A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor

This book was so enjoyable and was so real with the current state of the world. I do not know how Hank successfully crafted this story to fit so well with 2020 and the issues we as a world face. This story has always been about social media and how it impacts our lives, but Hank takes it to another level and adds this slight science fiction aspect. I loved how this installment expanded the POVs and we got to see the same cast of characters but actually get into their heads.

I've decided to start using the CAWPILE rating system to improve my ratings and make them more consistent across books.

CAWPILE Breakdown:
Characters: 7
Atmosphere: 9
Writing: 10
Plot: 9
Intrigue: 10
Logic: 9
Enjoyment: 9

Overall: 5

I didn't like this as much as the other. There were still interesting ideas in it about access to information and social media, but it was just... too big? I think for me. I liked the more human story of the first book, and while this had a lot to say about humanity, it was just way more of a sci-fi book that I didn't care for.

What an exciting sequel.

I did not expect some of the things that Hank set out in the world in this book.

There are layers upon layers of how my mind was interpreting this book after I would set it down. Still now, writing this review months later, I can feel it. The characters grapple with big, big life questions in different ways. While we may not, yet, have Carl influencing our world, we do have the power to change our own stories. Yes, those stories are now influenced by the lightning-fast pace of communication and potential for massive communication for good or ill, but they are our stories nonetheless.

I don't think this book would make sense without reading An Absolutely Remarkable Thing.

These books are very on brand for Hank Green - a little technology and science, a little quirky, and a whole lot of optimism.

This is probably just on me but I have never in my life read a book that discussed gender and race and sexuality in such a great way or at all for that matter. This might be because I don't really ever read contemporaries but I choose to believe, from what I know of Hank Green that he thought about this a lot and included diversity and conversation about it very consciously and with great care.  

I had a moment while listening to the audiobook that made me so stressed or straight up scared that I legit had to pause it. The moment when Maya was being harassed by this guy trying to buy her rocks from her.  It felt so real to me and super comparable to situations I have been in before that I had to stop for a moment. And if a book can make you feel all that you know its goddamn good. 

 Sometimes I felt like the story started getting a little complicated and some parts in it I didn't like that Carl had such long monologues about their origin, though I understand explaining things like that is hard to do otherwise it felt kinda off compared to that way the rest of the story was told. 

And lastly, I kept telling myself not to compare Hanks books with his' brothers, because besides the fact that they are related they are totally different people and the facts that both write books should be irrelevant. However, I can't help it.  I have talked to a friend of mine a lot about how John Greens books always seem to have the same plot. There is one shy and timid main character who meets a very cool and interesting person of the opposite sex who throws metaphors left and right, then shit happens they fall in love and one person dies. Then there is some side character that is in some way diverse and is otherwise completely irrelevant.  But Hank had so much diversity and way more main characters to be invested in. And it actually dealt with there diversities in a very human way instead of pretending like these differences don't shape our lives and experiences of it. 

Sufficed to say I loved it. Tho it had some minor flaws. 

These books are deceptively insightful and well written. You wouldn't think Hank would be that good at first and second bat until you realize a lot of the metaphors subtle and overt are directly related to things I'm sure Hank has gone through. Things we as a society are currently going through. It's crazy to realize Hank could distill the themes down to a cool sci-fi-esque story that is fun to read. Good job Hank.

I wish I could give a book more than 5 stars.
This is the best book I've read in a long time. It is truly what sci-fi should be: creative, thoughtful, moral, intersectional, and absolutely mind-blowing. It's fun to read sci-fi where aliens show up, or humanity is doomed, but in my opinion, the best sci-fi explores human nature. And that is what this book does. It is a love letter to humanity; to ideas and relationships and hope and everything that makes us human. I thought the first book in the series was pretty good but this one is amazing. Everyone who uses the internet or money should read this book.

Deel twee van de twee! Ik had mij half verwacht aan een trilogie waar ik zou moeten wachten op het derde deel, maar neen: 't was gedaan na deel twee.

Dit was een beter boek dan het eerste. In plaats van alleen die ellendige April May te horen, werd dit vanuit het perspectief van haar vrienden verteld en kwam April zelf er maar in de tweede helft bij.

Er is Maya, April's ex-lief, die op zoek gaat naar antwoorden op mysteries die opduiken; Andy, die in navolging van April zijn eigen cult of personality kweekt; en de wetenschapster Miranda, die besluit een bedrijf te infiltreren.

We komen ook — van naaldje tot draadje en tot in de diepte — te weten waar die robots van het eerste deel vandaan kwamen en waarom ze er waren en alles.

In dit boek zijn de robots verdwenen, en zoekt iedereen naar hoe het verder moet. Blijken er weer Toestanden en Dingen te zijn, en weer een plot van de ene hint naar de andere hint naar een ontknoping, die deze keer wel definitief is.

Verder niet vele over te zeggen wegens volledig het vervolg van een cliffhanger.

Ik zou het eerste boek alleen niet echt aanraden, maar de twee boeken samen wel. Maar lees het dan wel rap, want het zit zo vol met enorm hard “nu” zaken dat het binnen een jaar of twee vrees ik zó passé zijn dat het niet meer leesbaar zal zijn.

We live in social media and it's very difficult to see in the moment but it's very easy to see in the retrospect!

Though work of fiction this book is deeply philosophical and will stay with you really long, will question your beliefs, will make you realise how much our norms have changed over the years.

I am going to re read this 10 years from now to hope that we as humanity choose the right things for us and lot of the things mentioned in the book did not happen because we did not want them happen.

One book where I slowed down my usual listening speed and re listen some of the chapters, because I wanted to comprehend, this never happened!

I'm mighty impressed by writing of Hank Green