I really do love a good dystopia/post-apocalyptic book. Definitely a page turner.

Interesting and engaging -- perfect for a quick, summer read -- but there wasn't anything in particular that I identified with, or any resonating message that I'll take away beyond finishing the book.

Wow what a thriller. I have to admit that at first I thought oh great a survivor type spin off but things quickly sped up. I liked how the chapters went back and forth it made me read faster when one chapter left with a cliffhanger. The downside to the book was some fairly strong language and violence, but with the nature of this book understandable. I was provided an E-copy of this book by NetGalley in return for an honest review. Publication is midJuly of 2016

Just when I thought the dystopian well was running dry, someone puts a new twist on it. And the concept is really good: a Survivor-like TV show with twelve contestants who go into the woods to live off the land; the last one who doesn’t give up wins. But while the show is being filmed, a fast-moving plague wipes out half the population of Earth. And the lead character (Zoo) still thinks it’s all just part of the show, staged as her next “challenge.”

Great setup. Problem is, the writing isn’t very engaging. The reality show chapters, the larger percentage of the novel, are in third person and written like a journalist reporting facts. Very dry. Honestly, I was pretty bored with these parts, didn't care about the characters, and wanted to get back to the much more interesting first person post-apocalypse chapters, and Zoo’s slow realization that the devastation she encounters is not part of the show, that the husband she left behind may not be home (or alive) when she gets there.

This may be one of those cases where the film (if there is one) is better than the book.

Glad I read this book! It's both an adventure story and a meditation on how much of a person's experience is built on perspective.

After reading some other reviews of this I have to agree on the confusion surrounding the other contestants on the show, called both by actual name and the nicknames given by the show it can be confusing as to who is who exactly and you spend some of your time while reading trying to work out who's who. It takes you away from the story.

That being said I did really enjoy this, it's the second book I've read this year that has 'reality tv' as a plot and it does it well, you see the actual events in the camp and then are told what the edited version will cut out, the cut scenes and many things being taken out of context.

It switches between when they first get to camp and when Zoo and the rest are on their solo challenges, we follow Zoo exclusively for the latter but see all of the for the former and make our minds up as to who is going to win and who is going to lose (as orchestrated by the producers).

But then things start to go wrong, you see it in the before. Zoo doesn't know what's happening and you follow her as she starts to see. She's hungry, thirsty, tired and just wants to win the game and go home.

I'm not saying anything more because of spoilers but I did really like this book and I hope that people pick it up and read it.

*Huge thanks to Alexandra Oliva, Penguin UK - Michael Joseph and NetGalley for this copy in exchange for an honest review*

This was more introspective than I expected. A woman is on a Survivor type reality show when a pandemic hits the country, but for her, unaware of the crisis, it is hard to determine what is a real threat and what is simply a perverse "challenge." But through it all is the pull for Home. An absorbing, thought-provoking read.