I liked the concept of the book very much: the idea of how the near-apocalypse happens, and the idea of how people survive in an everyday way. I didn't like the diary format, and I didn't like the characters. They were not likable, to me. I especially didn't like the mother, but she, as all of them, were portrayed as good and heroic. However, I kept reading until the end because the story of things breaking down was very well thought out, and interesting.