This was a strange book. April May is a graphic designer working in New York, living with by not "living with" her girlfriend Maya when she suddenly comes across something late at night. A giant robot that she dubs Carl. April calls her best mate Andy out to film a YouTube video about the discovery.

The video goes viral and now April is the unofficial spokesperson for the Carls - one in every major city - and fame and notoriety come flooding in. Then there are the clues, and later the dreams. What does it mean and what is the origin of the Carls?

I loved that at it's heart this is a study on humanity and the power of working together. The story didn't necessarily go where I was expecting but I did enjoy that.

It was let down by a lack of characterisation, due to April's selfish nature we didn't learn a lot about the other characters. I also thought that the middle section was a little slow and repetitive and the ending was a little abrupt and unclear but apparently there is a sequel so I don't know if that would bring more clarity?

This was a lot better then I was expecting it to be and I'm disappointed in myself for leaving it so long and not picking it up sooner. A lot of it may come from not vibing with John Green's writing anymore and having a preconception about his brother but I was pleasantly surprised.

I connected really well with April and whilst I didn't agree with all of her choices and her self-centeredness grated at times, I could also understand how fame and attention can affect a person's view of themselves and the world around them. It's only natural that when someone receives popularity that they'll want to sustain it and often times go to great lengths to achieve this.

I also liked the ambiguity surrounding the Carls. What are they and what do they want? It kept me turning the pages to figure out this mystery. I think this book also does a good job of displaying both sides of humans would react in this situation. Those who want to believe that these alien things are there to help humanity in some way and those who believe they are there to destroy us. Green is able to highlight both sides of the argument and whilst April is very much a supporter of the Carls, it's very easy to understand those who fear them.

I think my favourite part though has to be the dream sequences. I found these section so interesting and compelling. I would have liked even more details within the dream or even just a whole book written within it and exploring everything.

Overall, a really fun sci-fi that surpassed my expectations with a lot to say about fame in the social media age and how humanity faces the unknown.

I think it's time to admit, nearly four years later, that this isn't going to be a book I see myself getting around to - my reading tastes have changed, and I've got so many books on my TBR that I just will not be picking this one up any time soon. With that said, I am still very grateful - and extend my apologies to both author and publisher for not reviewing - for the arc. I will leave a high rating as to not negatively impact the overall rating of this novel.

Now I am not a great lover of scifi books or I thought so until I started reading the Illuminae Files and ate it right up so it got me thinking are there any more out there I may enjoy. Then lo and behold as I picked my books from my Netgalley An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green came up. Upto now I have read three scifis which were Orion Lost which is a Middle Grade and Illuminae and Gemina which I really enjoyed.

From the start I decided to get the Audiobook as looking at some of the chapters I was glad I did as some were pretty long. I'm not going to go into any details as this blog never spoils the content. What I will say I loved April May she wasn't the perfect main character and she did have flaws but to me that made her more loveable.

I loved that Hank wrote about the good and bad side of of being an influencer and how quickly a person can literally go from a nobody to superstar but also shows how someone like April May can exert her thoughts and beliefs onto others. For this reason I am giving An Absolutely Remarkable Thing 4 stars and will be picking up the sequel A Beautifully Foolish Endeavour in May and I can't wait.

I'm a big fan of Hank's anyway so this may just be my bias showing but I'm genuinely really impressed at how he weaved such big societal concepts into a page-turning sci-fi novel. There's so much information packed in here and yet it never feels overdone or dull (much like Hank's other work)

Let's just say that the title of this book sums it up pretty well - this book is absolutely remarkable! Gripping plot and characters, and the perfect ending to segue into a sequel that I just had to get instantly. I'm glad I waited too long to read it so I have book 2 immediately available!

Urgh I don't know what I wanted from this book, and I'm not really sure what I got. This was a weird one. I enjoyed the characters, and the storyline, and I loved the integration of Twitter and news interviews but I just don't really get' the sci-fi element - but that could just be me and my personal preferences. Overall, not a bad book in any sense, just not my cup of tea.

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 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.

This was definitely a surprising and fun read, which gave me an amazing and much needed break in my normal genre. I was so surprised that there were aliens and it’s actually considered sci fi, but the author did such an amazing job with the writing I felt like I was an a real life journey!
Will definitely highly, highly recommend!

I was pleasantly surprised to enjoy this book. Sci-Fi is not usually my thing but my contemporary loving friends recommended I give this a go and I’m so glad. It’s grounded in reality, discussing issues of fame, power, hate and so much more. I think you can consider this as a representation of other current events right now. It was written in a very direct way, without too much characterisation, but the plot held up and the ending was particularly good. I'm rating it 3 stars because it lagged in the middle for me and April May’s decisions were a bit questionable.

I've always wanted to call a book sensational, but had never found a good match for this adjective... until now!

I fell in love with this book! Like, I had a crush on it from the get-go. The writing charmed me and the situations April May (the protagonist) found herself in with were surprisingly relatable. And I say surprisingly because, well, there is the matter of aliens in this book, which, what do you know, doesn’t come up that often in everyday life. Nor does the became-famous-overnight-due-to-a-completely-unplanned-happenstance (though I’ll admit, that’s a bit more common than the alien stuff). Even though I could not identify with April completely, I found so much truth to what she was saying and so much gravity to what she was thinking. Which brings me to my other point: This book had so many brief-yet-highly-thought-provoking quotes. I mean, how come the Green brothers create such quotable books? Does it run in the family? Because that would be an amazing trait.

The way this was narrated-future April talking directly to the reader about what past-April got up to, with interludes of future-April to mock or knock some sense into past-April- was endearing and won me over. It sounds challenging to follow, but it really wasn't, it was seamless and funny (usually haha-funny, but sometimes also weird-funny). The main element of this book is the plot; a most impossible story that blindsides and engrosses the reader with every passing minute. However, I’m glad that my need for fleshed out characters was satiated. I had a pretty clear idea of who everyone was as a person in this book, and let me tell you, there weren’t many cookie-cutter characters in here to make the job easier.

Above all, the author’s observations about society and the way he illustrated his points through the protagonist’s experiences left me shook numerous times. He didn’t make April particularly likeable or relatable deliberately; in fact her faults and errors were highlighted, most of the time by her own self. What he did was shove the truth in your face- and in April’s face- time and time again. In that respect, this is the kind of book written for the modern reader and content creator. The amount of relevant subjects Hank Green touched up on with this book is astounding- insta-fame (both instant fame and Instagram fame); relationships; talking about things that you don’t know but want to have an opinion on anyway, because why shouldn’t you?; deepest insecurities fueled by yourself and blamed on others so that you can live with yourself on a day-to-day basis; becoming so full of yourself that you can’t see it, even if it’s staring at you right in the eye, so you deal with it by convincing yourself that you’re acting for “the greater good” instead of essentially looking out for good ol’ number one (aka you and you only). Like I said, I was SHOOK!

There were a few things that kept me from giving An Absolutely Remarkable Thing full five stars and those were:
a. April became so self-absorbed that I couldn’t comprehend it (that being said, she was very honest about whom she was turning into- a jerk- but I still held it against her).
b. The pacing of this book wasn’t generally consistent, which I had no problem with, because I was so into the story. The last third of the book, however, was tricky; this is the point this entire book has been creating such a build-up for and, therefore, I expected an explosive turn of events. Whilst the drama was there, unfortunately things seemed to slow down at that point for me. The story did pick up again fairly quickly, but it still made a dent in my reading experience.
c. There were a few moments towards the last third of the novel where the political messages were a bit too strong for my liking. Not to say that the author doesn’t or shouldn’t get to express said views; I just felt like I saw what he was trying to accomplish, so that took me off the story a bit.

Things you need to do before you pick up this book:
1. Suspend your disbelief. Enjoy the ride and don’t try to rationalize the plot, because you’ll miss out.
2. Be prepared to get virtually slapped in the face with thoughts you never thought you had in the first place.
3. Ok, that’s it; now pick this book up already!

I should have know I would love this, since Holly Bourne has blurbed it (an author I adore and trust), but I was taked aback by how much I enjoyed it. I think people who enjoyed The Humans by Matt Haig or surrealism in general would love Hank Green’s humour and writing demonstrated in his debut novel. I’ll definitely be looking out for his future endeavours.

*A huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
**If my wordflow seemed all over the place in this review, it might be because I was influenced by Hank Green's writing style, thus I unconsciously- and unsuccessfully may I add- tried to imitate it.

I didn't love this one.
I saw so many people giving this raving reviews and honestly I know I shouldn't but I was worried about him being John Green's brother. What I can say is that the two authors are definitely different entities thankfully.
This story for me was... dull. I felt the characters lacked personality and every time some action began it was so easily solved.
I was finally enjoying it towards the end with the big action there and then you find out its all solved. I just found this lack luster and boring and unfortunately found myself skimming a lot of this. I think for me this felt lazy and I really didn't click with the writing style.

I'm not sure I'd check out more Hank Green novels in future.

2/5 Stars

4.5 stars

I went into this book with no prior knowledge to what it was about and WELL, what an absolute whirlwind of a book.

I could not put this down. Although I don’t tend to gravitate towards sci-fi, I was engrossed into the story from the get go. I couldn’t be more content to spend my entire Saturday delving deeper into the mystery of the the 64 giant 10 feet tall robotic statues named ‘Carls' randomly appearing around the world. The writing style won’t be for everyone; simplistic and conversational. However, for me this helped keep the plot moving at its fast pace.

You need to suspend your disbelief to enjoy this bizarre tale. Enter this story with an open mind and allow the weirdness to simultaneously baffle but amaze you. April May is also not your typical, loveable heroine. Rather, she’s flawed, makes countless, sometimes questionable, mistakes but she takes you on a journey comprised of constant twists, turns and a mystery that keeps unfolding. What stood out for me, however, was the topical commentary on social media culture, fame and fortune. We live in a land of filtered lives in a digital world where polarising opinions provokes hate, pressure and anxiety.

I have mixed feelings about the vague ending, but overall, this is a fun book with a poignant social commentary which was an absolute joy to read.

I went into reading this book with quite an open mind. I have never watched the Vlog Brothers' videos but I have read a handful of John Green's books and for some reason expected this to follow the same suit as them. I was wrong but I am so glad I was! On the face of it this book is a really gripping story about first contact with an alien race and I was completely hooked. Then if you delve a bit deeper you can see that it is actually a commentary on our use of social media and the institute of 'fame' in general. I wasn't a massive fan of the main character but that didn't hinder my enjoyment of the book. I think that it seems that the whole world revolved around her but it was from her point of view so in her world it actually did.

It left on such a massive cliff hanger that I really don't want to spoil for anyone! I am hoping there will be a sequel because I NEED to know what happens when Andy opens that door! Like ASAP!

I'm happy I got this ARC because this book seemed to be interested and I can say it met all my expectations.
The plot is an interesting mix of sci-fi and satire of the world of social media but it reminded me of the current situations with the ideological division and the wars on social networks.
The Carls, the Dreamers and the Defender are representation of something that is going on even if it's more entertaining when read in a book.
I liked this book, I found it entertaining and engrossing even if sometimes its a bit too verbose.
The cast of characters is well written even if not always likeable.
I also like the way it ends that seems to open the door to a second part.
It's highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Quality Rating: Four Stars
Enjoyment Rating: Five Stars

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing thoroughly impressed me. Let's put aside Hank's connections and what I'm sure was considerable pressure and expectations from every angle, this is an absolutely remarkable debut whatever way you look at it, and I cannot wait to read more from him.

This is, at heart, a coming-of-age-(kinda)-meets-mystery-meets-adventure contemporary novel with a nice bit of science fiction thrown in for good measure. Often, these kinds of thing aren't my jam because the prose is convoluted or cliché or just plain dull. But Hank has given such a clear voice to April, the protagonist and narrator, that that was immediately not a problem. In fact, considering the very well researched and frankly quite sciency foundations to the story, I didn't feel like I was in a professor's lecture or reading a textbook. And I felt like I learnt a few things. Of course, the wonderful VlogBrothers history definitely helped Hank out here, but spoken and written words are still a jump to change between, but this book takes the best from both for a really solid result.

A good balance of action to talking to anecdotal events helps the story along, but even in its quiet moments there's a nice balance of being heartfelt without being pretentious, to the point where it absolutely moved me - and then had me laughing a few moments later. At the centre of this are the very human characters who, from small to large parts, all ring quite true. I can't help relating to Maya most of all, but there are moments when you can see glimpses of your own experiences in everyone's arcs. And yes, April gets on your nerves sometimes but that's the story that's being told. It's integral that she gets on your nerves sometimes because that's a big part of what she's going through and learning from. And you still root for her. Kudos for the three-dimensional, complex and flawed female heroine dude.

Even though it wasn't really my genre and was something I started reading on a whim, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing quickly found its way into my heart, kept me engaged the whole way through and made me very excited about what stories are brewing in Hank Green's head.

DNF @ 37%

I unfortunately did not like this story. I went into this kind of blind, only knowing the writer and that it had something to do with fame and sci-fi. And that's what I got. However, I did not like the writing and I didn't like the main character. I didn't see the point of continuing this.. I can see other people liking this story though, it just wasn't for me..

I want to thank the publisher though, for giving me the chance to review this!

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing...this left me rather non-plussed.
Our narrator, April-May, is a self-styled quirky character who is interested in art, has a job in design and inadvertently stumbles across what seems to be the first contact with an alien life-form.
When she discovers a huge statue in the middle of her city, her first thought is to contact her best friend and make a vlog of their experience. This could have been a non-event but the appearance of similar statues across the world means the encounter becomes a phenomenon. The post goes viral, and April-May becomes a leading figure in the Carls (as these things are named). She makes a fortune, and everyone is interested in her views and what these things might mean.
When people learn that after contact with the statue there appears to be a shared dream experience, I assume it’s quite natural that people want there to be something significant about it all. A huge movement begins, with people around the world desperate to work out what to do next.
Unfortunately, I found the narrator shallow and intensely frustrating. Though she was superficially engaging, she learns little from her experience and seems totally immune to the way her behaviour impacts on others. Her obsession with speaking to her audience reinforced my views on the idea of ‘media influencers’. And once we reached the rather destructive results of some of her behaviours, I was wondering where we’d end up.
The writing style was, at times, entertaining but it also grated in its sense of self-awareness and I still find myself scratching my head as to exactly what the point of this was.
Remarkable? Not particularly.
I’d like to thank NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this in exchange for my somewhat bemused thoughts.

It's difficult to accurately say what this book is about - it is, on the surface, about a young woman capitalizing on her newfound fame to write herself into the narrative of an amazing phenomenon, but it also an alien contact scif-fi, and dives into the curse of popularity, social media divisions, alluding to the contemporary political atmosphere, giving us a dysfunctional squad of friends, and also affirming the power of directed thinking. April's story comes in the form of an autobiographical lookback into what led her to be the mediator between the Carls and humanity, a symbol and face for a movement, and written as a focused recounting of events, with her hindsight explaining the things that need explaining.

April's story starts with an accidental viral video, but when she sees an opportunity, she and her friends start a brand to dictate her media identity. April becomes April May, the person who had First Contact, who was the first to see and touch a Carl; after that her life becomes a series of media appearances, and she gets heady with the attention. To keep it going, she continues to pursue the mystery of the Carls, making herself the center of new information on them, and well, pretty soon it becomes her identity. She and others are further going into the puzzles that Carl brings them, because they believe that something good might come out of this, but there is also another faction of humanity rising that is afraid, rather than curious, of what the presence of the Carls mean.

With her being the central character, we get to see inside how messed up her life gets; the media appearances, the constant managing of online presences, the inevitable trolls, the destruction of personal relationships, the death threats, the questioning of her identity. April is reasonably aware of her faults, and while some of it is hindsight, a lot of it is being aware at the time, but still making bad decisions. Her narration also comes more as a focused stream of consciousness, like she is sitting you down and trying to tell you a story she has outlined in her mind but not found words for right until that moment; because she is so absorbed on her story and what the Carls mean to her as her public image, it is difficult to really know the other characters very well, including her girlfriend who gets pretty much sidelined throughout the book. Until the end, I was reading it as a standalone (I honestly didn't know it was supposed to be a series), so the resolution between the characters also felt incomplete.

The mystery of the Carls was one of the things this book did very well. I honestly didn't know what would be the outcome, and I was very much on tenterhooks about them throughout most of the book. The book doesn't get very science-fiction-y, as it is mostly from April's perspective and we only get what she understands and even then a whole lot of it wouldn't make sense to a layperson. It is more fantasy in the sort of weirdness, than science, if you ask me. The whole Dreamer thing was awesome, but more importantly was the part of the book around this time - the whole Defender movement, April's crashing personal life - this part of the book felt like it was giving strength to what the book really wanted to say and comment on the world. The last third of the book is when 'shit gets real' and has a fast pace, bringing us to one tense climactic sequence, and a cliffhanger of an ending!

Verdict- odd narration style aside, it is an interesting mystery of a sci-fi book, that deconstructs humanity and its flawed protagonist.