Reviews

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green

berrj's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

patheher's review against another edition

funny mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

Overall I quite enjoyed the book. I liked the message

that even if there are some real bad people, humanity can work together to achieve incredible things.

I kept wanting this to be a book about Carl each time it went back to being a book about April May. I feel like the story Hank Green wanted to tell was about the highs and lows of being thrust into Internet fame, which is April's story, so I get it. But at the same time, I wanted to know about the robot alien and the puzzles and the clues, not online discourse and becoming a pundit. To me, April was not a very... sympathetic character. I found myself saying, out loud at times, "What are you doing?! Why are you doing that?!" many many times. The ending

felt unresolved. I guess that's sometimes what you get with a "book one of X," but instead of feeling like I just gotta get into book 2, it feels like my jigsaw puzzle is done, but it has 4 missing pieces.

 
I liked the hope, the humor, and the setting. I'll grab book 2 soon.

lauracooleyjohnson's review against another edition

5.0

This was a good story, but also an insightful, yet indirect, commentary on our society today. Fame, internet, knowledge and politics... they are the real characters in this story.

elizabethtys's review against another edition

adventurous challenging medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

cmcmurry's review against another edition

5.0

A surprisingly enjoyable YA-style novel for grownups. I liked this book because it was unpretentious, readable, funny, and human. The story is straightforward and engaging, the themes make you think without being confusing or clearly designed to prove how smart the author is, and, best of all, the characters talk, think, and act like real human beings.

This is not the book for you if you want hard sci-fi or PhD level philosophical argumentation. It is serious at times but fundamentally lighthearted and just a joyful reading experience. It is not a ponderous or mentally heavy book. It was so refreshing to read after giving up on countless books on because I couldn’t find anything that let me experience the pure fun and excitement of reading or to indicate the author actually had fun or experienced a human emotion while writing it.

This book is a charming, moving, and well-told story about the internet, human nature, friendship, extremist thinking, and giant robots from outer space. This book is, itself, an absolutely remarkable thing.

jkmeineke's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

louisasbooknook's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative inspiring mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

vishwesh's review against another edition

4.0

This was a page-turner! This book takes us on a ride on how the first contact with aliens might happen in a world dominated by social media. I am jumping into the sequel right away :) cannot wait to read what happens next!

sheridanwaverly's review against another edition

adventurous funny hopeful mysterious reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

izywithonez's review against another edition

4.0

A rare sci-fi I actually enjoyed. Def a sci-fi for contemporary lovers who aren’t normally into sci-fi. Can’t wait to finish the series!