Love & Radio In The Time Of The Apocalypse

by Lydia Joy

Calling all survivors…


Sixteen-year-old Jo has survived her whole life by keeping her head down and her voice quiet, something especially handy in a valley overrun by monsters.


Selectively mute and raised inside a militarized settlement, she's never known safety without control—until her guardian disappears. With no other choice, Jo sets out to find him beyond the walls, armed with little more than grit and a sliver of hope.


Instead she finds Ezra: a talkative boy determined to resurrect radio broadcasts from the Old World, along with a new life of functioning radios, communal libraries, and bands of theater kids who spout Shakespeare among the ruins.


Jo's valley is bigger, and more dangerous, than she ever knew. Competing factions, biters, and Jo's own past are too close for comfort—and more connected than she realized.


Can Jo rebuild a life defined by choice rather than survival, one abandoned radio tower at a time?

215 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 8, 2026

About the author

LYDIA JOY is a writer and illustrator. She is the author of LOVE & RADIO IN THE TIME OF THE APOCALYPSE and THE FIRST DRAFT HANDBOOK, and has illustrated books such as FEELS LIKE HOME by Kelsey French.

She’s the creator of comics: HOBBY GOBLIN and WALL FLOWERS on Webtoon.

When she’s not writing books, you can find her painting, making zines, reading in the corner of a local coffee shop, watering her plants, and playing D&D or cooking with her husband.

Substack: https://lydiajoytheartist.substack.com
Instagram + Threads + Tiktok: @lydiajoy.inks

Reviews

[AJ Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

By turns cozy and tense, heartwarming and chilling, Love & Radio is a fresh and engaging take on the zombie apocalypse. This world overrun by the dead feels surprisingly lively; it is full of characters who are not merely grizzled survivors, but quirky, passionate, likeable people who carry on the spark of humanity through the bonds of friendship and family. A celebration of hope and creativity in the face of darkness and danger, Love & Radio is well worth a read. You'll never look at your houseplants the same way again.

[Faith Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was so refreshing to read a book that is so concise but detailed at the same time. I felt immersed in the universe and fell in love with all the characters and their development. Themes of beauty, life, and healing are woven throughout this heartfelt story and I couldn’t recommend it more!

[Eric Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fresh take on the things that bring us together when everything falls apart, and the things that rip the flesh from our bones in the dark. Lydia explores a world well lived in and invites the reader to brave the horrors beyond.

[Ronald Hedgcock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Found a way to actually make zombies different