This was such a weird and unexpected read but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I went from being mad at Vi to understanding where she was coming from and seeing her as a flawed human being. Her story was bittersweet but the whole premise and execution of the story itself was brilliant and very entertaining. I couldn't put it down. I will be keeping an eye on this author.

Thank you for the ARC of this book.

This was a wild ride but one I really enjoyed.

Our main character Vi, is suffering from depression and struggling to move on after her recent breakup, discovers a gelatinous blob next to a nightclub after a drunken night out. She takes the blob home and nurtures it into a hunky man she names Bob. Weird concept but it works!

Vi is not an entirely likeable character, she is flawed in many ways but I found myself sympathising with her struggles and the erratic decisions she continuously makes. This was such a unique and original read, I flew through it within a day. Excited to see what this author does next.

Well written, very unusual love story. Funny and unexpected, I couldn't put the book down. I'll pop out now and look for my blob!

Sometimes, I like my reads on the weird and kooky side, and Blob was the unexpected gem that scratched that itch.

Vi Liu is a 24-year-old Taiwanese-American college dropout living in a Midwestern town. She's working the front desk in a budget hotel, missed the deadline to apply to the Peace Corps - much to the disappointment of her parents - and she's reeling from a recent break-up.

On a night out with a co-worker, Vi comes across a blob next to the rubbish bins in an alley behind a dive bar. Out of drunkenness and curiosity, she takes the blob home and is shocked to discover it is sentient. It has eyes, it breathes and it eats. As the days pass, Vi realises she can mould the blob by showing it pictures of handsome white American actors and instructing it to grow a hand, a leg, a trunk. Pretty soon, Bob - a handsome movie star lookalike - is born.

As Bob becomes more and more human, his needs grow and his desires shift, and he no longer wants to be trapped in the existence Vi has created for him. Bob came to Vi at a time when she needed him - helping to alleviate her feelings of loneliness and worthlessness - but, like Frankenstein's monster, he starts to rebel against his creator.

There's definitely some fairytale undertones in this book, and while I would have loved to see some things explored more deeply, this was such sharp, funny, and engaging read. Blob explores relationships and identity - both with others and oneself - and I was completely charmed by it. It's tender, strange, and really enjoyable coming-of-age tale. I really liked it.

Vi’s life is spiralling downhill; her boyfriend dumped her, she dropped out of college, she hates her job and the relationship with her family is rocky. But one drunk night she finds a blob outside and, when it starts to grow based on her commands, she begins crafting her perfect man.

I wasn’t sure initially where this whacky story could go, but any expectations I would’ve had were exceeded. I loved BLOB. Vi is a complex character who loves so intensely that she ironically destroys relationships. She’s a people-pleaser where her fear of abandonment causes her to act selfishly. Vi’s decisions and resulting mishaps had me cringing so hard but yet I really felt for her. As well as being an emotional rollercoaster, this book was also hilarious to read - not just from what was happening but also with how it was told. Maggie Su’s writing was brilliant. What an amazing debut! I can’t wait to read their next books.

Truly adored this. A main character that is sure to infuriate you while also melting your heart. A solid read,

I didn't find Vi very likeable but maybe it was because she was too unsure of herself (quite annoying) and trying to please others over her own happiness. Loved the idea of Bob and really wanted to see more of his development, My much younger colleague thought it was a brilliant portrayal of a modern young person's plight as they try to find how and where they fit in. (Maybe I'm just too old!)

I have never felt more seen than when I was reading this novel about a sentient blob. Blob is a refreshingly honest look at personhood, identity, and depression encapsulated in an absolutely bonkers premise. Our protagonist Vi - unhappy from her breakup and unfulfilling job - discovers a strange blob outside of a club and takes it home, where she molds it into her dream man. However, anyone expecting anything resembling a traditional romance novel from this point will be sorely mistaken.

Going into this, I wasn't sure how a love story with an anthropomorphic blob would work, but it quickly became apparent that it was so much more than that. Maggie writes fully fleshed-out and multi-faceted characters with real struggles. From other reviews I've read, some people appear to be annoyed at the character's self-sabotaging ways, however, I feel like anyone who has really been through the throes of depression will understand. Loneliness, selfishness, and 'embarrassing' behaviour is, while often not easy to read, a very real side effect and it was genuinely heartbreaking and heartwarming in equal measure to follow Vi's journey through the worst of it.

Su's writing is just incredible, witty and often hilarious, and surprisingly moving. I was hooked from the moment I started this book. Uncomfortable at times and yet still a joy to read from start to finish. I've no doubt that Blob is going to stay with me for a very long time.

This is definitely one of the more unique books I have read recently and it had moments of comedy, strangeness and relatable issues

Reviewed at Goodreads: Blob: A Love Story https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/212994452-blob

4l5

Moves from bizarre Japanese fiction, through Frankenstein and rom com lit, to be something sad and hopeful at the same time.

Fantasy in an all-too-real young adult with relationship/family issues tale.

Vi is still trying to get over a break-up, trying to ignore a perky fellow hotel receptionist at work, trying to ignore the needlings of her successful doctor brother when she visits her parents (and not in her childhood home -they moved without telling Vi).

She's never fit in, she's pretty much sleepwalking through life, and she can barely believe what's happening when outside a pub in an alley one night she spies a... blob on the ground. That is watching her. Doing what anyone would do, Vi takes the blob home. Sits it in front of the TV, gives it junk food.

And watches it grow and morph. Into an adult male. Her adult male.

There's a Pygmalion aspect to Vi's story, though Vi's clingy relationship history and her own inadequacies as adult, daughter and friend all come to the fore as Vi tries to keep Bob (as she's named him) to herself.

But these creations will be pesky and try to branch out on their own.

This is unusual, but it does look at familiar themes of becoming an adult and examining your own flaws to become a better version of yourself, of seeing yourself through the eyes of others and having to let go - of more than just the past.

I liked this. It was different, amusing. As a parent of a teen due to leave the nest in a handful of years, this story spoke to me as a mum too. I didn't exactly 'like' Vi most of the time, but I did like her character growth. She's of course not the only character to grow, even if metaphorically.

With thanks to Netgalley for providing a sample reading copy.

Blob—a book about a young woman who finds a gelatinous blob with eyes, by the dumpsters of a bar, and shapes him into the vision of a perfect man—is actually far more touching than you might expect it to be.

Vi Liu, our main character, is still reeling from a breakup and from quitting her college course. She’s lying to her parents about what she plans to do next, living in her damp basement apartment, and sleepwalking her way through her hotel desk job. When she accepts a rare invitation to go out with her co-worker, she stumbles upon the blob—blinking and seemingly sentient. She takes it home, feeds it fruit loops, and is stunned when it starts to grow and take the shape of a human man—all on a diet of sugary cereal and reality TV.

The premise is surreal, and that permeates throughout the book, slotting nicely alongside a dry humour and scenes that I could imagine fitting perfectly into an SNL skit, but gosh. If it doesn’t delve into how we operate our own lives and how we don’t have full control of others—even if we’ve raised them, or lived with them, or loved them.

It’s bizarre, no doubt, but the way that it has Vi confronting every aspect of her life and her past is so moving. For a relatively short debut novel, it’s wonderfully paced and balanced, keeping the surrealist humour and the self-revelations at an even keel.

I highly enjoyed it. This is the kind of book that I think will stick with me, and I’ll find myself randomly thinking about it months down the line.

Thank you to the publishers, and NetGalley, for the copy to review.

This was a quick and enjoyable read, but it didn't feel like it had much substance. For me, it didn’t deliver on being ‘hilarious and moving’.

I did like the writing style and the characters, but this book didn't really feel all that different from several books I've read over the last year or so. It started out intriguing, and I enjoyed getting to know Vi, but there wasn't really enough blob in Blob... I was hoping for a bit more to do with it (him).

Overall, Blob felt like a sad-girl coming of age story that didn't quite live up to the hype.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance review copy.

3.5 stars, rounded up.

This book follows Vi, a young adult with self-esteem issues, she compares herself to her colleague the charismatic Rachel and after a break-up is trying to find herself. She finds a blob and after an alcohol fuelled outing she decides to take it home. She fashions this blob into her ideal boyfriend and names him Bob. Vi soon is on a journey of self discovery after multiple disastrous incidents as she starts living for herself. A laugh out loud and thoughtful read. I would highly recommend.

Disclaimer: I received this ebook from NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton | Sceptre in exchange for a free and honest review

Incredibly weird little novel - Vi Liu, a Taiwanese-American woman who dropped out of her biochemical degree and works as a hotel receptionist, has just broken up with her boyfriend when she finds a blob near a bin on a night out, takes it home and watches him turning into a man she can mold as she likes.
That's mostly it.
I'm sure there's more to it but I didn't feel it had as much depth as you're led to believe with the Frankenstein theme of the creature getting agency; I found the novel fun and a quick read though.

Free ARC sent by Netgalley.

BLOB: A Love Story is as strange and captivating as its title suggests. This offbeat tale combines heartfelt emotion with absurdity in a way that feels entirely original. The writing is sharp, clever, and full of wit, drawing you into a story that is as touching as it is bizarre.

The characters, though unconventional, are beautifully crafted and full of life. Their vulnerabilities and quirks make them incredibly relatable, even in the most surreal moments. The exploration of love, loneliness, and acceptance is handled with surprising tenderness, creating an emotional resonance that sneaks up on you.

While the pacing occasionally felt uneven, the charm and creativity of the story more than made up for it. The ending, in particular, was both poignant and satisfying, tying together the book’s themes in a way that left me smiling.

BLOB: A Love Story is an imaginative and heartwarming read that balances the ridiculous and the meaningful with impressive skill. A solid 4/5.

A really gripping debut, I read it all in one sitting! A very weird but engaging love story about a fairly unlikeable, but also relatable woman who in trying to create her perfect man, finds herself along the way. Ideal for people who don’t usually like romance novels

I thoroughly enjoyed this. It's weird, unique, silly but also tender and touching. Vi is a young woman who feels different and isolated. She is fresh out of a failed relationship and festering in her flat, convinced nobody will ever love her. Enter blob. This unusual creature is nurtured by Vi into her perfect boyfriend but he's not content to fester in Vi's flat and breaks free. I loved the nonsense paired beautifully with the real. I was drawn in by the unusual premise and stayed for the fantastic storytelling and heartfelt portrayal of loneliness and heartache.

This was totally absurd! But heartfelt and sincere at the same time. It's about loneliness and identity and coming of age, but in such a fresh and funny way - because of Bob the blob, who kept me was hooked as I had to find out more about who/what he was. I really enjoyed Vi's character journey too.

Thank you Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for a copy of Blob by Maggie Su. This was very strange and I loved it. It’s such a creative and unique story about a woman finding a blob in an alleyway and all the issues that arise from her taking it home. On the surface this book sounds obscure and weird, but it actually explores family dynamics and relationships in a meaningful way through our messy protagonist.