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izzys_internet_bookshelf's review against another edition
4.0
4/5
Wow, this book. Just wow. I loved the two main characters. The relationship in the book was great to read. Throughout the book I was hoping to learn more about a character, and we did. Then it became a huge deal. My only problem with the book was that it was so long and it felt like I took forever to read it.
Wow, this book. Just wow. I loved the two main characters. The relationship in the book was great to read. Throughout the book I was hoping to learn more about a character, and we did. Then it became a huge deal. My only problem with the book was that it was so long and it felt like I took forever to read it.
hpcowley's review
inspiring
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
4.5
owlyreadsalot's review against another edition
4.0
This story started with a bang... literally lol. The farm, plus the experiment that led to the focus on it, were really well done. I've got to say, that first chapter really took me in as the reader. Right from the get-go it sets up what's to come, with the craziness that will become "Is there truly life up there? Or, did the Hofstadt brothers go a little too far?".
Of course, as the reader, we know what's about to transpire. And, it's all kinds of crazy, funny, bizarre, and nerve-racking for days. I can see how it got that far, how Gideon went along with the story, and it made for that much more of an interesting story. I can't leave behind that brother of his though, Ishmael definitely has a way of making things blow up, literally and figuratively.
Not only do we get much of those feels from the first half, we also get it from the second half when things start to get really serious for both brothers. There is much that continues to unfold and become twisted the more further the story gets. This turns from one brother taking it too far, to the other brother keeping it from ending. And wow, he really keeps it going.
My only thing that didn't seem to work for me here, were all of the footnotes. They really didn't do much for me, or my enjoyment of the story. The interviews though, they really gave this story that little added feel that I couldn't get enough of. Yes Gideon, could become a bit disconnected, to engrossed in all of that, plus the experimental parts of it all, but it worked.
Very fun read, with a lot of growth, plus the understanding of what that kind of recklessness can bring to oneself. I couldn't stop laughing in some parts ( I mean really Oswald?? An alien elixir... only one of all the crazy antics that pop up in here), in other parts of this book I couldn't help but be anxious for the brothers (you know it's going to hit the fan). Really good read!
***I received this copy from Sourcebooks Fire, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.***
Of course, as the reader, we know what's about to transpire. And, it's all kinds of crazy, funny, bizarre, and nerve-racking for days. I can see how it got that far, how Gideon went along with the story, and it made for that much more of an interesting story. I can't leave behind that brother of his though, Ishmael definitely has a way of making things blow up, literally and figuratively.
Not only do we get much of those feels from the first half, we also get it from the second half when things start to get really serious for both brothers. There is much that continues to unfold and become twisted the more further the story gets. This turns from one brother taking it too far, to the other brother keeping it from ending. And wow, he really keeps it going.
My only thing that didn't seem to work for me here, were all of the footnotes. They really didn't do much for me, or my enjoyment of the story. The interviews though, they really gave this story that little added feel that I couldn't get enough of. Yes Gideon, could become a bit disconnected, to engrossed in all of that, plus the experimental parts of it all, but it worked.
Very fun read, with a lot of growth, plus the understanding of what that kind of recklessness can bring to oneself. I couldn't stop laughing in some parts ( I mean really Oswald?? An alien elixir... only one of all the crazy antics that pop up in here), in other parts of this book I couldn't help but be anxious for the brothers (you know it's going to hit the fan). Really good read!
***I received this copy from Sourcebooks Fire, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.***
alongreader's review against another edition
3.0
I was really looking forward to this. I enjoyed Chelsea's book As You Wish very much, and I expected another fun, frothy, light hearted read. I kind of got what I was looking for, a bit?
First, what I liked. The relationship between the brothers was great, and I enjoyed seeing it grow and develop as they got deeper into the prank. Also, the occasional moments of pure random fun, like Ishmael insisting on introducing himself exactly the way you're thinking he does, or running into the woods at night after a cow. Owen seemed perfectly nice, the little time we spent with him. The style, with the insertion of blogs, articles and interviews, was intriguing.
However.
I didn't connect with the main character at all. And as an introvert, with an interest in space and science...though not, admittedly, to the point of building my own lab and blowing things up...I should have been able to. He just didn't seem like a real person most of the time, not to me. Honestly, I knew Ishmael for about six lines and I knew why he was asking how to make the explosion bigger. Brainy Gideon couldn't figure it out?
It's not a dreadful read! I enjoyed parts of it, and the climax is appropriately satisfying. (Although it didn't occur to Oz to claim that the audio was manipulated?) I'll be looking out for more books by Chelsea. I love the way she mixes something a little bit weird into an otherwise normal world.
(But what was going on with Maggie? I never did understand that.)
First, what I liked. The relationship between the brothers was great, and I enjoyed seeing it grow and develop as they got deeper into the prank. Also, the occasional moments of pure random fun, like Ishmael insisting on introducing himself exactly the way you're thinking he does, or running into the woods at night after a cow. Owen seemed perfectly nice, the little time we spent with him. The style, with the insertion of blogs, articles and interviews, was intriguing.
However.
I didn't connect with the main character at all. And as an introvert, with an interest in space and science...though not, admittedly, to the point of building my own lab and blowing things up...I should have been able to. He just didn't seem like a real person most of the time, not to me. Honestly, I knew Ishmael for about six lines and I knew why he was asking how to make the explosion bigger. Brainy Gideon couldn't figure it out?
It's not a dreadful read! I enjoyed parts of it, and the climax is appropriately satisfying. (Although it didn't occur to Oz to claim that the audio was manipulated?) I'll be looking out for more books by Chelsea. I love the way she mixes something a little bit weird into an otherwise normal world.
(But what was going on with Maggie? I never did understand that.)
chelle_thebelle's review against another edition
5.0
My initial impression of this book was “Dear Evan Hansen” but with aliens. A further read showed that to be true at the surface level, but it went so much deeper than that between scientific inserts and insights on human nature - namely, how people can be persuaded into believing almost anything. It felt like the story got wilder with almost every chapter, which is saying something considering how short the chapters were. Finally, the author did her homework with character names, especially naming the antagonist Oz - for the wizard of classic literature, or the would-be Pennsylvania senator? It works either way.
belellcollins's review against another edition
5.0
From the synopsis: "This is the absolutely true account of how Lansburg, Pennsylvania was invaded by aliens and the weeks of chaos that followed. There were sightings of UFOs, close encounters, and even abductions. There were believers, Truth Seekers, and, above all, people who looked to the sky and hoped for more. Only...there were no aliens."
This is the story of two brothers, who while performing an experiment with explosives, set off a chain reaction that builds throughout their small Pennsylvania town.
I loved Gideon. As a narrator p, he was reliable, smart, and obviously central to the story to keep us enthralled throughout the plot. I loved the introduction of the articles, online comments, texts, etc as incorporated into the story and the format of the book itself reading like a sociological paper was so different than other books I'd read I was hooked.
This is the story of two brothers, who while performing an experiment with explosives, set off a chain reaction that builds throughout their small Pennsylvania town.
I loved Gideon. As a narrator p, he was reliable, smart, and obviously central to the story to keep us enthralled throughout the plot. I loved the introduction of the articles, online comments, texts, etc as incorporated into the story and the format of the book itself reading like a sociological paper was so different than other books I'd read I was hooked.
tobyyy's review against another edition
DNF at about 65%.
I’m not going to rate this book though because I really do think it was a case of “it’s me, it’s not you.”
I just wasn’t in the right mood/mental space to enjoy this story. Instead I just got fed up with the fact that it seems like 500 pages(!!) of... nothingness. I didn’t feel like there was a point to the story, and then I just lost interest, set the book down, and I haven’t the urge to pick it back up to finish.
Maybe I will try again in the future...
I’m not going to rate this book though because I really do think it was a case of “it’s me, it’s not you.”
I just wasn’t in the right mood/mental space to enjoy this story. Instead I just got fed up with the fact that it seems like 500 pages(!!) of... nothingness. I didn’t feel like there was a point to the story, and then I just lost interest, set the book down, and I haven’t the urge to pick it back up to finish.
Maybe I will try again in the future...
capnhist's review against another edition
medium-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? No
1.0
ktmiller_14's review against another edition
4.0
This was a solid book that strayed away from cliches (mostly). I was both surprised and not suppressed to see the situation get darker as the plot progressed, mostly because the government got involved. The coming of age plot of Gideon finding out what he has to cope with the fact that the future he wants may not be the future he experiences worked well with the darker happenings that his plan had attracted to the town. (Or he thought they had, later to discover it was actually because of Oswald that the FBI had come to the town.)
As some from Pennsylvania, what initially convinced me to read this book was because it was set in a town somewhere outside of Pittsburgh, called Lansburg. Overall, I would give this a 4/5 stars. I related a lot to Gideon as I often found that I experienced some of the same things he did throughout the novel when he was trying to figure things out.
yetanothersusan's review against another edition
4.0
A geeky teenager, Gideon, and his not quite so smart brother, Ishmael, mess up a science experiment. To cover, they tell a story, and then a bigger story, and then a bigger one. The small town quickly becomes unwitting co-conspirators in a hoax that gets drastically out of hand. I felt like Gideon’s footnote comments were appropriate for his character, though some of them were unnecessary and just seemed to be there to continue the concept. Overall, this was a great story of kids in high school being kids and the unintended consequences. I’d compare this book to Kevin Wilson’s Now is Not the Time to Panic and/or Hank Green’s An Absolutely Remarkable Thing. Well, and maybe a little Pink & the Brain! Not bad company and a really enjoyable read despite its length.
Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for a copy of the book. This review is my own opinion.
Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for a copy of the book. This review is my own opinion.