I received a copy of this book to review from Netgalley. Thank you for the opportunity.
This book was really interesting taken on the if men disappeared topic. I enjoyed the snippets of other sources threaded throughout which was a good way of giving a history and background to the story itself. At times I found them odly placed as they could have worked elsewhere.
The writing is good and the story fast paced. I felt the ending was slightly rushed and the readers questions weren't fully answered. The characters are intriguing and full of strong women.
Overall, a great book.

What if a viral pandemic put women in charge of the planet?
The moment I read the synopsis, I needed to read this and I wasn’t disappointed, not even one bit. I wouldn’t stop reading until I’ve reached the end of the book! The writing style reminded me a bit of Warcross and the story plot got me hooked from the complete beginning. It’s a really well written dystopian novel set in 2099 and men no longer exist because of a virus that completely wiped them. It gives us a really fascinating glimpse of the future. Athena’s Choice really got me thinking whether the world would really be better without men and I know what everyone is thinking, “No”. My answer was the exact same but the deeper I got into the book, the more it got me thinking about it. Despite the cliffhanger that left many questions unanswered, I recommend this to people who love Sci-Fi.
Thank you Net Galley and Publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I received a free copy from Netgalley. In exchange, I am leaving my honest review.

It is the end of this century and men have been eradicated due to a deadly pandemic. Women have created an advanced, peaceful society. However, there is a group of women who want to bring back men. The Lazarus project us trying to do just that.

The Lazarus genome has been stolen and 19 year old Athena - an artist with little practical experience - is brought in to help discover who stole it.

The writing style was a bit choppy but nevertheless a well done. There isn't a lot of depth to the characters, especially Athena.

There was a preachy aspect regarding the depictions of the male vs. female psyches, with focus on the genetic aspects of personality development. In fact, the main argument for bringing men back was to satisfy the deep romantic and sexual needs of certain women, dubbed as "Lonely Hearts." I respect the author's argument while finding it very simplistic.

I'm not a fan of the open ended way the book finished. It left many questions unanswered.

Despite these criticisms, I enjoyed reading this book. The mysteryand the characters were interesting.






This book is a bit hard to classify. I hesitate to call it dystopian, as t

I had this book on my to be read list for a while and was so excited to receive it from netgalley! I was excited just by the synopsis, which was why I added it and the book did not disappoint! The writing was engaging and the plot flowed very well, the mystique of the issues and desires of the women Kept me hooked till the end.

This was a very interesting premise since it's about a pandemic and we are actually dealing with this right now in real life. I thought it was cool how it was all women. It definitely made for a different story. The narrator was cool too. It was well read and there were different voices. I speed of audio books and this one was well read.

I LOVED this book. I thought that the author did a wonderful in giving us fascinating glimpse of a possible future. The story begins with there being only women left on Earth. There is world peace, no hunger exists, basic income for EVERYONE. All men have died because of a virus, and only the women survive. It's a very interesting concept that in a world with only women (one that I would love to see happen - strong women in charge) there would be no wars anne's every one could live in harmony. The author obviously did an excellent job in researching her materials. She showed this by touching on interesting political and philosophical points. I read the book in one sitting, it hooked me right at threw very beginning and never let me go. I definitely recommend this book. It was fantastic!

I would like to thank Adam Boostrom, Thinker Books and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Okay, I’ll admit it. I went into this one not knowing what it’ll be about but I thought it would be something kind of similar to Percy Jackson. It’s not, but it’s still very good! I’d recommend it to anyone interested in YA.

Thank you, NetGalley, for accepting my request and allowing me to read this book and listen to the audiobook in return for an honest review.
I wasn’t a fan of this book despite being excited. I feel it would maybe translate better as a TV show vs a book. I didn’t like the writing style too much and there was very little character development. Also, it dragged on it felt and the ending concluded kind of cheesy.
Also, why can’t the author distinguish “exist” vs “exists”. I kept reading multiple sentences over and over because they didn’t make sense when using “exist” instead of “exists”.

I really enjoyed this book. And eventho I’m a scientist myself (specialised in genomics) I wasn’t mad about the scientific aspects of this book. The author had obviously taken the time out to do his research. I really enjoyed the book but I really wish it didn’t end me questioning what did she decide to do. Hate cliff hangers. But love the book.

As a science fiction YA, Athena's Choice brings light to an eerie reality if a virus similar to the Y-Fever was spread across the world. With crime and poverty rates basically non-existent, a world ruled by women seems to be a utopian paradise. The Lazarus Project is close to completion, aiming to bring men back to society, but when the genome is somehow stolen, Athena is suddenly thrust into a mysterious crime without knowing why. Athena goes on a journey to discover the mystery, question her identity, and confront the society she has grown up with.

What a fascinating glimpse into the future. There are only women left on earth. There is world peace, no hunger, basic income for everyone. All men die because of a virus, and there are only women left.
It's an interesting concept that in a world with only women, there would be no wars and things would go great.
I doubt this could happen, to have peace. Assholes are assholes regardless of gender.
It touched on interesting political and philosophical points. I read the book in a day, and it really keeps you hooked. Would definitely recommend.

This a a well written dystopian novel that takes place in 2099 .some of the provocative questions this novel raises are pertinent to this day we are living in . .Athena is the main protagonist that lives on a world where a virus has taken away all the male species . She eats well , paints and lives a seemingly relaxed life with her partner when she suddenly gets pulled into a mystery. A controversial project to bring men back has been sabotaged with a theft and Athena is brought in to help investigate. This book pulled me in and kept me there .

Viral pandemic taking over? Putting women in charge of the planet?? Say what?!

Give me this book immediately.

When I finally got my hands on the audiobook version of this novel, I couldn't wait to devour the story because based on the premise,, I was going to listen till I drop. Turns out, that's pretty much what happened - it took me only three days to finish, which I don't often accomplish. Athena's Choice is a dystopian (or shall I say... realistic?!) novel set in the year 2099, following a deadly pandemic. Only in this one, all men have died. Although there have been efforts to bring men back to life, someone is trying to interfere with the plan. And our heroine named Athena may know more than she lets on.

I felt very connected to Athena through solid character building and well-written tale. While I don't usually read or listen to science fiction, I really enjoyed this one not just for the story, but also a powerful, daring idea of what could happen if women rule the world without men. It was for sure dark in places, but generally it was a very readable (or listeanable) story.

Athena's Choice is definitely a one-of-a-kind audio/book, especially with the strong feminist message and exploration of gender vs. a global pandemic.

*Thank you to the Publisher for a free advance copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Enjoyed it! Excellent story and narration!

Have you ever thought about a world without men? Athena's Choice is author Adam Boostrom's sci-fi debut novel set in the future where men have gone extinct. A stray virus called Y-virus accidentally killed all the men, trans-men along with some women.

The story takes place in 2099. The main character, Athena Vosh, is your typical 19-year old teenager and lives in a place called Algonquin Forest Zone of the North American Union. She often times wonder what life would be like if men are still alive or if men were brought back to earth. When the male genome project - Lazarus, a project which aims to bring back men - was sabotaged, she was chosen as an essential component in investigating the case. She doesn't know why and she always dreams about a building and a book that may provide some understanding about the case. She is accompanied by her childhood friend, Nomi James, in uncovering the truth.

I was surprised in a way that I enjoyed this book more than I expected. The flow of the story is at a good pace. A lot of hi-tech future technology that is not far from happening in real life was mentioned. I particularly liked AASHA (Advanced Artificially Intelligent Scheduler and Home Assistant). She's basically Alexa 10.0. Besides the science fiction there is also a twist towards the end. Ultimately paying more attention to the dangers of 'maleness.'

Highly recommended to people who love sci-fi and mystery. If you love listening to audiobooks, you will enjoy the story more. The narration is excellent!

Big thanks to NetGalley, author Adam Boostrom, and publisher Thinker Books for providing a digital copy of the book and audiobook, which allows me to write an honest and unbiased review.

Definitely an interesting premise and storyline for a dystopian thriller involving a girl with a secret in the year 2099. A called Y fever 50 years ago ends up catastrophically wiping out the existence men. Obviously, there is a secret project to being men back but it is being sabotaged. But by whom? Athena stumbles upon this project by accident and has to make some tough decisions. Will she help bring men back and save the project or help destroy it?

The concept was interesting and some of the mentioned technology. However, Athena as the main character had no real personality. Some of the other mentioned women were better written. Still an interesting-ish read.

Thanks to Netgalley, Adam Boostrom and Thinker Books for a late to the game copy in exchange for an honest review.

Already available since 1/18/19

This book also fulfills another reading challenge for the month of August that requires a fantasy book.

I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review. The opinions are entirely my own, and any quotes are taken from the ARC and may be different in the final published copy.

In Athena's Choice by Adam Boostrom, life is near perfect. World hunger has been eradicated. Murder and other violent crimes are almost nonexistent. Implants help you make decisions on what will make you happier. The world is mostly glitter and rainbows. Except there are no men. They were killed with an experimental virus 50 years prior.

The story annoyed me in the beginning because it presented the usual rhetoric that men are bad, evil, etc. However, the book takes a turn that makes the book something deeper. It makes you think. It makes you question what you would do if you were in Athen's situation. I do not want to give more than that because I do not want to ruin anything.

The book is fluffy and light but a bit dark and makes you think. What if a viral pandemic puts women in charge of the planet? Would we be better off without men? Having worked with women for years, my first answer was no. Boostrom presented the question in which a way he made me stop and wonder.

Published in 2019, Athena's Choice was Adam Boostrom's debut novel. Goodreads does not list any upcoming publications for Adam Boostrom.

This 200-word review will be published on Philomathinphila.com.

I was interested in the beginning of this book. It then took a weird turn and I was no longer feeling it. I felt like it got sexual for no reason and the story was dragged on and never hit a level on mystery I think the author was looking for.

This book has such an intriguing premise. What would a world were men have been eradicated by a virus look like. The formatting is original, with a very visual display of the story (articles, different fonts), but this originality also distracts from he flow of the story. So, intriguing, creative, and original, for sure. But, it all felt a bit flat for me. I didn't get a sense of personality from Athena, or anyone really. And these imaginary women in an all women's world felt unrealistic to this woman. They had a preoccupation with physical appearance, designing the body's for some strange ideal of perfection missed the mark for me. But even though the depth of the book needs work, the concept is very good and truly made me think of how I would visualize such a world.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I requested by accident, meant to hit the back arrow on my phone. I will try to find at my local library since it has been out for over a year.

I found the premise of this book really interesting. The concept of an all women world being a utopia is relatively unique, and, the idea that it was a terrorist fever generated to remove “the bad guys” and it simply evolved was neat. However, I had some glaring issues with this book that became more and more prevalent the closer to the end I got.

First off, I genuinely think we would naturally evolve out of the desire of one gender or the other. I know that’s just my opinion, but, it feels relevant. Secondly, the constant need for men being primarily sexual and romantic felt shallow and one sided. I’ve seen other opinions where people believe this should be classed as a YA novel. If you removed the sexual aspects of this book, I would have to agree. The world building, characters, and concept was not fleshed out enough to be considered so in depth as to be a Sci-fi adult fiction. It also needs to be said that it feels relatively odd for a man to write about a world made up entirely of women and their desires. I suppose this is reflected in how one dimensional all these female characters are, and how their emotions (outside of the aggressive hatred of men, or the aggressive sexual need for them) take up two sentences before moving on. I really struggled with this as a review because in concept, it seems like exactly my kind of read- but in execution, it wasn’t what I wanted.

2.5 stars out of 5.

Full review: 8/12/2020