Reviews with content warning for Suicide attempt - Alone Out Here

riley redgate is one of my favorite authors but i lovehate this book.

re: my face scrunching up in confusion as i got closer and closer to the end of this book and wondered how this book was gonna resolve itself

i hATE the ending (and how the resolution feels incomplete yet so in character for the main character), but also think it fits with everything about society and human nature that the book ruminates on.

the conversations that leigh and anis have are everything <3

(also: apocalyptic fiction, so idk why i was surprised at how depressing this book was? lol @ myself)

(also: riley's right; this is the straightest book she's ever written. lol.)

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suspicioussherbet4's review

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slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.5

Really really did not like the ending felt like it was all for naught

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anniereads221's review

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challenging dark mysterious tense medium-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

4.0

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betweentheshelves's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional tense 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? No

3.0

Thanks to NetGalley and Disney Publishing for an advanced copy of Alone Out Here to review! Sometimes it can be hard to find science fiction in the YA genre, but I feel like we've gotten more in the last few years and I am here for it. Space kind of freaks me out, but I still enjoy reading about it!

This book is essentially being pitched as Lord of the Flies in space, which is overall a pretty accurate description. Redgate accurately captures the pressure that's constantly put on younger generations to fix the errors of the past. Which is a strong theme throughout the book. Generally, the sense of foreboding and loss is well done, permeating throughout the majority of the story. Definitely here for the tone of the book overall!

However, there are a lot of characters in this. And while not all of them are important to the main plot of the story, it's kind of easy to get lost sometimes. Some of the more technical aspects of space travel also don't quite fit with reality, which is always hard with science fiction. Yes, this is a fictional story. However, if you're going to include more sciencey aspects, I kind of want them to feel more realist.

A small thing of note, this book has been appearing on LGBTQ lists for 2022. While there is some queer rep in here, it's not at the forefront of the story. So if you're looking for gays in space, this aspect might be a bit of a disappointment for you.

All in all, if you enjoy space thrillers and don't mind keeping track of a lot of characters, you might want to pick this one up!

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urlocalvocaloidstan's review

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adventurous challenging dark informative mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This book was really fast paced and had lots of ups and downs, but the writing was just not it. While it is one of the main focuses that Leigh doesn’t know what she stands for, being a politician’s daughter and constantly advocating for peace, it feels like her opinion just changes very arbitrarily. One second she’s siding with Eli, the daughter of the late pilot, who is now taking charge of the Lazarus, and the next she’s siding with Irina, the younger sister of her friend, who constantly belittles every single decision made. The way she switched her loyalties seemed very abrupt and it didn’t feel like there was much development for that.

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