Sunny at the End of the World

‘Fierce and funny by turns, with Steph Bowe’s flair for seeing straight to the heart of what makes us tick. What a gift, to have one more tale from this master storyteller.’ * Amie Kaufman, New York Times bestselling author of The Isles of the Gods *‘With classic Steph Bowe humour and undertow, this is a post zombie apocalypse to relish. I loved it.’ * Fiona Wood, author of How to Spell Catastrophe *‘Brutal, tender and fierce, Sunny is ultimately a celebration of love and resilience, from a much-missed voice in Australian YA.’ * Lili Wilkinson, author of A Hunger of Thorns *‘A tender, quirky love story full of charm [and] authenticity…’ * Sydney Morning Herald on Night Swimming *‘A twisty road trip through a post-zombie apocalypse, Sunny At the End of the World is testament to Steph Bowe’s brio, wit and brilliance and the enormity of what readers of #loveozya have lost.’ * Rebecca Lim, author of Tiger Daughter *‘Fast-paced action, with lots of humour thrown in.’ * Books+Publishing *‘I cannot recommend this book enough…Sunny at the End of the World twists in ways that will surprise you, and leaves the reader wanting more (in the best way)…The writing is spectacular. And the jokes are genuinely very funny. Young adults will lap it up. What a dazzling legacy Steph Bowe has left us, and such a devastating loss.’ * Karys McEwen, author of All the Little Tricky Things *‘Written with wit, dark humour and warmth, Bowe’s posthumous novel is a beautiful and tragic story of family, of survival, and of appreciating everything we have only when we’ve lost it.’ * Aurelia Orr, Readings Monthly *‘When a writer as marvellous as the late Steph Bowe leaves behind a work featuring such an unbelievable scenario I had to take a deep breath and plunge in…With a whacking twist at the end that will take your breath away.’ * NZ Listener *‘[Sunny At the End of the World] will leave readers rethinking everything they thought they knew…The characters are easy to like, and the unmistakably Australian flavour of it all is very endearing. Recommended for lovers of YA, zombie stories and road trips with found family.’ * ArtsHub *‘[Steph Bowe’s] work is notable for delicious humour, piercing insight into teenage emotions and a generous humanity…[Sunny At the End of the World is] all madness and mayhem spiced up with some delicious horror…These teenagers leap off the page and take up space in your head.’ * Storylinks *‘Like the love-child of The Walking Dead and Warm Bodies. Steph Bowe knows how to write a book that will totally engage her readers…I read this in one afternoon—I couldn’t put it down…I loved [] and I think it will be a huge hit.’ * CBCA Reading Time *‘Full of wisdom and humour, adventurous and diverse…It’s books like [these] that show us what we can be, and what the power of representing diversity—even in a zombie apocalypse—can do to empower people and raise their voices…A poignant tribute to a powerful voice is YA literature.’ * The Book Muse *‘A remarkable novel that transcends its zombie premise to become a poignant journey through memory, loss, and survival…A must-read…Bowe’s final work is both a thrilling adventure and a heartfelt farewell, ensuring her voice will endure in the literary world.’ * NZ Booklovers *‘Bowe has left us with a wonderfully fun slice of Aussie YA in Sunny, giving us one last glimpse into her brilliance…Everything is infused with Bowe’s trademark humour, bringing levity to even the darkest of moments.’ A * U Review *‘Within Bowe’s capable and quirky hands, Sunny’s worlds, past and future, assume a reality that teens immediately warm to.’ * Kids’ Book Review *‘If you’re looking for a fun, fast-paced read with enjoyable characters and an atmosphere of life-or-death-at-every-turn adventure then Sunny At The End of The World is for you!’ * QUT Glass Magazine *‘An earnest, genre-bending tale that dares to imagine joy and growth at the end of the world.’ * Aurealis *

Steph Bowe was born in Melbourne in 1994. Her first YA novel, Girl Saves Boy, published in 2010, was aptly described by Rebecca Stead as ‘full of the absolute truth—life is complicated’. Steph went on to publish two further YA novels, All This Could End, which was longlisted for the 2014 Gold Inky Award, and Night Swimming, a Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Notable Book in 2018, when it was also longlisted for a Sisters in Crime Davitt Award.

Sadly, Steph passed away on 20 January 2020, after a courageous battle with a rare form of Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. She was twenty-five. The manuscript of her posthumous novel, Sunny at the End of the World, was discovered on her computer by Steph’s mother and sister.