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rumay's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is the third time I have read this book and every time I read it I still get so caught up in the mystery. It is such a fun and exciting read. The world of the Carl's that Hank has created is so interesting and detailed. The characters are really complex, and even when they make mistakes you still find yourself rooting for them.
However, what I love the most about this book is Hank's really nuanced and interesting treatment of social media and the idea of celebrity. It is wonderful to see a book that is neither saying it is all bad or all good. I love this book so much, and it's incredible to have such an exciting story that also discusses something really important in a nuanced way.
However, what I love the most about this book is Hank's really nuanced and interesting treatment of social media and the idea of celebrity. It is wonderful to see a book that is neither saying it is all bad or all good. I love this book so much, and it's incredible to have such an exciting story that also discusses something really important in a nuanced way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Gore
Moderate: Biphobia
Hank gives a content warning in the book for when the violence and gore is coming up, so don't worry that it's going to spring up on you.samchase112's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Starting off 2021 with an absolutely fantastic read! This was a fun, wild ride through the world of fame, social media, human connection, and some really weird sh*t. I had a great time reading this one, and was fully engrossed in the story the entire time. The plot is so creative, unique, and engaging, and because of that you really never know where the story is going to end up. I also loved the way this book talked so much about fame and the power of social media, and the effects both have on a person's psyche and relationships with the people around them. Hank Green was able to explore a lot of different aspects of fame and the media along with everything else happening in the book, and it's a testament to the story that he was able to fit so much in and I was never bored. I love a quotable book, and there were so many places I wanted to underline or make a note of that I now need to buy this book! I can't recommend this one enough, but I hope it's not an omen for what might happen in 2021...
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Violence, Gore, Confinement, and Blood
Minor: Kidnapping and Grief
Contains descriptions of acts of terrorism.jet's review against another edition
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Gore, and Medical content
Minor: Homophobia
cheye13's review
adventurous
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I think this book most upsets be because I wanted to like it so badly.
I enjoy the writing style and think the book is well-crafted. I liked the strength of voice and characterization, and the premise is unique and interesting. The conflict and drama were evocative and I was easily invested in the story.
Yet overall, I... didn't enjoy it. I hated April May, but probably not in the way intended. I have no problem with unlikeable or problematic main characters, and her decisions made sense. But, as a 20something bi woman/lib arts grad in this internet fame climate myself, I found it nearly impossible to relate to her, and not just on a personal level, but on any level at all. I couldn't reconcile her with any other real person I know, and that consistently troubled me.
April May herself also seemed to be a very thin veil for the author (of whom I do consider myself a fan) to moralize on a specific view of fame and politics and the human condition, and while these weren't wholly meaningless points, they were treated as though only The Great April May had ever considered them. I tuned in for some fun aliens and instead got a morality lecture about internet fame that had me thinking "it's not that deep" for a good 90% of the book.
I enjoy the writing style and think the book is well-crafted. I liked the strength of voice and characterization, and the premise is unique and interesting. The conflict and drama were evocative and I was easily invested in the story.
Yet overall, I... didn't enjoy it. I hated April May, but probably not in the way intended. I have no problem with unlikeable or problematic main characters, and her decisions made sense. But, as a 20something bi woman/lib arts grad in this internet fame climate myself, I found it nearly impossible to relate to her, and not just on a personal level, but on any level at all. I couldn't reconcile her with any other real person I know, and that consistently troubled me.
April May herself also seemed to be a very thin veil for the author (of whom I do consider myself a fan) to moralize on a specific view of fame and politics and the human condition, and while these weren't wholly meaningless points, they were treated as though only The Great April May had ever considered them. I tuned in for some fun aliens and instead got a morality lecture about internet fame that had me thinking "it's not that deep" for a good 90% of the book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Biphobia, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Medical trauma, and Violence
Minor: Blood, Gore, and Grief
regarding fire:adamreadsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Gore
kayciedoom's review against another edition
3.0
The beginning of this book did not have a promising start for me, and I almost put it down, but I was convinced by a friend to give it another try. I picked up where I left off, and at that point I became hooked into the story.
This book ended up being an intriguing read, especially once the main antagonistic force came into the picture. I liked the mystery aspects of the plot, and I ended up liking that the main character was flawed (though more on that later), and how she dealt with fame and became increasingly more addicted to it. I thought all the main conflicts felt pretty relevant to modern-day times.
April May, our protagonist, was the most compelling character for me. I believe she was not meant to be a likable character, but at least her decisions directly drove and impacted the plot, rather than the plot happening TO an empty shell or a "reader insert" character. However, I think April would have been a more compelling character if she had a more clear motivation for fame and fortune. We are told that she comes from a well-off and privileged family who supports her ambition to become a graphic designer, but she has a decent amount of student loans. She is snarky and competitive, but that's just the way she is. But why? Beyond greed and hubris and spite, what drove her actions in the story? Her motivations seemed unclear at times. What if she had come from a more modest background, and she found this viral video as a compelling way to make money, which helped drive her decision making (beyond being just a reason she decided to do the first TV interview)? What if she got a bunch of money but was irresponsible with it? And why the desire for attention and fame? What if, instead of being a "normal person", she had tried to have an online presence but was continuously frustrated that no one was interested in/paying attention to her? So a little more background on her motivation might have been nice to have, rather than April just constantly admitting she messed up because she always messes up.
Apart from April, I didn't really care for any of the characters, who were really used more as set pieces + plot devices. I also thought their voices weren't very distinct - most of them spoke in the same inflections and mannerisms.
The plot was pretty compelling, especially the puzzle aspects of figuring out the mysteries of the Carls. The book is set up like a series of vignettes chronicling the discovery and time the Carls are present, which I thought was a fairly effective format. My issues with the plot involved a lot of ideas that were introduced, but they ultimately didn't pan out or matter to the story (such aspretty much EVERYONE being in love with/attracted to April, April's brother's wedding, April sleeping with Miranda, April being a graphic designer, etc. ).
I'm not sure how I feel about the ending yet.It felt somewhat fitting, very Icarus-esque, how she figuratively flew too close to the sun, and literally fell and burned, seemingly to death? I guess we don't know yet, it DID end on a bit of a cliffhanger.
In any case, I thought the book was OK, and its strongest points were in its ideas and themes about social media and the impacts of fame and influence. I'm glad I gave it a second chance, but I'm not sure if I will read the sequel.
This book ended up being an intriguing read, especially once the main antagonistic force came into the picture. I liked the mystery aspects of the plot, and I ended up liking that the main character was flawed (though more on that later), and how she dealt with fame and became increasingly more addicted to it. I thought all the main conflicts felt pretty relevant to modern-day times.
April May, our protagonist, was the most compelling character for me. I believe she was not meant to be a likable character, but at least her decisions directly drove and impacted the plot, rather than the plot happening TO an empty shell or a "reader insert" character. However, I think April would have been a more compelling character if she had a more clear motivation for fame and fortune. We are told that she comes from a well-off and privileged family who supports her ambition to become a graphic designer, but she has a decent amount of student loans. She is snarky and competitive, but that's just the way she is. But why? Beyond greed and hubris and spite, what drove her actions in the story? Her motivations seemed unclear at times. What if she had come from a more modest background, and she found this viral video as a compelling way to make money, which helped drive her decision making (beyond being just a reason she decided to do the first TV interview)? What if she got a bunch of money but was irresponsible with it? And why the desire for attention and fame? What if, instead of being a "normal person", she had tried to have an online presence but was continuously frustrated that no one was interested in/paying attention to her? So a little more background on her motivation might have been nice to have, rather than April just constantly admitting she messed up because she always messes up.
Apart from April, I didn't really care for any of the characters, who were really used more as set pieces + plot devices. I also thought their voices weren't very distinct - most of them spoke in the same inflections and mannerisms.
The plot was pretty compelling, especially the puzzle aspects of figuring out the mysteries of the Carls. The book is set up like a series of vignettes chronicling the discovery and time the Carls are present, which I thought was a fairly effective format. My issues with the plot involved a lot of ideas that were introduced, but they ultimately didn't pan out or matter to the story (such as
I'm not sure how I feel about the ending yet.
In any case, I thought the book was OK, and its strongest points were in its ideas and themes about social media and the impacts of fame and influence. I'm glad I gave it a second chance, but I'm not sure if I will read the sequel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Violence
notagreatreader's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This may be a controversial opinion given that this is a debut novel, but I think Hank Green may be a better writer than John Green xD Although my enjoyment might have increased because I listened to the audiobook and the way it's written seemed to really work in that format.
I love books that don't follow genre conventions or that are just a little bit weird but also don't take themselves too seriously. To me, this book really delivers in those aspects. I love this sort of 'soft' sci-fi as a vehicle to explore different topics, such as in this case, fame and humanity's responses to the unknown. Some folks seem to dislike that the Carls don't really do much or that the book is less about the Carls and more about April and the humanity's response to the Carls and April. But I feel like that's the point of this book. If you want to read a book where the aliens are at the forefront or just a 'harder' sci-fi, you need to go look for a different book.
I really enjoyed April, the disaster bisexual, as a character. I've said before in my reviews (perhaps in different words) that I love a heroine who goes all out to get what she wants. I'm tired of female characters that think too much of others and not enough of themselves. I like when female characters have a bit of an ego, when they want to be noticed and remembered. April perhaps is a bit of an extreme case here, being that she initiates first contact with an alien species and all, but I like this type of larger than life story, so to speak. I don't think it needs to be 100% "realistic", whatever that means. I like how April's character is constructed, as someone who's savvy enough to realize the importance of creating the right public persona yet unable to comprehend how that will affect her emotionally as a person. Although we actually didn't get to see her process the latter too much through the book, which is kind of a shame. I also love how April's bisexuality is portrayed: not quite a non-issue, given that it's used against her by her opponents, but it's really just there, a part of April's person and I love that it's allowed to just exist, that April is allowed to just exist as a bisexual person in the world... and make first contact. It's great.
I mostly enjoyed the way the different themes in the novel were explored, i.e. fame, person as brand, the importance of humanity working together. However, that last theme got a bit hammered in there, at the end. It's very obviously the voice of Hank Green that I know from the Vlogbrothers' content. So, given that the book is told from April's POV in first person, it was a bit weird to have so much of the writer as a person shine through in their character. Not necessarily a bad thing, I guess, but it speaks to this being very much a debut work of someone who perhaps hasn't created many different OCs before. You know what I mean?
I love books that don't follow genre conventions or that are just a little bit weird but also don't take themselves too seriously. To me, this book really delivers in those aspects. I love this sort of 'soft' sci-fi as a vehicle to explore different topics, such as in this case, fame and humanity's responses to the unknown. Some folks seem to dislike that the Carls don't really do much or that the book is less about the Carls and more about April and the humanity's response to the Carls and April. But I feel like that's the point of this book. If you want to read a book where the aliens are at the forefront or just a 'harder' sci-fi, you need to go look for a different book.
I really enjoyed April, the disaster bisexual, as a character. I've said before in my reviews (perhaps in different words) that I love a heroine who goes all out to get what she wants. I'm tired of female characters that think too much of others and not enough of themselves. I like when female characters have a bit of an ego, when they want to be noticed and remembered. April perhaps is a bit of an extreme case here, being that she initiates first contact with an alien species and all, but I like this type of larger than life story, so to speak. I don't think it needs to be 100% "realistic", whatever that means. I like how April's character is constructed, as someone who's savvy enough to realize the importance of creating the right public persona yet unable to comprehend how that will affect her emotionally as a person. Although we actually didn't get to see her process the latter too much through the book, which is kind of a shame. I also love how April's bisexuality is portrayed: not quite a non-issue, given that it's used against her by her opponents, but it's really just there, a part of April's person and I love that it's allowed to just exist, that April is allowed to just exist as a bisexual person in the world... and make first contact. It's great.
I mostly enjoyed the way the different themes in the novel were explored, i.e. fame, person as brand, the importance of humanity working together. However, that last theme got a bit hammered in there, at the end. It's very obviously the voice of Hank Green that I know from the Vlogbrothers' content. So, given that the book is told from April's POV in first person, it was a bit weird to have so much of the writer as a person shine through in their character. Not necessarily a bad thing, I guess, but it speaks to this being very much a debut work of someone who perhaps hasn't created many different OCs before. You know what I mean?
Content Warnings
Minor: Gore, Death, and Biphobia
booksasportals's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Death, and Medical trauma
Minor: Biphobia, Grief, and Homophobia
skyelarks's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book was a memorable roller coaster of adventure. The characters are flawed and the book is all the better for it. This book is bloody brilliant.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore
The book contains one scene in particular that prefaces with a warning of gore-y content ahead. That warning is not understated whatsoever.randoogle's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore