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bohemianhermit04's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Gore, Violence, and Xenophobia
cozyteareads's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I listened to this entire book in less than three days because it just kept me so engaged the entire time. I honestly want to go back through and read it again, but maybe a physical copy with highlighters and a notebook to write down my thoughts as I read because I think the themes are very relevant right now, and it was also just a really good read. Like I’ve been in a bit of a slump lately, but I couldn’t put this down.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Gore, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Xenophobia, and Medical content
Minor: Biphobia and Kidnapping
shoohoob's review against another edition
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Racism, Xenophobia, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
jerseynoonatic's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
There is a lot to like about this book, and I'm looking forward to reading book 2. The humor was just ok, and the romance was weird and a little pointless. But the story is fantastic and creative.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing
Minor: Confinement, Death, Gore, Kidnapping, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
brittanykroeckel's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
Great book that is easy to read and follow. I loved how personable the first-person telling was and the realness of April May. The near end had a slightly unexpected turn but then had a predictable outcome. Not an average story which I appreciate and had me even thinking about what this scenario would look like in real life. Didn’t give it 5 stars because character interactions felt childish and bland.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing
Moderate: Death, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
dreamerfreak's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Homophobia, Violence, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
kellysavagebooks's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
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
4.75
A massive transformer-esque statue appears in New York. Intrigued, April calls up a friend and they shoot a YouTube video. April wakes up the next morning an internet celebrity and finds herself launched into a world of TV interviews, hateful Internet forums, and—just maybe—first contact?
I put off reading this book for ages for two reasons. One, I don’t read a lot of sci-fi, and anything with “contemporary” in the subgenres usually isn’t for me. Two (and this one is stupid), I loved John Green’s books as a teenager, but I’ve completely grown out of them. I’ve adored Hank and John for over like 15 years so I REALLY didn’t want to be disappointed by this book.
And I certainly wasn’t. Hank’s debut is insightful, powerful, funny, and it whisked me right along for the ride. April is wildly unlikeable but still kind of charming and I couldn’t look away. I thought about R.F. Kuang’s Yellowface a lot while I read this. The themes (aside from the racial focus of Yellowface) are very similar. April’s less nasty than June, but she still ends up in the position she’s in because she’s privileged and lucky and little else. The books have similar discussions about online spaces and internet fame. AART, though, leaves you feeling hopeful about the human race, and it wants to point you toward compassion. Yellowface, not so much. Different approaches, and I found I preferred this one.
I’m genuinely shocked by how much I loved this, and I need to get my hands on book 2!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Cursing, Gun violence, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
kimmy0__0's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I love the way Hank Green can explain any topic to a wide audience so I was really excited for this book when I found it. It was a really interesting premise, just really slow at times. Tackles a lot of modern problems, but no real satisfying conclusion (curse you sequels!!)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Hate crime, Violence, Xenophobia, Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
hayleyvharrington's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
chaoticnostalgia's review against another edition
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Positives: The theme and message of the qualities of humanity. The dream sequences and puzzles were so much fun to read about. Seeing people work together to solve problems was heartwarming. I just loved the character of Robin. It was suspenseful and I cared about what happened.
Negatives: The writing style felt young and it was grating at times. The side characters were underdeveloped; I would have loved more chapters from other characters' perspectives! In Ellis's similar book, the government bungles things in a way that is just way more realistic. It was nice but unrealistic to see a completely competent, compassionate president in this situation, but it fit well with the overall themes. I wish there had been more of a relationship between Carl and April (a là Ellis's book again, oops!) I think I may be comparing this to her book too much, but I really did enjoy this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, Xenophobia, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Biphobia, and Cursing
Minor: Vomit