Lauren James

To say that Romy is no stranger to life in space is a bit misleading. After all, her past is a key aspect of the novel. The truth is that Romy has only ever known life in space – because she was conceived and born to her astronaut parents while they were a few years into their 50-year journey. When they died, she was eleven. This is important for understanding Romy’s frame of mind throughout The Loneliest Girl in the Universe because everything that happens occurs because she has never show more seen another human being in the flesh in several years. It also explains her naïveté in certain areas and as well as her mental health.

Everything else about The Loneliest Girl in the Universe must remain a mystery because it is too good to spoil. It is the epitome of an unputdownable book. Your concern for Romy builds from the first page as she is so open and honest about her experiences and her emotions. The lack of guile on her part makes her completely sympathetic, and the situation in which she finds herself is terrifying enough without the addition of the second ship. You are completely committed to finding out what happens to Romy before anything serious does happen!

In addition, the story has a wide appeal. The story has elements of science fiction, horror, and psychological thrillers within its pages. More importantly, each element is well-established and seamlessly interwoven into the rest of the story. Ms. James flawlessly executes the complexities of each genre and does so in a way that enhances the appeal of the story.

The Loneliest Girl in the Universe is the first book in a long time where I literally stopped everything to read it. Forced to make dinner when I was almost finished, I was even reading while cooking – something I have forever scolded my own children for doing. I could not stop, and I have no regrets. There was nothing about the story that disappointed. It remained intense from beginning to end, and I had no clue what was going to happen. It is the very best type of reading experience, and I want others to enjoy it just as much as I did. show less

This book is clever, devastating, adorable and incredibly meaningful. I had such a wonderful time getting to know Captain Romy Silvers, and despite how alone she was out in space, I felt like we got to be very good friends. Her emotions are so raw and real, and it always felt like I was reading about a girl I could understand, who felt things that I have felt a million times before, despite our situations being so drastically different (i.e, I am not stranded alone in space).
However, this YA show more was not all sweet nothings and emotions. With a plot twist that nearly put me in the grave and so many sudden bursts of action that made me yell out loud, this book had me gripping the edge of my seat the entire time. It takes so much talent to create excitement in the deep recesses of space, especially when the main character communicates with other humans solely through computer messages, but somehow Lauren James creates an incredible, engrossing story from start to finish. Bravo, bravo! I will definitely be reading this a second time. show less

totally nutty. This concept is absolutely fantastic, bringing back the old legends of MsScribe and other epic internet tales of mystery, crime, and lies. I also admire all the work that went into this, from the fake twitter accounts to the tumblr blogs and even formatting the embedded comments section. And it's kinda impressive how many fake usernames she made and how legit they were???

All in all the whodunit genre is rarely my thing so I was far more interested in the format & the fandom show more feel than the plot, but still, what a great idea and solid execution. show less

one reader described the blog’s contents as “a perfect millennial gothic horror, skirting the borders between fact and fantasy.”
That’s pretty much the book as well. Mixing internet accounts, gossip, facts and murder.

The formatting of this book was what made it great. The blog posts, chats and news articles interspersed through the chapters meant that the mystery is revealed indirectly. Instead of reading about Delilah puzzling, the puzzle pieces are right on the pages. It was very show more well done and made the entire book memorable.

I couldn’t care less for fandom drama OR celebrity drama, so I sometimes started skimming just like I do when I see actual drama on social media, so kudos to the author for getting that part incredibly right.
As for the plot, I guess most of it depended on Gottie and Delilah getting overly invested in all of this drama? Like the book says, star personalities are decided by PR and not the actual people. “Like, how do people become so hooked on actors, when there’s nothing real about them at all? The way Mom talks in interviews on TV is nothing like the real her. She’s just doing what the PR people tell her. And her fans still worship this fake creation.”
The creepy invasiveness of the online engagement was more of a thriller than the actual mystery. I predicted the epilogue twist early on, but because reading the way everything unfolded was so unique, I didn’t mind it at all. show less