This story is reminiscent of Lord of the Flies during Covid-19 pandemic. There are a group of delinquent young adults at Hope Juvenile Treatment Center in the Ozarks. One day, the guards don't show up and some of the kids try to escape but are stopped by soldiers posted outside. They don't understand what is happening and why they were left alone and why they are slowly getting sick with respiratory illnesses. They are confronted with deciding who they can trust and determine what actions will keep them alive. They learn that the Center is shut down due to a contagious Black Death Plague; “Y. pestis is a gram-negative bacterium, widely known by the disease it causes: the plague. The plague is known to take three forms: bubonic, septicemic, and pneumonic.”
“The world is crumbling all around us, but we have the chance to build something that is ours. A small outpost against the coming storm, where we’re safe and protected, because we’re the ones who secure and protect ourselves.” Some of them decide to plan an escape past the soldiers and others are determined to stay and tend to the very ill. Both options present the risk of being killed by the soldiers or the plague. There are some very unlikeable characters are there always when put in a desperate situation where the "fight, flight or freeze" response kicks in. It's a story of survival, perseverance and humanity. ( )

The teens at Hope Juvenile Treatment Center all have one thing in common, they've broken the rules and ended up residing at a "treatment center" that isn't really treating them or cultivating hope; In fact the only thing the treatment center does for these kids is force a routine and strict rules on the young adults. Every day is exactly like the previous day....until it isn't.. Suddenly the guards don't show up at all. A deadly plague tears through their ranks and they must act quickly as supplies dwindle and panic spreads.

At the End of Everything is full of suspense as we follow the teens left alone in a world that didn't want them to begin with. Tackling many social questions with expertly written prose this post-apocalyptic novel is scarily relevant.. With brilliant metaphors hiding between the lines, At the End of Everything is sure to keep readers intrigued, and on the edge of their seat.

A big thank you to Netgalley and publishers for providing an e-copy so I can share my honest opinion with all of you.. ( )

I enjoyed the plot and characters. It brought me back to 2020 and early 2021. ( )

Told in chapters by alternating characters by members of a juvenile offenders prison in the United States. One evening after a new prisoner arrives, there is meant to be a "reception committee" for this prisoner but everyone suddenly realises that there are no longer any guards minding the prison. Hunter and his gang (the enforcers) and Emerson (the new prisoner) and Grace (who is looking out for them (Emerson is a non-binary person) Leah and her twin mute sister Logan try to escape to the next town only to be stopped at a road block where they are told there is a terrible pneumonic plague ravaging the country and everyone has been told to stay home. One of Hunter's gang tries to make a break for it and is shot dead and so they turn and head back to the prison called Hope. Once inside Hope, they wake everyone and the inmates form two groups; those that decide to take their chances with Hunter escaping and those that decide to stay put with Grace.
Interestingly enough the book then only followed what happens to Grace's group at the Hope prison ( although we do find out eventually what fate befalls the others). We meet Casey who becomes the prison's pseudo medic when Leah is the first of many to fall ill with the plague. We follow Logan as she tries to communicate without Leah to interpret for her and how she becomes more independent as she works on helping the prison's food supplies remain solid. Chapters are also devoted to Grace, who finds herself thrust into the role of leader somehow - a role she does not want but is very good at doing. Then there is Emerson, who decides to become the prison's gravedigger so they can remember every one of the inmates who succumbs to the plague.

Written while the author had COVID, this is quite a timely novel that I think students will relate to - especially the parts that discuss the isolation and the fear of touching other people and items in case you catch the disease. Copious amounts of swearing in the book as you would expect from a book about prisoners. ( )

A ragtag bunch of teens finds themselves abandoned at Hope Juvenile Treatment Center when the world collapses under a pandemic. Marieke Nijkamp throws a little bit of everything into this book with characters struggling with identity, abuse, etc. while trying to survive. Told through a variety of characters' voices, YA readers who enjoy a Hunger Games-esque atmosphere along with social and emotional justice themes will find an interesting book with At The End of Everything. ( )