What do you think?
Rate this book
Bunker #1
Wake Me After the Apocalypse
When a killer comet hurtles for the earth, 18-year-old Joanna Murphy is selected to wait out the apocalypse in an underground bunker. She enters cryosleep with her close-knit team, preparing to resettle the planet after the atmosphere clears in two hundred years.
Joanna is the only one who wakes up.
Faced with a bunker full of bones and a blocked exit, Joanna must claw her way to the surface, figure out what happened to her team, and try not to panic—or die. That’s going to be tricky if she’s the only person left in the world.
Joanna is the only one who wakes up.
Faced with a bunker full of bones and a blocked exit, Joanna must claw her way to the surface, figure out what happened to her team, and try not to panic—or die. That’s going to be tricky if she’s the only person left in the world.
314 pages, ebook
First published August 23, 2018
2163 people are currently reading
5456 people want to read
About the author
Jordan Rivet
36 books524 followersJordan Rivet is an American author of YA science fiction and fantasy featuring determined heroines, vivid worlds, and daring missions. Originally from Arizona, she lives in Hong Kong with her husband.
Jordan's YA fantasy series include Steel and Fire, Empire of Talents, The Fire Queen’s Apprentice, and Art Mages of Lure. Her science fiction includes Wake Me After the Apocalypse, The Seabound Chronicles, and The Lost Clone.
Jordan's YA fantasy series include Steel and Fire, Empire of Talents, The Fire Queen’s Apprentice, and Art Mages of Lure. Her science fiction includes Wake Me After the Apocalypse, The Seabound Chronicles, and The Lost Clone.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 403 reviews
April 13, 2021
I do like a good apocolypse scenario! This was a rollicking good read.
October 4, 2018
I wanted to like this and I really tried to like it but for me it was just a big disappointment. Maybe it was the writing style which came across as extremely juvenile and simplistic. It was missing the kind of character interactions that would have given it the kind of depth necessary to carry a story that was essentially boring. The first half was made up of a back and forth between flashbacks and Joanna’s never ending ascent out of the shaft. The only thing that kept me reading was the desire to find out what the world looked like after 200 years. The second half was the same uninteresting characters with new and vaguely annoying smug attitudes playing happy families, interspersed with a seemingly unending harvest report and monotonous overviews of chores being performed. I couldn’t even dredge up any strong feelings about the new surprise couple, as I wasn’t invested at all in the relationship it was replacing, and that’s down to the blah and unemotional way the characters were written.
June 28, 2022
A little too YA-ish for my taste, but the plot was okay and the characterization was solid, so I'm not going to complain.
November 19, 2018
So let’s get one thing straight right from the start - I don’t read post-apocalypse books. Got that? Good. So… erm, what happened here? I made the mistake of reading the blurb, that’s what happened, and instantly I was hooked. That’s one powerful opening scene.
Here’s the premise: there’s a massive comet hurtling towards the earth which is going to devastate the whole planetary surface, destroying not just civilisation but pretty much all life forms. There’ll then be a long perma-winter before plants start growing again. Humans are doomed, basically. But luckily, cryo-sleep technology has been invented, and there’s enough time (just!) to build some underground storage facilities, train up some carefully chosen representatives of humanity and shut them away in cryo-tanks for two hundred years. Joanna wakes up, right on cue, and finds that she’s the only survivor after a massive cave-in.
So far, so intriguing, and this is right where the book starts, with the wake-up scene and slowly dawning realisation of the scale of the catastrophe. The first half of the book becomes the story of Joanna’s struggle to survive, to escape the caved-in underground facility and then settle on the surface, with the aim of eventually connecting with other cryo-survivors later. Interspersed with this compelling story is the frankly much duller story of what happened before doomsday - how Joanna was chosen to be part of the cryo-program, the training she and her cohort underwent, the crumbling of civilisation outside the gates and her slowly burgeoning romance with cheery team leader Garrett.
But eventually the ‘before’ part of the story is told, and the focus narrows down to the much more dramatic ‘after’, and there are several moments here that are well worth the price of admission. I confess that one or two aspects I’d already sussed out, but not the whole of it, which gave the development of Joanna’s character an unexpected depth. On the other hand, I was looking for some convoluted plot-level chicanery behind the scenes and in the end it all turned out to be a bit simpler and (dare I say it) less interesting than I’d hoped. But that was just me looking for multiple layers of complexity, which perhaps may be developed in a later book, I don’t know. It reads perfectly well as a stand-alone, but I’d like to think that there’s more to come.
A fun story with lots of dramatic twists and turns, some interesting character challenges, both physical and mental, a feisty female lead and hooray for a tale where obstacles are overcome by intelligence and creativity rather than responding first with violence. Four stars.
Here’s the premise: there’s a massive comet hurtling towards the earth which is going to devastate the whole planetary surface, destroying not just civilisation but pretty much all life forms. There’ll then be a long perma-winter before plants start growing again. Humans are doomed, basically. But luckily, cryo-sleep technology has been invented, and there’s enough time (just!) to build some underground storage facilities, train up some carefully chosen representatives of humanity and shut them away in cryo-tanks for two hundred years. Joanna wakes up, right on cue, and finds that she’s the only survivor after a massive cave-in.
So far, so intriguing, and this is right where the book starts, with the wake-up scene and slowly dawning realisation of the scale of the catastrophe. The first half of the book becomes the story of Joanna’s struggle to survive, to escape the caved-in underground facility and then settle on the surface, with the aim of eventually connecting with other cryo-survivors later. Interspersed with this compelling story is the frankly much duller story of what happened before doomsday - how Joanna was chosen to be part of the cryo-program, the training she and her cohort underwent, the crumbling of civilisation outside the gates and her slowly burgeoning romance with cheery team leader Garrett.
But eventually the ‘before’ part of the story is told, and the focus narrows down to the much more dramatic ‘after’, and there are several moments here that are well worth the price of admission. I confess that one or two aspects I’d already sussed out, but not the whole of it, which gave the development of Joanna’s character an unexpected depth. On the other hand, I was looking for some convoluted plot-level chicanery behind the scenes and in the end it all turned out to be a bit simpler and (dare I say it) less interesting than I’d hoped. But that was just me looking for multiple layers of complexity, which perhaps may be developed in a later book, I don’t know. It reads perfectly well as a stand-alone, but I’d like to think that there’s more to come.
A fun story with lots of dramatic twists and turns, some interesting character challenges, both physical and mental, a feisty female lead and hooray for a tale where obstacles are overcome by intelligence and creativity rather than responding first with violence. Four stars.
November 27, 2021
[YA fiction, Adult reviewer]
YA VERDICT: 3 to 3+ stars (average or very slightly above).
ADULT VERDICT: 2+ stars (passing grade, but I wouldn't recommend to most adult readers).
This one wasn't bad, nor was it superb. It was definitely YA/juvenile material. If you enjoy end of the world and/or post-Apocalyptic survival scenarios, this is a decent diversion from reality.
WILL I READ BOOK 2? Probably not, unless it falls into my lap. But YA readers (under age 18 or so) will probably be more invested/interested than I am.
DETAILS, PROS & CONS (may include mild spoilers):
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
ALSO CONSIDER:
* Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
* Into the Forest by Jean Hegland
YA VERDICT: 3 to 3+ stars (average or very slightly above).
ADULT VERDICT: 2+ stars (passing grade, but I wouldn't recommend to most adult readers).
This one wasn't bad, nor was it superb. It was definitely YA/juvenile material. If you enjoy end of the world and/or post-Apocalyptic survival scenarios, this is a decent diversion from reality.
WILL I READ BOOK 2? Probably not, unless it falls into my lap. But YA readers (under age 18 or so) will probably be more invested/interested than I am.
DETAILS, PROS & CONS (may include mild spoilers):
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
ALSO CONSIDER:
* Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
* Into the Forest by Jean Hegland
October 15, 2018
I heard the first chapter read at the book launch, then it sat on my bedside table for a few days, and then I read the whole thing in one night and now I'm living the consequences of not sleeping for the sake of books.
I do definitely feel like it's a book for younger adults within the "Young Adult" section, but the twist was unexpected and the character clear-cut and if there were a sequel, I would have likely read that last night as well.
I do definitely feel like it's a book for younger adults within the "Young Adult" section, but the twist was unexpected and the character clear-cut and if there were a sequel, I would have likely read that last night as well.
June 12, 2025
Audiobook
3.5 ⭐️
3.5 ⭐️
June 28, 2025
This was a decent Apocalyptic story.
May 6, 2024
*Minor spoilers ahead*
Joanna is one of a group of people chosen by world governments to ride out the apocalypse in cryogenic sleep for 200 years. They believe that will give Earth enough time to recover from the enormous comet that is going to hit earth - twice the size of the one that ended the dinosaur age. When Joanna awakens 200 years in the future, she makes a horrific discovery - she's the only survivor in her compound after an earthquake that hit sometime in her past. I liked Joanna in this part of the story. She's scared but pushing on anyway, following her training (what little she had), and trying to make sense of the world she finds. Then she discovers something that throws her world into chaos: she's not the only survivor.
This is when I start to find Joanna a little annoying. Yes, I know she's basically 18 years old and alone, but some of the decisions she makes and the emotions she feels make her seem younger - and spoiled. The book ends in a good place, where you can pick up book two later and still know what's going on. There are 4 books in the series and I plan on reading them in the near future.
Joanna is one of a group of people chosen by world governments to ride out the apocalypse in cryogenic sleep for 200 years. They believe that will give Earth enough time to recover from the enormous comet that is going to hit earth - twice the size of the one that ended the dinosaur age. When Joanna awakens 200 years in the future, she makes a horrific discovery - she's the only survivor in her compound after an earthquake that hit sometime in her past. I liked Joanna in this part of the story. She's scared but pushing on anyway, following her training (what little she had), and trying to make sense of the world she finds. Then she discovers something that throws her world into chaos: she's not the only survivor.
This is when I start to find Joanna a little annoying. Yes, I know she's basically 18 years old and alone, but some of the decisions she makes and the emotions she feels make her seem younger - and spoiled. The book ends in a good place, where you can pick up book two later and still know what's going on. There are 4 books in the series and I plan on reading them in the near future.
October 3, 2018
Title: Wake Me After the Apocalypse
Author: Jordan Rivet
Publication Date: Sep 2018
Genre: Postapocalyptic
Score: 3/5
In this YA novel, a group of people is chosen to enter cryosleep to avoid a mass extinction event in the form of an asteroid strike. When one girl awakes, she discovers that there has been an earthquake that has killed her entire cohort. The story follows her escape and attempts at survival.
A lot of the events and character actions are not believable. To say more would spoil the story but there are events that don’t have resolution. The ending is wrapped up in a neat bow in a way that would likely not happen. This story barely kept my interest and I almost quit several times. I won’t be reading anything else by this author.
Author: Jordan Rivet
Publication Date: Sep 2018
Genre: Postapocalyptic
Score: 3/5
In this YA novel, a group of people is chosen to enter cryosleep to avoid a mass extinction event in the form of an asteroid strike. When one girl awakes, she discovers that there has been an earthquake that has killed her entire cohort. The story follows her escape and attempts at survival.
A lot of the events and character actions are not believable. To say more would spoil the story but there are events that don’t have resolution. The ending is wrapped up in a neat bow in a way that would likely not happen. This story barely kept my interest and I almost quit several times. I won’t be reading anything else by this author.
October 4, 2018
The writing was well done, the characters were interesting and well-developed. The author kept up the suspense until the end. I liked that the protagonist or main character was a young girl who struggled alone to survive until she was finally reunited with her team. The concept of the end of the world via comet was believable and consequences of starting anew with next to nothing and the trials and tribulations that followed were realistic. I feel the ending was a bit brief and would have like the author to follow up on what happened after meeting up with other survivors. Aside from that, I fully enjoyed this novel.
January 31, 2025
3.8⭐️
This was a fantastically average book to me. I had fun reading it and visualizing the world they lived in. The way the world falls apart felt very real for a situation like this.
Sure it was good and it scratched my post-apocalyptic story itch but there just wasn’t anything that made it unique. I feel like I’ll end up reading the rest of the series eventually for filler books throughout the year.
This was a fantastically average book to me. I had fun reading it and visualizing the world they lived in. The way the world falls apart felt very real for a situation like this.
Sure it was good and it scratched my post-apocalyptic story itch but there just wasn’t anything that made it unique. I feel like I’ll end up reading the rest of the series eventually for filler books throughout the year.
September 21, 2025
not a ton of character development or interactions. Definitely an interesting plot though. I would have loved to know more about the end of days stuff, unfortunately there was very little of that because of the nature of the book. The scenes of Joanna waking up alone in a room of dead friends and having to find a way before the bunker collapsed around her were so interesting. I will likely continue this trilogy and see where it goes.
June 27, 2023
A comet expected to wipe out humanity is hurtling towards Earth but fear not because select people have been chosen to go into cryosleep deep underground to be awoken two hundred years later with the goal of repopulation. Our protagonist, Joanna, is one lucky person because of her youth, physical and mental health, and ability to bear children.
Joanna wakes up right on schedule only to find most of the bunker has been destroyed by a cave-in and she’s the only person alive...or so she believes.
There is a focus on the idea that if the old world is coming to an end then we can make a new one…
- utopia: no weapons, community values
- trained and fit individuals only
This is obviously problematic but always an interesting concept to explore.
___________
Finding out that she is not in fact alone was crazy for Joanna. She had to process emotions as if they happened yesterday while Garrett and the others had eighteen years to come to terms with the death of their friends, the end of the world. How awkward to go into cryosleep with a 22 year old boyfriend to your 18 only to wake up to a 40 year old man while you’re still physically 18? Not to mention that man now has a wife and children.
I was reminded of the post-apocalyptic tv show The 100 in which “Skaikru” fights with the “grounders” when they could have worked together. Every individual group wants the upper hand so as to not be attacked or commandeered. The same happened in this story. Peace would be simple expect who would lead? Who gets to live in the best locations? Who gets to handle the weapons? This is why peace is complicated. And why humans will always fight for their own version of peace whether that means being in control or being completely weapons free.
Joanna wakes up right on schedule only to find most of the bunker has been destroyed by a cave-in and she’s the only person alive...or so she believes.
There is a focus on the idea that if the old world is coming to an end then we can make a new one…
- utopia: no weapons, community values
- trained and fit individuals only
This is obviously problematic but always an interesting concept to explore.
___________
Finding out that she is not in fact alone was crazy for Joanna. She had to process emotions as if they happened yesterday while Garrett and the others had eighteen years to come to terms with the death of their friends, the end of the world. How awkward to go into cryosleep with a 22 year old boyfriend to your 18 only to wake up to a 40 year old man while you’re still physically 18? Not to mention that man now has a wife and children.
I was reminded of the post-apocalyptic tv show The 100 in which “Skaikru” fights with the “grounders” when they could have worked together. Every individual group wants the upper hand so as to not be attacked or commandeered. The same happened in this story. Peace would be simple expect who would lead? Who gets to live in the best locations? Who gets to handle the weapons? This is why peace is complicated. And why humans will always fight for their own version of peace whether that means being in control or being completely weapons free.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 14, 2021
4.5
Loved it. I didn't see the turns it took coming and am looking forward to the next 2 books.
June 3, 2024
This has an amazing opener but it ultimately falls apart because there's very little direction in the story beyond that. It takes 40% of the book for Joanna to even leave the bunker. Weak 3 stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 13, 2023
A clever, fast-paced YA dystopic sci-fi, perfect for fans of The 100.
An asteroid, twice as large as the one that killed the dinosaurs, is headed for Earth. Luckily, the science of cryo-sleep has been perfected and groups of 18-25 year-olds are selected to survive the coming apocalypse by sleeping for 200 years in bunkers below ground.
The book cleverly shifts between past a present as we follow our main character, Johanna, the only one in her section of over 1,000 to wake up 200 years into the future. Then we flip back to months before the asteroid is about to hit Earth when Johanna is selected to participate in the cryo-sleep program.
This book left me wondering what was going to happen next. How Johanna would survive in the future, as obstacles crash into her way both literally and figuratively. The storytelling is amazing. I was holding my breath for parts, and my heart broke at others. I'll definitely be reading #2. I need to find out what happens!
This book is best read at Apocalypse Camp, while secretly holding hands with your crush. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
An asteroid, twice as large as the one that killed the dinosaurs, is headed for Earth. Luckily, the science of cryo-sleep has been perfected and groups of 18-25 year-olds are selected to survive the coming apocalypse by sleeping for 200 years in bunkers below ground.
The book cleverly shifts between past a present as we follow our main character, Johanna, the only one in her section of over 1,000 to wake up 200 years into the future. Then we flip back to months before the asteroid is about to hit Earth when Johanna is selected to participate in the cryo-sleep program.
This book left me wondering what was going to happen next. How Johanna would survive in the future, as obstacles crash into her way both literally and figuratively. The storytelling is amazing. I was holding my breath for parts, and my heart broke at others. I'll definitely be reading #2. I need to find out what happens!
This book is best read at Apocalypse Camp, while secretly holding hands with your crush. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
August 21, 2022
The story is compelling and it moves along at a good pace. There are a few plot holes that kept me wondering. One was there was no mention of a power source for the bunker until it was briefly stated that there was a nuclear reactor buried in the ground. But no mention of how a nuclear reactor could operate for two centuries with no maintenance or adjustments. Another is the flashlight batteries that Joanna found and used, how could they work after 200 years of non use? And a third is the energy bars that Joanna found and ate. They were sealed in wrappers but they would be good after 200 years?
But those technical anomalies were minor points to the story as a whole. The human interactions and conflicts amidst a very difficult reality were the real story. Author Jordan Rivet portrays humanity well in the course of the story.
I look forward to reading the next two books in the series.
But those technical anomalies were minor points to the story as a whole. The human interactions and conflicts amidst a very difficult reality were the real story. Author Jordan Rivet portrays humanity well in the course of the story.
I look forward to reading the next two books in the series.
December 9, 2022
Dieses Buch war ein totaler Spontankauf, von dem ich nicht mal sagen kann, wie ich drauf gekommen bin: Cover sah gut aus, Titel hat mich sofort gecatcht, Klappentext erinnerte so an eine Mischung aus "Fallout" und "The 100", dass ich endgültig überzeugt war.
Und das Buch hat für mich komplett gepasst!
Joanna ist gerade 18 und noch auf der High School, als die Nachricht vom Kometeneinschlag, der alles Leben auf der Erde vernichten wird, eintrifft. Die einzige Hoffnung der Menschheit: die Kryorevolution vor einigen Jahren. Der hastig aufgestellte Plan ist, dass ausgewählte Menschen in Bunkern für 200 Jahre schlafen und dann alles wieder aufbauen. Joanna wird ausgewählt - warum, kann sie sich selbst nicht ganz erklären. Die Kriterien der Bunker-Organisationen sind etwas vage, aber sie ist durch den anfänglichen Screeningprozess gekommen, weil sie im Gegensatz zu vielen anderen noch optimistisch an ihrem Alltag festhält. Dieser Alltag und die Geschehnisse kurz vor der Apokalypse nehmen übrigens nicht viel Raum ein.
Man begleitet Joanna anfangs abwechselnd im "before" und "after":
Before erzählt vom Trainingsprogramm, wie sich die Auserwählten auf die Zeit im Bunker und nach dem Kryoschlaf vorbereiten, von Unstimmigkeiten in der Organisation und einer zarten Lovestory.
After ist das, was mich so an dem Roman gereizt hat. Als Joanna planmäßig nach 200 Jahren erwacht, ist sie die einzige im Bunker, die noch lebt, und muss sich fragen, ob sie wohlmöglich die letzte lebende Person auf Erden ist und wie sie so überleben kann ...
Vom Rest der Handlung will ich nicht zu viel spoilern. Deutlich ist, dass dies nur ein erster Band ist. Es wird einiges aufgebaut und einige Fragen und Details bleiben offen.
Zudem ist die Zielgruppe wohl auch eher im YA anzusiedeln, was ich sehr gerne lese. Wer lieber etwas erwachsenere Literatur zu einem ähnlichen Setting und Grundplot lesen will, den verweise ich gern an "Eisschmelze" aus dem Ohne Ohren Verlag.
Und das Buch hat für mich komplett gepasst!
Joanna ist gerade 18 und noch auf der High School, als die Nachricht vom Kometeneinschlag, der alles Leben auf der Erde vernichten wird, eintrifft. Die einzige Hoffnung der Menschheit: die Kryorevolution vor einigen Jahren. Der hastig aufgestellte Plan ist, dass ausgewählte Menschen in Bunkern für 200 Jahre schlafen und dann alles wieder aufbauen. Joanna wird ausgewählt - warum, kann sie sich selbst nicht ganz erklären. Die Kriterien der Bunker-Organisationen sind etwas vage, aber sie ist durch den anfänglichen Screeningprozess gekommen, weil sie im Gegensatz zu vielen anderen noch optimistisch an ihrem Alltag festhält. Dieser Alltag und die Geschehnisse kurz vor der Apokalypse nehmen übrigens nicht viel Raum ein.
Man begleitet Joanna anfangs abwechselnd im "before" und "after":
Before erzählt vom Trainingsprogramm, wie sich die Auserwählten auf die Zeit im Bunker und nach dem Kryoschlaf vorbereiten, von Unstimmigkeiten in der Organisation und einer zarten Lovestory.
After ist das, was mich so an dem Roman gereizt hat. Als Joanna planmäßig nach 200 Jahren erwacht, ist sie die einzige im Bunker, die noch lebt, und muss sich fragen, ob sie wohlmöglich die letzte lebende Person auf Erden ist und wie sie so überleben kann ...
Vom Rest der Handlung will ich nicht zu viel spoilern. Deutlich ist, dass dies nur ein erster Band ist. Es wird einiges aufgebaut und einige Fragen und Details bleiben offen.
Zudem ist die Zielgruppe wohl auch eher im YA anzusiedeln, was ich sehr gerne lese. Wer lieber etwas erwachsenere Literatur zu einem ähnlichen Setting und Grundplot lesen will, den verweise ich gern an "Eisschmelze" aus dem Ohne Ohren Verlag.
August 26, 2018
Author Jordan Rivet has struck it out of the ballpark once more in Wake Me After the Apocalypse.
As a comet name named Brandon speeds toward Earth, the days until mankind’s extinction are truly numbered. Even with eight months until impact there is little that humanity can do: avoidance of this tragedy is impossible. Although the field of cryosleep is relatively new, it may be the only chance man has of reclaiming the Earth and rebuilding. One thousand randomly selected individuals are selected to rebuild society after the impact. But with the devastation caused by a direct hit from the comet and the impact winter that will follow life will be wiped out for at least one hundred years. Taking a risk, the one thousand people who will repopulate the earth are given immersive training in survival; they are programmed to follow the program set out before them; they are taught basic skills to rebuild our society; and above all they are programmed to not panic. All of this must be accomplished before they are placed into a deep cryosleep where they will remain for two hundred years – enough time for vegetation to begin anew and for the effects of impact winter to have subsided.
One of the randomly selected participants in the program is eighteen-year-old Joanna Murphy. With trepidation at leaving her parents who she knows will surely die, Joanna joins the other members of her team – Blue Team Seven – and begins her training. The participants have been sequestered in a heavily guarded encampment away from towns and cities. They proceed with their learning and are left exhausted by the end of each day, too exhausted and too far removed from others to see how society is disintegrating as the time to comet impact draws closer.
Fast forward two hundred years and the time has come for Joanna and the others to reawaken. As she slowly opens her eyes she is aware that there are red lights around her cryo-tube where there should be blue ones. Slowly she emerges from her tube to find that their underground cavern – home of one thousand cryotubes – has had a cave in. After getting accustomed to being awake and moving again, Joanna realizes that is the only one alive. Lower numbered tubes are crushed and their occupants dead. Higher numbered tubes (she is number 188) are blocked by rubble from the cave in. She assumes that all others are dead. It is her sheer determination and programming along with her curiosity about what Earth now looks like that finally get her to the outside. Fifteen hundred feet below the earth’s crust, Joanna must call on every bit of her courage, her training, her determination to get her through. And through it all she must remember, Don’t Panic!
Using Joanna and her cohorts as a cross-section of today’s society, we are given a glimpse into the future. A future that may be bleak or a future that may be full of hope and promise. Or maybe a bit of both. The plot of the story is spellbinding, and I found myself staying up all night just to finish the book. Easy reading, characters to whom the reader is effortlessly drawn, a setting that is global yet condensed, all are earmarks of Ms. Rivet’s captivating writing style. I’ve read this author’s SeaSwept Series (post-apocalyptic story set on a cruise ship) and immensely enjoyed all the books in that series.
With Wake Me After the Apocalypse, I felt a kinship with the character of Joanna from the first page. Readers of post-apocalyptic stories will revel in this new offering from Jordan Rivet. This reader hopes that there will be a sequel to this book although it works perfectly as a stand-alone novel. If you like action, adventure, or thrillers, don’t miss this one.
Note: I was provided with an ARC by the author.
As a comet name named Brandon speeds toward Earth, the days until mankind’s extinction are truly numbered. Even with eight months until impact there is little that humanity can do: avoidance of this tragedy is impossible. Although the field of cryosleep is relatively new, it may be the only chance man has of reclaiming the Earth and rebuilding. One thousand randomly selected individuals are selected to rebuild society after the impact. But with the devastation caused by a direct hit from the comet and the impact winter that will follow life will be wiped out for at least one hundred years. Taking a risk, the one thousand people who will repopulate the earth are given immersive training in survival; they are programmed to follow the program set out before them; they are taught basic skills to rebuild our society; and above all they are programmed to not panic. All of this must be accomplished before they are placed into a deep cryosleep where they will remain for two hundred years – enough time for vegetation to begin anew and for the effects of impact winter to have subsided.
One of the randomly selected participants in the program is eighteen-year-old Joanna Murphy. With trepidation at leaving her parents who she knows will surely die, Joanna joins the other members of her team – Blue Team Seven – and begins her training. The participants have been sequestered in a heavily guarded encampment away from towns and cities. They proceed with their learning and are left exhausted by the end of each day, too exhausted and too far removed from others to see how society is disintegrating as the time to comet impact draws closer.
Fast forward two hundred years and the time has come for Joanna and the others to reawaken. As she slowly opens her eyes she is aware that there are red lights around her cryo-tube where there should be blue ones. Slowly she emerges from her tube to find that their underground cavern – home of one thousand cryotubes – has had a cave in. After getting accustomed to being awake and moving again, Joanna realizes that is the only one alive. Lower numbered tubes are crushed and their occupants dead. Higher numbered tubes (she is number 188) are blocked by rubble from the cave in. She assumes that all others are dead. It is her sheer determination and programming along with her curiosity about what Earth now looks like that finally get her to the outside. Fifteen hundred feet below the earth’s crust, Joanna must call on every bit of her courage, her training, her determination to get her through. And through it all she must remember, Don’t Panic!
Using Joanna and her cohorts as a cross-section of today’s society, we are given a glimpse into the future. A future that may be bleak or a future that may be full of hope and promise. Or maybe a bit of both. The plot of the story is spellbinding, and I found myself staying up all night just to finish the book. Easy reading, characters to whom the reader is effortlessly drawn, a setting that is global yet condensed, all are earmarks of Ms. Rivet’s captivating writing style. I’ve read this author’s SeaSwept Series (post-apocalyptic story set on a cruise ship) and immensely enjoyed all the books in that series.
With Wake Me After the Apocalypse, I felt a kinship with the character of Joanna from the first page. Readers of post-apocalyptic stories will revel in this new offering from Jordan Rivet. This reader hopes that there will be a sequel to this book although it works perfectly as a stand-alone novel. If you like action, adventure, or thrillers, don’t miss this one.
Note: I was provided with an ARC by the author.
September 28, 2018
Joanna has a lot of hard choices to face, and a lot of obstacles to overcome when she's chosen for a special program. When an extinction level event is about to destroy Earth, Joanna gets the chance to survive, along with one thousand other young people.
The story is told from both the past, and what Joanna has to face in the future after awakening from cryogenic sleep. Nothing is what it seems, and nothing turns out the way she expects.
Joanna is easy to relate to. She wonders why she, of all people, gets a chance, while so many thousands of others don't. She leaves her family behind, and bonds with her new team. The program isn't exactly what it seems to be, and things go wrong.
I liked Joanna, and felt for her. The plot is good, and Joanna's plight is both suspenseful, and poignant. But her drive, optimism, and curiosity get her through. She's resourceful, and determined.
There were a couple of things toward the end of the book that didn't work for me, but it didn't detract too much from the overall story.
Very enjoyable!
The story is told from both the past, and what Joanna has to face in the future after awakening from cryogenic sleep. Nothing is what it seems, and nothing turns out the way she expects.
Joanna is easy to relate to. She wonders why she, of all people, gets a chance, while so many thousands of others don't. She leaves her family behind, and bonds with her new team. The program isn't exactly what it seems to be, and things go wrong.
I liked Joanna, and felt for her. The plot is good, and Joanna's plight is both suspenseful, and poignant. But her drive, optimism, and curiosity get her through. She's resourceful, and determined.
There were a couple of things toward the end of the book that didn't work for me, but it didn't detract too much from the overall story.
Very enjoyable!
May 20, 2023
2.5 STARS
After reading this book I can't stop thinking about the food and water Joanna consumes after she comes out of her 200 year "sleep". How can it be edible after that long? I find myself unable to get past that part!
The book dives right in to Joanna's awakening to find she's alone. Most of the present day stuff is her trying to find her way out of her tomb, and not panic about her being all alone. There's also a lot of backstory chapters that I didn't really like. I didn't understand why the author spent so much time introducing characters that never made it, and I'd find myself skimming to get to the present day stuff. Joanna is very much a teenager, and while all that angst might be age appropriate, it was annoying in her circumstance.
The ending doesn't really have a resolution, but reading the synopsis of the next book (which does not feature any characters from this one) doesn't make me want to put it on my "to read" list.
After reading this book I can't stop thinking about the food and water Joanna consumes after she comes out of her 200 year "sleep". How can it be edible after that long? I find myself unable to get past that part!
The book dives right in to Joanna's awakening to find she's alone. Most of the present day stuff is her trying to find her way out of her tomb, and not panic about her being all alone. There's also a lot of backstory chapters that I didn't really like. I didn't understand why the author spent so much time introducing characters that never made it, and I'd find myself skimming to get to the present day stuff. Joanna is very much a teenager, and while all that angst might be age appropriate, it was annoying in her circumstance.
The ending doesn't really have a resolution, but reading the synopsis of the next book (which does not feature any characters from this one) doesn't make me want to put it on my "to read" list.
February 20, 2024
Absolutely a worthy book!
I love how we literally live the lives of people in this. We get to start at the beginning and through to the end where it starts again. Epically written, I can't wait to read the next book.
This book is a little off my reading track, but it was worth every minute!
I love how we literally live the lives of people in this. We get to start at the beginning and through to the end where it starts again. Epically written, I can't wait to read the next book.
This book is a little off my reading track, but it was worth every minute!
July 5, 2024
My eye was twitching so hard at the ending. There’s a cliffhanger and then there’s wait another 2 books before the story resumes. Just felt scummy.
Obviously an exaggeration but I stand by my point. Switching the POV characters just didn’t work for this series.
I’m sorry I hate the “boyfriend”. Literally nothing could justify what he did imo
Obviously an exaggeration but I stand by my point. Switching the POV characters just didn’t work for this series.
I’m sorry I hate the “boyfriend”. Literally nothing could justify what he did imo
Read
April 30, 2020Every now and then, I'm in the mood for an apocalypse, and when I stumbled over this one, I thought it looked decent, and I loved the cover. Verdict: a fast and gripping read with a few interesting twists and turns, but somewhat juvenile in places.
November 16, 2021
I started this book today, and barely put it down until I had finished, wish I could start book 2 now but my eyes are sore now and it’s almost 1am so it’s time for bed but am looking forward to starting book 2 tomorrow
December 7, 2022
k first book read and it was pretty good. I like the story line and the characters. Joanna isn't a weeping scared to do anything girl. She's scarred but overcomes herself to get things done. She is optimistic and I like that. Looking forward to reading book 2.
January 25, 2023
This was a solid 4 stars for me. It covered the essentials of dystopian, explaining how the world as we know it ended and then giving a good picture of the new world. I liked the character development and I was interested in what was coming next and didn’t predict the plot twist. Quick, easy YA read
May 29, 2025
I love a good YA dystopian book, and this series is off to a solid start for me. Yes, the writing is a tad simplistic and it reads a bit young…but it kept me interested the entire time and I’m excited to follow the story throughout the next books.
July 16, 2022
Love a cryosleep-survival-in-a-bunker-after-a-comet-causes-the-apocalypse book! Read it in one sitting!!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 403 reviews