An excellent read set in the near future when 90 per cent of Men suddenly die of a mysterious flu like virus. Told from the viewpoint of several characters eg a hospital doctor, a CDC investigator, a medical researcher this is more a social commentary on what life could be like. During the current pandemic, I have read several dystopian novels and this ranks as one of the best. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the src.

A very apt book which is about an awful pandemic which they call the plague which affects 90% of the worlds men. Told from different viewpoints across the world and of the women who lose husbands and sons and who go onto achieve greatness. A story about humanity and characters who grow. Fabulous book

.Bad things and good things can coexist [...] and we have to find the good where we can.'

It's 2025, and the world is about to change forever. In Glasgow, Dr Amanda Maclean treats a patient with flu-like symptoms. Just hours later, he's dead. And so it begins. Soon, the virus is sweeping the world, killing the majority of its victims. All of whom are men. How will the world change when most of its male population have died? Can a cure be found? Or will it be the end of men?

This is a tricky one to review. Obviously, it's a very timely read given we are currently living through a global pandemic, and while I imagine it was intended to read as dystopian it did almost feel like non-fiction at times! Although fortunately, the COVID pandemic has not reached the level of horror that the plague in this book creates, and hopefully never will. However, whilst I did feel grateful that our lives are not as bad as those of the people in this book, it did make me feel incredibly anxious about how badly things could have gone for us in the real world, and so I would definitely be hesitant to recommend this book to someone with anxiety, purely because of how realistic it is and how it played on anxieties that have already been heightened by real world events.

However, that aside, it is a great book. It includes a varied cast of women, and follows how each of them cope with the new world. Indeed, it's told almost as a collection of different people's diaries rather than an overarching story. There were some interesting ideas thrown in that may initially not have been considered about how the world would change when the majority of the population are female - for example, more research into endometriosis, how to deal with careers such as plumbing that were previously dominated by men, and how it would affect the LGBTQ+ community. However, there were also a lot of areas of society that weren't explored, which I kind of understand as otherwise the book would have been far too long, but it did at times feel a bit like reading the same storyline just with a different womans name at the start of the chapter. But that's me being fussy.

All in all, a challenging yet interesting read, which will make you both uncomfortable and yet also grateful for everything that we still have. Just maybe wait to read it until things have improved a bit more!

3.75 stars rounded up to 4.

Disclaimer - I was fortunate enough to be provided with an advance reading copy of this book by NetGalley. This has not affected my review in any way, and all opinions are my own.

so i'm in a run of pandemic books, as someone who has been very panicky about our current situation i don't know WHY, but i'm enjoying it. there's something about embracing the panic and leaning in to the end of the world feeling

this particular one is about a flu that kills 90% of men starting in 2024. i kept comparing it to covid and the response and the death rate which made it even scarier but i really liked this one!

it follows a range of people, from the doctor who first discovers it, to scientists working on a vaccine and all the people in between. it jumps from year to year, showing long terms effects, including some really interesting consequences i would never have thought about and i love the big and small details

being scottish and reading barely any books set there, there was an odd thrill at that being the start of the outbreak. a claim to fame

i really enjoyed the audiobook! i have the ebook version as well so i read along at a few bits but mainly listened, horrified at the way the world was ending. because it was a whole cast it was really fun to listen to!

the writing was great, the characters were all so different, and i would recommend

The perfect novel for a pandemic.

Dr McLean is central as she watches a pandemic from beginning to vaccine for survival.

I don’t want to give any spoilers but this is SUPERB

I wasn't sure how I felt about reading a novel about a pandemic during an actual pandemic but when I finally plucked up courage I found it imaginative, beautifully written and amazingly prescient. The author captured brilliantly the surreal sense at the start as people sleepwalked into disaster, doctors weren't believed and the chance to track and trace and contain the virus was missed etc. Would I recommend it? If you like dystopian fiction that's in some ways very similar to real life and don't mind reading about a pandemic, absolutely!
Full review on my blog https://katyjohnsonblog.wordpress.com

This book follows women round the world coping and evolving in a pandemic that only kills men.
It explored how different people react to things, the way so much of the world would have to change to be a woman's world and how the human race could survive.
There's some really thought provoking points that are woven into the story. I had a standout favourite character, the Russian woman, she has a small part but it's my favourite part of the book!

A lot of people wouldn't want to read about a pandemic whilst living through one; I completely understand that point of view but, in the case of 'The End of Men', I don't share it. I found it strangely comforting to read about a virus so much more virulent than Covid-19.

As you'd expect from a story about a virus which wipes out 90% of the male population of the planet, loss and grief are covered extensively in this book. There are some truly heart-rending moments and emotional sucker punches. Weaved into the story are shocking statistics about the world as it is now - such as how much more likely women are to be seriously injured in car accidents due to the fact safety measures in vehicles are designed for male drivers or the rates of sex slavery in certain countries in the world. These come out organically through the narrative but are still hard hitting; Sweeney-Baird did her research.

This had the potential to be a spectacular read but for me there were just too many different points of view and the narrative voices of each were not different enough. This made it difficult to keep track of whose perspective you were reading at any particular time. A couple of the characters play a large part in the storyline, having both a good number of chapters from their own viewpoint and being mentioned in the chapters of others, whilst some of the characters whose point of view you see only have two chapters in the whole book. Even towards the end there were a couple of chapters where I saw the name of the character who was the focus and wasn't immediately sure who she was in the narrative. This huge cast made it a little overwhelming at times and this is what stopped it hitting 5 stars for me.

That said, I would definitely recommend it to fans of dystopian or speculative fiction. Once you get your head around the main players in the narrative, it's a highly engrossing read.

I had really hoped to love this book but it fell a bit short of my expectations for several reasons.

The plot covers several years during and after a virus spreads rapidly around the world. This virus only affects men, and 90- 91% die. Women are not affected except that they are symptomless carriers. The story is written in multiple first person viewpoints, and to be honest there are too many of these. I found the characters to be 'samey' and after a while stopped trying to distinguish between them. I became increasingly annoyed that quite a few women simply replaced their male colleagues, complete with the same attitudes and ambitions - to get loads of money, a place on the board, power and influence.

Secondly, the science used in the novel is proof that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. My field was biology so I probably know a bit more than the average person, but hopefully most readers will not take too much notice of the genetics expounded in the book. For example, if the problematic genetic sequence is on the x chromosome, some women will have two copies of it and will be vulnerable (same as with x-linked colour-blindness - rare in females, 0.4% have it compared with 8% of males). The author did point out that cars, indeed most safety equipment, is designed for men, so women are more likely to be seriously injured in an accident. Also that female health problems - like endometriosis - are not as widely researched as men's. Cudos for that. Another quibble is that you can't see a virus by looking at a blood sample under a microscope - it would need to be an electron microscope. Also, you wouldn't reject a vaccine because it's "only 96% effective". So a C- for biology.

My third problem was the enormous popularity of the women-only dating app. I don't think so many women would make a decision to become gay because there were so few men around and they missed having sex. It didn't seem realistic to me.

Finally, the language needs some revision. For example, there is no Recuss in hospital - it's Resus. The husband was not 'at stake' he was at risk (exposed to danger), and please stop 'discovering' a vaccine like it was under a stone or in your spare handbag. As for "I'm going to write about Jenny and I's lives together" - ugh! Could do with rephrasing.

So I finished the book but found it somewhat disjointed, scientifically flawed and lacked flow. I'm being quite negative and there were plenty of good subplots, such as some people who were quarantined on a boat near Iceland and running out of food (even then I wondered why they couldn't find some nets or rods to catch fish, and supplement meagre supplies with seaweed).

Many thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins for my e-copy in return for an honest review.

Obviously a very timely book - fascinating that the author imagined a global pandemic just before Covid19 hit! I raced through this book, enjoying noticing the similarities and differences between fiction and reality. Noticing that there seemed more working together, goodwill and collaboration in reality (at least at the beginning) than in fiction was a refreshing realisation. The reality of covid probably derailed the impact of the book a bit - particularly because the premise is really interesting to explore - a world with very few men left. But I think the writer could have done more with this. I really enjoyed the characters and wanted more of their stories.

Wow! What a book. Incredibly thought provoking. This isn't a book about a virus, whilst that is what happens. This book is about society. Excellently written and certainly a journey to read whilst very uncomfortable in places.

It's an interesting read because would I feel the same if I had read it pre-Covid 19 pandemic and would that have instilled a fear that I was going to lose the majority of my family.

I work in a male dominated industry, so this story made me think about all aspects of my life and what differences I would face. I really enjoyed this and would love to see the author continue the story.

I do not have spoilers in my reviews but I would recommend this book, I did enjoy it. Even though it was uncomfortable to read, because of the topic and the current world we're living in.

I think this book is going to stay with me for a long time. Provoking further thoughts around Diversity and Inclusivity. Especially, how this would effect LGBTQ+ community. If nothing else, this book taps into how diverse we need society to be.

Thank you Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book for an honest review.

Never has a book been so relevant than The End of Men. It’s incredibly well written, tense and tragic, I love that there are many main characters, none of which particularly stands out, and in this novel, that’s a good thing. It shows the importance of how such an event would inevitably effect each and other one of us.
A fantastic read.

Set in a world where a virus stalks our male population, The End of Men is an electrifying and unforgettable debut from a remarkable new talent that asks: what would our world truly look like without men?
.
So real!!!
What a gripping thriller.

This was a very disturbing but good read.

Thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish and could not get enough of.

This is a must read for anyone who enjoys a good thriller!!
Absolutely loved the characters, the plot, the tension -  impossible to put it down.
I hope the vaccine save all too!!!
Thanks netgalley

This book was written before we had even heard of Wuhan, but is terribly prescient.

Imagine a world where a virus has spread, which only attacks men, but is carried by women. Only around 10% of the male population is immune.
The narration is in the form of testimony, interviews, journal entries, blogs, by people affected by the virus, and spreads over time from the first patient, to the discovery of a vaccine, to a post-virus world.
Amanda Mclean, an A and E consultant in a Glasgow hospital is the first to encounter the virus, and “patient zero”. She tries to raise the alarm, but is not taken seriously.
She is a recurring character, along with a social historian, an intelligence analyst, various scientists, and “ordinary” people.
The result is a compelling life-affirming tale where there are no goodies or baddies, but just people trying to make their way in a very changed world, and coping as best they can.
It ends with a promise of a hopeful future.

Thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK for the opportunity to read this book.

I'm blown away that this was finished being written in June of 2019. It's surreal to read a book about a global pandemic in the midst of a global pandemic. It is so creepy and prescient. She nails so much of what ending up coming to fruition. I can't imagine wanting to read any of the lockdown inspired memoirs or Contagion wannabe books in 2023; but highly recommend losing yourself in this. I really enjoyed it, right down to the obnoxious Dr. Lisa Michael.

This book reeled me right in pretty quickly. A dystopian novel that a few years ago would seem unrealistic, yet with the current world situation seems more like watching the news. We follow the evolving pandemic through the eyes of many women. Although there are lots of characters to keep track of, it doesn't detract from the story. A great novel to kick off my year of reading.

A really excellent read. Despite being a little too close for comfort I really loved this. Pacy, emotive, thought-provoking and ultimately a reminder of the strength of love and human connection.

Wow! This is just an extraordinary book. It is so hard to know how I would have reacted to it if I'd read it at any other time. I expect I would have thought, yep, good read, maybe a bit far-fetched. However, reading it still deep in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic it seems frighteningly real. Despite largely writing this book in 2018 it is remarkably prescient. A story about a plague that affects men and spreads rapidly across the world almost wiping out men altogether. It's a surprisingly easy read. Short chapters. Characters who develop throughout the story and characters who appear just for one chapter, but a story told from multiple points of view. From the doctor who discovered the first patient, Patient Zero, the scientists searching for and developing a vaccine, the ordinary people affected in devastaing ways losing their husbands and sons to the disease, the governments around the world. I often consider at the moment the new words and phrases that have becom all too commmon in our vocabulary in 2020 and early 2021. Social distancing. Stay at home. Efficacy. These all crop up in the book. I follow what is happening around the world in the coronavirus pandemic very closely and at times I was so engrossed in the book that I lost track of what was real and what was fiction. Thankfully, whilst we are living through difficult times we are not in such a dire situation as Sweeney-Baird's imagined world and if anything this book gives hope that things really will recover around the world soon.

This is definitely an eerily prescient novel. I think in some ways this novel about a pandemic profits from the fact that we are all too aware of many of the ways in which a virus can suddenly take over. The thing that I like is that the author does a great job of writing about the effects, both short-term and long-term, of this terrible occurrence without dwelling too much on the actual horror of the quick deaths. We follow quite a few different characters, all suffering a degree of loss whether of people or lifestyle. Christina Sweeney-Baird explores well the ways in which the loss of most of the men on planet earth would shatter society. This book is well-paced, in the form of journal entries which give small insights into the lives they once had. Like all good books, it makes you think.

Such an interesting topic for the moment. Whilst reading, it is easy to forget which pandemic is the real one and, confuse fact with fiction. The concept of a world without men might be appealing at times, but it highlights the 'be careful what you wish for' when reading the possible consequences. It is a compelling novel, as it is well written, with the story moving on constantly, without unnecessary infills.