comedic literature, and unreliable narrators, and I'm a HUGE FAN of The Last of Us . . . but this just wasn't my piece of cake. This book has great potential, but I wish it was paced a bit more better. I loved how it got into the action after a few chapters but establishing the backstory and characters could have been done a bit more better. My main criticism is that there was not enough SHOWING, and too much TELLING. Especially in the action sequences, there was so much telling that it threw me off, mostly because I couldn't really feel the protagonist's emotions all that I was reading was where she was going, where she jumped, where she turned, etc.

I needed more, since the premise was so interesting and had potential, but the execution just wasn't it. I wanted to at least finish it, but I couldn't.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for granting me this ARC in exchange for an honest review <3

I love zombie novels-- I've read good, great, and not so great, but I am genuinely so in love with the genre I enjoy most of them regardless!
The one pet peeve I have in a dystopian book is when the MC/society/author are in the pursuit of a comic lens in the face of an apocalypse to the degree that it feels irreverent to real life horrors. I love irreverent comedy in most forms, but this just didn't sit right with me.

The author wrote in a way that was super evokative and descriptive, and unfortunately the reality of current life showing through the novel overtly and unironically made me too uneasy to continue, DNF @ 32%.

I really enjoyed reading this book, it has everything that I was looking for and enjoyed from the description and cover. It had that element that I was looking for and enjoyed getting to go on this journey with them. Chloe Lukas has a strong writing style and worked well overall in the genre. I can't wait for more from Chloe Lukas as this was really well done.

Oof okay. I was sucked in by the cover, and the comparisons to Fleabag and Shaun of the Dead, but I just did not gel with how this was written and so DNF'd at 35%.

We're following Joan who is an aspiring/failing actress as a zombie apocalypse breaks out just as she gets her first audition call-back. Unfortunately, Joan is such an unlikeable and crass character, with an even worse boyfriend, when we first meet her which I could’ve gotten behind, but the writing came across quite OTT/campy in a way that that I found cheesy rather than funny. It reads very fast-paced in that we don't seem to spend a lot of time in each 'scene', which isn't a negative in itself, but didn't help when trying to distinguish all the characters that were introduced within a short space of time.

[Advanced Reader Copy received through NetGalley]

Thank you Netgalley for the Advance Copy

There was a time that this book would have gotten 5 stars from me. And I mean that in a good way, this was peak urban fantasy say circa 2016/7.

This was a fun read but ultimately for me it felt a bit forced, like very hashtag let's do it for the gram FMC got on my nerves a bit too much? The writing, the 'relationships' and the catch at the end didn't work for me, but maybe this is not for me at the end of the day.

It was a fun read but overall a bit empty for me. Calling it fleabag with zombies was such a stretch but it did get me to request the book!

I really wanted to have fun with this but I just rolled my eyes the entire time and decidedly did not have fun. I loved the idea, the execution just didn’t work for me personally, as evidenced by the fact it took me forever to read this 🥲

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A “damn” fine and darkly humorous book!

Joan of Apocalypse is so fun and written so well that I actually felt for Joan, who is on a mission to be a winner at any cost. The book has great character and story building and is filled with lots of non-stop action, twists, and turns, which makes for such a fun and memorable read. I’ve never both loved and hated a character as I do Joan, which just goes to show how well she’s written.

The story is very witty, from Joan’s intentionally goofy but very funny dialogue to her cringy inner thoughts. I loved when the author poked fun at Hollywood’s badly written movies with the corny dialogue and the overuse of the word “damn” every time a script is being read, which starts in the opening and returns at the end. I’m sure some readers won’t get a lot of the humor and think it’s bad or poorly written but that obviously was the intent.

Thanks to NetGalley and Chloe Lukas for the amazing ARC. I’ll definitely reread the final edit once available in March.

I really tried with this book, but I think the narrative tone and the way the story is told isn't very strong.

Waiting for the zombies to start arriving, but by 20% in, all she has done is gone into a basement with a group of people. There is a woman who is with her boyfriend (could be the love interest), and the female lead is really taken by him. He hardly says anything to her, but she keep eying him up and seems to be on a mission to disrupt their relationship.

It just felt like a long winded story where the details overshadow the plot. Therefore, I DNF'd.

This book is exactly what dreams feel like. Joan’s unrelenting self-obsession is exactly why this story works so well. Not being a loser comes before surviving the apocalypse on her list of priorities and honestly, she’s so real.

Thank you NetGalley and Chloe Lukas for the arc! I couldn’t stop shaking my head at Joan’s antics.

This was a total hate read for me. Couldn't stop reading but also wasn't fully enjoying it but just had to see how the book ended. I know she's supposed to be an unlikable character but it was a little to the max, she also felt very immature. Which makes sense since she is in her late 20's but thinks and claims to be 23. I don't think she had any redeeming qualities and even towards the end of the book it hoped it was all a fever dream........it wasn't. At least we got a sort of happy ending.

This was a mixed bag for me. There were times I was genuinely rolling my eyes or sighing out loud, pausing because what I read was either so incredibly corny or just bad. On the other hand, I lost count of how many times I laughed.

Joan is an up and coming actress, or at least she's trying to be, who lands her dream role when a massive zombie apocalypse breaks out. You won't like Joan - at all. Yet she was almost endearing in how awful and self absorbed she was.

Went back and forth in she's the wooooorst to this might be the funniest person I've read in a minute. Maybe she would have been easier to digest if i wasn't stuck in her head, but I do like how much of a horny mess she is.

The zombies and the apocalypse itself was probably one of the best part. I love a good zombie apocalypse. All of the characters stand out on their own, and there might have been ONE character that was truly likable.

Overall a good read - fast paced and action filled, funny and engaging. Chloe Lukas created a fun and interesting tale. A slightly refreshing take on the zombie apocalypse genre. The writing was great.

If you go into it knowing it's a dark horror comedy and satire, you'll end up having more fun.

I do hope she's Jewish because the parts with Bernie made me slightly uncomfortable and it felt like a caricature of a Jewish man, especially one who is a hollywood agent.

I also think some of it could have been condensed a little. Trim the fat.

Thank you to Netgalley, Chloe Lukas and the publisher for the arc!