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kemptron's review against another edition
challenging
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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: Child death and Suicide attempt
Minor: Sexual harassment
drleonj's review against another edition
dark
funny
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Girlfriend on Mars threw me for a loop. The first two thirds of the novel offer a lighthearted satire of modern life as we follow Kevin and Amber, two Canadian stoners, whose early promise has gotten them no further than an apartment in Vancouver where they grow and sell weed and watch movies. Amber is inspired to audition for a reality TV show whose winners will be sent in the first — and emphatically one way — manned mission to settle Mars and realize the dreams of the ‘douchebag billionaire,’ Jeff Trask, whose Ill-gotten gains are funding the enterprise. These chapters are funny and often spot on in their skewering of Tech Bros, reality tv, social media, and modern love. Then, completely out of the blue, the novel changes tone and becomes devastatingly bleak and sad. The ending is utterly gut-wrenching. I have no problem with tragic third acts, but this one is so jarring, so unexpected, and so far removed from the first two thirds that I felt as if I’d been kicked in the stomach. So, yeah, just be prepared for that, I guess?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage and Suicide attempt
alannashelfhelp's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Religious bigotry, Infidelity, Mental illness, Child death, Death of parent, Miscarriage, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, Fatphobia, and Suicide attempt
daniellekat's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.25
This book sounded great in theory—Something kind of funny and not-so-casually pointing out all the ways the planet is dying, but this was just poorly executed. The writing itself wasn’t that bad but this could have used a major edit. There were some strange writing choices that I thought would pan out in the end but never did make any sense (the weird flashback scene cuts in the Kevin chapters come to mind). The characters were all awful and one dimensional. The alternating POVs was somewhat well used but by the last third of the book it was just a lot of the same repeated writing. I’m struggling to understand the author’s intention with this one, it’s left me feeling like I missed something.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Self harm and Terminal illness
Minor: Pregnancy and Police brutality
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