My Rating: 2.5 Stars

I have no idea where to start with this review. I was so excited when it came up as Read Now on NetGalley back in May. I’d heard nothing but great things about both the book and Hank Green’s writing, and just couldn’t wait to get started, but things just kept getting in the way. But, I finally got to read it and I have to say I was quite disappointed with it. It felt like it took me forever to get to the end.

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing is about a young girl who lives and works in New York. She works for a company coding apps. On her way home after a working nearly all night she comes across a Transformer like thing called Carl standing outside a small take away place. She calls a friend about this amazing find and together they film a video about the thing. They then upload it to YouTube and the video goes viral. Now up to this point I was super interested then it all started to go wrong for me.

At around chapter 12 or 13 can’t quite remember which I started to lose interest. As everything started to revolve around April-May rather than Carl. Also, I wasn’t a big fan of the writing style or the characters. Once again, the character’s started off interesting and I really wanted to know what happens to them as the book progressed but then they started to get annoying especially April-May. She wasawful to her friends, and the fame started going to her head.

Before reading this book I wasn’t aware that it was part of a series, so when I got to the end of the book I was like WHAT!!! I really wanted this book to be wrapped up nicely so that at least I could justify making myself read to the end, but sadly it ended with a cliff-hanger.

Oh, also what’s up with all the brand advertising in this book!!! Seriously it’s as if this whole book was sponsored or something.

So, to conclude this book was a disappointing read for me and there were loads of things that I didn’t like, the concept was interesting, just not executed right. At the time of writing this review I have no intention of reading the second book, but never say never right. Who knows I might change my mind by the time it comes out.

I would like thank the publishers Trapeze (Orion Publishing Group) and NetGalley for my eARC in return for an honest and unbiased review.

So I've watched a few videos from Hank Green and was automatically drawn to this book.

I liked the fact that we got to see how social media and fame can come together and how it effects people. It had some nerdy elements to it (not that I'm complaining about that!) It was something that when you start it's hard to put down!

When April May discovers what appears to be a huge metal statue on her way home from work one night she has no idea the impact it is going to have on her life....
Definitely not my usual kind of read but overall I enjoyed it. I did find the main character a bit irritating at times and found myself wanting to shout at her ‘what did you do that for?!’ And I thought that the story lulled a little in the middle.
Generally an easy enough read and some interesting elements to the storyline.

This wasn’t what I thought it would be, and while I enjoy the writing style the plot line just wasn’t my fav. It kinda fell flat and didn’t keep me interested enough to continue with this. I kept putting this off because I was excited about it and the hype was huge. It just wasn’t the book for me, but I know it will be a hit for others!

This is the debut novel from Hank Green who is no stranger to internet fame. You may have heard of him via his YouTube channels Crash Course and Vlogbrothers with his brother John Green of The Fault in our stars fame. This book is a definite reflection of Hank Green’s experience in the highs and lows of the internet world.

The book is culturally relevant and cleverly observational. April May is a very modern, LGBT heroine and her journey through the book is a reflection of many of today’s internet superstars who find themselves thrust into fame, where every word, every action they take is dissected and open to global scrutiny, No part of their lives private. The mystery of the strange ‘Carls’ remains a mystery, perfectly teeing up a second book. But the mystery of the ‘Carls’ and the lack of knowledge of their origins is really in stark contrast to frenzy of publicity surrounding April. The emergence of the ‘Carls’ is also an examination of how the world reacts to the unknown - with wonder, with anger and with fear.

An interesting, culturally relevant story that makes you think ⭐️⭐️⭐️ out of five

Thank you NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group for providing me with a copy for review.

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing follows a young protagonist, April, who is fresh out of college and trying to find her place in the world. One day she discovers a giant robotic statue in her city and makes a video about it with her friend, Andy, that blows up overnight when it appears that this statue is not the only one to suddenly appear around the world, but April and Andy are the first ones to take notice and break the news. April nicknames the statue Carl, a name that takes off around the world as she becomes a figurehead for the mysterious story of the Carls.

I really enjoyed reading this book and actually read it in one day. It is incredibly intriguing and makes you want to keep reading to find out more about the Carls and the mysterious circumstances that surround them. It is never boring and every line and moment feels important.

I really liked and appreciated that the central character was bisexual and that it was established early on and referred to many times throughout the story. It felt like incredibly natural representation, something that more books should have. It was also nice to read a good science fiction book about characters in their early 20's too. I really liked the characters, but I wish that they had been fleshed out a little bit more so that you could understand their feelings and intentions a little better. Hopefully this is something that will be done in the sequel now that the plot and storyline are well established.

Overall, I thought it was brilliant and I'm definitely looking forward to reading the sequel to find out what happens next.

I really enjoyed this book. It had me gripped and raised a lot of questions about our relationship to fame and social media and how we react to the other. I liked how techy it was in a well balanced nerdy but cool way. I thought the characters were well written. I can't wait to read what Hank writes next!

I'm really unsure what to make of this book and whether I enjoyed it or not. It certainly took me much longer to get through it then I anticipated and left me feeling rather unsatisfied when I did make it to the end.

Part sci-fi, part social drama, it would not have surprised me, save in a few instances, if this had been a YA novel, but not a terribly good one.

As a concept the premise is good, but a central character that one neither warms to, nor dislikes with a passion, leaves the whole experience rather flat. There were plenty of places the story felt like it could go, and whilst I understand not wanting to tie up every thread, leaving them all dangling (at least all the ones that had really developed over the story) left me feeling rather short changed.

I'm very grateful for the opportunity to review this advanced copy and only sorry that I couldn't rate it more highly. With thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher.

I loved this book. Science fiction, it is a collision of messy humanity (obsessed with social media and followers and probably in danger of reducing the complexity of life to sound bytes and likes) and the silent, slightly menacing presence of the Carls who appear suddenly and simultaneously at strategic places across the world. Despite major differences in thinking culturally, politically and emotionally, across cities, countries and the globe, this is a tale of a pulling together using social media as a force for good and connectivity. I even liked the ending!
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher and writer for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Orion, and the author Hank Green.
I absolutely devoured this book, what a story! I was gripped from the first page to the very end. 
I don't normally read sci-fi, and didn't enjoy other current novels which explore the impact of social media and the digital world on our lives (e.g. The Circle), but this one exceeded all my expectations. More than anything else, it is just a really, really good story, and totally engrossing. Really fun. 4.5 stars.

This book just didn’t work for me.

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing follows the life of Art Graduate - April May. On the way home from a work shift, she stumbles upon an “art installation” in the middle of New York and calls upon her Youtuber friend to document her findings with the hope of making the world more appreciative of art. Turns out said “art installation” is in actual fact a giant alien robot, 1 of many that have suddenly appeared worldwide with no trace or explanation, and April’s was the first. ENTER INTERNET FAME.

From the start the general tone and premise of the story gave me vibes of Sylvain Neuvels’ Themsis Files series. It reads as an internal monologue/biography with some interspersed tweets and interviews here and there to support the narrative.

In spite of that, I COULD NOT stand the protagonist and that is my main drawback with the book. April May was definitely written to be unlikeable but as I read on I became less and less interested in her story. It just all felt so tedious and flat.

What kept me reading? The Carls.

Carl is the name that April gave these alien robots in her first video and the name stuck. I wanted to know more about them, where they came from, what their purpose was. I was also fascinated with the Dream element of the story and it sort of reminded me of the Oasis from Ready Player One. Sadly the story seemed to be less about the <i>Carls</i> and more about April so my curiosity didn’t last.
In fact other than the presence of the Carls and a few conversations involving a side character with a science background I felt like there was a notable lack of sci-fi in this book. (Well up until the point I read to anyways.) My main reason for picking this book up was because it is penned as a Sci-Fi.

However, I did appreciate that this book gave us a good representation of an individual in their early twenties, having recently graduated and trying to figure out life. This is the NEW ADULT content we need more of!! The world really needs to stop classing these stories as YA, even though the narrative did have a YA edge to it.
The insight on (overnight) internet fame, the affect it has on young people and the influence social media has on society in today’s day and age was also a highlight.

All in all I think this book will appeal to many. For me it was just An Absolutely Monotonous Thing.
DNFed at 67%

April May (......seriously??) is walking home at stupid o clock in the morning through New York when she notices a a huge sculpture thing. April calls up her mate , Andy and gets him to come down with his camera and whatnot and they shoot a video with the sculpture (named Carl, by April) which Andy uploads to YouTube.

The next day, April wakes up to discover the video has gone viral and everyone is talking about how there is a Carl in every major city in the world. As April and Andy were the first to publicise the arrival of the Carl's, everyone looks to them for the answers. Where have these Carls come from and more importantly, what do they want?

This is an interesting book. Of course it is. Delving into friendships, all kinds of relationships, identity and how one deals and copes with sudden fame on a global scale.

There is of course a whole load of other stuff going on in the book but to be honest, the ending annoyed me so much that I just can't be bothered to write about it.
Apparently there will be another book - but I shall not be reading it.

I really enjoyed this, both as a science fiction story but also as an examination of celebrity culture and the power of social media in modern society. This tells the story of April May, a young woman who stumbles upon what she thinks is an art installation on a Manhattan street, films it and uploads it to the internet. Waking up the next morning, she realises that the video has gone viral and her life will never be the same again. I really liked April's voice throughout the narrative. She is telling the story to us in retrospect and her tone is believable and funny. She is also honest about her motivations and I really liked the way Hank Green used foreshadowing - April would preface certain chapters with the presumption that we all knew the story to come, which was fun and innovative. It really speaks to the way in which we all consume media in the modern age, via the various social platforms and coming from Hank Green, there is an authenticity to the interactions that I really appreciated. I also enjoyed the story on a sci-fi level, with a real grounding in reality that I appreciated. I felt that the ending of the novel was a little bit lacklustre, but overall, I thought this was an incredibly fun and impressive debut and I am excited to see what Green comes up with next.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

A book all about instant fame and social media. April Mae comes across a statue that wasn’t there before and puts a video up onto social media immediately, catapulting her into the limelight. The book isn’t about the statues, instead about how she deals with this new found fame. A good quick read.

This story is all about April May, who is the first to find the Carl's. However we never really find out who they are, how they got here and what they want. It is simply the story of what someone does with instant fame in this modern age of social media. It's a good read, but feels like a missed opportunity to be a great story

So although I have only given this book a two star rating there were a lot of elements I enjoyed about the book. I thought the concept behind the novel was fascinating - imagine strolling home and finding a gigantic statue that seemed to have appeared in a blink of an eye. Then to hear that identical statues were dotted all over the world at exactly the same time. This hooked me immediately.

April, the main character then rushes to document it uploading a video to social media, this element I found quite believable. The novel continued in this way with lots of social media references, the mystery surrounding the statues and looking at how April's personal life changes as her fame increases.

I found the writing style too colloquial and began to lose interest in the novel. To me it felt more of a YA book.
Although I was still fascinated with the Carls (the statues) I got bored with the 'Dream' and the opposing side to April's followers.

I am glad I persevered with the novel as the ending was fitting and left you with a real cliffhanger which I really enjoyed. I'm not sure I will be reading the second book in the series but I appreciate the opportunity to read this book and would recommend it a younger audience than myself and anyone who enjoys mysteries and YouTube reality stars.

There have been a few times where I have requested a book on Netgalley, after scanning the intro, not really knowing much about it, and this was definitely one of those books.

I'm not a sci-fi fan in general, with books or TV, but I am always open to trying new genres. I did the same with YA fiction, and realised that I quite enjoyed it! Still, back to the book.

April May is an Art graduate, looking for her niche in life. She happens upon a strange art installation in the middle of New York one night and is amazed that no one is paying much attention to this giant metallic Transformer-like statue that has just appeared. Wanting to make the world more appreciative of the effort that artists go to, to create, she, along with her friend Alex, film and upload a video of the statue to YouTube, christening the Huge 'robot' Carl.

They awake to a media frenzy surrounding their video, and it emerges that there is not one Carl, but 63 others who appeared in major cities around the world at precisely the same time.

How did they get there? Who installed them? What are they?

So many questions.

April and her friends begin a whirlwind journey to trying to find out their origin, and purpose with some pretty devastating effects.

Is Carl an Alien? What is this Dream that everyone is suddenly having? Why does the President want to meet April?

More questions... see! But I'm not going to answer them. You need to read the book to find out!

This story really showed the power that Social Media has upon the world. A few tweets and videos and someone can become a household name with some real sway upon the followers they collect. Then there are the haters. There are always haters where there are fans, and working out how to deal with them can be a tough learning curve.

I took a little while to get into the swing of the story, but once I started, I have to say, I was hooked!

And the ending! OMG, the ending! Now I HAVE to know what happens next! Imagine that, Me, NEEDING to read a sci-fi book!

Yes. Definitely a recommendation!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Orion Publishing for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really interesting book that I was lucky enough to receive in return for an honest review. Bit sci-fi meets a thriller in a way. I found I read it quite fast as it really gripped me. I enjoyed the premise of this book, without giving away anything, because you're going to have to read it to find out what happens!
#NetGalley #AnAbsolutelyRemarkableThing

I did attempt to read this book,but unfortunately it's not my style and I failed to finish it. Thank you netball for giving me the opportunity to read it.

Having been to art school April May is trying to make a name for herself in the art world. On her way home from a job she likes, but does not pay well, at 3am on a street in New York, April May comes across a giant sculpture. April phones a fellow artist and friend Andy to meet her to make a video with it, which Andy uploads to YouTube. The next day the pair awake to a whole new world.
Having named the sculpture Carl, they find there are Carls in dozens of cities around the world – yet no one saw them being installed. Checking security cameras, all that can be found is the same song playing over again – throughout the world. April May and Andy are intrigued, and are also now part of a whole new movement devoted to discovering more about the Carls.
But with notoriety, comes pressures on relationships, and a new life in the spotlight. April May discovers more about herself, much of which she dislikes, but feels she has a duty to Carl. Carl also feels protective of her, which she discovers when life becomes dangerous from extremists determined to prove their own agenda. A novel more about the power of social media than the concept of aliens.