Reviews with content warning for Sexual content - No One Is Talking About This

Weird, sad, and ultimately unsatisfying. I initially really loved the bizarre, disjointed style, the wacky observations, the over-the-top and yet also completely spot-on depiction of internet culture. The text from the unnamed protagonist's mother was a turning point, but not in the way I expected. It was less "sudden tragedy causes protagonist to reevaluate her time online" and more "tragic news causes protagonist to switch from being consumed by internet to consumed by other situation." It wasn't bad, necessarily, but it was emotionally intense and less an intentional reevaluation (which is what I wanted to see) than the protagonist spending less time online due to circumstances outside her control and becoming less internet popular because of it. The first half was great, I just wanted the second half to be something else entirely.

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andrea_mtz27's review against another edition

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emotional funny reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

"No One Is Talking About This" isn't perfect, but the reason I rated it so highly is because it's stuck with me more than any other book I've read recently. Weeks after finishing it, I've continued to think about both the content and the writing style.

This book definitely isn't for everyone. I can see how someone who doesn't have a similar relationship with internet culture could find the frequent references grating or nonsensical. However, I found the way that Lockwood wrote about "the portal" weaving itself into everyday life relatable and realistic. The first half was fun, but it was the second half that made this book deeply special. The way the main character's relationship with the portal changed over the course of a major life event felt so real,

and the emotional delivery of the hardship her family endured together was extremely moving

.

I don't have the exact words for why this book made such an impression on me, but I do I highly recommend it to anyone who has spent too many hours scrolling through twitter, reddit, or tiktok.

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kjulie's review

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

I don’t really know how to describe this book. The first part reads like little snippets of thoughts from someone headfirst invested in social media and the online life. As a fairly disengaged online viewer, a lot of what is referred to went over my head, but I still understood some of the intention. There is a shift in part two, and some people have commented that it’s like two separate books. I’m not sure I agree. I think the second part is an emotional conversation about how to go on when everything has changed.

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emmagreenwood's review against another edition

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funny reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.0

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