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cierajb97's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
daisydarkness's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.0
intriguing sci-fi mystery that makes you think about who you really need in the world.
bethandthebooks's review against another edition
4.0
Girl One is an incredibly unique and thought-provoking story that offers a glimpse into what the world would be like if women could conceive without male DNA. I like how the author didn’t paint a rosy picture and actually showed a dark side to this scientific breakthrough as a lot of people feared the ramifications. We also learn a lot about the nine ‘miracle babies’ and what their life has been like since they fled the Homestead.
The story follows Josie Morrow, who is known as “Girl One”, the first of nine ‘miracle babies’ conceived at the Homestead, as part of an experiment run by Dr. Joseph Bellanger. She learns that her mother has gone missing and sets off on a road trip with Thomas Abbott, a local journalist who wants to write a book about the Homestead, to track down her mother. Josie uncovers a lot of dark truths about the Homestead and it forces her to confront her feelings about Bellanger and whether he was the man she thought he was. There’s so much more to this story, however, I’m not going to reveal anything else because it will definitely spoil what happens.
Josie is the perfect protagonist for a story like this. Since she is the first ‘miracle baby’, she has strong memories of Bellanger and considers him to be her father as she spent the first six years of her life with him. She remembers helping him in his lab and being just as fascinated by science as he was. She is keen to keep Bellanger’s research alive and continue his legacy. She thought she knew what the Homestead was really like and her whole life has been built on the foundations of Bellanger’s research. She strongly believes that Bellanger was a good man and that he helped her mother by giving them the Homestead. However, this is all turned upside down as the more she delves into her past and her mother’s life, the more she uncovers about Bellanger and what life at the Homestead was really like.
I struggled to get into this story at first because there’s a lot to take in and rather than telling you everything at the start, the author drip feeds you information throughout as Josie visits each of her sisters. I did appreciate each new character that was introduced as it kept the story moving along and there was never a dull moment as a result. I also enjoyed each new revelation as Josie slowly uncovered the truth about the Homestead. Josie’s whole world is turned upside down and I really admired her determination to get through it and find her mother. The second half of the story was definitely better than the first and I found myself racing through it as the tension ratchets up. It felt like we were building up to an explosive ending and there was definitely some very shocking twists towards the end.
One aspect of the story I found disappointing is the lack of exploration of Thomas Abbott. Josie uncovers a shocking revelation about him and I was keen to see how this would fit into the overall story. However, the author chooses not to explore this further and his character is simply put to one side. I was really disappointed by this as I thought it was a great twist and I feel he could have played a bigger role in the story as a result. I did like his character and even though he was going on this journey for his own reasons, he did help Josie and a few other characters and he was very different to what I was expecting when we were first introduced to him.
Girl One is the perfect blend of thriller and science fiction. If you’re looking for a book that will take you on an extraordinary journey, then I highly recommend this one.
*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
The story follows Josie Morrow, who is known as “Girl One”, the first of nine ‘miracle babies’ conceived at the Homestead, as part of an experiment run by Dr. Joseph Bellanger. She learns that her mother has gone missing and sets off on a road trip with Thomas Abbott, a local journalist who wants to write a book about the Homestead, to track down her mother. Josie uncovers a lot of dark truths about the Homestead and it forces her to confront her feelings about Bellanger and whether he was the man she thought he was. There’s so much more to this story, however, I’m not going to reveal anything else because it will definitely spoil what happens.
Josie is the perfect protagonist for a story like this. Since she is the first ‘miracle baby’, she has strong memories of Bellanger and considers him to be her father as she spent the first six years of her life with him. She remembers helping him in his lab and being just as fascinated by science as he was. She is keen to keep Bellanger’s research alive and continue his legacy. She thought she knew what the Homestead was really like and her whole life has been built on the foundations of Bellanger’s research. She strongly believes that Bellanger was a good man and that he helped her mother by giving them the Homestead. However, this is all turned upside down as the more she delves into her past and her mother’s life, the more she uncovers about Bellanger and what life at the Homestead was really like.
I struggled to get into this story at first because there’s a lot to take in and rather than telling you everything at the start, the author drip feeds you information throughout as Josie visits each of her sisters. I did appreciate each new character that was introduced as it kept the story moving along and there was never a dull moment as a result. I also enjoyed each new revelation as Josie slowly uncovered the truth about the Homestead. Josie’s whole world is turned upside down and I really admired her determination to get through it and find her mother. The second half of the story was definitely better than the first and I found myself racing through it as the tension ratchets up. It felt like we were building up to an explosive ending and there was definitely some very shocking twists towards the end.
One aspect of the story I found disappointing is the lack of exploration of Thomas Abbott. Josie uncovers a shocking revelation about him and I was keen to see how this would fit into the overall story. However, the author chooses not to explore this further and his character is simply put to one side. I was really disappointed by this as I thought it was a great twist and I feel he could have played a bigger role in the story as a result. I did like his character and even though he was going on this journey for his own reasons, he did help Josie and a few other characters and he was very different to what I was expecting when we were first introduced to him.
Girl One is the perfect blend of thriller and science fiction. If you’re looking for a book that will take you on an extraordinary journey, then I highly recommend this one.
*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
jennagiles's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
neff__'s review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Bellanger was an absolute asshole. I don't remember the last time I disliked a character so much
profesorem's review against another edition
1.0
par spīti tam, ka goodreads lasītāji slavē un krīt par šo, es tomēr nesaprotu līdz galam grāmatas hyp'u.
ja būtu jāpasaka pāris vārdi par šo grāmatu tad es teiktu, ka šī grāmata ir garš un garlaicīgs stāsts par meiteni, kas meklē savu pazudušo māti. kāpēc tā tiek ierindota zem zinātniskās fantastikas? tāpēc, ka meitene pasaulē nākusi bez jebkādas vīrieša dalības apaugļošanas procesā - partenoģenēzes rezultātā. kā tas vispār ir iespējams? nav ne jausmas, grāmatā atbildi neatradu un tas, manuprāt, ir vislielākais grāmatas mīnuss - uzskatīt lasītāju par muļķi. šo grāmatu pat nevar salīdzināt ar citu šī žanra (zinātniskā fantastika) darbu [b:Project Hail Mary|54493401|Project Hail Mary|Andy Weir|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1597695864l/54493401._SY75_.jpg|79106958], kur rakstnieks lasītājam atļauj noticēt, ka viss ir iespējams.
ja būtu jāpasaka pāris vārdi par šo grāmatu tad es teiktu, ka šī grāmata ir garš un garlaicīgs stāsts par meiteni, kas meklē savu pazudušo māti. kāpēc tā tiek ierindota zem zinātniskās fantastikas? tāpēc, ka meitene pasaulē nākusi bez jebkādas vīrieša dalības apaugļošanas procesā - partenoģenēzes rezultātā. kā tas vispār ir iespējams? nav ne jausmas, grāmatā atbildi neatradu un tas, manuprāt, ir vislielākais grāmatas mīnuss - uzskatīt lasītāju par muļķi. šo grāmatu pat nevar salīdzināt ar citu šī žanra (zinātniskā fantastika) darbu [b:Project Hail Mary|54493401|Project Hail Mary|Andy Weir|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1597695864l/54493401._SY75_.jpg|79106958], kur rakstnieks lasītājam atļauj noticēt, ka viss ir iespējams.
Spoiler
ak, jā un starp citu, meitenes (grāmatā viņas ir deviņas), kas dzimušas, apejot apaugļošanas procesu, ir ar superspējām :Doctober528's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
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
3.25
linnxa's review against another edition
4.0
Gillade starkt denna bok!! Heja systerskap!! Lite långsam i början men spännande plot med fina band mellan mor/dotter/systrar. Man gillar ju alltid när huvudkaraktären inser hur skit män är och tar stöd hos kvinnorna istället ;) Till skillnad från Only One Left kändes denna mycket mer realistisk (trots övernaturlighet) i karaktärernas reaktioner och att läsaren fick följa med på resan och förstod plotten i samma takt som huvudkaraktären. Typ en 4.2 i toasters.
lunaseline's review against another edition
2.0
Jag har blivit bättre på att ge upp böcker jag känner på mig ska bli slöseri med tid.
Dock inte tillräckligt bra. Och här stirrade det mig ju liksom i ögonen; Ett rött och svart omslag som utlovade fullt fokus på K-V-I-N-N-O-R, i en värld där männen på ett eller annat sätt görs obsoleta (exakt som årets andra slöseri med tid, med andra ord: The End of Men). Jag förstår - nej, det gör jag inte, men jag antar - att den här typen av spekulativ fiktion ska säga något feministiskt, men... för mig går inte poängen riktigt fram? Kanske vill jag själv inte leva i en värld med bara kvinnor - eller så tycker jag kanske att lösningen "ta bort män ur ekvationen" är lite... lat?
Anyway. Mest är boken för lång och för tråkig. Det laddade språket blir bra töntigt efter ett tag och ser jag "Girl One." som mening eller bisats en gång till suckar jag högt.
Efter en tredjedel tänker jag att jag borde lägga ner, men tar inte tag i det.
Det borde jag gjort.
Jaja. Nåt lär man sig av alla böcker. (Och karaktären Cate är nice, hon borde fått mer utrymme.)
Dock inte tillräckligt bra. Och här stirrade det mig ju liksom i ögonen; Ett rött och svart omslag som utlovade fullt fokus på K-V-I-N-N-O-R, i en värld där männen på ett eller annat sätt görs obsoleta (exakt som årets andra slöseri med tid, med andra ord: The End of Men). Jag förstår - nej, det gör jag inte, men jag antar - att den här typen av spekulativ fiktion ska säga något feministiskt, men... för mig går inte poängen riktigt fram? Kanske vill jag själv inte leva i en värld med bara kvinnor - eller så tycker jag kanske att lösningen "ta bort män ur ekvationen" är lite... lat?
Anyway. Mest är boken för lång och för tråkig. Det laddade språket blir bra töntigt efter ett tag och ser jag "Girl One." som mening eller bisats en gång till suckar jag högt.
Efter en tredjedel tänker jag att jag borde lägga ner, men tar inte tag i det.
Det borde jag gjort.
Jaja. Nåt lär man sig av alla böcker. (Och karaktären Cate är nice, hon borde fått mer utrymme.)