2023 University of Wisconsin Madison English Department Early Career Alumni Award

Survival is everything. So is love.

Ara hasn’t seen another human in months?not since her father disappeared. As the only female to survive a devastating virus, her world is haunted by the ghosts of her former life. Her mother. Her sister.

Kaden and his crew live by a code: stay alert, stay alive. When they catch Ara trying to steal from them, they are furious?and confused. She’s the first girl they’ve seen in three years. And while Kaden knows taking her captive is wrong, he tells himself it’s for her protection. That the only place she’ll be safe is with the clan, his new home. The world of men.

However, Ara is determined to discover the truth about the plague, and nothing will stop her. And as Kaden becomes mesmerized by her will and beauty, he realizes that he will do anything to help her, even if it tears their worlds apart.

But the world of men isn’t prepared for The Last She, and the odyssey to save themselves means Kayden and Ara have to leave behind everything they’ve come to know. To burn it down to the ground. In the ashes they can start again.