Sunny at the End of the World

by Steph Bowe

In 2018, seventeen-year-old Sunny and Toby are on the run after zombies have destroyed most of the adults in their world. Cut to 2034 when Sunny is being held in an underground facility. What happened? Was it aliens, a conspiracy, a simulation, biological terrorism, a totalitarian takeover? And who can infiltrate the facility and release the surviving prisoners? The tables will be turned more than once in this thrilling and thought-provoking novel.

With Steph Bowe’s sad passing at the age of twenty-five, in 2020, we lost a truly wonderful author of three smart, funny YA novels. Her mother and sister discovered a manuscript on her the book you have in your hands. Steph was always wise beyond her years, with the power to access other worlds. Somehow, in Sunny at the End of the World, she predicted an ‘outbreak’ much like the one that changed our world, after she was gone...With her trademark humour, endearing characters and brilliant storytelling, Steph Bowe has left us a novel that helps to make sense of the rapidly changing world we live in.

Steph Bowe was born in Melbourne in 1994. Her first YA novel, Girl Saves Boy, published in 2010, was aptly described by Rebecca Stead as ‘full of the absolute truth—life is complicated’. Steph went on to publish two further YA novels, All This Could End, which was longlisted for the 2014 Gold Inky Award, and Night Swimming, a Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Notable Book in 2018, when it was also longlisted for a Sisters in Crime Davitt Award.

Sadly, Steph passed away on 20 January 2020, after a courageous battle with a rare form of Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. She was twenty-five. The manuscript of her posthumous novel, Sunny at the End of the World, was discovered on her computer by Steph’s mother and sister.

Genres: Young Adult, Zombies, Dystopia, Australia, Speculative Fiction, Science Fiction, Humor

266 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 4, 2025

Reviews

[Clare Snow · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I'm determined to walk out of here one day. That's the only way the story ends."

I love this and it was slightly silly at times. I feel like some of the silliness would have changed if Steph Bowe could have written more than a draft.

That ending was unexpected and entirely surreal.

[rachel x]

i'm so emotional to see a new steph bowe 😭

[Trisha]

Reading this was a bittersweet experience.

I don't know what to think yet. Still processing.

[Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

So sad I didn’t love this one. I’m a zombie girlie so it’s always a shame when these stories don’t hit.

This felt incomplete. The concept was interesting, but it didn't feel like a finished story. Given the circumstances this does make sense, but it's a shame this wasn't more polished and refined.

[K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Content warnings: death, gun violence, blood, body horror, cannibalism, surgery

3.75 stars

I had mixed feelings about reading this because as much as I adored Steph Bowe's writing and storytelling in her lifetime, there's something about a "the author's family found a draft of this and we've brought that final work to life!" publication that kind of gives me the ick, you know? The author either didn't have a chance to finish the story the way they wanted or they lost interest or they just weren't happy with it and shoved it to one side. And now their family are publishing it after their death, when they have no say in whether or not it sees the light of day.

This is not a criticism of the book or of Steph's family, for the record. It's just a Me Thing.

Anyway, this story was kind of bonkers but also strangely enjoyable? And I absolutely adored Sunny as a character. The accuracy with which Bowe depicted a pandemic, years before COVID broke out, was honestly kind of terrifying. And while I didn't love the ending, I had a hell of a time with this regardless. So yeah. Ultimately, I liked it and I'm kind of conflicted about that. Go figure.

[Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was gripping, funny, tense and action packed. An absolute five star read ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The year is 2018 and seventeen year old Sunny and Toby are on the run after most of the population have been turned into zombies. Jump to 2034 and Sunny is being held captive in some type of underground facility. What happened? Was it a conspiracy, some type of biological warfare, or perhaps even aliens?

Gosh this book was wonderful! I love a good zombie apocalypse read and Sunny At the End of the World had so much about it to love. Darkly humorous, gory and brutal but also tender and heartwarming, I could not look away. The story was pacy and compelling and kept me guessing as to where it was going and there were plenty of surprises in store.

I also adored Sunny! Her courage, loyalty and protectiveness, not to mention hilarious wit
had me cheering her on.

I cannot recommend this one enough to both teens and adults alike.

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the Australian 2018 zombie apocalypse, interspersed with the aftereffects in 2034. There’s definitely some artistic license taken in some of the settings, (which you wouldn’t notice unless you know the area. Dreamworld is not a little stroll to Cavill Mall) but then you get to the end and it could very much all be intentional. Everything is explained, but it still a bit weird and more of a Red Dwarf episode.
The friendships were built nicely in here and there were some surprises along the way. I never really found myself particularly vested in any of the characters or storylines, but I liked that it managed to make perfect sense of everything with a mostly valid rationale by the end. It kind of needed more zombies though. For travelling through a zombie apocalypse, they don’t really do much in the way of hiding or fighting.

[Jeann (Happy Indulgence) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sunny at the End of the World is about Sunny, a zombie that has consciousness and Toby, a teenage boy who saves a baby. The storyline has multiple perspectives and timelines, one when the apocalypse hits, and another set in the future.

It's been a while since I've read a zombie book, but this one was wonderfully heartfelt. It has its teeth grinding zombie moments, and it packs an emotional punch. There's a lot of thoughtful moments about humanity, love and life as a whole. The mystery behind Sunny's state and the rest of the survivors also kept me reading.

Although the writer Steph Bowe is no longer with us, it's a true gift that her family have continued her legacy with this book.

I received a review copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[readingwithmissbec · Rating 4 out of 5]

𝔹𝕠𝕠𝕜 ℝ𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨: 𝕊𝕦𝕟𝕟𝕪 𝕒𝕥 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕖𝕟𝕕 𝕠𝕗 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕨𝕠𝕣𝕝𝕕 𝕓𝕪 𝕊𝕥𝕖𝕡𝕙 𝔹𝕠𝕨𝕖

ℝ𝕖𝕝𝕖𝕒𝕤𝕖 𝔻𝕒𝕥𝕖: 𝕄𝕒𝕣𝕔𝕙 𝟜𝕥𝕙 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟝
Thankyou text publishing for the gifted copy

ℙ𝕦𝕓𝕝𝕚𝕤𝕙𝕖𝕣:

𝕄𝕪 𝕣𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨:
This book was so bitter sweet reading Steph Bowes last book.
I enjoyed getting to the read the different years and the way the story impacted the characters.
We see a different type of disease that affects the world and we meet characters that have to face this.

This book was wonderful.
Love love love.
𝕄𝕪 𝕣𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘:
⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️

𝕊𝕡𝕚𝕔𝕖 𝕣𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘:
0/5

[Dina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sunny at the End of the World by Steph Bowe was just wow, what a ride! I don’t even like zombie stories, but this one? I couldn’t stop reading. It’s not just about survival—it’s about love, loss, and what it means to hold onto hope when the world falls apart. Set in 2018, Sunny and Toby are on the run after a zombie outbreak wipes out most of the adults. Then it jumps to 2034 — Sunny’s trapped in an underground facility… and suddenly you’re questioning everything. The twists had me hooked till the end. This is a must read!

[Miriam James · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the build-up of this but felt like it got very rushed towards the end (maybe because the author didn’t get a chance to finesse it). The ending was a total surprise to me but it did make sense of things throughout the book like the fact that everyone seemed to be related and knew each other! And there wasn’t a reason that Sunny was so different to the other zombies. So it did wrap up a few ends . I thought Sunny was a great character and there was definitely a lot of heart in this book.

[Rina · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 2018, seventeen-year-old Sunny and Toby are on the run after zombies have destroyed most of the adults in their world. Cut to 2034 when Sunny is being held in an underground facility. What happened? Was it aliens, a conspiracy, a simulation, biological terrorism, a totalitarian takeover? And who can infiltrate the facility and release the surviving prisoners?

My gosh, I would’ve never thought to describe a zombie apocalypse dystopian YA this way, but this story was so wholesome! It was contemplative, heartbreaking, heartwarming, chuckle-out-loud funny, and deliciously gory (eating flesh?!).

Sunny described her experience surviving a zombie apocalypse in the same tone as surviving high school. Perhaps they were quite similar. Toby the reluctant hero was forced to be a seventeen-year-old father to a baby he had rescued from zombies. I was very intrigued to see how their paths would meet.

This story was told in two alternating timelines, sixteen years apart. The fast forward into the future made me gasp. In fact, there were a few twists that manage to surprise me in a good way. This was definitely a unique, unpredictable book I just couldn’t put down.

While the book itself was exceptional, the author behind the story was legendary. Steph Bowe sadly passed away in 2020, at the age of twenty five. Her mother and sister discovered a manuscript of this book on her computer. Somehow, she predicted an ‘outbreak’ much like the one that changed our world, after she was gone.

I’d implore you to please… pick up this book, even if you don’t usually read YA. Yes, it is that good!

(Thanks to Text Publishing for a gifted review copy)

See my bookstagram review.

[Rebecca]

A twisty road trip through a post-zombie apocalypse, 'Sunny at the End of the World' is testament to Steph Bowe's brio, wit and brilliance and the enormity of what readers of #loveozya have lost. Much missed.

[Gaby Meares · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to The Children's Book Council for the opportunity to read and review this book. Please see my review at

[Kate H · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[riley · Rating 3 out of 5]

the actual apocalyptic part was really good and i liked it even though the last like 100 pages were kind of rushed but what the fuck was that ending

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

A unique dystopia with many twists and turns and an unexpected ending. Great read.

[Maddie Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 stars ⭐️

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Emmy!! · Rating 2 out of 5]

meh

[Danielle Hilliard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a delight to read which is an odd thing to say about a zombie apocalypse book! I devoured this book in a morning because I couldn't put it down - it was a wild ride but I felt like the ending ever so slightly let it down, hence the 4 stars rather than 5.

[Text Publishing]

The following book reviews have been shared by Text Publishing, publisher of Sunny At the End of the World:

‘Fierce and funny by turns, with Steph Bowe’s flair for seeing straight to the heart of what makes us tick. What a gift, to have one more tale from this master storyteller.’
Amie Kaufman, New York Times bestselling author of The Isles of the Gods

‘A twisty road trip through a post-zombie apocalypse, Sunny At the End of the World is testament to Steph Bowe’s brio, wit and brilliant and the enormity of what readers of #loveozya have lost.’
Rebecca Lim, author of Tiger Daughter

‘Brutal , tender and fierce, Sunny At the End of the World is ultimately a celebration of love and resilience, from a much-missed voice in Australian YA.’
Lili Wilkinson, author of A Hunger of Thorns

‘With classic Steph Bowe humour and undertow, this is a post zombie apocalypse to relish. I loved it.’
Fiona Wood, author of How to Spell Catastrophe

‘Fast-paced action, with lots of humour thrown in.’
Books+Publishing

‘I cannot recommend this book enough…Sunny at the End of the World twists in ways that will surprise you, and leaves the reader wanting more (in the best way)…The writing is spectacular. And the jokes are genuinely very funny. Young adults will lap it up. What a dazzling legacy Steph Bowe has left us, and such a devastating loss.’
Karys McEwen, author of All the Little Tricky Things

‘Written with wit, dark humour and warmth, Bowe’s posthumous novel is a beautiful and tragic story of family, of survival, and of appreciating everything we have only when we’ve lost it.’
Aurelia Orr, Readings Monthly

‘When a writer as marvellous as the late Steph Bowe leaves behind a work featuring such an unbelievable scenario I had to take a deep breath and plunge in…With a whacking twist at the end that will take your breath away.’
NZ Listener

‘[Sunny At the End of the World] will leave readers rethinking everything they thought they knew…The characters are easy to like, and the unmistakably Australian flavour of it all is very endearing. Recommended for lovers of YA, zombie stories and road trips with found family.’
ArtsHub

‘[Steph Bowe’s] work is notable for delicious humour, piercing insight into teenage emotions and a generous humanity…[Sunny At the End of the World is] all madness and mayhem spiced up with some delicious horror…These teenagers leap off the page and take up space in your head.’
Storylinks

‘Like the love-child of The Walking Dead and Warm Bodies. Steph Bowe knows how to write a book that will totally engage her readers…I read this in one afternoon—I couldn’t put it down…I loved [Sunny At the End of the World] and I think it will be a huge hit.’
CBCA Reading Time

‘Full of wisdom and humour, adventurous and diverse…It’s books like [these] that show us what we can be, and what the power of representing diversity—even in a zombie apocalypse—can do to empower people and raise their voices…A poignant tribute to a powerful voice is YA literature.’
The Book Muse

‘A remarkable novel that transcends its zombie premise to become a poignant journey through memory, loss, and survival…A must-read…Bowe’s final work is both a thrilling adventure and a heartfelt farewell, ensuring her voice will endure in the literary world.’
NZ Booklovers

‘Bowe has left us with a wonderfully fun slice of Aussie YA in Sunny, giving us one last glimpse into her brilliance...Everything is infused with Bowe’s trademark humour, bringing levity to even the darkest of moments.’
AU Review

‘Within Bowe’s capable and quirky hands, Sunny’s worlds, past and future, assume a reality that teens immediately warm to.’
Kids’ Book Review

‘If you’re looking for a fun, fast-paced read with enjoyable characters and an atmosphere of life-or-death-at-every-turn adventure then Sunny At The End of The World is for you!’
QUT Glass Magazine

‘An earnest, genre-bending tale that dares to imagine joy and growth at the end of the world.’
Aurealis

[Alida · Rating 3 out of 5]

With thanks to ‘Books+Publishing’ magazine for the ARC and the opportunity to review.

Steph Bowe’s 'Sunny at the end of the world', published posthumously, provides clear evidence of her creative skills levelling up. Set across the dual timelines of 2018 and 2034, action, horror and twists abound.

In 2018, a confronting opening line hooks us as we meet Sunny and Toby, through their first-person narratives, with Toby’s epistolary. A zombie virus has speedily spread through the country, and the readers is swept up in the urgency, panic and fear of the unknown. The second timeline takes us to a new reality, a dystopia in the not-too-distant future, where the fallout from the zombie-apocalypse has impacted everything and everyone. We learn about life in these disturbing times through Vee, her reflections, decisions and interactions.

Bowe’s world-building is solid, weaving in recognisable Australian coastal towns, landmarks and pop culture references. Chapters alternating between the timelines cleverly give readers a chance to catch up with the fast-paced action, with lots of humour thrown in. Themes are extensive and thought-provoking, including friendship, family, courage, resilience, survival, genocide and morals/ethics. The full cast of diverse and original characters, human or otherwise, are well-drawn, and the dialogue and banter are stand-outs, propelling the narrative forward. This reviewer will fondly remember Sunny, who is, by name and nature, ever-optimistic and very funny, across both worlds. Readers aged 14+ and fans of Bowe’s previous, firmly contemporary, YA novels (Night swimming, All this could end) will enjoy this new cross-genre adventure.