Generally speaking I'm a huge fan of science fiction, and not really that interested in contemporary fiction, especially when it comes to children's books.  It's therefore strange that I loved the contemporary parts of this book, but the sci-fi story just didn't work for me. 

The characters are extremely engaging with a friendship that is a joy to read (or listen to; I had the audiobook). Many of the elements that made me absolutely adore the author's other book A Kind of Spark are present here too, not least the fact that the main characters of both are autistic. I definitely felt the emotions of the book strongly, at times nearly to the point of tears. 

Unfortunately I just didn't connect enough to the sci-fi storyline. Perhaps it's because I'm a sci-fi fan and I've read lots of books with similar concepts; or maybe it's because I loved the contemporary aspects so much that it was a little bit of a disappointment when they took a backseat. 

This isn't by any means a negative review. There's so much I love about this book, and it's easy for me to see how someone else could give it a full five stars. It's a book I would strongly recommend to any child. The writing was great. It didn't quite work for me personally, but I will absolutely be checking out the next book Elle McNicoll brings out.