The Bookish Mindset

Overview:

Title: Not With A Bang
Author: Temi Oh
Published: May 2026
Genre: Sci-Fi, Dystopian
Themes: End of the World, Family

One sentence summary: An end of the world drama with beautiful family dynamics.

One sentence review: I’m not actively drawn to end of the world media but I really enjoyed this one, Temi Oh’s writing is beautiful.

Review:

When disaster strikes, the Minton’s are spread across London. Despite years of preparation, Briar’s family are not quite ready for the aftermath.. 

I’m not actively drawn to end of the world media because I’m a wuss and it just feels too real. But after reading and loving Temi Oh’s More Perfect, I knew I needed to be thrown back into her work. 

We’ve got cults, conspiracy theories, hallucinations and more within the space of just a few weeks. The Mintons are less than functional but there’s beautiful family elements in here. You can’t help bond with them through the pages.

The writing was compelling and the pacing felt lively considering the book itself is set over such a short time frame. I read most of the book in just a few sittings and it was a joy to fly through it. 

The way this story was delivered was really interesting and I think it’s why I enjoyed it so much. We hear from multiple points of view from the family but all through Briar’s voice. She’s fair and realistic and I don’t know if I’ve ever read a book narrated in such a way.

I had a lot of fun with this one so if you’re looking for doomsday with a flair for family dynamics, I think you’ll love this one.  

If you’d like to get yourself a copy, you can support local bookshops and my work while doing so on Bookshop.org with this link here or on audio with Libro.fm here.

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And don’t forget to check out my other blogs and reviews – you can find books with similar themes in the same folder link below, or click back onto blogs to see the whole offering.

Last updated 03/06/2026