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claire__fm's review against another edition
4.0
So many little moments of deep psychic recognition. Funny, tender, so good.
kfan's review against another edition
5.0
Oh my GOD this book is devastating.
It starts out like a comic novel about a douchey startup bro trying to "hack the girlfriend problem." It's the turn of the century, the first dotcom bubble, the war in Iraq. Eric is a programmer who just made millions selling his data-collection startup and isn't sure what's next. He meets a woman named Maya, and the book is the story of their relationship.
Megan Abbott, in her blurb, talking about this book having "depths" and that's a good way to put it. The word I was thinking was "swoops". The book takes a turn and becomes about what we know about people, how we value the information they give us. The creative art of building a relationship.
It's such a finely-detailed book, all the stuff about high school bullying, the jerky dad, the mom's house, all these quick, perfectly outlined images whose outlines remain like afterimages. There's also a lost high school diary which I tend to hate as a plot device (TOO STRESSFUL) (and really at this point any character who writes a journal about their classmates should just assume it'll end up in the wrong hands, at this point) but I got through it and you can too.
I wasn't expecting to really love a book about a lonely programmer dude who wants a girlfriend, but holy moly. So good.
This would also make a good movie. Gabe you should sell the rights to Hollywood.
It starts out like a comic novel about a douchey startup bro trying to "hack the girlfriend problem." It's the turn of the century, the first dotcom bubble, the war in Iraq. Eric is a programmer who just made millions selling his data-collection startup and isn't sure what's next. He meets a woman named Maya, and the book is the story of their relationship.
Megan Abbott, in her blurb, talking about this book having "depths" and that's a good way to put it. The word I was thinking was "swoops". The book takes a turn and becomes about what we know about people, how we value the information they give us. The creative art of building a relationship.
It's such a finely-detailed book, all the stuff about high school bullying, the jerky dad, the mom's house, all these quick, perfectly outlined images whose outlines remain like afterimages. There's also a lost high school diary which I tend to hate as a plot device (TOO STRESSFUL) (and really at this point any character who writes a journal about their classmates should just assume it'll end up in the wrong hands, at this point) but I got through it and you can too.
I wasn't expecting to really love a book about a lonely programmer dude who wants a girlfriend, but holy moly. So good.
This would also make a good movie. Gabe you should sell the rights to Hollywood.
lauralhart's review against another edition
4.0
"Maya's past is unknowable, but what part of anyone is knowable? We can only know each other the way we know distant stars: by observing years-old light, gathering outdated information, running calculations and making inferences." p.223
^ Favorite quote. Perhaps it's resonating with me right now because I'm also reading NDT's 'Astrophysics for People in a Hurry.' Also seems like a less poignant version of a Martin Amis quote from 'Night Train.'
This one gets a 3.5 stars from me. It was enjoyable; the reviews claiming it was a "witty" and "fun" story were mostly true. I was invested in Eric and Maya, their relationship, and Eric's flashbacks to the younger self that still, in certain ways, existed in his adult self. I enjoyed the software angle; I poked my software engineer boyfriend in the arm a couple of times to say things like, "Hey, check it out. JavaScript is in my novel."
But along the way, some things fell out of their places for me. The "mysterious secret" Maya was hiding was a lot more intimate and a lot less scandalous than I had expected and, further, I'm not exactly sure why the author chose to run with the false memory disorder as a major plot point. It made Mays's perceived abuse seem a lot less important than it should have been, and instead a story was told about a woman's anguished testimony not being enough proof. And never mind Eric's weird, Freudian "I love you, mom" thing -- that's conveniently never mentioned again. The whole thing felt like a plot device to propel the story forward...but only to a point: right before the end. That's where it really stopped for me. The break between Eric and Maya is somewhat understandable, I guess -- I mean, I certainly would've done what Maya did -- but there's no real sense of resolution. And we're supposed to accept that Annabelle is the end-all, solve-all solution that Eric's been looking for, after this 200-something-page impassioned novel about another woman? There's no resolution with Eric's mother, either, nor is there resolution with Maya's dad, although we're probably meant to assume that they never speak again. There's also the huge problem of Eric over-sexualizing and minimizing women, but that's a fish to fry another time.
Overall, despite enjoying some of its cheekier moments, I felt somewhat unsatisfied by this book.
^ Favorite quote. Perhaps it's resonating with me right now because I'm also reading NDT's 'Astrophysics for People in a Hurry.' Also seems like a less poignant version of a Martin Amis quote from 'Night Train.'
This one gets a 3.5 stars from me. It was enjoyable; the reviews claiming it was a "witty" and "fun" story were mostly true. I was invested in Eric and Maya, their relationship, and Eric's flashbacks to the younger self that still, in certain ways, existed in his adult self. I enjoyed the software angle; I poked my software engineer boyfriend in the arm a couple of times to say things like, "Hey, check it out. JavaScript is in my novel."
But along the way, some things fell out of their places for me. The "mysterious secret" Maya was hiding was a lot more intimate and a lot less scandalous than I had expected and, further, I'm not exactly sure why the author chose to run with the false memory disorder as a major plot point. It made Mays's perceived abuse seem a lot less important than it should have been, and instead a story was told about a woman's anguished testimony not being enough proof. And never mind Eric's weird, Freudian "I love you, mom" thing -- that's conveniently never mentioned again. The whole thing felt like a plot device to propel the story forward...but only to a point: right before the end. That's where it really stopped for me. The break between Eric and Maya is somewhat understandable, I guess -- I mean, I certainly would've done what Maya did -- but there's no real sense of resolution. And we're supposed to accept that Annabelle is the end-all, solve-all solution that Eric's been looking for, after this 200-something-page impassioned novel about another woman? There's no resolution with Eric's mother, either, nor is there resolution with Maya's dad, although we're probably meant to assume that they never speak again. There's also the huge problem of Eric over-sexualizing and minimizing women, but that's a fish to fry another time.
Overall, despite enjoying some of its cheekier moments, I felt somewhat unsatisfied by this book.
phouweling's review against another edition
4.0
Nicely told first-person narrative of an introvert geek looking for a girl-friend. I particularly liked the way his thoughts are described.
virtuallori's review against another edition
3.0
On one level, I liked the peek into a mind that is primarily analytical, that sees everything, especially social situations, as a problem to be analyzed and solved. There was also a bit of musing on the perils of sudden wealth (although I would have liked to see more). On another level, while I was rooting for the main character, I found it hard to like him, and I never bought the "love" story. Not terribly far in (so no spoilers) Maya admits that the only reason she went out with Eric in the first place is because he was wealthy, but then that's all we get. There doesn't seem to be much of a spark between them, other than Eric's continuing crush-like attraction.
ckporier's review against another edition
4.0
This book made me feel old, but it was a compelling story, interestingly told.
civreader's review against another edition
3.0
Don't really know what to make of this. It's well-written, amusing at times and also unsettling - about what it says about the main character but also people in general, especially those who are not as socially aware as they perhaps should be. Eric is a bit of a douchebag, could easily be considered a creep. He's hyper-aware of the fact that he doesn't really understand people, especially women, and therefore the way he approaches relationships and dating is over-analytical and calculated. Some other reviewers and authors have referred to the novel as "hilarious", which I didn't experience. There are certainly many amusing asides and observations, but for the main this followed the typical structure of a novel in this sub-genre. That's no bad thing at all, but I remain slightly confused by the insistence on including many of the exact same topics and interpretations (as much as they are universal young men experiences). At least he avoids the completely batsh*t crazy event that often crops up in novels like this. He keeps it very much rooted in reality and believability. Eric is a difficult character to love, and the pacing is very fast, which meant the book felt a bit rushed, which might also account for my issues with it.
aturtlesnestbookreviews's review against another edition
3.0
I have been finished for a few days now and I am still unsure of this book. Either I am missing something or it's basically a moral about having all the money in the world and nothing changes. I could also day it's about, trust, privacy, and learning to let go of certain things.