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inkcoffins's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-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? Yes
4.0
kanncarlson's review against another edition
3.0
This was a random book. A YA story with a young girl, April, at its center. April lives in NYC and one lonely night on her way home from a long day at her thankless job that she is thankful to have (sort of) she passes by a giant statue of a robot. She is dumbfounded to find that she might be so jaded by the amazing things that can happen in NYC that she could almost just walk right by virtually without giving the statue a second glance. Reconsidering, she calls one of her best friends and they make a video. It goes viral. The mystery of this robot becomes much larger than April and her video. April suddenly finds herself horrified at the thought of being left behind and does her best to scramble to stay in the spotlight. Chaos ensues.
Like I said, this was an odd book. The whole premise is bonkers but, the truth is, I really liked being in April's head. I listened to the audiobook and LOVED the narration. I have already stalked the library to see if the narrator has done other work (turns out there is a sequel to this book...on my list). I just hope that the voice doesn't become so singularly April's to me that I can enjoy other things the narrator has done. This is a case where I think the characters became so much more compelling to me because of the narration. I don't even know if I would have enjoyed this book reading it with my eyes. It's worth a listen if you enjoy slightly nutty YA.
Like I said, this was an odd book. The whole premise is bonkers but, the truth is, I really liked being in April's head. I listened to the audiobook and LOVED the narration. I have already stalked the library to see if the narrator has done other work (turns out there is a sequel to this book...on my list). I just hope that the voice doesn't become so singularly April's to me that I can enjoy other things the narrator has done. This is a case where I think the characters became so much more compelling to me because of the narration. I don't even know if I would have enjoyed this book reading it with my eyes. It's worth a listen if you enjoy slightly nutty YA.
joel_r's review against another edition
5.0
It is hard to review without spoilers but this is one of the most interesting reads I've had this year. It is written very visual way and I hope it becomes a film soon. It covers most of the existential questions one can have while being delightfully easy and entertaining to read.
susanmm's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
tzaharoff's review against another edition
3.0
The overarching theme was fairly pedestrian, but the story was interesting to read and think through how any one of us might handle this type of fame and bizarre world order. I thought April May was a frustrating but fun character to experience.
jpreeder's review against another edition
5.0
This novel was very Hank, and I loved it for that. He talks about fame, the social internet, anxiety, self deprecation, human collaboration, and it all works. While reading there were spots when I could say “I know exactly why the author included this.” I can’t wait to see what the next one is like.
eldagu's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
kmhart597's review against another edition
3.0
Felt like a lot of build up yet not much actually happened. Pretty cheesy ending, but may still read the sequel out of curiosity.
alexaabbott's review against another edition
5.0
This was a supremely interesting book about aliens, but it was more deeply about how social media has changed our lives. This is a topic I think about a lot, and I think it was accurately addressed in this book. There are positives that come from social media, but at what cost? What are people like April May whose entire livelihood changed through social media sacrificing for their audiences? It was really interesting to read April’s reflection on how addicting it is when you start getting recognized on social media. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I think its message is extremely valuable in our age of social media. I actually really love the insane amount of pop culture references because it was fun to feel like I was in on the joke. I feel like this is how people felt watching Gilmore Girls when it was first airing, and half of the jokes will make no sense in 15 years.