bestdressedbookworm's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed "All the lonely people" it had a modern day "pictures of Dorian Grey" vibe which is a story I absolutely love. I enjoyed our two main protagonists as they come to terms with the reality around them, I found the chapter headings very clever and the image of Kat slowly disappearing to be a unique touch. All around a very entertaining book. Why I only gave it 4 stars is because I hate with heated passion books that swap perspectives back and forth mid chapter with only a chapter break. It ruins the run of the story, you are in the middle of reading about one character and before you know it your 5-6 sentences in without realizing the perspective changed. I also found that chapters themselves were also ending and picking up in weird places outside of these POV swaps. It made the book work to read which isn't enjoyable. Apart from that though I really loved this story.
aivao's review against another edition
5.0
This is so amazing
It is a great story
Great message
Great characters
And just amazing.
It's been a while since I could relate to a book on such a personal level, but this book did it.
It is a great story
Great message
Great characters
And just amazing.
It's been a while since I could relate to a book on such a personal level, but this book did it.
rosameertens's review
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
zaheerah's review against another edition
2.0
When Kat becomes the target of an alt-right smear campaign, she has no choice but to erase her entire online presence. Suddenly, Kat is fading, and only The Lonely People know what to do. Wesley realises that people are forgetting Kat and he has to help her, even if he was partially responsible for it.
I think what was best about this book was the portrayal of the toxic parts of the internet. These people who spew negative, hateful things into the world have solid fan bases, often young kids. Kat is one of the newest victims of a right-wing YouTuber who enables his fanbase to act violently, to hack into her website, her safe space, and completely violate her privacy.
Kat’s entire arc was the story for me. She’s created this online side of herself where she’s free to speak about anything she wants. She discusses fandom positivity and the beauty of the internet. And then it’s gone, and she had to work with Safa, a fellow faded person, to discover what to do next. Her chapters were more interesting to read.
Welsey is a part of the boys who look up to these YouTubers, act on their behalf on these so-called man-hating feminists who want to get rid of them. He’s very much aware that what he’s doing is terrible, and what was irritating was how he never really owns up to what he’s done. He often blames his surroundings, his upbringing which caused him to find friendship in an alt-right fanbase. Kat seems to be the only person with sense and often calls him out, not outright because no one can interact with a faded person. The ending suggests Wesley works towards becoming a better person. But, personally, I found it difficult to forgive.
The outright dismissal of online friendships was a downfall as well. Kat essentially fades because once her site is shut down, she has nothing, no other connection to people, therefore begins to fade. It comes across as seeing online relationships as less authentic and not real. And it’s quite dangerous in this book because it does show how real the internet can be, how anyone with a large enough following can have people do their terrible bidding. It’s not as nuanced as the book believes it is.
All The Lonely People certainly is unique. The notion of fade to represent feeling invisible while discussing online culture in our current digital age is fascinating. It’s a shame I didn’t enjoy it as much as I wanted to.
I think what was best about this book was the portrayal of the toxic parts of the internet. These people who spew negative, hateful things into the world have solid fan bases, often young kids. Kat is one of the newest victims of a right-wing YouTuber who enables his fanbase to act violently, to hack into her website, her safe space, and completely violate her privacy.
Kat’s entire arc was the story for me. She’s created this online side of herself where she’s free to speak about anything she wants. She discusses fandom positivity and the beauty of the internet. And then it’s gone, and she had to work with Safa, a fellow faded person, to discover what to do next. Her chapters were more interesting to read.
Welsey is a part of the boys who look up to these YouTubers, act on their behalf on these so-called man-hating feminists who want to get rid of them. He’s very much aware that what he’s doing is terrible, and what was irritating was how he never really owns up to what he’s done. He often blames his surroundings, his upbringing which caused him to find friendship in an alt-right fanbase. Kat seems to be the only person with sense and often calls him out, not outright because no one can interact with a faded person. The ending suggests Wesley works towards becoming a better person. But, personally, I found it difficult to forgive.
The outright dismissal of online friendships was a downfall as well. Kat essentially fades because once her site is shut down, she has nothing, no other connection to people, therefore begins to fade. It comes across as seeing online relationships as less authentic and not real. And it’s quite dangerous in this book because it does show how real the internet can be, how anyone with a large enough following can have people do their terrible bidding. It’s not as nuanced as the book believes it is.
All The Lonely People certainly is unique. The notion of fade to represent feeling invisible while discussing online culture in our current digital age is fascinating. It’s a shame I didn’t enjoy it as much as I wanted to.
appleinducedsleep's review
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
kirstyreadsblog's review against another edition
4.0
Content warning: panic attacks, cyber bullying/attacks, sexual harassment online, sexism
It's been 2 weeks since I finished this book and I'm still trying to gather my thoughts. I didn't really know what to expect going into it.
The story is told from 2 points of view, Kat, who is fading away after being attacked online, and Wesley who was involved in the attack. I was worried about how this would go given that a POV character was a harasser. I was concerned that Owen would try to make the reader feel sympathy towards Wesley but I never did. He did give us background on Wesley, but it was very much that kind of lone wolf kind of guy that struggled to make friends. What I really appreciated, and this may be a spoiler, is that Kat never forgives Wesley. I thought that was a really great decision for this book. One the whole I found some of the characters annoying at times, but that just made them more human.
continue my review here: https://kirstyreadsblog.wordpress.com/2019/01/22/all-the-lonely-people-by-david-owen-blog-tour-review
It's been 2 weeks since I finished this book and I'm still trying to gather my thoughts. I didn't really know what to expect going into it.
The story is told from 2 points of view, Kat, who is fading away after being attacked online, and Wesley who was involved in the attack. I was worried about how this would go given that a POV character was a harasser. I was concerned that Owen would try to make the reader feel sympathy towards Wesley but I never did. He did give us background on Wesley, but it was very much that kind of lone wolf kind of guy that struggled to make friends. What I really appreciated, and this may be a spoiler, is that Kat never forgives Wesley. I thought that was a really great decision for this book. One the whole I found some of the characters annoying at times, but that just made them more human.
continue my review here: https://kirstyreadsblog.wordpress.com/2019/01/22/all-the-lonely-people-by-david-owen-blog-tour-review
kellyf's review against another edition
5.0
Every star in my heart goes to this GEM. Mike Gayle wrote the ultimate story of love, loss, grief, loneliness, and friendship. My heart went on a wild ride with this one, but in the end…it has never felt more full. Hubert Bird’s story will stay with you long after the last page.
kba76's review against another edition
3.0
Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me access to a quirky exploration of identity, addressing some of the more toxic elements of social media.
Kat has a heavy online presence. There she can be herself. But when she is trolled her life becomes unbearable. Slowly she strips away her online presence until nothing is left.
At this point we realise there is, literally, nothing to her. Kat has faded, nobody can see her and she is none the wiser about how this has happened. All she knows is she has to do something to salvage a sense of who she is.
Alongside Kat’s story we also focus on Wesley, a young boy who has become part of an online group who are vitriolic in their engagement with young women online.
There’s a lot of strands to this and sometimes I felt the story would have been better if just a few elements were focused on. It explored some thoughtful issues but the resolution of the story was very fast, and the abstract fantastic element to what was going on made me feel the message was not presented as effectively as it might have been.
Kat has a heavy online presence. There she can be herself. But when she is trolled her life becomes unbearable. Slowly she strips away her online presence until nothing is left.
At this point we realise there is, literally, nothing to her. Kat has faded, nobody can see her and she is none the wiser about how this has happened. All she knows is she has to do something to salvage a sense of who she is.
Alongside Kat’s story we also focus on Wesley, a young boy who has become part of an online group who are vitriolic in their engagement with young women online.
There’s a lot of strands to this and sometimes I felt the story would have been better if just a few elements were focused on. It explored some thoughtful issues but the resolution of the story was very fast, and the abstract fantastic element to what was going on made me feel the message was not presented as effectively as it might have been.
verlunteer's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
madohm's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5