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kimblefairy1989's review
3.0
The plot for this novel was promising and the story was mostly paced well.
Unfortunately for me, it was let down massively because I just didnt care for any of the characters, meaning I wasn't really interested in the outcome.
Overall, 3 stars from me.
Unfortunately for me, it was let down massively because I just didnt care for any of the characters, meaning I wasn't really interested in the outcome.
Overall, 3 stars from me.
caszriel's review
3.0
~I received a copy from Hachette NZ and willingly reviewed it~
Freya has a new smartface, and it's perfectly tailored to her needs. It knows what she wants before she has to say a word, and more importantly it's assumed the voice of the person she needs—her sister Ruby, missing and presumed dead. As Freya allows the smartface to control more and more of her life, she starts to become obsessed with the idea of finding Ruby. Will she be able to stop using the smartface before she goes too far?
This book has a way of effortlessly integrating never-before-seen tech into the story, making it all seem natural. I have to say, I'd love to have some of these gadgets! but the more important focus is on the data, and specifically data privacy. It really makes you think about the propsect of having your life publicly viewably online; that being said, this book is not overly dystopian.
Overall, I just felt there was something missing. I was compelled to read on but it felt more like marching along in a straight line rather than skipping about to and fro from excitement? The character dynamics felt weird, whether it was Freya and her ex-boyfriend/housemate Julian, Freya and her work colleague/friend Chris, or Freya and her ex-boyfriend/housemate's dad/mother's boss Thalis. Or even Freya and her mother, Esther. Oops, yeah, Freya was just a bit bland in my opinion.
Everything About You holds a lot of promise and there are parts of it I really enjoyed, but it didn't have that wow factor for me. I recommend it for anyone who loves tech, and futuristic tech at that, but if you're looking for something dystopian or psychological thriller I suspect you might be in for disappointment.
Freya has a new smartface, and it's perfectly tailored to her needs. It knows what she wants before she has to say a word, and more importantly it's assumed the voice of the person she needs—her sister Ruby, missing and presumed dead. As Freya allows the smartface to control more and more of her life, she starts to become obsessed with the idea of finding Ruby. Will she be able to stop using the smartface before she goes too far?
This book has a way of effortlessly integrating never-before-seen tech into the story, making it all seem natural. I have to say, I'd love to have some of these gadgets! but the more important focus is on the data, and specifically data privacy. It really makes you think about the propsect of having your life publicly viewably online; that being said, this book is not overly dystopian.
Overall, I just felt there was something missing. I was compelled to read on but it felt more like marching along in a straight line rather than skipping about to and fro from excitement? The character dynamics felt weird, whether it was Freya and her ex-boyfriend/housemate Julian, Freya and her work colleague/friend Chris, or Freya and her ex-boyfriend/housemate's dad/mother's boss Thalis. Or even Freya and her mother, Esther. Oops, yeah, Freya was just a bit bland in my opinion.
Everything About You holds a lot of promise and there are parts of it I really enjoyed, but it didn't have that wow factor for me. I recommend it for anyone who loves tech, and futuristic tech at that, but if you're looking for something dystopian or psychological thriller I suspect you might be in for disappointment.
vinjii's review against another edition
3.5
3.5 Stars.
I was immediately drawn to this book because of the premise. A virtual assistant taking on the personality and speaking with the voice of a dead relative. How chilling, and very Black Mirror. I can understand the appeal. You get to talk to that person as if they were still alive. Totally something I'd see myself do, and then suffer.
The problem with Everything About You is that the mystery is mediocre. The sci-fi premise is brilliant, and those aspects of the book are the ones I enjoyed the most. But the mystery? Predictable, sadly.
The book is written in third person, and there's something about the prose I really enjoyed. The characters are all well developed and the world building is thrilling and chilling at the same time. The author takes time to develop and explore the relationship between the two sisters and the hope Freya feels every time she thinks she's getting closer.
This is a great debut and I can't wait to see what Child's next book will be about.
I recommend this to all Black Mirror fans, and readers who like near future books that focus on exploring the benefits and dangers of technology.
I was immediately drawn to this book because of the premise. A virtual assistant taking on the personality and speaking with the voice of a dead relative. How chilling, and very Black Mirror. I can understand the appeal. You get to talk to that person as if they were still alive. Totally something I'd see myself do, and then suffer.
The problem with Everything About You is that the mystery is mediocre. The sci-fi premise is brilliant, and those aspects of the book are the ones I enjoyed the most. But the mystery? Predictable, sadly.
The book is written in third person, and there's something about the prose I really enjoyed. The characters are all well developed and the world building is thrilling and chilling at the same time. The author takes time to develop and explore the relationship between the two sisters and the hope Freya feels every time she thinks she's getting closer.
This is a great debut and I can't wait to see what Child's next book will be about.
I recommend this to all Black Mirror fans, and readers who like near future books that focus on exploring the benefits and dangers of technology.
feedthecrime's review against another edition
4.0
I’ve recently started reading sci-fi novels. This peaked my interest straight away as I often think about how far technology woll be entwined with our day to day lives.
This is beautifully written and makes you feel for Freya, I kept reading this purely because I needed to know what happened. And it did not disappoint.
This is beautifully written and makes you feel for Freya, I kept reading this purely because I needed to know what happened. And it did not disappoint.
ailsareads's review against another edition
3.0
I was intrigued by the concept of this book which was kind of Black Mirror crossed with The Missing - what happens to missing people in a future where our consciousnesses are uploaded to the internet? Despite an interesting premise the book throws you in the deep end a little bit too much, and I spent so much of the book trying to work out what was going on that I couldn’t really get into the plot. (Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the arc)
eloisebell's review against another edition
3.0
In a nutshell; Freya is trying to find her missing sister.
Being a thriller and sci-fi fan, I absolutely loved the blend of a thriller set in a high tech world.
I really enjoyed this book, it definitely stood out as 'not the usual thriller'. What put me more on edge was although this is set in the future how long will it be before every single aspect of our lives is monitored... if it isn't already.
I really enjoyed this hybrid blend of genres. Definitely, recommend for fans of both sci-fi and thriller!!
Being a thriller and sci-fi fan, I absolutely loved the blend of a thriller set in a high tech world.
I really enjoyed this book, it definitely stood out as 'not the usual thriller'. What put me more on edge was although this is set in the future how long will it be before every single aspect of our lives is monitored... if it isn't already.
I really enjoyed this hybrid blend of genres. Definitely, recommend for fans of both sci-fi and thriller!!
missmesmerized's review against another edition
3.0
21-year-old Freya is not very happy with her life as it is: she is still living together with her ex-boyfriend Julian, her job just serves to earn money but is not actually promising a career and she still misses Judy who first was a friend and then moved in with Freya and her mother and became something like a real sister. When Julian is not interested in the latest technological device from his father, Freya accepts to use the high-tech personal assistant. Since she is still longing for Ruby who went missing without any trace, the assistant is modelled according to the young woman’s features: it can copy her voice, react just like Judy reacted and knows everything about Freya and Ruby. Can this virtual version of her sister also lead to the one in flesh and bone?
Since technology becomes more and more present in our everyday life and since we rely increasingly on our smart phones to do the thinking for us, the idea of this futuristic personal assistant was quite intriguing. Especially since we tend to ignore the negative side effects of handing over more and more data to these uncontrollable technical devices.
However, the novel did not hold up to the high expectations. I liked Freya’s first steps with her new assistant; her incredulously questioning where this machine got all the information from and how she slowly loses control over her life were portrayed in a really authentic way that is easy to imagine in the very near future. Then, however, the more the plot progresses and the more the whole story becomes a kind of computer game in a virtual reality environment, it was a bit too much for me. I am all but into computer games and not at all interested in any virtual realities where completely different rules apply and the unthinkable is possible. Thus, the moment we lost the track of reality I was more or less out. This might work better for those readers who are really into VR.
All in all, an interesting concept, yet a bit too unrealistic for my liking.
Since technology becomes more and more present in our everyday life and since we rely increasingly on our smart phones to do the thinking for us, the idea of this futuristic personal assistant was quite intriguing. Especially since we tend to ignore the negative side effects of handing over more and more data to these uncontrollable technical devices.
However, the novel did not hold up to the high expectations. I liked Freya’s first steps with her new assistant; her incredulously questioning where this machine got all the information from and how she slowly loses control over her life were portrayed in a really authentic way that is easy to imagine in the very near future. Then, however, the more the plot progresses and the more the whole story becomes a kind of computer game in a virtual reality environment, it was a bit too much for me. I am all but into computer games and not at all interested in any virtual realities where completely different rules apply and the unthinkable is possible. Thus, the moment we lost the track of reality I was more or less out. This might work better for those readers who are really into VR.
All in all, an interesting concept, yet a bit too unrealistic for my liking.
zoecardigan's review
1.0
While the premise intrigued me I found the writing style grated on me a little, it is heavy on descriptive detail and full of metaphors that I found took you out on the story. I feel like the ending the book was building to never arrived and the final 'twist' comes in the last 10/20 pages of the book and feels out of left field.
sarahna's review
2.0
2.5 stars
I really liked the premise of this book but didn't expect it to be so sci-fi focused which is why I had a hard time getting into this book. It also felt more of a mystery dystopian than a thriller. The plot was quite linear, the main character Freya didn't feel fleshed out to me and so I had a hard time caring for her. Ruby's mystery was what kept me reading. I already assumed what happened to her and I wish it would've been delivered with more red herrings instead of an info dump the last 10 pages. The ready player 1 influence was very much front and center but if you like those kinds of stories, I can see why so many people loved this book.
I really liked the premise of this book but didn't expect it to be so sci-fi focused which is why I had a hard time getting into this book. It also felt more of a mystery dystopian than a thriller. The plot was quite linear, the main character Freya didn't feel fleshed out to me and so I had a hard time caring for her. Ruby's mystery was what kept me reading. I already assumed what happened to her and I wish it would've been delivered with more red herrings instead of an info dump the last 10 pages. The ready player 1 influence was very much front and center but if you like those kinds of stories, I can see why so many people loved this book.
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