The Last Bookstore on Earth by Lily Braun-Arnold

The Last Bookstore on Earth

Lily Braun-Arnold

Random House Children's Books · Paperback · January 13, 2026

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Two teen girls fall in love and fight for survival in an abandoned bookstore as they prepare for the end of the world in "the snarky sapphic dystopian of our dreams" (Jennifer Dugan, author of Some Girls Do). “A thoroughly original, intimate, and sometimes harrowing meditation on survival, forgiveness, and learning how to love again at the almost end of the world.”—Nicola Yoon, #1 New York Times bestselling author The world is about to end.

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Who it’s for
A tense, intimate story where survival, forgiveness, and young love share close quarters.
Genres
YA Romance - LGBTQ+, YA Apocalyptic Fiction, YA Dystopian Fiction
Published
Random House Children's Books, January 13, 2026

About this book

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Two teen girls fall in love and fight for survival in an abandoned bookstore as they prepare for the end of the world in "the snarky sapphic dystopian of our dreams" (Jennifer Dugan, author of Some Girls Do). “A thoroughly original, intimate, and sometimes harrowing meditation on survival, forgiveness, and learning how to love again at the almost end of the world.”—Nicola Yoon, #1 New York Times bestselling author The world is about to end.

Continue reading

Again. Ever since the first Storm wreaked havoc on civilization as we know it, seventeen-year-old Liz Flannery has been holed up in an abandoned bookstore in suburban New Jersey where she used to work, trading books for supplies with the few remaining survivors. It’s the one place left that feels safe to her. Until she learns that another earth-shattering Storm is coming . . . and everything changes. Enter Maeve, a prickly and potentially dangerous out-of-towner who breaks into the bookstore looking for shelter one night. Though the two girls are immediately at odds, Maeve has what Liz needs—the skills to repair the dilapidated store before the next climate disaster strikes—and Liz reluctantly agrees to let her stay. As the girls grow closer and undeniable feelings spring up between them, they realize that they face greater threats than the impending Storm. And when Maeve’s secrets and Liz’s inner demons come back to haunt them both, they find themselves fighting for their lives as their world crumbles around them. “A hauntingly beautiful story of love, loss, and the raw fight for survival.” —Jarrod Shusterman, New York Times bestselling author of Dry

Love Under Pressure

A tense, intimate story where survival, forgiveness, and young love share close quarters.

Come here for

  • A prickly sapphic romance under end-of-the-world pressure
  • The strange comfort of an abandoned bookstore turned refuge

Expect

  • Climate-disaster stakes with a sharp-edged romantic pull
  • A harrowing fight to find safety—and learn to love again

Where it sits

YA Apocalyptic Fiction51%
YA Dystopian Fiction46%
YA Romance - LGBTQ+46%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • YA Apocalyptic Fiction
  • YA Stories About Girls & Women
  • YA Romance - LGBTQ+
Authors
Lily Braun-Arnold
Publisher
Random House Children's Books
Published
January 13, 2026
Format
Paperback
Reading lane
YA Apocalyptic Fiction