Reviews

Chronicles of My Alien Invasion Life by Jes McCutchen

jbackfire's review against another edition

adventurous funny relaxing fast-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

greenseaglass's review

adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

teatowel's review

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted mysterious fast-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

5.0

A super charming tale of a group of teens getting to live out the sci-fi fantasy of their dreams together! A must read for any d&d playing folks out there. McCutchen perfectly conveys the neurodivergent tendencies of the main character, and it makes for such a genuine and cozy read. 

allithwaites's review

adventurous funny medium-paced

4.0

shereadytoread's review

funny

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book was such a fun read! Great humor, and interesting premise and characters that you can’t help but love. I mean you have to love your friends a lot to risk alien abduction! 

This book has some excellent mental health and disability rep along with queer representation. See below: 

Rep: Bisexual female MC that has anxiety and ADHD and uses mobility aid. Black lesbian, gender-fluid and nonbinary side characters.

cfinn2003's review against another edition

funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

nikspandya's review

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-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? No

4.25

This short and fun read really soothed my inner teen. The entire cast is filled with diverse and queer representation and is executed so well. And the main character Chuck is one of the funniest MCs I have ever read! I’m not always the biggest fan of first person, but Chuck has me thinking otherwise. I couldn’t imagine this book without her inner monologue and observations and notable ADHD rants!!

Chronicles of My Alien Invasion Life reads like a campaign, but…not D&D? More like, Portals & Phuphrath. Each chapter leads you deeper and deeper into adventure. No matter where you are in the story, Chuck brings you back to your human form with all of her timely and hilarious pop culture references. The callbacks had a way of grounding me as the story became more and more sci-fi. 

I highly recommend this soft sci-fi read!

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Content Warnings

Minor: Violence and Death

foreverinastory's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny mysterious fast-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

5.0

Chronicles of My Alien Invasion Life follows Chuck who is recovering from an accident that’s given her permanent nerve damage and her friend Ghost has disappeared. Chuck knows he’s not dead, and with the help of her friends she might be able to track him down. Will she still embarrass herself in the process? Absolutely. 

If you want something fun with a little bit of space adventure, this is the book for you! Chronicles is a short fast paced story of found family and alien shenanigans. I loved this book a lot, especially Chuck. She’s certainly a disaster, but I saw this as a fellow ADHD disaster and I love it. Chuck is a walking talking clumsy nerd and I love her to pieces. Besides being super relatable, she also is extremely funny. I dare you to read this book without laughing, I’ll wait!  

This is a great book for someone who would like to read more sci-fi but is not ready for something like Gideon the Ninth or The First Sister. But like in general highly recommend those two along with this book! 
 

caseythereader's review

adventurous funny fast-paced

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

3.75

 - Who doesn't love a story of a ragtag group of queer kids banding together? Enter CHRONICLES OF MY ALIEN INVASION LIFE, which has queerness, aliens, D&D, and more.
- I don't want to give the plot away, so let's talk about how fun and funny this book is. Chuck is a bit of a smart aleck, and I loved it.
- I also loved how this book shows Chuck wrestling with her ADHD on the page, and how it's an intrinsic part of her, not something to be fixed and eradicated. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Vomit, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Confinement, Cursing, and Injury/Injury detail

arizonadaydreamer's review

adventurous funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

Being inside Chuck's head as she experiences this adventure is such a fun (& funny) ride. I really enjoyed the in-the-moment thoughts as she faces both off against everyday teen and out of this worls drama. Her self perspective, geek culture, and absolutely loyalty for her friends kept me laughing throughout the boom.