A Mother's Guide to the Apocalypse

By: Hollie Overton

Narrated by: Eleanor Caudill

From the international bestselling author of Baby Doll comes a post-apocalyptic mystery exploring the unshakeable bond between mothers and daughters and the sacrifices we make for the people we love.

If you knew the world was ending, what lengths would you go to protect the people you love? How would you ensure their survival? And what secrets would you want to stay buried?

For Olivia Sullivan, the summer of 2024 was the beginning of the end. Political upheaval and natural disasters were bad enough, but danger arrives on her doorstep, threatening her triplet daughters, Olivia finds herself scrolling doomsday-prepping forums for hours determined to protect her family from the coming apocalypse. Olivia’s husband and friends insist she is being irrational, until she is swept away in a flash flood that devastated LA.

At least that’s the story her daughters, Rosie, Bettie, and Cassie, were always told.

Twenty years later, the triplets discover a box of their mother’s belongings that calls into question everything their father told them about their mother and her death. Reeling from this betrayal, the family returns to California, determined to uncover Olivia’s true fate.

Confronted by an unfamiliar world where nothing and no one are what they seem, the sisters must unravel the truth about their father and the mother who may have abandoned them, while struggling to hold onto the one constant in their lives—each other.

Critic reviews

“Hollie Overton has written an engrossing novel for those of us who believe that the way we take care of each other is the way we can survive. Tender and touching, it's a testament to the loving heart of post-apocalypse fiction.” —Meg Elison, author of The Book of the Unnamed Midwife

“Riveting, conversational, and real, A Mother’s Guide to the Apocalypse feels like a letter from the future, or a missive from that prophetic mother who knew too much, too late, and attempted to give everything she had: love. A warning whose time has come.” —Alison Stine, Philip K. Dick Award–winning author of Dust

Sizzling and richly imagined, A Mother’s Guide to the Apocalypse is a thought-provoking page-turner I gulped down in one sitting!" —Rita Zoey Chin, author of The Strange Inheritance of Leah Fern

“Hollie Overton shines in this vivid imagining of our society after it collapses. Equal parts thriller and mystery, A Mother's Guide to the Apocalypse is really a love letter to those we hold most dear, and a guide—not for a post-apocalyptic world, but one on how to love each other.”—Julie Clark, author of The Last Fight

I was hooked by the end of chapter one

I loved this book! I was drawn in immediately and found myself trying to steal moments to keep listening. I also found myself wondering about this world that felt very authentic and like I could understand everyone and their motivations very clearly. It made all of the characters very realistic and engaging. What a “page turner”!

Lovely story, meh narration

I loved the story so much but the British accents from the narrator made me cringe every time. It was very distracting and I almost wanted to return the audio in favor of digital but I persevered.

Meh

The narrator’s voice and the changes in voice she used for the different characters grated on my nerves. As for the story line, I felt it predictable and found the constant, some may say subtle, political ideology annoying. I really wanted to return it but felt guilty as I have returned the last couple books due to narrator voice or storyline. I suffered through and am left thinking I wasted several audible hours that could have been spent on something more enjoyable.

Loved this book

This book was so good and kept me enthralled through the whole book. Throughly enjoyed the story.

How much the Mom loved her three daughters and her husband.

I loved all the twist and turns in the story line of the book. It was so suspenseful!!!