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olivialandryxo's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Reading Girl Gone Viral was a strange experience for me. I read the book in roughly three hours, but those three hours were stretched across several days, nearly a week. I enjoyed what I read, but I had to force myself to open the book first. My biggest two issues were a) I didn’t entirely understand the world Ahmadi created and b) I just wasn’t invested in these characters or their story.
Regarding the world, I think more explanation was needed. The story is set in California, and the US is the same geographically as it is now. The political system seemed the same. The most significant difference was the technology, as Ahmadi’s world had intricate VR and new social media. The platforms we know today—Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest—are obsolete, and at one point a character says “It’s not 2020.” That, to me, sounds like we’re talking at least a decade in the future, but who knows? I sure don’t.
One other thing I wanted to address is that in my opinion, too much was crammed into a story that was too short to handle it all. In this book, this single book, we have advanced technology and a tech school, a missing father, political upheaval, fame, romance, and moral dilemmas. If this was the first in a series or even if it remained a stand-alone but gained another 100-200 pages, I think it could’ve worked. Instead it felt like Ahmadi was bouncing between plot points like a puck on an air hockey table. I’ll admit, the ending was unexpected, but like everything else, it didn’t seem to get enough page time.
I picked this up because it was similar to Warcross, a book I quite enjoyed. Unfortunately, it wasn’t nearly as enjoyable, and left me feeling vaguely confused and rather unsatisfied. Ahmadi definitely has potential, but science fiction might not be his forte.
Representation
Regarding the world, I think more explanation was needed. The story is set in California, and the US is the same geographically as it is now. The political system seemed the same. The most significant difference was the technology, as Ahmadi’s world had intricate VR and new social media. The platforms we know today—Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest—are obsolete, and at one point a character says “It’s not 2020.” That, to me, sounds like we’re talking at least a decade in the future, but who knows? I sure don’t.
One other thing I wanted to address is that in my opinion, too much was crammed into a story that was too short to handle it all. In this book, this single book, we have advanced technology and a tech school, a missing father, political upheaval, fame, romance, and moral dilemmas. If this was the first in a series or even if it remained a stand-alone but gained another 100-200 pages, I think it could’ve worked. Instead it felt like Ahmadi was bouncing between plot points like a puck on an air hockey table. I’ll admit, the ending was unexpected, but like everything else, it didn’t seem to get enough page time.
I picked this up because it was similar to Warcross, a book I quite enjoyed. Unfortunately, it wasn’t nearly as enjoyable, and left me feeling vaguely confused and rather unsatisfied. Ahmadi definitely has potential, but science fiction might not be his forte.
Representation
- Nigerian side character
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Mental illness and Grief
Minor: Alcoholism, Bullying, and Suicidal thoughts
Also contains multiple brief mentions of suicide, as well as a minor sexual harassment scene (groping)
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