3.5 stars

I received a free digital copy of this book from the publishers/author via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

April is walking home from work one late night when she accidentally ends up becoming the first person on earth to be in contact with an alien race. The mystery of the ‘Carls’ continues while April, who became an overnight star, attempts to remain a part of the story and hold onto her fame.

This is a book that drew me in very slowly but I really loved it by the end and I can’t wait for what’s next.

April is definitely a character I found very hard to like, and her voice definitely wasn’t my favourite. Her narration for a lot of the book felt a bit monotone and I really feel like her character was holding people at a distance. I did kind of like the power of Hank’s writing that she eded up becoming this kind of minor celebrity for me that though I didn’t know, I didn’t like. I knew if April was real, she’d be the type of social media star that would make me roll my eyes every time she tweeted and inserted herself into the story.

I also love the exploration around trolls and how much trolling can dehumanise a person, and also make them dehumanise themselves in a way.

I really liked Hank’s writing, despite it taking me a while to really fall in love with the story but everything came together for me really nicely. I loved the dream landscape connected with the Carls as well and it reminded me of the public VR gaming world in Ready Player One.

I can’t wait for the next book!