Last One At The Party (Bethany Clift) - ★★★★★

This book is... it's... honestly, it's hard to even find the words to describe it. Funny how that often happens with the books I really love.

When you look at the synopsis, you immediately dismiss it as just another apocalyptic novel. Wrong. Yes, it does involve a plague. Yes, it does involve survival. But this... it takes those elements and combines them into true art. I don't think I've ever seen what it means to be human summed up so completely. Yes, I know the whole "what it means to be human" thing is overused as a description, but this book does not disappoint.

Last One At The Party is beautiful and gorgeous and heart-breaking. It's a tale of love and loss and finding yourself, of what it means to truly be happy. It doesn't gloss over the harsh details or dark realities of life; it artfully weaves them into words and story. When you're reading it, you don't even realize what you're feeling until it just hits you at the end with all the force of an 80,000-pound truck.

Overall, I recommend this book to anyone who loves a story about the realities of human nature, with poignant depth that doesn't sacrifice authenticity for cheap, temporary thrills.

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