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UGH THIS IS SO GOOD AND I CAN'T EVEN SAY WHY.

I have no idea who to recommend this to because it's so grossly specific, visceral, painful, symbolic, strange, confusing, that it takes a bit of patience to begin but once you start reading past the first act, you can't stop. The diction in this book is phenomenal. It's read like no other book. I did have a nightmare though I can't say why.

Begging for Diablo Cody to write this.

If you do read this, please let me know, because who the fuck am I gonna talk about this book with?

I wanted to like this so much more than I did. Very 3.5 for me. The prose is really well-written, but the third act dragged on so much. I wanted to know what happened and that fueled me to finish the book. But I really disliked the main characters and some of the choices they made that created needless problems. I enjoyed reading about 70% of it, I enjoyed the lore, but the mc's ruined that enjoyment.

I am so tired of “alcoholic unreliable widowed female narrator” thrillers, but I really needed to escape from some personal shit and this helped. It was a page turner for sure and I enjoyed reading it. I disliked almost every character and the twist was eye-rolling for me but it did get me to forget being sad, so I give it 3 stars.

I read this because there was a rumor that Ayo Edebiri would be January and I liked picturing her as her :)

Fun characters and words that made me cry with reckless abandon. A bit frustrated with character development but overall enjoyed a lot of the prose and story.

I liked the rest of the book so much that it outweighed the weird ass ending and Ari being annoying sometimes. If the entire last chapter were removed, it would be five stars. But what the fuck was that? Anyways, I still enjoyed this a lot! Also bi rep!!

This anthology is AMAZING. It makes me want to read more horror anthologies (recommendations please!)

I love found footage media so this was a great twist on the medium. Some are forum posts, scripts, found journals, stories about found cassettes... A lot of diversity in here. Some of the scariest things I've ever read. I genuinely got nightmares from some of them (looking at you, Ghost Town Adventures).

Horror fans pleaaase pick up a copy! ALSO I love that the last few pages have the socials for each author. I tried to hunt some down to tell them I loved their stories!

3.5 / 5 rounded down to 3

Captures the hollow feeling of liminal spaces. I've been looking for something like this and was a little disappointed with the ending. But there were a few pages that made my skin crawl. I enjoyed the read, but not the ending.

Reminds me of House of Leaves & The Shining.

This was so cute! I get why everyone recommends this on Booktok. I wish there were a little more time before the resolution, but this made me so happy!

Honestly inspiring. More specific to writing but made me feel a lot more validated creatively. I read this per Olivia Rodrigo's recommendation and honestly glad I did.

This book is like getting a big hug! I loved it! I usually get annoyed with first person YA. But the narrator has a distinct character with her own struggles, and isn't annoying or childish. I love the summer setting and I smiled more reading this than 98% of books I've read. I do wish there was an epilogue. I have never said that in my life lol. Definite recommend :)

3.5 rounded up to 5 // A solid reading experience with weird narration. Suspending the disbelief constantly, but I didn't mind. Its simplicity reads like a children's book sometimes but that isn't a complaint, it just adds to the “cozy” nature of the mystery. Felt weird about the voice between an entire character (you'll know the one) but honestly a fun, quick read.

i think the author is from where i used to live in nj and that's pretty cool!

A good read, it's fun to see a shitty narrator. It reads like a diary entry for me. I'm excited to read RF Kuang's fiction now!

I wanted to like this more than I did, but I was ultimately more confused than excited about it.

3.5 rounded up to 4

Reading this book was an enjoyable experience more than the story itself. Not for everyone but good for fans of “going in blind” and seeing where it goes.

A little predictable, reads like a Black Mirror episode, would have liked it shorter or as a novella

3.5 rounded down to 3 / 5

I love love love the setting and lore behind this story. LOVE. Like her other novel “Hide,” the lore and premise are immersive and engaging. But man, this story does not make sense, and not in an existential way. I spent two acts of three suspending my disbelief to the point where the story and its resolution genuinely did not make sense.

I will still recommend this book because of how original and fun the premise is. I love the ideas of lost media, liminal spaces, adult/children juxtapositions... so this fit the bill for me, except the plot itself. It's fast paced enough that I never wanted to put it down despite the nonsense.

I hope one of y'all reads this so I can talk to you about it.

I lived most of my life feeling stuck. Asking myself “Is this it?” Caught with a person in a small room, a small life, a basement at that. Convincing myself I could be content with small and learn to love it. I never did.

I loved “Girlfriend on Mars” because it was about so much more than the characters. It was about capitalism and excess without being too condescending or redundant. It spoke on toxic relationships with characters you dislike, but you still care. The prose isn't for everyone but its tangents mimic how I feel when I doom-scroll, throw something in the garbage, or drink almond milk. Are we acting against moral obligation? Did we make it all up?

It's not really about space. It's about family trauma persisting, from how hard it is to break bounds of depression, from feeling stuck to wanting more... from going as far as possible from your problems only for them to follow you... I deeply felt it all.

The problems Kevin & Amber face are very real. I lived them. I had my own “Mars” and I pursued it without regret. I could not live small. I flew into space and never looked back.

I LOVE the setting of this book so much and that carried it to four stars for me. Honestly just an enjoyable read, some underwhelming parts, but just fun overall.

I work with patients who have dementia. The biggest fear I have is someone I love becoming a person I don't know. That is what makes the book truly heartbreaking and horrifying... watching someone slip away and leaving you alone, even though there is a body there. Beautifully written, slow paced but I blew through it.

Honestly what a fun reading experience. I can genuinely say I had no idea what was going to happen next. I am usually apprehensive about series but I definitely want to read more Discworld and discover more of the world! Also a really good book to read to my future children.

very well written, a little too close to home, painful to finish

This & Broke Millennial should be required reading in school!

grateful that someone gave this to me

3.5 rounded up to 4. It was cute but I was left wanting more. Lots of potential but limited itself in its story (maybe that's the whole point though). I enjoyed overall.