What do you think?
Rate this book
All That’s Left in the World Duology
Jamie and Andrew are strangers, but they're two of the last people left alive. They don't know what they'll find on their dangerous journey ... but they may just find each other. A genre-bending queer romance about courage, hope and humanity for fans of The Last of Us, They Both Die at the End, The Hunger Games and Heartstopper.
This complete duology
- All That's Left in the World
- The Only Light Left Burning
- Plus, get ready for queer mayhem in an extended sneak peek of Erik's upcoming dark thriller Better the Devil
All That's Left in the World
When the Superflu wipes out most of the population, Jamie is completely alone in a cabin in the woods - until an injured stranger crosses his path. Life is dangerous now and, armed with a gun, Jamie goes to pull the trigger. But there's something about Andrew ... something that stops Jamie in his tracks. Jamie takes him in, and as Andrew heals and they eventually step out into the strange new world, their relationship starts to feel like more than just friendship ...
But trouble isn't far behind. As the boys make a perilous journey south, they face a world torn apart and society in ruins. And who, or what, will they find waiting for them at the end of it all?
The Only Light Left Burning
In a shattered world, Jamie and Andrew have settled in a new community, more in love than ever. Finally they've reached safety and are surrounded by what feels like their found family. But it's soon clear they want different Jamie wants to take to the road, just the two of them. But Andrew wants to stay in the safety of numbers.
With a storm closing in, they have no choice to head back into the wilderness where old enemies await, and trust is hard to find. Can they make it back to safety ... and each other?
---
"Tense, exciting, sometimes heartbreaking and always romantic, All That's Left in the World explores what it means to hold onto hope and humanity when the worst case scenario becomes reality. With characters you'll adore, and a fast-paced, mysterious plot that keeps you turning the pages as fast as you can devour them, this book is not to be missed."
- Sophie Gonzales, author of Only Mostly Devastated
"Brown has somehow achieved a book that is romantic, hilarious, warm-hearted, hopeful, and page-turningly thrilling all at once. I was hooked from beginning to end."
- Dahlia Adler, author of Cool for the Summer
"A timeless love story that could not be more appropriate for this moment, All That's Left in the World is a thrilling, heartfelt, and beautifully written debut."
- Tom Ryan, author of I Hope You're Listening
"Survival is core to the queer experience, and in All That's Left In the World, Brown takes that to apocalyptic extremes with the story of Andrew and Jamie. This is quintessentially brave, dangerous-in-the-best-way queer storytelling!"
- Adam Sass, author of Surrender Your Sons
"All That's Left in the World is unfailingly riveting and hopeful. A timely exploration of survival, trauma, and love stitched together with sharp wit and bone-deep emotion. Erik J. Brown is an invigorating voice to watch out for.
This complete duology
- All That's Left in the World
- The Only Light Left Burning
- Plus, get ready for queer mayhem in an extended sneak peek of Erik's upcoming dark thriller Better the Devil
All That's Left in the World
When the Superflu wipes out most of the population, Jamie is completely alone in a cabin in the woods - until an injured stranger crosses his path. Life is dangerous now and, armed with a gun, Jamie goes to pull the trigger. But there's something about Andrew ... something that stops Jamie in his tracks. Jamie takes him in, and as Andrew heals and they eventually step out into the strange new world, their relationship starts to feel like more than just friendship ...
But trouble isn't far behind. As the boys make a perilous journey south, they face a world torn apart and society in ruins. And who, or what, will they find waiting for them at the end of it all?
The Only Light Left Burning
In a shattered world, Jamie and Andrew have settled in a new community, more in love than ever. Finally they've reached safety and are surrounded by what feels like their found family. But it's soon clear they want different Jamie wants to take to the road, just the two of them. But Andrew wants to stay in the safety of numbers.
With a storm closing in, they have no choice to head back into the wilderness where old enemies await, and trust is hard to find. Can they make it back to safety ... and each other?
---
"Tense, exciting, sometimes heartbreaking and always romantic, All That's Left in the World explores what it means to hold onto hope and humanity when the worst case scenario becomes reality. With characters you'll adore, and a fast-paced, mysterious plot that keeps you turning the pages as fast as you can devour them, this book is not to be missed."
- Sophie Gonzales, author of Only Mostly Devastated
"Brown has somehow achieved a book that is romantic, hilarious, warm-hearted, hopeful, and page-turningly thrilling all at once. I was hooked from beginning to end."
- Dahlia Adler, author of Cool for the Summer
"A timeless love story that could not be more appropriate for this moment, All That's Left in the World is a thrilling, heartfelt, and beautifully written debut."
- Tom Ryan, author of I Hope You're Listening
"Survival is core to the queer experience, and in All That's Left In the World, Brown takes that to apocalyptic extremes with the story of Andrew and Jamie. This is quintessentially brave, dangerous-in-the-best-way queer storytelling!"
- Adam Sass, author of Surrender Your Sons
"All That's Left in the World is unfailingly riveting and hopeful. A timely exploration of survival, trauma, and love stitched together with sharp wit and bone-deep emotion. Erik J. Brown is an invigorating voice to watch out for.
- GenresQueer
727 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 19, 2025
About the author
Erik J. Brown
6 books2,278 followersErik J. Brown is the internationally-bestselling author of All That's Left in the World and the sequel The Only Light Left Burning.
His books have received starred reviews from Kirkus, The Bulletin of the Center of Children's Books, and ALA Booklist.
His second novel, Lose You to Find Me, became a USA Today Bestseller.
Erik is also the co-host of the YA Book Podcast YA-OK where he and Alyssa Ljub of Netflix's The Circle talk with new and established YA authors about writing, publishing, and all things YA!
He lives in Philadelphia with his family.
You can find him on Instagram @ErikJB and TikTok @ErikJBrown
His books have received starred reviews from Kirkus, The Bulletin of the Center of Children's Books, and ALA Booklist.
His second novel, Lose You to Find Me, became a USA Today Bestseller.
Erik is also the co-host of the YA Book Podcast YA-OK where he and Alyssa Ljub of Netflix's The Circle talk with new and established YA authors about writing, publishing, and all things YA!
He lives in Philadelphia with his family.
You can find him on Instagram @ErikJB and TikTok @ErikJBrown
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 4, 2026
post apo but gay??? say no more!!!
December 29, 2025
Honestly one of the best apocalyptic mlm I've ever read.
February 17, 2026
I loved this so much. Stayed up till 2 am to finish.. the lion scène OH MY GOD! Would recommend
April 5, 2026
I reallyyyy wanted to give this book more stars, because it was very cute and fun, but it just lacked substance for me. I admit that I picked this book for an easy, fun read, and it was that, but I also feel that the story involved some serious topics (PTSD, discovering one's sexual orientation, falling in love with a straight person and therefore experiencing one-sided love, etc.) that were not as emotionally gripping as I hoped they would be. It fell a bit flat for me.
Like, Cara's story - what is her story? We only saw her panic-crying with no real explanation, and I really thought her story would have been a nice addition. As it is, it felt like she was there only to serve as a convenient third person in the group.
Also, the blurb didn't specify that it was about 16-year-olds, so it was a bit too "young" for me, ha. And the teacher in me kept thinking that I’d want teenagers to get more out of this book - more depth, more emotional impact, and more to actually think about, especially since the story itself really had the potential for it. Oh, but one topic I think was quite well presented is the constant anxiety of being discovered as gay when you don’t know whether people will be accepting or aggressive bigots about it. I really empathised here and felt it was genuinely well portrayed. I felt angry and worried for Andrew every time he went through this.
Despite it all, the book was a fun read. I really liked the references to pop culture – even if I didn’t get all of them, they made the story feel more real. The two main characters had distinct personalities and quirks that I enjoyed reading about.
I also really liked a few lines that were beautifully written, I just wish there were more of them. Also, the opening scene and the first kiss scene were great. I don't think I've read a better first-kiss scene - it was so cute and humorous, I smiled the whole time :-)
Lastly, I wouldn't agree with the author that there were no gay post-apocalyptic books before, have you heard of the author Lily Mayne? :D But that's way more adult, like 18+ only haha.
Like, Cara's story - what is her story? We only saw her panic-crying with no real explanation, and I really thought her story would have been a nice addition. As it is, it felt like she was there only to serve as a convenient third person in the group.
Also, the blurb didn't specify that it was about 16-year-olds, so it was a bit too "young" for me, ha. And the teacher in me kept thinking that I’d want teenagers to get more out of this book - more depth, more emotional impact, and more to actually think about, especially since the story itself really had the potential for it. Oh, but one topic I think was quite well presented is the constant anxiety of being discovered as gay when you don’t know whether people will be accepting or aggressive bigots about it. I really empathised here and felt it was genuinely well portrayed. I felt angry and worried for Andrew every time he went through this.
Despite it all, the book was a fun read. I really liked the references to pop culture – even if I didn’t get all of them, they made the story feel more real. The two main characters had distinct personalities and quirks that I enjoyed reading about.
I also really liked a few lines that were beautifully written, I just wish there were more of them. Also, the opening scene and the first kiss scene were great. I don't think I've read a better first-kiss scene - it was so cute and humorous, I smiled the whole time :-)
Lastly, I wouldn't agree with the author that there were no gay post-apocalyptic books before, have you heard of the author Lily Mayne? :D But that's way more adult, like 18+ only haha.
March 15, 2026
One of the strongest elements of the series is its emotional depth. Rather than focusing only on action or destruction, the author highlights themes of human connection, resilience, and rebuilding trust after trauma. The relationship between the two main characters evolves naturally as they face loss, danger, and difficult choices together.
May 15, 2026
I just read this book in one sitting and I absolutely love it, it’s one of my favourite books now and i wanna reread it immediately. I love the slow burn and the whole setting in the apocalypse and I gotta say I cried many tears when Jamie got shot
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 7, 2026
4,75( dem hade inte behövt gå igednom så mycket😔) inte på dåligt sätt eller kinda
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy
I absolutely recommend this book to people who love a cute dystopian romance with such a great storytelling!! All the stuff happening in this book just makes you hooked and wanting to read more! I recently got into reading, so you can take my word for it. Love this book... I don't know what else to say ;)
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews