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Doomsdate
Win a free print copy of this book!
21 days and 17:50:49
50 copies available
U.S. only
When a first date between a doomsday prepper and a nerdy film professor goes horribly, zombie-apocalypse-level wrong, the mismatched pair team up on a road trip to safety in this delightfully feral rom-com.
With a new virus spreading and a lockdown on the horizon, Maisie Bennett is determined to check one item off her bucket list: Get laid. But that’s no easy feat for an anxious doomsday prepper who’s never made it past a first date. So when a handsome, stubbly-jawed professor swipes right and agrees to meet up, Maisie vows to act normal—and to leave her taser at home.
Dr. Everett Greer has lost all lust for life after a personal tragedy, but he doesn’t have the heart to stand up the poor woman his best friend catfished to force him back “out there.” Maisie turns out to be surprisingly lovely, but there's something off about her, too, with her clinking cargo pockets, shy smile, and utility belt full of—are those weapons? Unfortunately, their awkward first date goes from bad to doomed when the GI virus that’s trapped half of America in the bathroom starts claiming its first casualties, then reanimates them into flesh-eating zombies. And this is precisely why Everett doesn't date anymore.
As the country spins out of control, Maisie and Everett find themselves an unlikely team of two—well, three, if you count Everett’s cat, Chicken—as they travel north to hopeful safety. Along the way, Maisie and Everett make a deal: she’ll teach the soft, liberal arts professor how to survive, and he’ll teach her how to live—through movies, travel, and, to Maisie’s delight, sex lessons. But when their growing feelings are put to the test, they’re in danger of losing not only their brains to the zombies, but worse, their hearts to each other.
With a new virus spreading and a lockdown on the horizon, Maisie Bennett is determined to check one item off her bucket list: Get laid. But that’s no easy feat for an anxious doomsday prepper who’s never made it past a first date. So when a handsome, stubbly-jawed professor swipes right and agrees to meet up, Maisie vows to act normal—and to leave her taser at home.
Dr. Everett Greer has lost all lust for life after a personal tragedy, but he doesn’t have the heart to stand up the poor woman his best friend catfished to force him back “out there.” Maisie turns out to be surprisingly lovely, but there's something off about her, too, with her clinking cargo pockets, shy smile, and utility belt full of—are those weapons? Unfortunately, their awkward first date goes from bad to doomed when the GI virus that’s trapped half of America in the bathroom starts claiming its first casualties, then reanimates them into flesh-eating zombies. And this is precisely why Everett doesn't date anymore.
As the country spins out of control, Maisie and Everett find themselves an unlikely team of two—well, three, if you count Everett’s cat, Chicken—as they travel north to hopeful safety. Along the way, Maisie and Everett make a deal: she’ll teach the soft, liberal arts professor how to survive, and he’ll teach her how to live—through movies, travel, and, to Maisie’s delight, sex lessons. But when their growing feelings are put to the test, they’re in danger of losing not only their brains to the zombies, but worse, their hearts to each other.
9 pages, Audible Audio
First published September 15, 2026
About the author
Laura Piper Lee
4 books598 followersLaura Piper Lee writes lots of things--desperate pleas to her partner for emergency caffeine, to-do lists that never get done, impassioned texts on her favorite supplements (it's Berberine, look it up)--but she only gets paid to write adult romantic comedies featuring characters as hapless as she is.
Add her newest book, Zoe Brennan, First Crush to your want-to-reads shelf if you love steamy, sapphic romcoms with professorial butch love interests, power play, and lots of wine!
Things you'll find in Zoe Brennan:
*A lot of on-page spice,
*a sexy, bossy butch love interest,
*a LOT of jokes, and
*a perpetually single lesbian in a small queer mountain town who's married to her vineyard because relationships are scary.
Add Laura's debut Hannah Tate, Beyond Repair to your to-reads shelf, or hell, if you want to be a hero, buy it even!
Things you'll find in Hannah Tate:
*on-page spice
*a hot Golden Retriever boyfriend (he even lives in a treehouse y'all)
*a LOT of jokes, and
* a single mom who's trying to build her whole life from the ground up with two leaky breasts and an infant strapped to her front.
Add her newest book, Zoe Brennan, First Crush to your want-to-reads shelf if you love steamy, sapphic romcoms with professorial butch love interests, power play, and lots of wine!
Things you'll find in Zoe Brennan:
*A lot of on-page spice,
*a sexy, bossy butch love interest,
*a LOT of jokes, and
*a perpetually single lesbian in a small queer mountain town who's married to her vineyard because relationships are scary.
Add Laura's debut Hannah Tate, Beyond Repair to your to-reads shelf, or hell, if you want to be a hero, buy it even!
Things you'll find in Hannah Tate:
*on-page spice
*a hot Golden Retriever boyfriend (he even lives in a treehouse y'all)
*a LOT of jokes, and
* a single mom who's trying to build her whole life from the ground up with two leaky breasts and an infant strapped to her front.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 759 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
is there anything better than a nerdy completely pathetic, utterly down bad mmc with an absolutely fifthly mouth?!
Pair it with laugh out loud funny adventures during a zombie apocalypse, emotional depth for dayssss, + sex lessons.
I'm so utterly in love with this book.
Doomsdate is impossible to put down.
It is action-packed. Laugh out loud funny. The perfectly pathetic (complimentary) cat dad MMC. The absolute baddie FMC. The way they learn to live & love during a literal zombie apocalypse. The found family. The heart-break. The healing. The absolute bonkers (again, complimentary) concept. The sex lessons!!!!
This is such an unbelievably fun book, with a ton of emotional depth, and if it isn’t on your tbr yet, what tf are you waiting for.
I’m planning to reread the MOMENT I have access to the audiobook, at which point I may come back and add even more praise to this review, but for now this will have to do.
READ THIS BOOK!
While you’re waiting for its release please, please go read Pot Shot, another absolute banger by Laura Piper Lee!
5⭐️ | IG | TikTok |
Thank you Dell & the author for the gifted book. All opinions are my own.
Pair it with laugh out loud funny adventures during a zombie apocalypse, emotional depth for dayssss, + sex lessons.
I'm so utterly in love with this book.
Doomsdate is impossible to put down.
It is action-packed. Laugh out loud funny. The perfectly pathetic (complimentary) cat dad MMC. The absolute baddie FMC. The way they learn to live & love during a literal zombie apocalypse. The found family. The heart-break. The healing. The absolute bonkers (again, complimentary) concept. The sex lessons!!!!
This is such an unbelievably fun book, with a ton of emotional depth, and if it isn’t on your tbr yet, what tf are you waiting for.
I’m planning to reread the MOMENT I have access to the audiobook, at which point I may come back and add even more praise to this review, but for now this will have to do.
READ THIS BOOK!
While you’re waiting for its release please, please go read Pot Shot, another absolute banger by Laura Piper Lee!
5⭐️ | IG | TikTok |
Thank you Dell & the author for the gifted book. All opinions are my own.
Did Not Finish
June 20, 2026DNF 60% What a strange experience.
This book starts off so strong. We have Piper, a doomsday prepper who really, really wants to get laid, and her target is a sweet guy named Everett. Unfortunately, her only reference material for how to flirt is reality TV. As if that wasn’t awkward enough, a zombie apocalypse kicks off right as they're wrapping up dinner.
As far as first chapters go, this was great. I immediately loved how flawed and relatable these characters were. But they also walked a really fine line between being totally adorable and completely cringe.
For a while, I was 100% team ‘adorable’. But then the romance completely hogged the apocalypse and that’s where it lost me.
It started to feel like they were just going on casual dates while the apocalypse was happening in the background. The sexual tension led to some funny zombie encounters at first, but it also became repetitive and eye roll inducing. I wanted to love the deeper moments where they worked through their insecurities, but there was just so much boring filler and so. much. lust! Ughh
I ended up skimming the romance and getting completely annoyed by the characters, so I thought it was best to DNF.
─ ✦ ────
✎ᝰ.┊ pre-read: an anxious doomsday prepper and a grieving hottie professor VS. a zombie apocalypse. i am sat 👀
⬫ ⬪ ⬫
Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine for the arc!
This book starts off so strong. We have Piper, a doomsday prepper who really, really wants to get laid, and her target is a sweet guy named Everett. Unfortunately, her only reference material for how to flirt is reality TV. As if that wasn’t awkward enough, a zombie apocalypse kicks off right as they're wrapping up dinner.
As far as first chapters go, this was great. I immediately loved how flawed and relatable these characters were. But they also walked a really fine line between being totally adorable and completely cringe.
For a while, I was 100% team ‘adorable’. But then the romance completely hogged the apocalypse and that’s where it lost me.
It started to feel like they were just going on casual dates while the apocalypse was happening in the background. The sexual tension led to some funny zombie encounters at first, but it also became repetitive and eye roll inducing. I wanted to love the deeper moments where they worked through their insecurities, but there was just so much boring filler and so. much. lust! Ughh
I ended up skimming the romance and getting completely annoyed by the characters, so I thought it was best to DNF.
─ ✦ ────
✎ᝰ.┊ pre-read: an anxious doomsday prepper and a grieving hottie professor VS. a zombie apocalypse. i am sat 👀
⬫ ⬪ ⬫
Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine for the arc!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
4 Zombie Ridden Stars!
Dating is tough! Toss in Pandemic 2.0 times a thousand, and the odds of a successful connection dwindle fast. As per the blurb, somehow a prepper raised in isolation and a widower who’s barely functioning three years later, reluctantly see a mutually benefiting partnership to travel the zombie ridden countryside to get to their respective destinations. Will they be successful? Will they find love in the process? Well, of course they do!
As Maisie and Everett confront obstacle after obstacle, they do so with grit and determination. Though this was a bit repetitive with lots of personal contemplation and inner turmoil, both have plenty of healing and growth to do regarding their myriad of issues. This definitely runs the gamut of experiences, plunging the reader into smart survivor scenarios, anxiously ridden zombie chases and fights, all peppered with fun pop culture references amongst the silly humor, gory horror, and spicy spice.
Obviously, this was an easy read, and though at times grim and tragic, don’t take it too seriously. Sit back and enjoy the wild ride that this is!
Thank you to Ballantine of Dell via NetGalley or a copy to review honestly
Dating is tough! Toss in Pandemic 2.0 times a thousand, and the odds of a successful connection dwindle fast. As per the blurb, somehow a prepper raised in isolation and a widower who’s barely functioning three years later, reluctantly see a mutually benefiting partnership to travel the zombie ridden countryside to get to their respective destinations. Will they be successful? Will they find love in the process? Well, of course they do!
As Maisie and Everett confront obstacle after obstacle, they do so with grit and determination. Though this was a bit repetitive with lots of personal contemplation and inner turmoil, both have plenty of healing and growth to do regarding their myriad of issues. This definitely runs the gamut of experiences, plunging the reader into smart survivor scenarios, anxiously ridden zombie chases and fights, all peppered with fun pop culture references amongst the silly humor, gory horror, and spicy spice.
Obviously, this was an easy read, and though at times grim and tragic, don’t take it too seriously. Sit back and enjoy the wild ride that this is!
Thank you to Ballantine of Dell via NetGalley or a copy to review honestly
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
”I may have taught you how to survive, Everett. But you’ve taught me how to live.”
as much as i love zombie related content, this book didn’t do what i wanted it to. it started off fun, but the characters were driving me up the wall. i’m sick of 30+ year olds acting like they don’t have brains in their head. i also get irritated by virgin characters who somehow lack basic common sense about anything sexual.
the romance between Maisie & Everett did have cute bits, but they were driven by lust and the sex scenes were horrendous. i also thought the whole thing with Everett’s parents & Maisie’s “gramps” was completely out of left field. i didn’t like the reasoning they gave for why the zombie outbreak was occurring either.
Maisie is the capable one out of the two, Everett’s horror movie knowledge was most of what he had to offer for the majority of the book. maybe i just wanted more zombie carnage, but all the elements of the story didn’t mesh well for me & it was honestly distracting. there is some mindless enjoyment to be had though.
➻ thanks to NetGalley, the author and Ballantine for the arc, all opinions are my own.
as much as i love zombie related content, this book didn’t do what i wanted it to. it started off fun, but the characters were driving me up the wall. i’m sick of 30+ year olds acting like they don’t have brains in their head. i also get irritated by virgin characters who somehow lack basic common sense about anything sexual.
the romance between Maisie & Everett did have cute bits, but they were driven by lust and the sex scenes were horrendous. i also thought the whole thing with Everett’s parents & Maisie’s “gramps” was completely out of left field. i didn’t like the reasoning they gave for why the zombie outbreak was occurring either.
Maisie is the capable one out of the two, Everett’s horror movie knowledge was most of what he had to offer for the majority of the book. maybe i just wanted more zombie carnage, but all the elements of the story didn’t mesh well for me & it was honestly distracting. there is some mindless enjoyment to be had though.
➻ thanks to NetGalley, the author and Ballantine for the arc, all opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
It's hard to mix genres like horror, romance and humour successfully but I think this book played very well on the different themes.
I had a great time.
This felt like a fresh take on the usual romance tropes, where most of the rescuing is left to the FMC, it's got a lot of heart and humour, and just enough spice.
The zombie apocalypse part is really good in itself, and felt more developed than just a pretext for the protagonist to develop their relationship.
It's a self aware, not very serious book and it plays it well with nods to pop culture.
I had a great time.
This felt like a fresh take on the usual romance tropes, where most of the rescuing is left to the FMC, it's got a lot of heart and humour, and just enough spice.
The zombie apocalypse part is really good in itself, and felt more developed than just a pretext for the protagonist to develop their relationship.
It's a self aware, not very serious book and it plays it well with nods to pop culture.
Want to Read
May 24, 2026omg this sounds so good?
Thank you Random House Publishing Group for access to this ARC
Thank you Random House Publishing Group for access to this ARC
September 6, 2026
homegirl whole purpose was to get her cherry popped in the middle of a zombie apocalypse.
2.75⭐️
I was really excited for this one cause I loved pot shot and throughout the first 40% of it I was having the 5 stars feeling but once the whole romance aspect started I lost my interest in them, oops. It just became so repetitive at one point: go to another state, fight the zombies, have crazy sex somewhere, fight more zombies and move to another state. Over and over again.
I liked that the characters were fleshed out, I can give it that lol. The writing wasn’t bad neither, at least the no sex parts… the sex scenes gave me the ick cause everything felt so forced. Idk, it wasn’t good. But again if they weren’t fighting zombies they were having sex so I guess through half of the book I was just trying my best not to cringe.
honestly, I’ll still recommend the book! If you want to have a fun time this is for sure a good option. it just wasn’t for me right now
2.75⭐️
I was really excited for this one cause I loved pot shot and throughout the first 40% of it I was having the 5 stars feeling but once the whole romance aspect started I lost my interest in them, oops. It just became so repetitive at one point: go to another state, fight the zombies, have crazy sex somewhere, fight more zombies and move to another state. Over and over again.
I liked that the characters were fleshed out, I can give it that lol. The writing wasn’t bad neither, at least the no sex parts… the sex scenes gave me the ick cause everything felt so forced. Idk, it wasn’t good. But again if they weren’t fighting zombies they were having sex so I guess through half of the book I was just trying my best not to cringe.
honestly, I’ll still recommend the book! If you want to have a fun time this is for sure a good option. it just wasn’t for me right now
September 10, 2026
‘When a first date between a doomsday prepper and a nerdy film professor goes horribly, zombie-apocalypse-level wrong, the mismatched pair team up on a road trip to safety in this delightfully feral rom-com.’
Pot Shot was easily one of my favorite books this year. & when I came across Doomsdate on NG, I snatched it up like some hungry hostage at a Bonanza buffet.
So it kills me to say that this book was not of the same caliber. Far from it IMO.
Woofff. I had several issues. But the main one was the MMC, Everett. It’s like he was a mannequin built from parts that just DID NOT MATCH!
A military brat, a good looking nerdy professor type with a penchant for horror movies. He’s a widow and still heavily grieving from his loss. He’s estranged from his parents after they rejected him because he’s “such a disappointment” by not following in their military footsteps. He’s seemingly a loner, a little reclusive with only a single friend to speak of. He’s awkward and goofy and unsure of himself, sometimes downright dim, self deprecating, & woe-is-me…. We find him up some tree, like a scared, fragile kitten, helpless & defenseless when the zombie apocalypse hits, surrounded by the undead, because he’s “never learned how to fight”.
Cue the FMC. Maisie swoops in to the rescue and wipes out every zombie surrounding the damn tree with a mace. A mace! By herself, & saves his life.
And this is where their journey begins.
Maisie’s a 30 yo virgin and asks him for sex lessons along the way🙄 Feelings inevitably follow. Because ofc they do.
My problem with Everett is not that he can’t fight, or that he’s nerdy or sulky or any of that. It comes when he starts “dirty-talking” during “sex lessons”. This meek mountain of a man turns into someone else entirely, saying shit like: I l’m going to drink from your c⛎nt. (Ewwww, cringe.) And: I’m going to put my hard c☮️ck into your tight little p***y.”
Seriously dude? Like, idk...maybe pick a personality, ffs. Who tf are you really? I still dk.
Truthfully, I didn’t like either one of them. And what would eventually happen to them during this bloody apocalypse didn’t make a damn bit of difference to me one way or the other. I just didn’t give a toss.
The issues I had didn’t stop here. But I’m not about to drone on and on.
I thought the premise was solid. But it simply did not work for me. The struggle to get through was nothing short of painful. I am positively jubilant about moving on.
Thanks to Ballantine for the opportunity. I am always grateful.
Pub: 9.15.26.
All opinions are my own.
Pot Shot was easily one of my favorite books this year. & when I came across Doomsdate on NG, I snatched it up like some hungry hostage at a Bonanza buffet.
So it kills me to say that this book was not of the same caliber. Far from it IMO.
Woofff. I had several issues. But the main one was the MMC, Everett. It’s like he was a mannequin built from parts that just DID NOT MATCH!
A military brat, a good looking nerdy professor type with a penchant for horror movies. He’s a widow and still heavily grieving from his loss. He’s estranged from his parents after they rejected him because he’s “such a disappointment” by not following in their military footsteps. He’s seemingly a loner, a little reclusive with only a single friend to speak of. He’s awkward and goofy and unsure of himself, sometimes downright dim, self deprecating, & woe-is-me…. We find him up some tree, like a scared, fragile kitten, helpless & defenseless when the zombie apocalypse hits, surrounded by the undead, because he’s “never learned how to fight”.
Cue the FMC. Maisie swoops in to the rescue and wipes out every zombie surrounding the damn tree with a mace. A mace! By herself, & saves his life.
And this is where their journey begins.
Maisie’s a 30 yo virgin and asks him for sex lessons along the way🙄 Feelings inevitably follow. Because ofc they do.
My problem with Everett is not that he can’t fight, or that he’s nerdy or sulky or any of that. It comes when he starts “dirty-talking” during “sex lessons”. This meek mountain of a man turns into someone else entirely, saying shit like: I l’m going to drink from your c⛎nt. (Ewwww, cringe.) And: I’m going to put my hard c☮️ck into your tight little p***y.”
Seriously dude? Like, idk...maybe pick a personality, ffs. Who tf are you really? I still dk.
Truthfully, I didn’t like either one of them. And what would eventually happen to them during this bloody apocalypse didn’t make a damn bit of difference to me one way or the other. I just didn’t give a toss.
The issues I had didn’t stop here. But I’m not about to drone on and on.
I thought the premise was solid. But it simply did not work for me. The struggle to get through was nothing short of painful. I am positively jubilant about moving on.
Thanks to Ballantine for the opportunity. I am always grateful.
Pub: 9.15.26.
All opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
I’m obsessed with this book! I didn’t know I needed a romcom with zombies and cat until I picked this one up, but once I did, I couldn’t put it down.
Everything about this story was perfection to me. I laughed, I kicked my feet, and I cried, because wow this story packed an emotional punch. I love when a book can be so much fun and still elicit such depth of emotion.
I loved Maisie and Everett, both individually and together. Their connection and chemistry is palpable, and they’re perfectly matched for one another. And Chicken?! Don’t even get me started on Chicken. She is everything.
This will absolutely go down as one of my favorite books of 2026!
Everything about this story was perfection to me. I laughed, I kicked my feet, and I cried, because wow this story packed an emotional punch. I love when a book can be so much fun and still elicit such depth of emotion.
I loved Maisie and Everett, both individually and together. Their connection and chemistry is palpable, and they’re perfectly matched for one another. And Chicken?! Don’t even get me started on Chicken. She is everything.
This will absolutely go down as one of my favorite books of 2026!
Review of advance copy received from Author
I obviously LOVE this book!
It is pretty different than my others, though. If you're a Laura Piper Lee fan already, you'll find the same humor, heart, and offbeat personality that shines through all my books here. What's new is that this is an adventure romcom with real horror moments and a lot of big feelings about the end of the world. I also usually populate my books with a ton of lovable side characters, but that's rather hard to do in a zombie apocalypse novel. :) It's more adventure-focused than the pure comedy of POT SHOT, and it's my longest book yet. It's also VERY steamy--these two just couldn't keep their hands off each other!
Along with laughter, silly zombies, and super hot sex lessons, readers should expect death, gore, grief, America in ruins, and an HEA set firmly in a zombie apocalypse. Honestly, writing it in this day and age was pretty cathartic for me, and I hope reading it will feel that way for you, too.
Love,
Laura
It is pretty different than my others, though. If you're a Laura Piper Lee fan already, you'll find the same humor, heart, and offbeat personality that shines through all my books here. What's new is that this is an adventure romcom with real horror moments and a lot of big feelings about the end of the world. I also usually populate my books with a ton of lovable side characters, but that's rather hard to do in a zombie apocalypse novel. :) It's more adventure-focused than the pure comedy of POT SHOT, and it's my longest book yet. It's also VERY steamy--these two just couldn't keep their hands off each other!
Along with laughter, silly zombies, and super hot sex lessons, readers should expect death, gore, grief, America in ruins, and an HEA set firmly in a zombie apocalypse. Honestly, writing it in this day and age was pretty cathartic for me, and I hope reading it will feel that way for you, too.
Love,
Laura
September 15, 2026
I’ve never really been into books or even movies about zombie apocalypses, but I think my feelings on the topic are changing based on this book because I truly LOVED IT! Can you even imagine being on a first date (one you don’t even WANT to go on) and all the sudden the zombie apocalypse happens? What a riot!!! This was such a fun novel. Maisie and Everette are an unlikely duo (and complete opposites). Maisie is a socially anxious, hardcore prepper who is ready for the apocalypse, while Everett is basically nerdier and just not in the mood for dating. But he was catfished by his FRIENDS so… there’s that too LOL. If that isn’t bad enough, imagine the world ending when these two are on their first date 😂 That’s just a double whammy of bad things! But… maybe in terms of love it could... work?
I loved the forced proximity and road-trip romance aspects, especially because they're thrown together in the middle of absolute chaos. Watching them slowly go from two people who barely know each other to genuinely relying on and caring for one another was really satisfying. Then we have the zombies! Them and the whole apocalypse plot added so much to the romance instead of just being background scenery. There was danger, suspense, and humor. I loved it!
If you’re looking for something different, I highly recommend this book. I wasn’t expecting to love it as much as I did but it has easily become a new favorite!
𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗 𝗜𝗙 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗟𝗜𝗞𝗘
🧟♀️ Zombie apocalypse
❤️ Apocalyptic romance
🔥 Forced proximity
💕 Opposites attract
🚗 Road-trip romance
🌎 End-of-the-world survival
I loved the forced proximity and road-trip romance aspects, especially because they're thrown together in the middle of absolute chaos. Watching them slowly go from two people who barely know each other to genuinely relying on and caring for one another was really satisfying. Then we have the zombies! Them and the whole apocalypse plot added so much to the romance instead of just being background scenery. There was danger, suspense, and humor. I loved it!
If you’re looking for something different, I highly recommend this book. I wasn’t expecting to love it as much as I did but it has easily become a new favorite!
𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗 𝗜𝗙 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗟𝗜𝗞𝗘
🧟♀️ Zombie apocalypse
❤️ Apocalyptic romance
🔥 Forced proximity
💕 Opposites attract
🚗 Road-trip romance
🌎 End-of-the-world survival
September 21, 2026
4.25 ⭐️
This is my second book by Laura Piper Lee, and I have to say, this author makes me chuckle so many times throughout her books. I know I’m going to have a good time whenever I pick one up!
I highly recommend listening to this one on audio because that’s how I read it, and I absolutely adored the experience.
Just imagine a rom-com thrown into an apocalypse, with a virgin FMC and an MMC who gets set up on a date. 😂 It’s a crazy, zany mess, but somehow it works so well. I loved getting to know both of these characters and seeing everything they had been through. They made me laugh, and I found myself rooting for them along the way.
This book was a whole journey, and I was absolutely along for the ride. If you’re looking for something fun, chaotic, and a little different, definitely give this one a try!
This is my second book by Laura Piper Lee, and I have to say, this author makes me chuckle so many times throughout her books. I know I’m going to have a good time whenever I pick one up!
I highly recommend listening to this one on audio because that’s how I read it, and I absolutely adored the experience.
Just imagine a rom-com thrown into an apocalypse, with a virgin FMC and an MMC who gets set up on a date. 😂 It’s a crazy, zany mess, but somehow it works so well. I loved getting to know both of these characters and seeing everything they had been through. They made me laugh, and I found myself rooting for them along the way.
This book was a whole journey, and I was absolutely along for the ride. If you’re looking for something fun, chaotic, and a little different, definitely give this one a try!
September 20, 2026
LPL knows how to write a dang good time. This book balanced humor, heart, and political topics perfectly!
Absolutely loved this!
Absolutely loved this!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
✨ Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine for the ARC of Doomsdate!✨
It's only September, but I think I can confidently say that Doomsdate is my 2026 dark horse contender for favorite rom-com. I requested this book because the concept was so outlandish - a reclusive professor teams up with a paranoid prepper in the midst of a zombie apocalypse pandemic and they predictably fall in love - yet was so delighted to discover that there was so much more lurking beneath the surface of this seemingly absurd story. This book was unexpected in every way - Laura Piper Lee packed these 400 pages with heart and emotion between scenes of decapitating zombies, adventures traversing major landmarks of the eastern seaboard, and lots (and lots) of pandemic-style spice.
How could I fall in love with a book where the MMC fights a hoard of the undead while grappling with his - ahem - arousal? Any explanation I provide will likely be insufficient, but I'll try. Maisie and Everett leap off the page as complex, interesting characters who have... very different approaches to surviving a pandemic. Without giving too much of their intriguing back stories away, they are both grappling with their own traumas that have left them shut down and resistant to trusting and enjoying the company of another human. But when they go on a date just hours before the world as we know it implodes into reanimated victims of a global pandemic, they realize that they each have something the other wants, and their best chances of forging a path forward is likely together. (Also shout out to the best pandemic side-kick ever, Chicken the zombie alerting feline friend).
At no point could I predict where this book would go next, and I mean this in the best possible way. Maisie & Everett's chaotic adventures kept me on my toes; tearing myself away from this book felt like an impossible task. Mortal danger and terror lurked around every corner, but so did sweltering hot makeout (and more...) lessons. The juxtaposition was ridiculous and admittedly brilliant - the book never felt too heavy or difficult to read, despite, at its heart, being about trying to survive one of the most traumatic events in human history. (There were moments, especially early on, that I worried that this book was publishing too soon after the COVID-19 pandemic, but Lee did an admirable job both recognizing COVID as a notable landmark in the book and simultaneously distancing these events from COVID enough to be enjoyable).
Lee thoughtfully and sensitively handled difficult topics, including loss and grief, suicide, and anxiety, without lingering so much on any one of these issues in the context of an otherwise fun and lighthearted romance. (Please review content warnings for this one, as there might be parts of this novel that hit a bit too close to home for some).
As a long-time romance/romcom fan, I always find it enjoyable when an author branches out of the expected tropes in the genre, but it's even more special when the author can really stick the landing for a creative and well-conceptualized story. Lee does all of this and more with Maisie and Everett's story.
It's only September, but I think I can confidently say that Doomsdate is my 2026 dark horse contender for favorite rom-com. I requested this book because the concept was so outlandish - a reclusive professor teams up with a paranoid prepper in the midst of a zombie apocalypse pandemic and they predictably fall in love - yet was so delighted to discover that there was so much more lurking beneath the surface of this seemingly absurd story. This book was unexpected in every way - Laura Piper Lee packed these 400 pages with heart and emotion between scenes of decapitating zombies, adventures traversing major landmarks of the eastern seaboard, and lots (and lots) of pandemic-style spice.
How could I fall in love with a book where the MMC fights a hoard of the undead while grappling with his - ahem - arousal? Any explanation I provide will likely be insufficient, but I'll try. Maisie and Everett leap off the page as complex, interesting characters who have... very different approaches to surviving a pandemic. Without giving too much of their intriguing back stories away, they are both grappling with their own traumas that have left them shut down and resistant to trusting and enjoying the company of another human. But when they go on a date just hours before the world as we know it implodes into reanimated victims of a global pandemic, they realize that they each have something the other wants, and their best chances of forging a path forward is likely together. (Also shout out to the best pandemic side-kick ever, Chicken the zombie alerting feline friend).
At no point could I predict where this book would go next, and I mean this in the best possible way. Maisie & Everett's chaotic adventures kept me on my toes; tearing myself away from this book felt like an impossible task. Mortal danger and terror lurked around every corner, but so did sweltering hot makeout (and more...) lessons. The juxtaposition was ridiculous and admittedly brilliant - the book never felt too heavy or difficult to read, despite, at its heart, being about trying to survive one of the most traumatic events in human history. (There were moments, especially early on, that I worried that this book was publishing too soon after the COVID-19 pandemic, but Lee did an admirable job both recognizing COVID as a notable landmark in the book and simultaneously distancing these events from COVID enough to be enjoyable).
Lee thoughtfully and sensitively handled difficult topics, including loss and grief, suicide, and anxiety, without lingering so much on any one of these issues in the context of an otherwise fun and lighthearted romance. (Please review content warnings for this one, as there might be parts of this novel that hit a bit too close to home for some).
As a long-time romance/romcom fan, I always find it enjoyable when an author branches out of the expected tropes in the genre, but it's even more special when the author can really stick the landing for a creative and well-conceptualized story. Lee does all of this and more with Maisie and Everett's story.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
pre-read:
is it just me or the man on the cover look yum?
edit: OMG I GOT THE ARC
review:
I am very, very picky with romance book. Romance even isn't really my genre, feel free to look at my romance reading list! But this book got my attention—and ... do I like or dislike this book? 👀
Not gonna lie, just from seeing the cover of this book, I really wanted to read it. I mean, just look at it! Doesn't the guy on the cover look yum!? Oh, he looks exactly like my type. And after I read the blurb? A professor with stubble and glasses? Damn, I need to read this! *banging my credit card*
Based on my past experience with romance books that always disappointed me, I honestly didn't expect much. Especially with the blurb that looked kinda silly and I seriously thought it would be very cringe. I mean, seriously, apocalypse romance? I thought the characters would just act dumb and horny all the time, and I was ready to hate it. But well, I can say that I'm glad I was wrong.
I only needed a few pages to feel like this book was a comfortable read, and to know that Maisie and Everett might not be like other romances I've read (even if it's not many lol). Their first meeting really hooked me. Since that, I kept thinking, 'omg this book is so good', so I kept reading.
I do love Maisie and Everett. Maisie is a likable and prepared character, meanwhile Everett is a movie nerd and kinda dumb (for zombie survival), but in an endearing way. Here, we also would meet other characters. My personal favorites: Gramps and Chicken. How I wish to see them more.
I didn't feel their romance was cringe. From the first time they met, I was already rooting for them for some reason. They are awkward in a funny way, have different personalities and inner conflicts too. And I really like that this is not insta-lust/love like I expected or often find in romance books.
This book really exceeded my expectations at some points. When I thought the zombie element would be weak, that's exactly when the world actually started to go into an apocalypse. Crazy. I didn't expect the action and survival parts to be this good and enough for romance books.
Maybe, from the middle to the end, the story gets darker, because well … it's zombies everywhere, and guess who will die? So I feel like the giddy moments become less. Some new characters are also introduced toward the end. I wish their journey was longer and had more moments that made me giggle and kick my feet. But everything I read was already good enough and felt just right.
I recommend this book, even if you were first interested just because of the cover like me lol.
is it just me or the man on the cover look yum?
edit: OMG I GOT THE ARC
review:
I am very, very picky with romance book. Romance even isn't really my genre, feel free to look at my romance reading list! But this book got my attention—and ... do I like or dislike this book? 👀
Not gonna lie, just from seeing the cover of this book, I really wanted to read it. I mean, just look at it! Doesn't the guy on the cover look yum!? Oh, he looks exactly like my type. And after I read the blurb? A professor with stubble and glasses? Damn, I need to read this! *banging my credit card*
Based on my past experience with romance books that always disappointed me, I honestly didn't expect much. Especially with the blurb that looked kinda silly and I seriously thought it would be very cringe. I mean, seriously, apocalypse romance? I thought the characters would just act dumb and horny all the time, and I was ready to hate it. But well, I can say that I'm glad I was wrong.
I only needed a few pages to feel like this book was a comfortable read, and to know that Maisie and Everett might not be like other romances I've read (even if it's not many lol). Their first meeting really hooked me. Since that, I kept thinking, 'omg this book is so good', so I kept reading.
I do love Maisie and Everett. Maisie is a likable and prepared character, meanwhile Everett is a movie nerd and kinda dumb (for zombie survival), but in an endearing way. Here, we also would meet other characters. My personal favorites: Gramps and Chicken. How I wish to see them more.
I didn't feel their romance was cringe. From the first time they met, I was already rooting for them for some reason. They are awkward in a funny way, have different personalities and inner conflicts too. And I really like that this is not insta-lust/love like I expected or often find in romance books.
This book really exceeded my expectations at some points. When I thought the zombie element would be weak, that's exactly when the world actually started to go into an apocalypse. Crazy. I didn't expect the action and survival parts to be this good and enough for romance books.
Maybe, from the middle to the end, the story gets darker, because well … it's zombies everywhere, and guess who will die? So I feel like the giddy moments become less. Some new characters are also introduced toward the end. I wish their journey was longer and had more moments that made me giggle and kick my feet. But everything I read was already good enough and felt just right.
I recommend this book, even if you were first interested just because of the cover like me lol.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Was I expecting to swoon AND cry during a spicy zombie romance? No. But this book exceeded all of my expectations.
▹My ⭐ Rating: ★★★★.5 out of 5
▹Format: 📱 eReader
I received an advance e-copy of this book from Ballentine and Netgalley, but all opinions here are my honest thoughts. This book comes out September 15, 2026.
─────────────────────────
○★○ What to Expect from This Book: ○★○
– FMC: Maisie Bennett (aka “sweetheart” or “baby”). Nearly 30-year-old actuarial analyst who was raised by a hard-core prepper and has had to learn how to ingratiate herself into society with a very sweet naivete, but could also kick your ass.
– MMC: Dr. Everett Greet (aka “professor”). ~36-year-old film professor who watches horror movies and is clinically depressed. Grieving a loss of a relationship and a future.
– Location: North Carolina (and other various east coast locales)
– POV: Dual first-person
– Spice: 5-6 open-door spicy scenes
– Tropes: blind date to friends to lovers, age gap (seven years), doomsday prepper FMC, movie professor MMC, virgin FMC, socially inexperienced FMC, second chance at life and love, cat dad, the MMC is a “babygirl,” FMC is a badass, sex lessons, MMC wears glasses
– Content warning: pandemic-style panic, death, government secrets, colon cancer (off page death of minor character), American food additives
– Representation: women in STEM, “late bloomer” FMC, LGBTQIA+ minor side characters
─────────────────────────
🎯 My Thoughts:
This is my first Laura Piper Lee but consider me a CONVERT. This was campy, sweet, dark, funny, and gave me some anxiety. All of that was achieved through witty writing and fully fleshed-out characters.
I have so many quotes highlighted that I feel overwhelmed pulling my favorites. But between the pop-culture references, the tender moments, and the HILARIOUS camping scene there is so much to love here.
I was not expecting this to have as much heart as it does. Not only with Everett’s grief and Maisie’s passion to live, but with having to adapt to all forms of loss that they experience along the way. It was so reminiscent of COVID in ways that it was terrifying--which was effective in giving me anxiety during some of the higher-action scenes.
What’s weird to me is that normally I struggle with believability (even in fantasy/paranormal books). What do you mean these characters are prioritizing losing virginity and sightseeing during a gastro-intestinal disease that turns people into zombies? I would be crapping myself in their situation (and not because I would be infected)! But somehow here it totally works. I gobbled up the campiness and craziness. I think that’s because it was this beautiful blend of camp and sweetness, or soft and hard.
But my favorite thing here were both Maisie and Everett (and Gramps and Chicken). They balanced each other in such an effortless way.
Would I Recommend?: 100% yes. This was such a fun take on romance. It was darker than Zomromcom by Olivia Dade, campier than I Hope This Email Finds You in Hell by Mackenzie Reed, and one of the funniest romances I’ve read in a long time.
─────────────────────────
↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺ 1:00 ──ㅇ────── 4:12
Now Playing: Tubthumping by Chumbawumba
─────────────────────────
⍟»This or That«⍟
Character Driven————✧———————Plot Driven
Fast Burn——————✧—————Slow Burn
Sweet————————✧———Spicy
Light/Fluffy——————✧—————Heavy/Emotional
•♥Consider following me on Instagram @kelseyreviewsbooks for more visual content and bookish discussions.♥•
▹My ⭐ Rating: ★★★★.5 out of 5
▹Format: 📱 eReader
I received an advance e-copy of this book from Ballentine and Netgalley, but all opinions here are my honest thoughts. This book comes out September 15, 2026.
─────────────────────────
○★○ What to Expect from This Book: ○★○
– FMC: Maisie Bennett (aka “sweetheart” or “baby”). Nearly 30-year-old actuarial analyst who was raised by a hard-core prepper and has had to learn how to ingratiate herself into society with a very sweet naivete, but could also kick your ass.
– MMC: Dr. Everett Greet (aka “professor”). ~36-year-old film professor who watches horror movies and is clinically depressed. Grieving a loss of a relationship and a future.
– Location: North Carolina (and other various east coast locales)
– POV: Dual first-person
– Spice: 5-6 open-door spicy scenes
– Tropes: blind date to friends to lovers, age gap (seven years), doomsday prepper FMC, movie professor MMC, virgin FMC, socially inexperienced FMC, second chance at life and love, cat dad, the MMC is a “babygirl,” FMC is a badass, sex lessons, MMC wears glasses
– Content warning: pandemic-style panic, death, government secrets, colon cancer (off page death of minor character), American food additives
– Representation: women in STEM, “late bloomer” FMC, LGBTQIA+ minor side characters
─────────────────────────
🎯 My Thoughts:
This is my first Laura Piper Lee but consider me a CONVERT. This was campy, sweet, dark, funny, and gave me some anxiety. All of that was achieved through witty writing and fully fleshed-out characters.
I have so many quotes highlighted that I feel overwhelmed pulling my favorites. But between the pop-culture references, the tender moments, and the HILARIOUS camping scene there is so much to love here.
I was not expecting this to have as much heart as it does. Not only with Everett’s grief and Maisie’s passion to live, but with having to adapt to all forms of loss that they experience along the way. It was so reminiscent of COVID in ways that it was terrifying--which was effective in giving me anxiety during some of the higher-action scenes.
What’s weird to me is that normally I struggle with believability (even in fantasy/paranormal books). What do you mean these characters are prioritizing losing virginity and sightseeing during a gastro-intestinal disease that turns people into zombies? I would be crapping myself in their situation (and not because I would be infected)! But somehow here it totally works. I gobbled up the campiness and craziness. I think that’s because it was this beautiful blend of camp and sweetness, or soft and hard.
But my favorite thing here were both Maisie and Everett (and Gramps and Chicken). They balanced each other in such an effortless way.
Would I Recommend?: 100% yes. This was such a fun take on romance. It was darker than Zomromcom by Olivia Dade, campier than I Hope This Email Finds You in Hell by Mackenzie Reed, and one of the funniest romances I’ve read in a long time.
─────────────────────────
↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺ 1:00 ──ㅇ────── 4:12
Now Playing: Tubthumping by Chumbawumba
╰┈➤ ❝I get knocked down, but I get up again.❞
─────────────────────────
⍟»This or That«⍟
Character Driven————✧———————Plot Driven
Fast Burn——————✧—————Slow Burn
Sweet————————✧———Spicy
Light/Fluffy——————✧—————Heavy/Emotional
•♥Consider following me on Instagram @kelseyreviewsbooks for more visual content and bookish discussions.♥•
September 16, 2026
5/5 ⭐️
1.5/5 🌶️
First and foremost: BRAVO, Laura! You have successfully written yet another book about shitting your pants. 😂
Laura Piper Lee has now fully cemented herself in my favorite authors category. The way she writes scratches an itch in my brain that no one else can quite reach. Her humor, her characters, and especially the banter between Maisie and Everett are just so, so good.
Is this story absolutely bonkers? Yes. Did I have an incredible time? ALSO YES.
I was rooting for these two lovable idiots (affectionate) from page one. Maisie is an anxious doomsday prepper who is finally VERY useful when the apocalypse actually arrives. Everett is a grieving film professor who is woefully unprepared for zombies and somehow their completely mismatched dynamic works perfectly. Add in Chicken the cat, a road trip through the zombie apocalypse, sex lessons, ridiculous amounts of chaos and genuinely sweet emotional moments and I was sold.
But before I sign off, Laura, we need to discuss one final thing.
Not only did you invent a shitting-your-pants virus, YOU GAVE IT TO THE PRESIDENT.
Who then became a zombie.
While, apparently, shitting his own pants.
And with those not-so-subtle clues, we all know exactly who you were referencing. Picturing that particular monster meeting his zombie-apocalypse end that way had me absolutely CACKLING.
How fitting an end for the diaper-wearing chief in command.
Apparently Laura Piper Lee can keep writing books involving catastrophic gastrointestinal distress forever, because I will keep reading them.
Thanks to Laura and Dell books for the ARC of this masterpiece.
1.5/5 🌶️
First and foremost: BRAVO, Laura! You have successfully written yet another book about shitting your pants. 😂
Laura Piper Lee has now fully cemented herself in my favorite authors category. The way she writes scratches an itch in my brain that no one else can quite reach. Her humor, her characters, and especially the banter between Maisie and Everett are just so, so good.
Is this story absolutely bonkers? Yes. Did I have an incredible time? ALSO YES.
I was rooting for these two lovable idiots (affectionate) from page one. Maisie is an anxious doomsday prepper who is finally VERY useful when the apocalypse actually arrives. Everett is a grieving film professor who is woefully unprepared for zombies and somehow their completely mismatched dynamic works perfectly. Add in Chicken the cat, a road trip through the zombie apocalypse, sex lessons, ridiculous amounts of chaos and genuinely sweet emotional moments and I was sold.
But before I sign off, Laura, we need to discuss one final thing.
Not only did you invent a shitting-your-pants virus, YOU GAVE IT TO THE PRESIDENT.
Who then became a zombie.
While, apparently, shitting his own pants.
And with those not-so-subtle clues, we all know exactly who you were referencing. Picturing that particular monster meeting his zombie-apocalypse end that way had me absolutely CACKLING.
How fitting an end for the diaper-wearing chief in command.
Apparently Laura Piper Lee can keep writing books involving catastrophic gastrointestinal distress forever, because I will keep reading them.
Thanks to Laura and Dell books for the ARC of this masterpiece.
September 14, 2026
Despite Doomsdate being about zombies, at its heart, this novel reflects on what it means to truly live.
In the same vein as Zombieland and Shaun of The Dead, Doomsdate is a humor-led action-packed romance novel.
Maisie is a doomsday prepper. She lived a life sheltered and alone by her deceased paranoid mother and is determined not to spend another pandemic as a virgin holed up in her house.
Everett is a film professor (with very minimal survival skills other than his unending knowledge of zombie movies) who fell into a deep depression after his wife died.
Together, they roadtrip to Maisie’s radio friend and ex-vet “Gramp’s” bunker to try to survive a zombie apocalypse and learn to love and live and embrace joy.
The beginning was so strong, unique and interesting. I love how awkward and weird the main characters were during their first date gone…apocalyptically wrong. But by the 40% mark I felt like I was forcing myself to read it. It felt like a medley of 5 books in one.
This had a lot of bright points but my biggest gripe is that ultimately it ended up being a weird mix of try-too-hard humor, nonstop anti-processed food preaching, and one-off dates during the literal apocalypse.
Thanks to Dell and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.
In the same vein as Zombieland and Shaun of The Dead, Doomsdate is a humor-led action-packed romance novel.
Maisie is a doomsday prepper. She lived a life sheltered and alone by her deceased paranoid mother and is determined not to spend another pandemic as a virgin holed up in her house.
Everett is a film professor (with very minimal survival skills other than his unending knowledge of zombie movies) who fell into a deep depression after his wife died.
Together, they roadtrip to Maisie’s radio friend and ex-vet “Gramp’s” bunker to try to survive a zombie apocalypse and learn to love and live and embrace joy.
The beginning was so strong, unique and interesting. I love how awkward and weird the main characters were during their first date gone…apocalyptically wrong. But by the 40% mark I felt like I was forcing myself to read it. It felt like a medley of 5 books in one.
This had a lot of bright points but my biggest gripe is that ultimately it ended up being a weird mix of try-too-hard humor, nonstop anti-processed food preaching, and one-off dates during the literal apocalypse.
Thanks to Dell and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.
September 19, 2026
Mixing romance and horror, especially with humor, isn’t easy, but the author pulls it off in Doomsdate. This book is ridiculous in the best possible way. A pandemic that causes explosive diarrhea is already wild but add zombies and a blind date between a film professor and a doomsday prepper, and I was instantly interested. I enjoyed following Maisie and Everett as they faced the chaos of the zombie apocalypse. Watching them grow, heal from grief, and work through family issues made their journey even more enjoyable. There is also plenty of spice along the way as Maisie, who is determined not to be a virgin by the time she turns 30 (or possibly dies in the zombie apocalypse), asks Everett for sex lessons. He is a professor, after all.
Overall, this was a hilarious romance with plenty of action and moments that had me wondering what would happen next. If you love romance with plenty of spice and zombies, this is the book for you.
Thank you to Netgalley and Ballantine for the opportunity to review Doomsdate. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Overall, this was a hilarious romance with plenty of action and moments that had me wondering what would happen next. If you love romance with plenty of spice and zombies, this is the book for you.
Thank you to Netgalley and Ballantine for the opportunity to review Doomsdate. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
September 10, 2026
Thank you @dellromance for the digital copy to review and to @laurapiperlee for one of my favorite lines of all time: please god, let him be a sl*t. (Amen)
I feel like Laura saw into the future with this book. A zombie apocalypse brought on by a diarrhea virus???? Too real. Too too real. Their first date meet cute turned disaster did appear to set things in motion…
I found myself cracking up at her banter, per usual! Maisie was so distrustful but also weirdly hopeful?? I loved her vibe and how she gives off tough girl energy like mad. It is hot and a whole vibe. And Everett… please professor. *tee hee* - his sl*tty little glasses and confident demeanor once he realized he could have feelings again. Yes!!!! Oh and how cute was it when he got stuck in the tree and Maisie had to save him 😅😅. And don’t forget Chicken the cat. A true friend. And gramps!!!!
I really loved the way that grief was discussed in this book, along with anxiety and the state of the world. Having someone to have your back and let you fall apart … and help put you back together again? That’s everything.
Anyway, I had a truly excellent time reading this romance. It was fun and quirky, sexy and sweet, and honestly a grand ol time. It’s out tomorrow and I already preordered my copy cause I love Laura and I’m so excited to have my book with the alternate dust jacket!!!!!
I feel like Laura saw into the future with this book. A zombie apocalypse brought on by a diarrhea virus???? Too real. Too too real. Their first date meet cute turned disaster did appear to set things in motion…
I found myself cracking up at her banter, per usual! Maisie was so distrustful but also weirdly hopeful?? I loved her vibe and how she gives off tough girl energy like mad. It is hot and a whole vibe. And Everett… please professor. *tee hee* - his sl*tty little glasses and confident demeanor once he realized he could have feelings again. Yes!!!! Oh and how cute was it when he got stuck in the tree and Maisie had to save him 😅😅. And don’t forget Chicken the cat. A true friend. And gramps!!!!
I really loved the way that grief was discussed in this book, along with anxiety and the state of the world. Having someone to have your back and let you fall apart … and help put you back together again? That’s everything.
Anyway, I had a truly excellent time reading this romance. It was fun and quirky, sexy and sweet, and honestly a grand ol time. It’s out tomorrow and I already preordered my copy cause I love Laura and I’m so excited to have my book with the alternate dust jacket!!!!!
August 2, 2026
4.5⭐️
I have never been more anxious and scared reading a romance book before this one, but I loved every single second of it. Doomsdate is a clever, funny, emotional, and smart book about what could happen if you met your person right before the world went to absolute hell.
Maisie and Everett are complete opposites in this world, but at the same time, work flawlessly as you can see how similar they really are once they begin to open up. Their first date and meeting is full of chaos that leaves them both wanting for more. But, Maisie, a doomsday prepper, unintentionally scares off Everett, a widowed film professor, when she takes him home and he discovers just how prepared Maisie always is. She is upset, thinking she's about to become a 30 year old virgin, but what’s to come is obviously so much worse. When “Z-Day” hits, she leaves town to embark on her first real journey of her life. But on the way, she has a chance run in with Everett, and so, their apocalyptic road trip begins.
I knew this book was going to be an adventure just from reading the summary, but I loved just how exploratory it felt. The way that the roadtrip is written makes you feel like you're along for the ride. Not only do you get to see the beginning stages of a country completely shut down, but experience so many first with Maisie. She’s lived her whole life fearful of what the real world can do, but seeing her experience all of these new wonders in a setting that, although tragic, is perfect for her introverted self. And on the same hand, Everett, also experiencing these things with her, makes him feel like he’s living for the first time since his loss. As their journey across the US brings on trials and mishaps, Maisie and Everett grow closer, realizing how similar their feelings are towards the world, and create a relationship built off their grief. Not only that, but they balance each other so well in their knowledge of apocalypses and zombies. They are both little freaks in the most positive way, and equally thoughtful and kind. Not to mention, their chemistry is outrageous which made the steamy parts that more delicious.
This book is ultimately about finding your place in the world, apocalyptic or not. Not only is this story hilarious and quirky, but it's devastating, hopeful, and full of angst and raw emotion. When I tell you I cried, I cried hard. However, the author finds a way to seamlessly blend in zombie pop culture, throw shade at our government, and create hilarious scenarios that make for a lighter mood. At no point did I know where the story was going and I loved that about it. The only thing holding me back from a complete 5 stars was because I did feel like it ended pretty abruptly. But, I would not let that deter me from reading it again and highly recommending it to anyone who is looking for a fun, romantic, and unique story.
Thank you Dell and NetGalley for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I have never been more anxious and scared reading a romance book before this one, but I loved every single second of it. Doomsdate is a clever, funny, emotional, and smart book about what could happen if you met your person right before the world went to absolute hell.
Maisie and Everett are complete opposites in this world, but at the same time, work flawlessly as you can see how similar they really are once they begin to open up. Their first date and meeting is full of chaos that leaves them both wanting for more. But, Maisie, a doomsday prepper, unintentionally scares off Everett, a widowed film professor, when she takes him home and he discovers just how prepared Maisie always is. She is upset, thinking she's about to become a 30 year old virgin, but what’s to come is obviously so much worse. When “Z-Day” hits, she leaves town to embark on her first real journey of her life. But on the way, she has a chance run in with Everett, and so, their apocalyptic road trip begins.
I knew this book was going to be an adventure just from reading the summary, but I loved just how exploratory it felt. The way that the roadtrip is written makes you feel like you're along for the ride. Not only do you get to see the beginning stages of a country completely shut down, but experience so many first with Maisie. She’s lived her whole life fearful of what the real world can do, but seeing her experience all of these new wonders in a setting that, although tragic, is perfect for her introverted self. And on the same hand, Everett, also experiencing these things with her, makes him feel like he’s living for the first time since his loss. As their journey across the US brings on trials and mishaps, Maisie and Everett grow closer, realizing how similar their feelings are towards the world, and create a relationship built off their grief. Not only that, but they balance each other so well in their knowledge of apocalypses and zombies. They are both little freaks in the most positive way, and equally thoughtful and kind. Not to mention, their chemistry is outrageous which made the steamy parts that more delicious.
This book is ultimately about finding your place in the world, apocalyptic or not. Not only is this story hilarious and quirky, but it's devastating, hopeful, and full of angst and raw emotion. When I tell you I cried, I cried hard. However, the author finds a way to seamlessly blend in zombie pop culture, throw shade at our government, and create hilarious scenarios that make for a lighter mood. At no point did I know where the story was going and I loved that about it. The only thing holding me back from a complete 5 stars was because I did feel like it ended pretty abruptly. But, I would not let that deter me from reading it again and highly recommending it to anyone who is looking for a fun, romantic, and unique story.
Thank you Dell and NetGalley for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
September 20, 2026
A doomsday prepper and a film studies professor meet for a first date the night a zombie apocalypse begins, and they quickly become each others survival partners out of necessity but also due to the spark they can’t ignore in each other. Despite seeming so different at first, they realize they’ve both been through life defining trauma and loss, just in very different fonts. She’s his way back, he’s her way forward 🥹 “I may have taught you how to survive, Everett. But you’ve taught me how to live.”
The story was simultaneously heartfelt, riotous, anxiety inducing, and sexy as hell. “This lesson’s going to work a little bit differently“ was single-handedly one the best monologues I’ve ever heard. “Yes, Professor.” Excuse me, the mouth on nerdy Professor Everett had me unwell.🫠😏
Need to get from point a to b during a zombie apocalypse? Why not take some side quests and check off your bucket list along the way. You’ve got nothing to lose except maybe your heart (both literally and romantically). Everett and Maisie were unique, funny, compelling MCs and I loved them!
Thank you so much to Random House Publishing Group, NetGalley, and Laura Piper Lee for the opportunity to read this as an ARC!
The story was simultaneously heartfelt, riotous, anxiety inducing, and sexy as hell. “This lesson’s going to work a little bit differently“ was single-handedly one the best monologues I’ve ever heard. “Yes, Professor.” Excuse me, the mouth on nerdy Professor Everett had me unwell.🫠😏
Need to get from point a to b during a zombie apocalypse? Why not take some side quests and check off your bucket list along the way. You’ve got nothing to lose except maybe your heart (both literally and romantically). Everett and Maisie were unique, funny, compelling MCs and I loved them!
Thank you so much to Random House Publishing Group, NetGalley, and Laura Piper Lee for the opportunity to read this as an ARC!
September 15, 2026
This was such a fun book.
Another for the bubblegum horror, romance genre!
If you take it too, seriously you’re probably not gonna enjoy it. But if you go into it for entertainment purposes, you’re there.
Another for the bubblegum horror, romance genre!
If you take it too, seriously you’re probably not gonna enjoy it. But if you go into it for entertainment purposes, you’re there.
August 23, 2026
I never thought I’d love a zombie apocalypse story but here we are because if anyone can change my mind, it’s Laura Piper Lee.
I was so hesitant to pick this up because I’m a weenie but I’m so glad I did because this is probably one of my favorite reads of the month. We have an intense prepper trying to find a good balance to live life freely and then we have someone who has felt like a zombie the past few years after losing his wife to cancer. They go on a date in the beginnings of what seems to be a pandemic and bam, zombies. This date turns into a doomsdate and what a wild ride it was. This story made me laugh, made me get teary eyed and also emphasized how I sometimes see the United States going. It also gave me new fuel for nightmares but you’ll have to read this book to see what I mean. 👀🐀🕊️
I loved the romance between Maisie and Everett. Two souls trying their damn hardest to move through life and not let their fears get the best of them. I know adrenaline intensifies emotions but nothing felt forced between them. I loved their silly dates in the middle of the apocalypse, I loved how they helped one another. To see Maisie be able to be soft after always being hypervigilant made me smile so much. Things do get mildly spicy (many times I went I could never knowing there’s danger at every turn) and I rate it 3🌶️ out of 5.
This story isn’t a fluffy HEA and there are moments I felt unfair but not enough to dislike this book. It showed the reality of a scary situation. The one very satisfying moment was the Oval Office scene and one can dream. Thank you so much NetGalley, Ballantine and Laura Piper Lee for the eARC!
I was so hesitant to pick this up because I’m a weenie but I’m so glad I did because this is probably one of my favorite reads of the month. We have an intense prepper trying to find a good balance to live life freely and then we have someone who has felt like a zombie the past few years after losing his wife to cancer. They go on a date in the beginnings of what seems to be a pandemic and bam, zombies. This date turns into a doomsdate and what a wild ride it was. This story made me laugh, made me get teary eyed and also emphasized how I sometimes see the United States going. It also gave me new fuel for nightmares but you’ll have to read this book to see what I mean. 👀🐀🕊️
I loved the romance between Maisie and Everett. Two souls trying their damn hardest to move through life and not let their fears get the best of them. I know adrenaline intensifies emotions but nothing felt forced between them. I loved their silly dates in the middle of the apocalypse, I loved how they helped one another. To see Maisie be able to be soft after always being hypervigilant made me smile so much. Things do get mildly spicy (many times I went I could never knowing there’s danger at every turn) and I rate it 3🌶️ out of 5.
This story isn’t a fluffy HEA and there are moments I felt unfair but not enough to dislike this book. It showed the reality of a scary situation. The one very satisfying moment was the Oval Office scene and one can dream. Thank you so much NetGalley, Ballantine and Laura Piper Lee for the eARC!
Read
August 26, 2026⭐Library Journal Review, July 2026
if you liked the gory, questy parts, AND the cat of Dungeon Crawler Carl but wanted more kissing and ROMANCE, give this zombie apocalypse romance a read!
Professionally reviewed for Library Journal from an advance copy. Thank you to LJ and the publisher for the opportunity. All private thoughts are my own, professional review can be found on Library Journal's website.
⭐ Library Journal Review July 2026
if you liked the gory, questy parts, AND the cat of Dungeon Crawler Carl but wanted more kissing and ROMANCE, give this zombie apocalypse romance a read!
Professionally reviewed for Library Journal from an advance copy. Thank you to LJ and the publisher for the opportunity. All private thoughts are my own, professional review can be found on Library Journal's website.
⭐ Library Journal Review July 2026
April 22, 2026
Just so you know, a young nerd hot professor is so underutilized 🤓🥵
It's a zombie apocalypse, She teach him the art of survival and he teach her the art of sex.....
Maisie is almost 30 years old, she's heavy in being a survivalist. A doomsday prepper you might say. She's good at martial arts, in handling weapons and general knowledges on survival. This kind of life isolated her to the real world as of she never had any normal relationship just like any woman of her age, and she want to change her life a bit by losing her virginity before she turns 30.
The professor on the other hand, an emotionally unavailable man who still mourning after his wife died three years ago. His best friend set him up to meet Maisie on dating app so that he can move on. But little did they know they met during the day of the zombie apocalypse.
Anyway this is the kind of book that best experienced when you left a little but of your brains and stop questioning everything. I rolled my eyes so many times while reading it as there are SO MANY things that didn't make sense, plot wise and character wise but whatever.
I could say I'm a fans of zombie stories, im in my Resident Evil run as we speak (currently in RE 4) and had read plenty of zombie books in the past so I kinda had a big expectations toward this one but alas. The book has so much potentials but opted to be a silly out of the world romcom instead with nonsense plot and unreal characters.
The writing is also not really my style as it heavily "telling" instead of "showing" but oh well, it's not really bad tho I still enjoy my time reading it and I love the sexy times in there too it's fun and creative 😘 the hot professor hello? (and no they don't have sex with the zombies if anyone wondering)
Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine for the ARC 🩷
It's a zombie apocalypse, She teach him the art of survival and he teach her the art of sex.....
Maisie is almost 30 years old, she's heavy in being a survivalist. A doomsday prepper you might say. She's good at martial arts, in handling weapons and general knowledges on survival. This kind of life isolated her to the real world as of she never had any normal relationship just like any woman of her age, and she want to change her life a bit by losing her virginity before she turns 30.
The professor on the other hand, an emotionally unavailable man who still mourning after his wife died three years ago. His best friend set him up to meet Maisie on dating app so that he can move on. But little did they know they met during the day of the zombie apocalypse.
Anyway this is the kind of book that best experienced when you left a little but of your brains and stop questioning everything. I rolled my eyes so many times while reading it as there are SO MANY things that didn't make sense, plot wise and character wise but whatever.
I could say I'm a fans of zombie stories, im in my Resident Evil run as we speak (currently in RE 4) and had read plenty of zombie books in the past so I kinda had a big expectations toward this one but alas. The book has so much potentials but opted to be a silly out of the world romcom instead with nonsense plot and unreal characters.
The writing is also not really my style as it heavily "telling" instead of "showing" but oh well, it's not really bad tho I still enjoy my time reading it and I love the sexy times in there too it's fun and creative 😘 the hot professor hello? (and no they don't have sex with the zombies if anyone wondering)
Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine for the ARC 🩷
September 18, 2026
Maisie Bennett is determined to lose her virginity before her 30th birthday. She's had a sheltered upbringing - raised by a prepper mother, Maisie sees everything as a threat, including other people. But just in time for her first date with a handsome film professor, there's an outbreak of a deadly GI illness...which seems to reanimate the dead into zombies! Maisie has prepared her whole life for catastrophe, of course, but Dr Everett Greer's best survival skills come from his vast knowledge of zombie lore in film. Their first date (a disaster by most standards) turns into a road trip romance fighting zombies and trying to connect Everett with his sister, and pulls Maisie out of her comfort zone and Everett out of debilitating grief.
I went into Doomsdate expecting a really fun, over-the-top time, and that's exactly what I got. The prose is written in first person present tense, which will never be my favorite for a romance, but does increase the immediacy of the apocalyptic situation. One complaint I typically have about this perspective style is that it can be difficult to tell whose head you're in, and Laura Piper Lee avoids this trap with well-defined characters and solid writing. The best way to write a book that's over-the-top is to lean into it, and LPL leans all the way in with her zombies, the caricatures that somehow feel real, and the devastation caused by the illness.
I've said this about Jen Comfort's books, too: the more OTT you go, the more room you have to explore human emotions like romance and friendship because the tone and setting relieve pressure-valve of the storytelling. Things can be fun and ridiculous and have a whole lot of heart, and Doomsdate does exactly that. You will laugh and you may even shed a few tears along the way, too.
Thank you to Dell for an eARC. Doomsdate is out 9/15/2026.
I went into Doomsdate expecting a really fun, over-the-top time, and that's exactly what I got. The prose is written in first person present tense, which will never be my favorite for a romance, but does increase the immediacy of the apocalyptic situation. One complaint I typically have about this perspective style is that it can be difficult to tell whose head you're in, and Laura Piper Lee avoids this trap with well-defined characters and solid writing. The best way to write a book that's over-the-top is to lean into it, and LPL leans all the way in with her zombies, the caricatures that somehow feel real, and the devastation caused by the illness.
I've said this about Jen Comfort's books, too: the more OTT you go, the more room you have to explore human emotions like romance and friendship because the tone and setting relieve pressure-valve of the storytelling. Things can be fun and ridiculous and have a whole lot of heart, and Doomsdate does exactly that. You will laugh and you may even shed a few tears along the way, too.
Thank you to Dell for an eARC. Doomsdate is out 9/15/2026.
June 24, 2026
6+ stars, besties. This was a deranged, sleep-deprived, emotionally compromised, laughing and crying at the same time kind of reading experience. I loved this book so much I genuinely don’t know how to be normal about it.
Doomsdate completely blindsided me… in the best possible way. It’s a zombie apocalypse romantic comedy with a doomsday prepper FMC, a grieving film professor ANGEL of a MMC, a cat named Chicken, sex lessons, road trip survival chaos, and somehow it is also one of the most heartfelt, emotionally resonant romances I’ve read in a long time. It’s hilarious, tender, weird, hot, devastating, hopeful, and so full of life even while the world is literally ending around them and they’re being chased by zombies with bioluminescent eyeballs. And I had the BEST time reading it.
This is so different from the kinds of books I usually end up giving 6+ stars to, which honestly makes it feel even more special. There was just something magical about the way this book balanced completely unhinged, feral chaos with genuine emotional depth. I was laughing out loud CONSTANTLY. Like, actual cackling in the dead of night because the comedic timing in this book is so sharp and absurd and perfect, but then a few chapters later I’d be tearing up over these characters and how deeply human they felt and how honest and raw they were able to communicate and connect with each other. I stayed up until 5 a.m. to finish it because there was absolutely no way I was sleeping before I knew how this story ended.
Maisie and Everett absolutely owned my heart. Their chemistry is immediate, but not in a shallow, insta-love way (which is CRAZY because they have known each other for less than a day before they’re thrown into this apocalypse as survival partners). It was in an “I see you, and I don’t know what to do with how much I already care, and I’ve never met anyone like you, and how the hell do you see me so clearly already because we only just met” kind of way. Their connection felt so raw and honest from the start, and I loved how vulnerable they both were with each other, even when they didn’t mean to be or want to be. Maisie is anxious, guarded, hyper-prepared, and so used to relying only on herself, and watching her slowly start to trust people, to open up, to believe she deserves softness and safety and love? I was in pieces. There’s so much heart in her character arc, and seeing her grow into herself and her confidence absolutely wrecked me in the best way.
And Everett. Oh my god, Everett. Professor was down so bad. His yearning??? EXQUISITE. No notes. This man is grieving, awkward, gentle, quietly funny, and so deeply gone for Maisie in a way that made me want to scream into a pillow. The tenderness he has for her, the way he sees her, the patience, the vulnerability, the want and desperate need… I was living my best life. I loved him so much. I loved THEM so much. Their romance felt intimate in a way that went beyond the steam (though yes, this book is VERY steamy and I am absolutely not complaining). The sex lessons premise could have been played purely for laughs, but instead it ended up being funny, hot, and surprisingly emotional because of how much trust and affection develops between them.
And then there’s the emotional damage this book inflicted on me. The birthday scene?? I was sobbing. That scene hit me so hard because this book understands that sometimes love isn’t grand gestures in a perfect world, it’s people finding ways to make each other feel seen and celebrated and cared for when everything is literally falling apart. It’s making room for joy and tenderness and connection even in the middle of grief and ruin and fear. This book gets that, and it gets it so, so well.
Also, I need to say this with my full chest: the side characters and found family energy in this book were EVERYTHING to me. Chicken? An zombie-detecting legend. Gemma? Obsessed with her! Badass scientist queen. I need a book for her and Ellie. Every little dynamic, every bit of survivor camaraderie, every ridiculous and heartfelt moment just worked for me. I didn’t want to leave any of them.
What Laura Piper Lee does so well here is make the apocalypse feel genuinely dangerous and emotionally weighty without ever losing the humor, the romance, or the sense of adventure. There’s gore, grief, death, and real horror here, but there’s also warmth and absurdity and hope. The tone should not work as seamlessly as it does, and yet it absolutely does. This book is hilarious one minute and emotionally devastating the next, and somehow it never feels jarring. It just feels alive.
I can’t recommend this one enough. I had so much fun reading it, but more than that, I loved how much heart it had underneath all the zombies and chaos and flirting and survival antics. It’s one of those books that reminds you how special reading can feel when a story just hits exactly right. I’m genuinely so sad it’s over because I want more of Maisie and Everett and Chicken and Gemma and this whole messy, bloody, heartfelt little apocalypse family.
Thank you to NetGalley and Dell for this eARC! This will 100% be one of my favorite reads of the year.
✨Here are some quotes that made either (1) laugh, (2) cry, or (3) laugh and cry.✨
“Leave me alone, you creepy bastards!” he sobs. “You don’t want to eat me—I taste like sadness!”
“What was he a professor of, anyway? Something useless, probably. English? Poetry?” “TV,” I mumble into the mic. Gramps roars in outrage. “They let children major in television? No wonder the apocalypse has arrived!”
“Well, I concede in real life he could’ve been a murderer,” he says, wiping at tears. “But this is a romance, Maisie. Romances are safe.” “What do you mean—safe?” “They always have happily ever afters. It’s the rule of the genre.”
“Sadness is such a solitary burden that you notice when anyone cares enough to lift even a finger’s weight of it off your heart. And Maisie saw mine, saw me trapped beneath the wreckage of my hope, and lifted it off me like it was nothing more than a butterfly.”
“Slowly, I lower myself until I’m lying over her, my forearms resting on either side of her pillow. She is all I can see, and I know that if I lived the rest of my life this way, narrowing my vision to just her in my arms, I could be happy no matter what the other circumstances are.”
Doomsdate completely blindsided me… in the best possible way. It’s a zombie apocalypse romantic comedy with a doomsday prepper FMC, a grieving film professor ANGEL of a MMC, a cat named Chicken, sex lessons, road trip survival chaos, and somehow it is also one of the most heartfelt, emotionally resonant romances I’ve read in a long time. It’s hilarious, tender, weird, hot, devastating, hopeful, and so full of life even while the world is literally ending around them and they’re being chased by zombies with bioluminescent eyeballs. And I had the BEST time reading it.
This is so different from the kinds of books I usually end up giving 6+ stars to, which honestly makes it feel even more special. There was just something magical about the way this book balanced completely unhinged, feral chaos with genuine emotional depth. I was laughing out loud CONSTANTLY. Like, actual cackling in the dead of night because the comedic timing in this book is so sharp and absurd and perfect, but then a few chapters later I’d be tearing up over these characters and how deeply human they felt and how honest and raw they were able to communicate and connect with each other. I stayed up until 5 a.m. to finish it because there was absolutely no way I was sleeping before I knew how this story ended.
Maisie and Everett absolutely owned my heart. Their chemistry is immediate, but not in a shallow, insta-love way (which is CRAZY because they have known each other for less than a day before they’re thrown into this apocalypse as survival partners). It was in an “I see you, and I don’t know what to do with how much I already care, and I’ve never met anyone like you, and how the hell do you see me so clearly already because we only just met” kind of way. Their connection felt so raw and honest from the start, and I loved how vulnerable they both were with each other, even when they didn’t mean to be or want to be. Maisie is anxious, guarded, hyper-prepared, and so used to relying only on herself, and watching her slowly start to trust people, to open up, to believe she deserves softness and safety and love? I was in pieces. There’s so much heart in her character arc, and seeing her grow into herself and her confidence absolutely wrecked me in the best way.
And Everett. Oh my god, Everett. Professor was down so bad. His yearning??? EXQUISITE. No notes. This man is grieving, awkward, gentle, quietly funny, and so deeply gone for Maisie in a way that made me want to scream into a pillow. The tenderness he has for her, the way he sees her, the patience, the vulnerability, the want and desperate need… I was living my best life. I loved him so much. I loved THEM so much. Their romance felt intimate in a way that went beyond the steam (though yes, this book is VERY steamy and I am absolutely not complaining). The sex lessons premise could have been played purely for laughs, but instead it ended up being funny, hot, and surprisingly emotional because of how much trust and affection develops between them.
And then there’s the emotional damage this book inflicted on me. The birthday scene?? I was sobbing. That scene hit me so hard because this book understands that sometimes love isn’t grand gestures in a perfect world, it’s people finding ways to make each other feel seen and celebrated and cared for when everything is literally falling apart. It’s making room for joy and tenderness and connection even in the middle of grief and ruin and fear. This book gets that, and it gets it so, so well.
Also, I need to say this with my full chest: the side characters and found family energy in this book were EVERYTHING to me. Chicken? An zombie-detecting legend. Gemma? Obsessed with her! Badass scientist queen. I need a book for her and Ellie. Every little dynamic, every bit of survivor camaraderie, every ridiculous and heartfelt moment just worked for me. I didn’t want to leave any of them.
What Laura Piper Lee does so well here is make the apocalypse feel genuinely dangerous and emotionally weighty without ever losing the humor, the romance, or the sense of adventure. There’s gore, grief, death, and real horror here, but there’s also warmth and absurdity and hope. The tone should not work as seamlessly as it does, and yet it absolutely does. This book is hilarious one minute and emotionally devastating the next, and somehow it never feels jarring. It just feels alive.
I can’t recommend this one enough. I had so much fun reading it, but more than that, I loved how much heart it had underneath all the zombies and chaos and flirting and survival antics. It’s one of those books that reminds you how special reading can feel when a story just hits exactly right. I’m genuinely so sad it’s over because I want more of Maisie and Everett and Chicken and Gemma and this whole messy, bloody, heartfelt little apocalypse family.
Thank you to NetGalley and Dell for this eARC! This will 100% be one of my favorite reads of the year.
✨Here are some quotes that made either (1) laugh, (2) cry, or (3) laugh and cry.✨
“Leave me alone, you creepy bastards!” he sobs. “You don’t want to eat me—I taste like sadness!”
“What was he a professor of, anyway? Something useless, probably. English? Poetry?” “TV,” I mumble into the mic. Gramps roars in outrage. “They let children major in television? No wonder the apocalypse has arrived!”
“Well, I concede in real life he could’ve been a murderer,” he says, wiping at tears. “But this is a romance, Maisie. Romances are safe.” “What do you mean—safe?” “They always have happily ever afters. It’s the rule of the genre.”
“Sadness is such a solitary burden that you notice when anyone cares enough to lift even a finger’s weight of it off your heart. And Maisie saw mine, saw me trapped beneath the wreckage of my hope, and lifted it off me like it was nothing more than a butterfly.”
“Slowly, I lower myself until I’m lying over her, my forearms resting on either side of her pillow. She is all I can see, and I know that if I lived the rest of my life this way, narrowing my vision to just her in my arms, I could be happy no matter what the other circumstances are.”
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you Dell for the advanced copy!
Laura Piper Lee is one of my favorite authors for many reasons, but I love how she takes comedy into stressful or important discussions and her writing style is perfect.
Everrett and Maisie felt so real, and I loved how they both had baggage from their past that was effecting their relationship with the world and other people. Them working through their baggage together was so lovely to read about.
I LOVE a romance with an adventure or quest in the plot and the road trip they went on was so fun and I never know what was going to happen or where they were going next.
I loved Chicken so much (in Chicken we trust 🐱) and loved how she went everywhere with them and was such an important part of the story.
Writing a zombie apocalypse romance that ends on a hopeful note seems like a challenging endeavor, but I thought Laura Piper Lee did an amazing job.
I can’t wait to devour (hehehe) whatever Laura Piper Lee writes next and will be screaming about this book for the forseeable future. Please read it now!!
Laura Piper Lee is one of my favorite authors for many reasons, but I love how she takes comedy into stressful or important discussions and her writing style is perfect.
Everrett and Maisie felt so real, and I loved how they both had baggage from their past that was effecting their relationship with the world and other people. Them working through their baggage together was so lovely to read about.
I LOVE a romance with an adventure or quest in the plot and the road trip they went on was so fun and I never know what was going to happen or where they were going next.
I loved Chicken so much (in Chicken we trust 🐱) and loved how she went everywhere with them and was such an important part of the story.
Writing a zombie apocalypse romance that ends on a hopeful note seems like a challenging endeavor, but I thought Laura Piper Lee did an amazing job.
I can’t wait to devour (hehehe) whatever Laura Piper Lee writes next and will be screaming about this book for the forseeable future. Please read it now!!
September 1, 2026
This is the second Laura Piper Lee I’ve read, and both have been a blast. Both have been so different than anything else I’ve read in the genre, which is a ton of fun. Her writing style is so hilarious too, it just made this book very difficult to put down.
Doomsdate as a whole was incredibly entertaining. Two people getting together at the start of a zombie apocalypse is such an insane plot in the best way, and Maisie and Everett were two characters who made it even better. They played off each other so well, considering how they were both so intelligent and so naive at the same time for different things. The story was a great time as well, I was so invested in what would happen next and it was such a quick read. I’m definitely on the lookout for more of her stuff, it’s just so different and I love it.
Doomsdate as a whole was incredibly entertaining. Two people getting together at the start of a zombie apocalypse is such an insane plot in the best way, and Maisie and Everett were two characters who made it even better. They played off each other so well, considering how they were both so intelligent and so naive at the same time for different things. The story was a great time as well, I was so invested in what would happen next and it was such a quick read. I’m definitely on the lookout for more of her stuff, it’s just so different and I love it.
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