Scan barcode
izzys_internet_bookshelf's review
4.0
4.5/5
AHH I enjoyed this book so much! I loved how the challenge and plot played out through the book! This was such a cool "blast from the past" sort of story and the songs to match each chapter that was amazing and I wish there was more.
AHH I enjoyed this book so much! I loved how the challenge and plot played out through the book! This was such a cool "blast from the past" sort of story and the songs to match each chapter that was amazing and I wish there was more.
sadie1683's review
4.0
actual content was 3 stars but it was so funny and also i couldn’t stop reading so….
aidorei's review
emotional
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
I was so excited for this one. The Playlist contained some of my most loved songs and I was intrigued by the premise - go retro! - but ultimately underwhelmed by odd pacing and shaky, hurried characterization.
The pace has a way of feeling agonizing and slow at the points you wish for haste and then harried and frantic when you want more time and development.
The writing style in general feels middle grade but addresses adult topics and double entendres as if it's endearing to an older audience. I can't speak to how genuine the dialog plays for that age as I'm decidedly older, but somehow it feels both pandering and misconstrued. For example: at one point the main character says her "vagina is making her go pee" which is... just bizarre, impossible, and unnecessary.
There are sex scenes between teenagers that no one asked for or needed that tackled the subject in a vague misting of "teenage passion" that read like a fever dream. It's fine to approach these subjects but the whiplash you get from point a to point b is startling.
Add to that its later alluded to that all of these things were recorded without them knowing (even if they signed a contract legally that doesn't negate it or protect the company). It's a wild ride but not in the way you necessarily want.
A lot of issues for each of the characters is vaguely hinted at but never truly developed; having rage issues without point or execution; eating disorders used as sympathy points to endear you to people who had been awful (and only that, never addressed further); criminal acts, such as cutting someone's breaks poohpoohed away as if it isn't a crime; anxiety mentioned as a problem but never really shown as one; the list goes on and on.
Every character is given a complex issue that is then treated as an afterthought and rushed through with the air of someone who wants to be praised for their character's depth and diversity without actually having to devote time to giving it meaning. The characters who should be focused on end up getting sidelined in lieu of a typical romance trope and we're rushed to the conclusion of a plot that makes zero sense in the grand scheme and implied that adults, this company, that both endangered (and kidnapped) children and ruined lives are somehow still puttering along and only on "hold" until a resolution gets legally doled out.
It ultimately felt like half a book. I feel like I got a draft rather than a finished story and the parts that were "finished" weren't finished well. Chapters were missing where character's got explained and developed and you aren't rushed through an entire story's conclusion in ten pages.
High hopes for what amounted to a lackluster delivery.
The pace has a way of feeling agonizing and slow at the points you wish for haste and then harried and frantic when you want more time and development.
The writing style in general feels middle grade but addresses adult topics and double entendres as if it's endearing to an older audience. I can't speak to how genuine the dialog plays for that age as I'm decidedly older, but somehow it feels both pandering and misconstrued. For example: at one point the main character says her "vagina is making her go pee" which is... just bizarre, impossible, and unnecessary.
There are sex scenes between teenagers that no one asked for or needed that tackled the subject in a vague misting of "teenage passion" that read like a fever dream. It's fine to approach these subjects but the whiplash you get from point a to point b is startling.
Add to that its later alluded to that all of these things were recorded without them knowing (even if they signed a contract legally that doesn't negate it or protect the company). It's a wild ride but not in the way you necessarily want.
A lot of issues for each of the characters is vaguely hinted at but never truly developed; having rage issues without point or execution; eating disorders used as sympathy points to endear you to people who had been awful (and only that, never addressed further); criminal acts, such as cutting someone's breaks poohpoohed away as if it isn't a crime; anxiety mentioned as a problem but never really shown as one; the list goes on and on.
Every character is given a complex issue that is then treated as an afterthought and rushed through with the air of someone who wants to be praised for their character's depth and diversity without actually having to devote time to giving it meaning. The characters who should be focused on end up getting sidelined in lieu of a typical romance trope and we're rushed to the conclusion of a plot that makes zero sense in the grand scheme and implied that adults, this company, that both endangered (and kidnapped) children and ruined lives are somehow still puttering along and only on "hold" until a resolution gets legally doled out.
It ultimately felt like half a book. I feel like I got a draft rather than a finished story and the parts that were "finished" weren't finished well. Chapters were missing where character's got explained and developed and you aren't rushed through an entire story's conclusion in ten pages.
High hopes for what amounted to a lackluster delivery.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Violence, and Suicide
Minor: Dysphoria, Homophobia, Alcohol, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Sexual harassment, Racism, Grief, Sexism, Emotional abuse, Vomit, Misogyny, Kidnapping, Confinement, Classism, Sexual content, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Death of parent, Child abuse, Toxic friendship, Car accident, and Drug use
melbsreads's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content warnings: bullying, cyberbullying, vomit, suicide attempt, mental health, kidnapping, confinement, overdose.
Okay so here's the thing: the premise of this? Fantastic. The playlist? An endless string of bangers.
However.
The execution was.........not it. Mostly because the blurb mentions Luna's friends disappearing and mysterious things happening in the woods. And those things happened AFTER THE TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY PAGE MARK. And, like, call me crazy but if something is mentioned in the freaking blurb, it should show up - or at least be hinted at - in the first hundred pages.
Kilo was hands down my favourite character, and given how minor he is for much of the story, that's not exactly ideal. So yeah. The story? Not my favourite. The ending? Eh. The playlist? Fucking phenomenal.
Okay so here's the thing: the premise of this? Fantastic. The playlist? An endless string of bangers.
However.
The execution was.........not it. Mostly because the blurb mentions Luna's friends disappearing and mysterious things happening in the woods. And those things happened AFTER THE TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY PAGE MARK. And, like, call me crazy but if something is mentioned in the freaking blurb, it should show up - or at least be hinted at - in the first hundred pages.
Kilo was hands down my favourite character, and given how minor he is for much of the story, that's not exactly ideal. So yeah. The story? Not my favourite. The ending? Eh. The playlist? Fucking phenomenal.
alongreader's review
4.0
For some reason, I read the blurb and thought that the contestants would be living on a farm or compound. Instead, they are living their everyday lives, but just - not supposed to use technology. This will be enforced by very accurate lie detectors, apparently.
I also thought - probably influenced by the current trend for murder mysteries - that people were going to be getting killed. Instead, they're going missing with no signs of foul play.
I'm not saying those are bad things! I'm just making a note of how my expectations were overturned. I enjoyed the read very much (although it's a little unrealistic to me that all the bullies would change their ways so meekly.) I love found family, it's one of my favourite tropes, and this is a fantastic example, with friends from various walks of life all coming together to take down Definitely-Not-Facebook.
There were a couple of points where I thought the timing was odd - there's one spot where the narrastion tells us that they were all fired up to find the next clue, but had to wait a week because - reasons? And personally, I'm not a fan of in media res like this one; I find it tends to undercut tension, because every time things start to get good, it cuts away to the character in the future, so we know that whatever happens the character is going to make it to that part. However, that's a personal taste thing and I know some readers really enjoy it.
I did love the sings chosen for each chapter! I'm sure someone has already assembled them into a playlist; when I come to reread this I'll be lining up the songs to go along with it, as they add to the experience.
I love the message, too. It probably wouldn't hurt me to go Retro now and then (I am technically Retro during the days right now as I currently have no data for my phone!) We all need to be more aware of what The Algorithim is giving us, and more aware that there are real people behind the comments and opinions and videos online.
This is a great read I really enjoyed, and I will definitely be recommending it.
I also thought - probably influenced by the current trend for murder mysteries - that people were going to be getting killed. Instead, they're going missing with no signs of foul play.
I'm not saying those are bad things! I'm just making a note of how my expectations were overturned. I enjoyed the read very much (although it's a little unrealistic to me that all the bullies would change their ways so meekly.) I love found family, it's one of my favourite tropes, and this is a fantastic example, with friends from various walks of life all coming together to take down Definitely-Not-Facebook.
There were a couple of points where I thought the timing was odd - there's one spot where the narrastion tells us that they were all fired up to find the next clue, but had to wait a week because - reasons? And personally, I'm not a fan of in media res like this one; I find it tends to undercut tension, because every time things start to get good, it cuts away to the character in the future, so we know that whatever happens the character is going to make it to that part. However, that's a personal taste thing and I know some readers really enjoy it.
I did love the sings chosen for each chapter! I'm sure someone has already assembled them into a playlist; when I come to reread this I'll be lining up the songs to go along with it, as they add to the experience.
I love the message, too. It probably wouldn't hurt me to go Retro now and then (I am technically Retro during the days right now as I currently have no data for my phone!) We all need to be more aware of what The Algorithim is giving us, and more aware that there are real people behind the comments and opinions and videos online.
This is a great read I really enjoyed, and I will definitely be recommending it.
z_brarian's review
4.0
This book surprised me. I went into it thinking it was sci fi and boy was I wrong. It’s a deep dive into the look at the extremes of cyber bullying through the use of social media. That behind every mean post is a person with feelings/emotions and when taken too far, it can be deadly. Luna & her friends are challenged with a social experiment after a video that Luna uploads goes viral & she pleads with Limbo to take it all down. However, the social experiment is more than just completing the challenges, it’s a deeper look at the repercussions of the damage caused by one viral video and the lengths that a social media platform will take to not only take over access to one’s data but how they manipulate it. Each chapter was titled with a song from the 80’s/90s, which I LOVED. Brought me back to before the craziness of social media & how we as a society were able to connect more on a face to face level then hiding behind keyboards. It’s good to go retro and leave the technology behind once in a while…go ahead and unplug!
act4life25's review
5.0
I love so many things about this story. This read like a movie and I was eagerly anticipating everything that happened. I loved the characters and the idea behind the competition. At first, I thought, “this would be such an easy thing to do,” and then I thought about it and realized how much of my life is connected to my phone and present-day technology
There were two things that I didn’t really care for but did not change my rating at all. The first is that this didn’t really feel like a “thriller.” I can see how it can get labeled that way but it’s very light. The other thing is the dialogue between characters was sort of comical at times. It didn’t really feel like how teenagers would actually talk.
Overall, I loved this story and can’t wait for more between these two authors.
There were two things that I didn’t really care for but did not change my rating at all. The first is that this didn’t really feel like a “thriller.” I can see how it can get labeled that way but it’s very light. The other thing is the dialogue between characters was sort of comical at times. It didn’t really feel like how teenagers would actually talk.
Overall, I loved this story and can’t wait for more between these two authors.
zbrarian's review
4.0
This book surprised me. I went into it thinking it was sci fi and boy was I wrong. It’s a deep dive into the look at the extremes of cyber bullying through the use of social media. That behind every mean post is a person with feelings/emotions and when taken too far, it can be deadly. Luna & her friends are challenged with a social experiment after a video that Luna uploads goes viral & she pleads with Limbo to take it all down. However, the social experiment is more than just completing the challenges, it’s a deeper look at the repercussions of the damage caused by one viral video and the lengths that a social media platform will take to not only take over access to one’s data but how they manipulate it. Each chapter was titled with a song from the 80’s/90s, which I LOVED. Brought me back to before the craziness of social media & how we as a society were able to connect more on a face to face level then hiding behind keyboards. It’s good to go retro and leave the technology behind once in a while…go ahead and unplug!
ebright1121's review
#netgalleyarc I really liked the premise and summary of this book but once I started to read it I just found it kinda…meh. I loved the playlist that was provided and that the chapters were named after the songs from the play list but other than that the book was just okay.