I didn't love this book.
The characters were good, well formed and relatable so I ploughed on because I was invested in them.
But the storyline was a bit too out there for me. Sorry, I don't want to give away the plot by explaining more, but it will really work for the more adventurous reader.

A rollicking read and a timely reminder that the whole can be greater than the sum of its parts.

April May and her friend stumble over what they think is a piece of art in NYC and post it online. Except their 'Carl' isn't the only sculpture, and nobody is taking responsibility for their creation. As the mystery of the Carls deepens, it's only by reaching out to others and working together as a whole that humanity has any chance of figuring out just what on earth is going on...

An excellent take on the power of social media, and how it can be harnessed for good.

DNF. I couldn't connect with this book at all and found it really hard to get into. I had high hopes for this, which is a shame.

This book was hands-down the best book I read last year. It's relatable, original and poignant, whilst also being about an invasion of robot aliens that take over the world's dreams. What's more, there are LGBT+ characters and the story also deals with issues around (poor) mental health. I loved it.

A fascinating commentary on the impact of social media on society.

April May finds a large sculpture while going home and dubs it Carl. She makes a video about Carl, but when more and more Carls are discovered around the world, April finds herself an internet star because she first identified them. However, as the mystery surrounding the Carls intensifies, April finds her life changing beyond recognition.

April May is a tough character to warm to, but in this instance it serves the purpose of the story, underlining the hazards of fame and social media. I haven't yet read the sequel to this book, but I'm hoping it will clear up a lot of the unanswered questions surrounding the Carls.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC without obligation.

I didn't really click with this book. I appreciated the mix of science fiction/fantastical with 21st century life - aliens meets social media has a lot of appeal for me! Except the book just didn't retain my interest, I ended up skim reading it for the final chunk - I wanted to know what happened as I cared for the characters, just not much for the story or writing style. I think there'll be a few of my students who will enjoy reading it, but I don't think it will be a big or universal hit with them. The tone and language choices are atypical for YA and, in all honesty, I kept forgetting they were the target audience.

What a wonderful book - with a beautiful setting and much-loved characters, this was a great, easy read. Thank you!

UHM… what do I think of this book?

It’s about aliens, it’s about social media, it’s it’s it’s… it’s an unusual combination and scary starting point for a book IMHO but in this case, it worked out. Not just worked out it worked out great! If it wasn’t for the ugliest cover in years I would have picked this book up much earlier and would have given this praise way earlier.

Look behind the cover and you’ll have a great time reading this book!

I thought this book had a very interesting and unique premise, and I liked that it was very different to my usual read. However I don't think it ever quite gripped me and I was probably a bit too much out my comfort zone for this one!

One night when April May is walking home, she stumbles upon something rather odd: a large sculpture that appears to have no clear meaning or purpose. April decides to humanise the sculpture in a video for YouTube with her friend Andy, and calls the thing Carl. But it turns out across the world many Carls have popped up... leading to speculation on what they mean, and where they come from. April suddenly becomes internet famous for discovering Carl, and hops on the social media famous bandwagon for money. But as more time goes on, and the mystery of the Carls develops, April’s life is no longer one she recognises - from her own making and, perhaps, something not from our world.

This was fascinating in its way of imbedding real social commentary about social media into the plot. I truly appreciated this. I can’t tell you how tickled I was when I read April May had to remove all her instagram photos with borders, because they were no longer fashionable, as it was too damn true to life.

As much as this is fiction, it really isn’t. This is also a real life cataloguing of what living with social media is like... it’s truly an excellent contemporary. I wouldn’t be surprised if in decades to come it becomes a classic for the next generation to read, as it gives more or less perfect insight into the addictive and seductive nature of social media, and the pressures that come with it.

I did have some issues with the book, but honestly, I can see the purpose or other side for the majority of them.

Firstly, I didn’t find this the most easy book to read: there were too many sentences with the use of “like” and “I mean...” as if someone was actually speaking. On one hand I appreciate this, because it reflects how people do talk in the 21st century, but it was also really annoying to read at length.

Also, I will say, the whole Queen (the band, for those that don’t know) angle didn’t personally sit right with me...
I don’t know if this shows a real cultural difference, because in Britain I was raised on Queen. As were the majority of my friends. Queen’s music is used in so many British adverts you lose count. So I couldn’t relate to Green’s remark about younger generations not knowing who Queen were/are.

I didn’t find April May all that likeable... but it’s clear Green was showcasing the way someone can be corrupted by the influence of social media. In such a portrayal, April May is tragic and shows us human flaws, that when really considered, makes An Absolutely Remarkable Thing quite emotional and unforgettable in its subtle-yet-scathing assessment of the havoc fame and social media can bring about. And I liked the supporting characters Maya and Miranda, who contrasted against April May well.

The mystery of ‘Carl’ was incredibly cryptic, which naturally kept me interested. Of course we now know AART has a sequel - A Beautifully Foolish Endeavour - so I’m now looking at AART as (at least) a duology, rather than a standalone. If this was merely a standalone, I’d definitely be disappointed. The book did not explore the Carls enough, and the book’s ending itself wouldn’t have been satisfying. So, yes, without a shadow of doubt, I’m thrilled there’s a sequel to answer these leftover questions.

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing on the whole lives up to its name. It’s a thoughtful novel, not just about what extraterrestrial entities that exist (and could be among us), but the alien nature of what humans essentially worship: the internet and social media. The layered meanings and book’s tone, to me, is evidence that Green has established himself as a very clever writer, who I’m glad is reaching younger audiences with such powerful themes. I’ve already marked the sequel’s release in my calendar :)

Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for providing me with an e-copy, in exchange for this honest review.

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green appealed to me and I thought I’d enjoy it. Unfortunately it just didn’t hook me and I can’t say I enjoyed it. I can appreciate how many readers will find it interesting and fun but it’s not for me.

Who wouldn't love this book!? The characters make you feel you are part of their lives, you experience their highs and lows just as you would in your own lives with the hope that the ending would turn out well for them, after all a fairy tale always does doesn't it? Set in wonderful New York this is a fabulous book, humorous, poignant and a true reflection of modern life - the use of social media is extraordinary. A great read - highly recommended.

This was certainly an interesting book.
It begins with April May discovering a giant metal robot sculpture. As an artist herself, she appreciates how much effort this must have taken, and is appalled to find no one else paying any attention to it. So she calls her best friend, Andy, who makes videos and podcasts. They upload a video of April and the robot, which goes viral. This may seem a bit odd - it's just a video of a sculpture, right? But it turns out there's one of these robots in every major city on Earth, and absolutely no witnesses or footage of how they got there.
Anyway, it turns out these 'Carls' as they come to be known are a pretty big deal. And quite possibly alien.
April and Andy are caught up in all of this, inexplicably linked to the 'alien' robots forever. Fame and wealth overtake their lives. Their story is really quite remarkable (hah! I get the title now).
The first thing I noted was that April is in her twenties, which I liked a lot. So many YA novels have younger protagonists, and I struggle to relate to them now I'm getting a bit older. I loved having a YA story full of mystery and excitement that begins after the age of twenty. (Perhaps there's still hope for me yet, eh?)
I also liked the narrative format - April is writing it as an account of the past, it seems, with some insight she would only gain from experiences later on.
As with any good book, there are a ton of subplots, too. April's relationships are extremely complicated - she messes them up on a frequent basis. She also struggles to maintain her humanity with the sudden fame she acquires, which is so often the case in these circumstances. As she is telling the story from the 'future', this means she is able to identify and comment on her mistakes, too.
The ending was both extremely unexpected and kind of predictable. I was both refreshed and annoyed by how many things were left unresolved - especially a lot of April's relationships. I think it's purely a matter of personal preference as to how you take the ending of this book.
As this was an ARC, I did notice quite a lot of typos, grammatical errors and also some dodgy formatting that impacted my reading a bit. However, I assume most of these would not be present in the final publication, so won't let them alter my final rating.
Overall, I really did enjoy this. It was unique for sure, and though I didn't actually like April all that much as a person, she was a pretty good character. 4 stars!

Huge fan of John Green’s work so very much interested in reading his brother’s (and podcast partner) book. Similar enough to encourage fans but different enough that It doesn’t feel like a copy

This was a fantastic book that is incredibly enjoyable even as someone who is not generally a sci-fi fan. It explores fame and April May's sudden rise to internet stardom and is incredibly relevant to the current time. It was easy to become invested in these characters stories and I found the plot to be very fascinating. I couldn't be more excited that this book is getting a sequel.

Thank you to Orion Publishing Group for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I haven't read a book like this before. The subject is innovative and it surprised me - pleasantly so. It certainly had me gripped, wanting to find out what happens next. Who is Carl? How come Carl statues appeared everywhere around the world over night (literally)? In particular I liked the idea of the worldwide Dream - what a fabulous concept!

In addition to the fantastical element, the author dealt very well with the realities of the world we live and in particular the social media phenomenon.

There were things I liked less. Perhaps the book is aimed at an audience younger than me, but I did struggle with the language used and the turn of phrase - I felt a bit old for all that. Similarly, I didn't enjoy the characters that much, in particular the main one. I think April May was portrayed in that way on purpose and it sort of worked well given the events towards the end, however I felt unable to empathise with her.

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for providing me with an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest and impartial review.

Amazing character development, very unique story with some great twists, highly recommended to fans of YA fiction

Love love loved this book! But I really wish the authors warn you when there is going to be a sequel. Very unusual read and I loved the Carls so much. Roll on the next one!

It did grab me from the start and was a very good idea, but from there on in it just seemed very boring.
I did struggle to the end but overall this was totally unremarkable.
Not for me.

After finishing work in the small hours, graphic designer April May stumbles upon a ten foot tall metal sculpture of a warrior. Having no idea what it is, April calls up friend Andy, who films her up close with ‘Carl’. Overnight the pair become internet sensations and are in demand on talk shows and news channels across the US. Carls appear all over the world and then strange things start happening. Is Carl an alien, and if so, why is he here?

I have to say, at the beginning I wasn’t convinced I was going to enjoy reading the book, as I found the style (written in the first person, chatty format) hard to get into, but it’s definitely a story worth persevering with. I especially enjoyed the dream, and all the slightly scary implications it produced. April herself is not a character you automatically love, however her struggles to come to terms with all that happens, help to soften her rough edges.

Think The Iron Man in the 21st century! Great read, thoroughly enjoyed.