An Empty World With You: A dystopian romance about survival and the one person who made the silence feel like home

by Jemima Ceesay

When Lo wakes up in a deserted hospital, the world as she knew it is gone. Cities lie silent, people have vanished, and nature is reclaiming what humanity left behind. But just as she begins to lose hope, she meets Dexter and a loyal dog named Alfa.

Together, they navigate the eerie stillness of a post-apocalyptic world. In the ruins of what was once civilization, every step is a fight for survival, and the silence grows louder with each passing day. But what begins as a fragile alliance, slowly turns into something deeper, something that feels impossible in a world like this - love.

As strange and unsettling changes begin to stir around them, Lo starts to realize that an empty and motionless world may not be their only challenge.
Because even in the quietest place on Earth… nothing stays still forever.

A dystopian romance about a connection that makes even the end of the world feel alive.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Fiction

205 pages, Paperback

Published June 4, 2025

About the author

The story doesn’t end here. The sequel to An Empty World With You is coming... 🔥

I’m a self-published author and published my debut novel An Empty World With You at 18, a post-apocalyptic love story about survival, connection, and mental resilience.

My second book, The Main Character Playbook, is a deeply personal self-help guide focused on confidence, growth, and becoming the main character of your own life.

Different genres, same red thread: mental health, survival, and personal transformation.

Find me on TikTok & Instagram: @authorjems
Instagram (personal): @jemsliving

Reviews

[Alexandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. I’m dehydrated… I wouldn’t wish such heartbreak on my worst enemy. And the ending 🤯 My jaw was on the floor.

I liked the style and atmosphere. There is a lot of inner monologue, which I loved. I’m a big fan of post-apocalyptic books and movies, so I was instantly hooked. At the beginning there were things that I thought were weird and non-realistic, but trust me it all ties together at the end.

I would have loved it more if there was a more coherent explanation on what happened, but I also lowkey like that it’s open to interpretation.

[Britt de Korte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ohh, how I love having my heart broken... 5✨️

[Kayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautifully written

I was looking for something a little outside of normal read and I’m so glad I stumbled upon this book. Jemima wrote a beautiful story. Although it was fast-paced and short, I was drawn in by the characters and her writing. Definitely didn’t see the sending coming but it really tied the story up nicely. Can’t wait to read more of her works!

[Alt-Baddie Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting story?? Didn’t like how everything just sort of feel a part at the end though

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I devoured this book in less than a day. The writing is so easy to follow and takes you on the adventure with the main character. You will feel all the feels in this book. I love that it’s quick and that the plot twist got me good! The author is super sweet I DM’d her on tik tok letting her know I loved the book and she responded so quick & was very humble & kind. I can’t wait to read more of her writing in the future.

[Dalal Shukri · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sad but still, somehow, nice...

[Lindsey Ferringer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I swear to god if Lo doesn’t get the happy ending we all know she deserves I will sue.

[zzoereads · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5 ✨

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

THE PLOT TWIST?!

[Aurora · Rating 3 out of 5]

WHAT THE HELL DID I JUST READ

[Rae ‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

The ending??? 😭💔

[Mia Jevley · Rating 5 out of 5]

6 MILLION STARS!!!

i don’t usually ready dystopians but this one had me hooked. the short chapters made it digestible, the characters were lovely, AND THE DOG!!! i’m in literal shambles from the ending, just WOW. Lo + Dexter foreverrr🫶🏽

[addie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was so unbelievably underwhelming. To the point where I cannot begin to explain my thoughts. I did have to go check what age group this book was for because it felt like a children’s novel. Wow, real life romance is a cringefest. No thank you!

[Danisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made me cry I loved this book the details were amazing and I truly felt the love our main characters formed.

[Deshu Saur Raus · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5*
I really wanted to like the story from the start but I just felt disconnected. But then in the last few chapters, I really wanted
to cry. The ending though it left me feeling unsatisfied, like something felt off.
Plus I didn't understand why that was happening like the start and the end? What was it really? Sure it was to represent the loneliness and survival thingy when the world is dark. But too many open-ended questions was there, loose ends and it has to make sense atleast to me otherwise i will keep on thinkjnh and guessing and I dont like how i think or guess, plus I really don't like books with loose ends, if the books keep me on guessing without a solid ending it really doesn't make sense. I don't know what happened and if you have to assume things then it's just stranger things ending all over again, and I CAN'T okay. Can't nomorw!

My days! Earthies you can read it, it's good but I'm not okay with how things turned out to be, so read it and have your own opinions.

Toodles.

[starry skies · Rating 5 out of 5]

this books descriptions are honestly amazing yes they can be heavy or lengthy at times but i didnt mind that becuase a high majoriity of the time they were beautiful descriptions. despite only being 160 pages this didnt feel that rushed to me at all but i wouldve liked to see more interactions between the two character and how their banter built. the ending honestly has me in tears because just no it was so sad but then it had me going what the heck because what the heck. partial mixed feelings about the very end but in my opinion it was handled in a much better way then some books like this are. i loved this book alot and definitely recommend this if youre looking for a short, cosy and beautiful description dystopian / post apocalyptic vibe book.

[Bella T. Cor · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.85⭐
It’s a nice book, even if it’s quite short. There were moments where I genuinely felt the suspense of the lonely world, and I found myself hoping more would happen. At the end of the book, when she found the origami, I really wanted the story to continue, as it made me hope that maybe Dexter and Alpha hadn’t truly died.
Regarding the plot twist, I kind of saw the ending coming, but the final touch with the origami made it better. Still, it was an engaging read.

[Trisha Reeder · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a small self published author so I will give credit where credit is due. However, I was expecting a heart wrenching story but it was just so choppy and so incredibly kind of boring to read. I’m so sorry I didn’t love it; I just think the writing itself needs so much improvement. It kind of felt like reading a high school English paper

[Lyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very quick and easy read. I thought this book was going to put a nice spin on the “post- apocalyptic “ genre but overall it was just too fast paced and the writing was so overly descriptive it felt hollow. Nothing was really explained nor exciting and the ending felt rushed as if the author got tired of writing as soon as she had something interesting going on.

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

“You looked like trouble,” I added.
He glanced sideways. “You looked like the beginning of something.”


“You always look at me like you’re thinking something,” I said quietly.
His eyes met mine. “Maybe I am.”
“And you’re not gonna tell me what it is?”
“Maybe not.”
Another beat passed. A heartbeat stretched out.
“You make it hard to think,” he said, lower now.
“Good.”

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5⭐️

[Breah Stith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wait. What… 😭

[Dexter · Rating 3 out of 5]

lol sooooo Dexter where are you???

[Cyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written and so easy to keep on reading.

Such a unique story, though I did guess the ending right at the beginning.