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brittaniethekid's review
3.0
This is a really interesting premise but the pacing was a bit slow for me. It's only about 70 pages but felt way longer as I was reading it and I wanted things to pick up a bit more.
It's basically a day-in-the-life story of a very sardonic, lonely man set in a world where on every person's 30th birthday, they either live to see another day or... they don't. No one knows if their 30th is their last. The lore isn't explained, only that this is the way it's always been, and what actually happens to the people who "don't make it" is left very vague but it seems like the entire person just disappears at midnight. Disregard time zones and different cultural beliefs regarding age and birthdays.
Our MC rents a boyfriend for what he assumes is his last day - a common enough practice in this world that it's an entire business known as Ephemera - and they go out on a date. Meanwhile, he's ignoring texts from all his friends and acquaintances and kind of being a bit of a party pooper. Granted, he assumes he's not going to make it and is severely depressed after the loss of his father, boyfriend, and then his sister (who made it, but then died in a car accident).
For a very short story, it's very dense but in a way that it leaves more questions than answers.
Don't expect a HEA or even an ending. This is one of those stories that just ends without closure, leaving the reader frustrated and wanting to know more. Read it for the interesting AU, but be ready to want to throw it across the room at the last sentence.
It's basically a day-in-the-life story of a very sardonic, lonely man set in a world where on every person's 30th birthday, they either live to see another day or... they don't. No one knows if their 30th is their last. The lore isn't explained, only that this is the way it's always been, and what actually happens to the people who "don't make it" is left very vague but it seems like the entire person just disappears at midnight. Disregard time zones and different cultural beliefs regarding age and birthdays.
Our MC rents a boyfriend for what he assumes is his last day - a common enough practice in this world that it's an entire business known as Ephemera - and they go out on a date. Meanwhile, he's ignoring texts from all his friends and acquaintances and kind of being a bit of a party pooper. Granted, he assumes he's not going to make it and is severely depressed after the loss of his father, boyfriend, and then his sister (who made it, but then died in a car accident).
For a very short story, it's very dense but in a way that it leaves more questions than answers.
Don't expect a HEA or even an ending. This is one of those stories that just ends without closure, leaving the reader frustrated and wanting to know more. Read it for the interesting AU, but be ready to want to throw it across the room at the last sentence.
endemictoearth's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
5.0
When I tell you this made me weep . . . but in a quite cathartic way. It is a near future dystopian sci-fi novella, a day in the life (possibly the LAST day in the life) of Greg. He hires an escort of sorts to spend the day with, and through the course of the day, they maybe fall in love? Or Greg realizes his love for life? It’s a lot about reflecting on the past and philosophizing about what makes a life good or worthwhile and it ends kind of just how you think it might and how it really should. A diverting (and somewhat devastating) thought experiment.Â
wandering_turtle's review against another edition
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
vrstal's review against another edition
4.0
4/5. Highlights may contain spoilers. Read at your own risk.
House of Obscure Reviews
Edited: 5/17
I came back to edit because now I don't have a cry headache and can actually think words.
A friend recommended this to me because it was thought-provoking for them, and I was intrigued. I knew it had a romantic subplot (in general, I read only MM romance), and I was intrigued by the concept and admittedly, it's length.
Waters' writing is really well done. Not only do they know how to excellent pace a novella and use the pages they've put down, but they also have evocative writing. Through the first half I didn't feel like I was touching on emotional beats, but as we got along further, suddenly all the emotions came! There is also some sci-fi worldbuilding in here that was woven within the narrative, so nothing felt like an infodump. Despite it's futuristic and fictional premise, there was a lot of that rang true to life now: thoughts about technology, memories, and grief.
I cried a lot in this story. Having known the pain of loss, personally, and also the way that desiring death during those dark moments, and how complex that can be too. The mixture Greg had with thinking of taking his own life, or relief there might be should he not actually make it -- well. It felt close to home.
I was also reminded of a song, Try to Remember, Forget, that I felt resonated with this novella.
Overall, I highly recommend this book! Bring tissues and some tylenol.
House of Obscure Reviews
Edited: 5/17
I came back to edit because now I don't have a cry headache and can actually think words.
A friend recommended this to me because it was thought-provoking for them, and I was intrigued. I knew it had a romantic subplot (in general, I read only MM romance), and I was intrigued by the concept and admittedly, it's length.
Waters' writing is really well done. Not only do they know how to excellent pace a novella and use the pages they've put down, but they also have evocative writing. Through the first half I didn't feel like I was touching on emotional beats, but as we got along further, suddenly all the emotions came! There is also some sci-fi worldbuilding in here that was woven within the narrative, so nothing felt like an infodump. Despite it's futuristic and fictional premise, there was a lot of that rang true to life now: thoughts about technology, memories, and grief.
I cried a lot in this story. Having known the pain of loss, personally, and also the way that desiring death during those dark moments, and how complex that can be too. The mixture Greg had with thinking of taking his own life, or relief there might be should he not actually make it -- well. It felt close to home.
I was also reminded of a song, Try to Remember, Forget, that I felt resonated with this novella.
Overall, I highly recommend this book! Bring tissues and some tylenol.
tregina's review against another edition
5.0
Wow was THIS a surprise! I grabbed it because it was new and the title caught my eye and it was the right length to finish before I fell asleep. I was not expecting such an incredible, thoughtful, powerful piece of work.
30 is an age where a lot of us experience a kind of existential dread. It's a milestone that has always at least partly signified the end of something, a transition from youth to full adulthood. This book makes that existential crisis a real, concrete thing: when you turn 30, your life either ends or moves on, and it's a 50/50 crapshoot. This could have been a one-note concept, but the book explores how it affects a whole society, from history to business to family to entertainment and more, and primarily how it affects a person on the cusp of turning 30. And the ending is...I was trying to figure out how it could possibly end, and the way it did was perfect. I have never been that breathless about where a story was going before.
And let's talk about that title! In a former life, I worked as a typesetter for several newspapers and journals, which is the only reason I know that "-30-" is what is used to indicate "the end" of a submitted piece. I'm not even sure if it's still in use anymore; even when I was in the field, it was largely only used by longtime contributors and press releases and not by the average article. So yes. Brilliant.
And all of this in the space of a novella. Not a word was wasted, and not a word more was needed. Everything worked. I am very conservative and sparing with my 5 stars, but by the time I got to the end of this novella, I didn't even have to debate it.
30 is an age where a lot of us experience a kind of existential dread. It's a milestone that has always at least partly signified the end of something, a transition from youth to full adulthood. This book makes that existential crisis a real, concrete thing: when you turn 30, your life either ends or moves on, and it's a 50/50 crapshoot. This could have been a one-note concept, but the book explores how it affects a whole society, from history to business to family to entertainment and more, and primarily how it affects a person on the cusp of turning 30. And the ending is...I was trying to figure out how it could possibly end, and the way it did was perfect. I have never been that breathless about where a story was going before.
And let's talk about that title! In a former life, I worked as a typesetter for several newspapers and journals, which is the only reason I know that "-30-" is what is used to indicate "the end" of a submitted piece. I'm not even sure if it's still in use anymore; even when I was in the field, it was largely only used by longtime contributors and press releases and not by the average article. So yes. Brilliant.
And all of this in the space of a novella. Not a word was wasted, and not a word more was needed. Everything worked. I am very conservative and sparing with my 5 stars, but by the time I got to the end of this novella, I didn't even have to debate it.
danihays's review against another edition
4.0
This was a really cool novella!
It's such an interesting concept, and I think it was executed very well. The last little bit, leading up to midnight, was really tense and kept me on the edge of my seat. It was really nicely done, and I highly recommend the audiobook to anyone who might want to read this! It was a wonderful audiobook-- the narrator was great.
I would have liked to get to know Joe and Greg a little bit more, but on the whole I don't have complaints about this! I would love to read more in this futuristic world-- it's a really cool setting that I bet could lend itself to many interesting stories.
It's such an interesting concept, and I think it was executed very well. The last little bit, leading up to midnight, was really tense and kept me on the edge of my seat. It was really nicely done, and I highly recommend the audiobook to anyone who might want to read this! It was a wonderful audiobook-- the narrator was great.
I would have liked to get to know Joe and Greg a little bit more, but on the whole I don't have complaints about this! I would love to read more in this futuristic world-- it's a really cool setting that I bet could lend itself to many interesting stories.
unrulyheart's review against another edition
4.0
This was a really cool novella!
It's such an interesting concept, and I think it was executed very well. The last little bit, leading up to midnight, was really tense and kept me on the edge of my seat. It was really nicely done, and I highly recommend the audiobook to anyone who might want to read this! It was a wonderful audiobook-- the narrator was great.
I would have liked to get to know Joe and Greg a little bit more, but on the whole I don't have complaints about this! I would love to read more in this futuristic world-- it's a really cool setting that I bet could lend itself to many interesting stories.
It's such an interesting concept, and I think it was executed very well. The last little bit, leading up to midnight, was really tense and kept me on the edge of my seat. It was really nicely done, and I highly recommend the audiobook to anyone who might want to read this! It was a wonderful audiobook-- the narrator was great.
I would have liked to get to know Joe and Greg a little bit more, but on the whole I don't have complaints about this! I would love to read more in this futuristic world-- it's a really cool setting that I bet could lend itself to many interesting stories.
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