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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
I thought it was well-written and engaging. The futuristic storyline is believable, especially with its intrinsic criticism of the over-influence of social media and celebrity culture.
This one took me a while to finish! The chapters were sooooo long! This one was creepy. Creepy in that this type of future doesn’t seem too far fetched.
Really enjoyed this book, but I wouldn't say it was my favorite. Honestly it was kinda scary and made me want to delete all social media profiles and throw away my phone.
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Didn’t read the description or anything about this book before reading.
Was totally shocked to find out it wasn’t a memoir about how social media ruined someone’s life or something like that cause that’s what I was expecting from the name lol
Someone recommended it, don’t remember who tho
But it was pretty fun
Was totally shocked to find out it wasn’t a memoir about how social media ruined someone’s life or something like that cause that’s what I was expecting from the name lol
Someone recommended it, don’t remember who tho
But it was pretty fun
This is one of those books that's very much zeitgeist-y. Do we love the Internet or do we fear it? Should we fear ourselves and how much we're willing to do - or give up - to achieve our goals? And are our #blessed #lifegoals worth achieving at all? Yes, a book that asks questions while telling a compelling story split into two narrative timelines.
It's not easy to like any of the characters even if you can perhaps see a bit of yourself reflected in them. Contemporary of 2015, Floss is a grown up mean girl, all full of self importance without a clue about those around her; her "friend" Orla's the high achiever who never really achieved anything; and the future-based Marlow is indecisive and easy manipulated. They all have their reasons for being how they are and doing what they do - heck, you've probably met people exactly like them IRL or otherwise - but don't expect to exactly be rooting for them. Side characters are similarly twisted and sometimes downright deplorable. Their stories unravel in sickeningly slow suspense, alternating between chapters of "present" and "future" America.
The 2016 setting is one we all know: the currency of life is all likes and hashtags and lies. The future is one where reality TV and the internet have become possessions of the state after a mysterious incident known as "The Spill" (which you can probably guess at the nature of before it's revealed thanks to some very neat foreshadowing made possible by those alternating chapters). The little details of each character's life are viewed with the morbid fascination of someone watching the Kardashians for the first time. We all know what scripted reality is, but watching people plan and act it out, sometimes in very twisted ways... Yikes.
The only let down for me was the end. It reminded me of Q by Christina Dalcher; convenient, maybe a little wish fulfilment-like given how dark and gritty the issues raised in the book are. It felt like someone demanded the book have some form of Happily Ever After(TM) attached to it, and never mind that the characters didn't seem quite so in character any more (they didn't change until suddenly, seismicly, they did - I didn't feel it was exactly a smooth character arc given the pace of the book). I also thought some of the future developments seemed a bit OTT, there just to really push buttons rather than feel realistic.
One of those through the mirror darkly stories that will make you question... Before you promptly go back to staring at your phone.
It's not easy to like any of the characters even if you can perhaps see a bit of yourself reflected in them. Contemporary of 2015, Floss is a grown up mean girl, all full of self importance without a clue about those around her; her "friend" Orla's the high achiever who never really achieved anything; and the future-based Marlow is indecisive and easy manipulated. They all have their reasons for being how they are and doing what they do - heck, you've probably met people exactly like them IRL or otherwise - but don't expect to exactly be rooting for them. Side characters are similarly twisted and sometimes downright deplorable. Their stories unravel in sickeningly slow suspense, alternating between chapters of "present" and "future" America.
The 2016 setting is one we all know: the currency of life is all likes and hashtags and lies. The future is one where reality TV and the internet have become possessions of the state after a mysterious incident known as "The Spill" (which you can probably guess at the nature of before it's revealed thanks to some very neat foreshadowing made possible by those alternating chapters). The little details of each character's life are viewed with the morbid fascination of someone watching the Kardashians for the first time. We all know what scripted reality is, but watching people plan and act it out, sometimes in very twisted ways... Yikes.
The only let down for me was the end. It reminded me of Q by Christina Dalcher; convenient, maybe a little wish fulfilment-like given how dark and gritty the issues raised in the book are. It felt like someone demanded the book have some form of Happily Ever After(TM) attached to it, and never mind that the characters didn't seem quite so in character any more (they didn't change until suddenly, seismicly, they did - I didn't feel it was exactly a smooth character arc given the pace of the book). I also thought some of the future developments seemed a bit OTT, there just to really push buttons rather than feel realistic.
One of those through the mirror darkly stories that will make you question... Before you promptly go back to staring at your phone.
I really enjoyed this story that trails several character from 2015 and 2051. The story weaves back and forth showing how the seek for fame and followers can show up.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes