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Everything About You
Think twice before you share your life online.
Freya has a new virtual assistant. It knows what she likes, knows what she wants and knows whose voice she most needs to hear: her missing sister's.
It adopts her sister's personality, recreating her through a life lived online. But this virtual version of her sister knows things it shouldn't be possible to know. It's almost as if the missing girl is still out there somewhere, feeding fresh updates into the cloud. But that's impossible. Isn't it?
With twists and turns you'll never see coming, Everything About You is a thrilling debut showing a chilling vision of a future that's just around the corner. You'll never look at your privacy settings in the same way again . . .
The world of Everything About You is closer than you think:
* Right now, the average child features in over 1,500 online photographs by the age of five
* By 2025, you will interact with connected devices nearly 5,000 times per day
* Today there are already companies who will collect your data so that your relatives can interact with your 'digital doppelganger' after you die.
Freya has a new virtual assistant. It knows what she likes, knows what she wants and knows whose voice she most needs to hear: her missing sister's.
It adopts her sister's personality, recreating her through a life lived online. But this virtual version of her sister knows things it shouldn't be possible to know. It's almost as if the missing girl is still out there somewhere, feeding fresh updates into the cloud. But that's impossible. Isn't it?
With twists and turns you'll never see coming, Everything About You is a thrilling debut showing a chilling vision of a future that's just around the corner. You'll never look at your privacy settings in the same way again . . .
The world of Everything About You is closer than you think:
* Right now, the average child features in over 1,500 online photographs by the age of five
* By 2025, you will interact with connected devices nearly 5,000 times per day
* Today there are already companies who will collect your data so that your relatives can interact with your 'digital doppelganger' after you die.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published April 26, 2018
About the author
Heather Child
2 books24 followersHeather Child's two novels EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU and THE UNDOING OF ARLO KNOTT are published by Orbit (Little, Brown).
Heather lives in Bristol, UK. Alongside writing she has had an eclectic career in charity marketing and communications, and currently works in sustainability.
You can find out more about her novels, including discussion questions for book clubs, at www.heather-child.co.uk or follow her on Twitter at @Heatherika1
Heather lives in Bristol, UK. Alongside writing she has had an eclectic career in charity marketing and communications, and currently works in sustainability.
You can find out more about her novels, including discussion questions for book clubs, at www.heather-child.co.uk or follow her on Twitter at @Heatherika1
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 106 reviews
April 25, 2018
I was fascinated by the concept of this book, where a virtual assistant takes on the personality of the protagonist's missing sister, but was kept at a distance by the third person narration. This is a style I have limited interaction with so found it jarring to stumble across it here.
I also found my interest wane a little when the introduction of what initially fascinated me became a background feature of the book. This was a skilful blend of the science fiction and thriller genre but I still would have preferred what made this unique, the virtual assistant, to continue to take a larger central focus and for more of its facets to be discussed.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, Heather Child, and the publisher, Orbit, for this opportunity.
I also found my interest wane a little when the introduction of what initially fascinated me became a background feature of the book. This was a skilful blend of the science fiction and thriller genre but I still would have preferred what made this unique, the virtual assistant, to continue to take a larger central focus and for more of its facets to be discussed.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, Heather Child, and the publisher, Orbit, for this opportunity.
April 26, 2018
I am a real sucker for thrillers with a technological edge to them so when this novel appeared on NetGalley I couldn't resist! The synopsis is what drew me in initially as it sounded like my perfect cup of tea! As the world of technology advances and brands continues to flourish more and more books are using tech as inspiration for some fabulous thrillers based wholly or in part on Twitter, Facebook, the dark web, dating agencies etc. One recent title being Friend Request by Laura Marshall, a book based on the protagonist receiving a friend request on Facebook from a girl she believed to be dead.
So, did it live up to my high expectations? Yes, apart from some minor points it most certainly did. What intrigued me further about this one was that it was set in a future where virtual assistants map every inch of your life. This speculative tech intertwines with Freya's search for her missing sister and soon the lines between fiction and reality blur into one.
I can't get enough of this niche and hope that many more titles continue to draw inspiration from the tech world. Everything You Know is believeable speculative fiction that may soon be anything but speculative given the rate of our advancements. It's a rather scary thought!
An intelligent and thoroughly engaging techno-thriller that is well written and plotted. Imaginitive, creepy and emotionally resonant - feelings that are more varied than most books can manage. A great debut from Heather Child, I loved it! In the authors bio it states she is a "communications professional whose work on digital marketing has brought her into close contact with the cutting-edge automation and personalisation technologies that herald the 'big data' age". I would imagine that this experience and knowledge has helped to make the book sound and I hope that the author will continue to use her expertise to write in a similar vein in the future.
Recommended.
I would like to thank Little Brown Book Group, Heather Child and NetGalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
So, did it live up to my high expectations? Yes, apart from some minor points it most certainly did. What intrigued me further about this one was that it was set in a future where virtual assistants map every inch of your life. This speculative tech intertwines with Freya's search for her missing sister and soon the lines between fiction and reality blur into one.
I can't get enough of this niche and hope that many more titles continue to draw inspiration from the tech world. Everything You Know is believeable speculative fiction that may soon be anything but speculative given the rate of our advancements. It's a rather scary thought!
An intelligent and thoroughly engaging techno-thriller that is well written and plotted. Imaginitive, creepy and emotionally resonant - feelings that are more varied than most books can manage. A great debut from Heather Child, I loved it! In the authors bio it states she is a "communications professional whose work on digital marketing has brought her into close contact with the cutting-edge automation and personalisation technologies that herald the 'big data' age". I would imagine that this experience and knowledge has helped to make the book sound and I hope that the author will continue to use her expertise to write in a similar vein in the future.
Recommended.
I would like to thank Little Brown Book Group, Heather Child and NetGalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
April 18, 2018
A clever tale this, with speculative technology that soon could be anything but speculative, intertwined with the story of one woman’s search for her missing adopted sister – and about closure and letting go.
Freya is trying out some new tech – a virtual assistant that takes it’s information and forms it’s “personality” based on information from the cloud – and the cloud has all the information anyone could possibly want. It eerily starts to take on more than one aspect of the missing girls personality – until Freya finds the lines blurred between fiction and reality.
Everything About You is a beautifully written hybrid of techno-thriller and character drama. The writing is gently absorbing – the virtual assistant is at turns cleverly engaging and downright creepy, Freya herself has many layers and her relationships with others around her, most especially her Mother, are fascinatingly engaging.
The mystery element is well plotted and this book has those subtle twists and turns that end up giving you food for thought. The ultimate resolution is intelligent and melancholy and the world building is imaginative yet authentic.
Overall Everything About You is an atmospheric, often emotional and very intriguing story, set in a world that seems only moments away from this one. I loved it.
Recommended.
Freya is trying out some new tech – a virtual assistant that takes it’s information and forms it’s “personality” based on information from the cloud – and the cloud has all the information anyone could possibly want. It eerily starts to take on more than one aspect of the missing girls personality – until Freya finds the lines blurred between fiction and reality.
Everything About You is a beautifully written hybrid of techno-thriller and character drama. The writing is gently absorbing – the virtual assistant is at turns cleverly engaging and downright creepy, Freya herself has many layers and her relationships with others around her, most especially her Mother, are fascinatingly engaging.
The mystery element is well plotted and this book has those subtle twists and turns that end up giving you food for thought. The ultimate resolution is intelligent and melancholy and the world building is imaginative yet authentic.
Overall Everything About You is an atmospheric, often emotional and very intriguing story, set in a world that seems only moments away from this one. I loved it.
Recommended.
March 12, 2024
3.5 Stars.
I was immediately drawn to this book because of the premise. A virtual assistant taking on the personality and speaking with the voice of a dead relative. How chilling, and very Black Mirror. I can understand the appeal. You get to talk to that person as if they were still alive. Totally something I'd see myself do, and then suffer.
The problem with Everything About You is that the mystery is mediocre. The sci-fi premise is brilliant, and those aspects of the book are the ones I enjoyed the most. But the mystery? Predictable, sadly.
The book is written in third person, and there's something about the prose I really enjoyed. The characters are all well developed and the world building is thrilling and chilling at the same time. The author takes time to develop and explore the relationship between the two sisters and the hope Freya feels every time she thinks she's getting closer.
This is a great debut and I can't wait to see what Child's next book will be about.
I recommend this to all Black Mirror fans, and readers who like near future books that focus on exploring the benefits and dangers of technology.
I was immediately drawn to this book because of the premise. A virtual assistant taking on the personality and speaking with the voice of a dead relative. How chilling, and very Black Mirror. I can understand the appeal. You get to talk to that person as if they were still alive. Totally something I'd see myself do, and then suffer.
The problem with Everything About You is that the mystery is mediocre. The sci-fi premise is brilliant, and those aspects of the book are the ones I enjoyed the most. But the mystery? Predictable, sadly.
The book is written in third person, and there's something about the prose I really enjoyed. The characters are all well developed and the world building is thrilling and chilling at the same time. The author takes time to develop and explore the relationship between the two sisters and the hope Freya feels every time she thinks she's getting closer.
This is a great debut and I can't wait to see what Child's next book will be about.
I recommend this to all Black Mirror fans, and readers who like near future books that focus on exploring the benefits and dangers of technology.
April 26, 2018
I am a real sucker for thrillers with a technological edge to them so when this novel appeared on NetGalley I couldn't resist! The synopsis is what drew me in initially as it sounded like my perfect cup of tea! As the world of technology advances and brands continues to flourish more and more books are using tech as inspiration for some fabulous thrillers based wholly or in part on Twitter, Facebook, the dark web, dating agencies etc. One recent title being Friend Request by Laura Marshall, a book based on the protagonist receiving a friend request on Facebook from a girl she believed to be dead.
So, did it live up to my high expectations? Yes, apart from some minor points it most certainly did. What intrigued me further about this one was that it was set in a future where virtual assistants map every inch of your life. This speculative tech intertwines with Freya's search for her missing sister and soon the lines between fiction and reality blur into one.
I can't get enough of this niche and hope that many more titles continue to draw inspiration from the tech world. Everything You Know is believeable speculative fiction that may soon be anything but speculative given the rate of our advancements. It's a rather scary thought!
An intelligent and thoroughly engaging techno-thriller that is well written and plotted. Imaginitive, creepy and emotionally resonant - feelings that are more varied than most books can manage. A great debut from Heather Child, I loved it! In the authors bio it states she is a "communications professional whose work on digital marketing has brought her into close contact with the cutting-edge automation and personalisation technologies that herald the 'big data' age". I would imagine that this experience and knowledge has helped to make the book sound and I hope that the author will continue to use her expertise to write in a similar vein in the future.
Recommended.
I would like to thank Little Brown Book Group, Heather Child and NetGalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
So, did it live up to my high expectations? Yes, apart from some minor points it most certainly did. What intrigued me further about this one was that it was set in a future where virtual assistants map every inch of your life. This speculative tech intertwines with Freya's search for her missing sister and soon the lines between fiction and reality blur into one.
I can't get enough of this niche and hope that many more titles continue to draw inspiration from the tech world. Everything You Know is believeable speculative fiction that may soon be anything but speculative given the rate of our advancements. It's a rather scary thought!
An intelligent and thoroughly engaging techno-thriller that is well written and plotted. Imaginitive, creepy and emotionally resonant - feelings that are more varied than most books can manage. A great debut from Heather Child, I loved it! In the authors bio it states she is a "communications professional whose work on digital marketing has brought her into close contact with the cutting-edge automation and personalisation technologies that herald the 'big data' age". I would imagine that this experience and knowledge has helped to make the book sound and I hope that the author will continue to use her expertise to write in a similar vein in the future.
Recommended.
I would like to thank Little Brown Book Group, Heather Child and NetGalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
May 7, 2018
AI is here to stay.
The story goes thus, a digital assistant (that we love in our mobiles) is soon a reality and Freya finds hers to be in the voice of a long lost foster sister Ruby. The story starts with a routine of Freya's life, which soon goes on to take darker turns as the assistant seemed to know more than she should have known, as if she knew Ruby's whereabouts. That part was certainly chilling.
Is Ruby alive?? Was her digital footprints getting uploaded and hence picked up by the Digital Assistant?
The book started off as a combination of a sci-fi thriller with emotional drama, with the missing sister, Freya's own feelings of guilt, but then the plot becomes a bit technical, almost too computer-y, it does go off at the deep end into virtual reality in the latter half. A bit too scary for me!!
On the whole the book was a chilling story, thought provoking of virtual reality and what would happen if we could upload our consciousness in the deep net? Is this our future?
A good debut by author Heather Child, I wanted a bit more something from it, perhaps more emotions?
I received an ARC from NetGalley and publisher Little Brown Book Group UK, and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.
The story goes thus, a digital assistant (that we love in our mobiles) is soon a reality and Freya finds hers to be in the voice of a long lost foster sister Ruby. The story starts with a routine of Freya's life, which soon goes on to take darker turns as the assistant seemed to know more than she should have known, as if she knew Ruby's whereabouts. That part was certainly chilling.
Is Ruby alive?? Was her digital footprints getting uploaded and hence picked up by the Digital Assistant?
The book started off as a combination of a sci-fi thriller with emotional drama, with the missing sister, Freya's own feelings of guilt, but then the plot becomes a bit technical, almost too computer-y, it does go off at the deep end into virtual reality in the latter half. A bit too scary for me!!
On the whole the book was a chilling story, thought provoking of virtual reality and what would happen if we could upload our consciousness in the deep net? Is this our future?
A good debut by author Heather Child, I wanted a bit more something from it, perhaps more emotions?
I received an ARC from NetGalley and publisher Little Brown Book Group UK, and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.
May 1, 2018
Since I love all things technological and SF... I was very disappointed by this book. The idea is fine and yes, it attracted me too because of the Dark Mirror mentioned in the blurb.
However, it started slow and became even slower. The main character is absolutely boring and not sympthatetic and halfway the book I decided to stop reading because the whole story was going nowhere, and became more complicated at the same time.
I don't like main characters that, finding themselves in an unhappy position, just sit there and do nothing. All I wanted to do is grab her by the shoulders and give her a good shake, telling her to dó something.
However, it started slow and became even slower. The main character is absolutely boring and not sympthatetic and halfway the book I decided to stop reading because the whole story was going nowhere, and became more complicated at the same time.
I don't like main characters that, finding themselves in an unhappy position, just sit there and do nothing. All I wanted to do is grab her by the shoulders and give her a good shake, telling her to dó something.
May 28, 2018
I'm grateful to the publisher for an advance copy of this book.
In a future London (perhaps 20-30 years from now, some time after a year of riots which have left whole districts derelict) 22 year old Freya survives a dead-end job in an IKEA-like furniture barn. At the start of the story she's selling actual, physical furniture, but there's an air of threat over the job as warehouse space is being converted for housing and the sales soon become virtual, supported by AI powered assistants. All that's left is flipping sausages in the cafe with her mate Chris, closely, too closely, watched over by their boss Sandor.
The AI theme is of course central here, as the book cover hints. It's a future of virtual and augmented reality mediated by specs, visors, hairnets that sync thoughts with the cloud and - the latest innovation from mega corp Smarti - "smart faces", virtual personal assistants that can adopt the persona of anyone (dead or alive) who hasn't declared their digital footprint "private". One example: a pink line overlaying one's field of view shows the best way to go, even to avoid other pedestrians around you. When, towards the end of the book, Freya's specs run out of battery and she has to manage this for herself, even such a simple task is hard and takes conscious effort. Or there is this: "There is no need to memorise or learn other languages, even dentists's appointments are arranged by her toothbrush when it detects enough tartar".
Privacy in such a world is... problematic... with the kind of tracking and inference currently seen online rife in the real world - as Freya moves about London, she's constantly served ads by screens or shop windows, bombarded with advice by her "Smartbit" (for example, her Health score changes depending what she eats or how much sleep she's had) and there's a pervasive system in the background of scoring things, from lattes to sexual encounters (so that "rated" has become a general term of approval). I have to say that following the Cambridge Analytica revelations, this book is brilliantly timed. Child has worked in digital marketing and the proof copy of the book I was sent points out on the back cover that the world depicted here isn't that far off(!).
Yet, while the implications of rampant AI are undeniably attention grabbing, the book is much more than an angry howl at the coming world of digital manipulation. At the centre is a sad story of Freya, her mother Esther and lost (adopted) sister Ruby. The book turns on what happened to Ruby, and on the guilt that both women feel about her disappearance. Child is simply brilliant at showing how, after a Ruby-esque personality surfaces in Freya's new Smartface, everything gradually begins to come apart. Freya is both revolted and enthralled by the opportunity to talk again to "Ruby". What does kt mean, though? Is it a hint that Ruby is still alive somewhere, perhaps trapped, perhaps needing help? As Freya grapples with the reality - or not - of what she's experiencing, we begin to see flashbacks to her life with the "real" Ruby, a vivacious, awkward young woman, a rebel and an explorer of London's weird side, above all a good friend, with a kind heart, who took the lonely Freya under her wing on arrival in London from the "north". (The reason for that arrival - her mother's finding a new job in what seems like a major life change - is never explained, though there might be hints - and I could finally guess at the why. Child uses this tangential approach a lot - for example, she describes how there is "a certain hush pervading neighbourhoods where the government might try to interfere, to recruit or deploy some of its many volunteers" - for what purposes? She doesn't say, but not good ones, surely).
It is though the relationship between Freya and Ruby that is central to the book, both their adventures and closeness as teenagers and, later, Freya's grappling with what's presented, convincingly, as being Ruby. Child explores ideas about what makes identity, what makes humans human, and how we might, insidiously, come to accept something both less and more as a substitute (so in that way, yes, this book is a warning about the future - or even the near-present - only a more subtle one that you might think). She is I think spot on about the effect on Freya of losing Ruby. It's the hope that gets you. "...hope, once kindled, rages like a wildfire. Every time she has to douse it, a part of her needs to heal, and recently it has been a relief to close her eyes at night and know the next day will bring no firefighting."
This is also an excellent, compelling narrative, depicting a world where many of the currently emerging problems of a connected life are simply seen as the default: online stalking, porn addiction, jobs lost to AIs, predatory men hunting down women both in real life and online, manipulation of those all important "ratings", over-mighty corporations... and the almost incidental loss of privacy (Freya's mum carries a pendant that syncs with her daughter's Smartbit).
Everything About You isn't without hope, there's a strong message here that we can, if we want, keep the option of living our own lives, rather than just following the choices the algorithms make for us - but that it won't be easy and and there isn't long left.
I mean, look at it. Even the book cover is tracking you...
In a future London (perhaps 20-30 years from now, some time after a year of riots which have left whole districts derelict) 22 year old Freya survives a dead-end job in an IKEA-like furniture barn. At the start of the story she's selling actual, physical furniture, but there's an air of threat over the job as warehouse space is being converted for housing and the sales soon become virtual, supported by AI powered assistants. All that's left is flipping sausages in the cafe with her mate Chris, closely, too closely, watched over by their boss Sandor.
The AI theme is of course central here, as the book cover hints. It's a future of virtual and augmented reality mediated by specs, visors, hairnets that sync thoughts with the cloud and - the latest innovation from mega corp Smarti - "smart faces", virtual personal assistants that can adopt the persona of anyone (dead or alive) who hasn't declared their digital footprint "private". One example: a pink line overlaying one's field of view shows the best way to go, even to avoid other pedestrians around you. When, towards the end of the book, Freya's specs run out of battery and she has to manage this for herself, even such a simple task is hard and takes conscious effort. Or there is this: "There is no need to memorise or learn other languages, even dentists's appointments are arranged by her toothbrush when it detects enough tartar".
Privacy in such a world is... problematic... with the kind of tracking and inference currently seen online rife in the real world - as Freya moves about London, she's constantly served ads by screens or shop windows, bombarded with advice by her "Smartbit" (for example, her Health score changes depending what she eats or how much sleep she's had) and there's a pervasive system in the background of scoring things, from lattes to sexual encounters (so that "rated" has become a general term of approval). I have to say that following the Cambridge Analytica revelations, this book is brilliantly timed. Child has worked in digital marketing and the proof copy of the book I was sent points out on the back cover that the world depicted here isn't that far off(!).
Yet, while the implications of rampant AI are undeniably attention grabbing, the book is much more than an angry howl at the coming world of digital manipulation. At the centre is a sad story of Freya, her mother Esther and lost (adopted) sister Ruby. The book turns on what happened to Ruby, and on the guilt that both women feel about her disappearance. Child is simply brilliant at showing how, after a Ruby-esque personality surfaces in Freya's new Smartface, everything gradually begins to come apart. Freya is both revolted and enthralled by the opportunity to talk again to "Ruby". What does kt mean, though? Is it a hint that Ruby is still alive somewhere, perhaps trapped, perhaps needing help? As Freya grapples with the reality - or not - of what she's experiencing, we begin to see flashbacks to her life with the "real" Ruby, a vivacious, awkward young woman, a rebel and an explorer of London's weird side, above all a good friend, with a kind heart, who took the lonely Freya under her wing on arrival in London from the "north". (The reason for that arrival - her mother's finding a new job in what seems like a major life change - is never explained, though there might be hints - and I could finally guess at the why. Child uses this tangential approach a lot - for example, she describes how there is "a certain hush pervading neighbourhoods where the government might try to interfere, to recruit or deploy some of its many volunteers" - for what purposes? She doesn't say, but not good ones, surely).
It is though the relationship between Freya and Ruby that is central to the book, both their adventures and closeness as teenagers and, later, Freya's grappling with what's presented, convincingly, as being Ruby. Child explores ideas about what makes identity, what makes humans human, and how we might, insidiously, come to accept something both less and more as a substitute (so in that way, yes, this book is a warning about the future - or even the near-present - only a more subtle one that you might think). She is I think spot on about the effect on Freya of losing Ruby. It's the hope that gets you. "...hope, once kindled, rages like a wildfire. Every time she has to douse it, a part of her needs to heal, and recently it has been a relief to close her eyes at night and know the next day will bring no firefighting."
This is also an excellent, compelling narrative, depicting a world where many of the currently emerging problems of a connected life are simply seen as the default: online stalking, porn addiction, jobs lost to AIs, predatory men hunting down women both in real life and online, manipulation of those all important "ratings", over-mighty corporations... and the almost incidental loss of privacy (Freya's mum carries a pendant that syncs with her daughter's Smartbit).
Everything About You isn't without hope, there's a strong message here that we can, if we want, keep the option of living our own lives, rather than just following the choices the algorithms make for us - but that it won't be easy and and there isn't long left.
I mean, look at it. Even the book cover is tracking you...
April 30, 2018
I got a chance to read this book thank's to Netgalley.
This thriller came out just a couple days ago and I hope it will get the success it deserves !!
I dived into the book not really knowing what to expect. I read a lot of thrillers but none of them are set in a futuristic, tech crazy version of our world and I am not a huge science fiction fan. But Oh what a pleasant surprise this story was.
Freya is a young woman unable to live her life to the fullest as she is haunted by the memory of her foster sister, Ruby, who disappeared without a trace years ago. She is gifted this device that is supposed to improve her productivity and help her take decisions, but when she tries it out for the first time she is taken aback, the persona and voice randomly generated by the gadget is based of non other than Ruby's data. The device starts to mentions newer things the real Ruby could have never known about if she were dead. If Ruby is alive and producing data still, the device could be picking it up and Freya could well be adressing an "older version" of her sister she loves so. The hope that she might be hiding off somewhere is rekindled in Freya and it obsesses her more and more..
If this absorbing and moving novel is the author's first then I am dying to see what she will next come up with ! I loved Freya's character, she is a relatable twenty something and having personally experienced death in my family fairly early on in life I can understand her constant questioning and the unnecessary blame she puts on herself. Despite that aspect of her history and the trauma it caused her, she remains driven, the problem being the only path she wants to follow is one that would lead her to Ruby. But is it truly possible that Ruby hid away for years with cameras and face recognition technology everywhere ? Could this quest be more dangerous than Freya ever thought ? And is this technology driven world as enticing as it first seems to be ?
Heather Child perfectly encapsulated what being a young adult in such a fast paced world feels like, except this one is much more scary than ours !!
I'm afraid you will have to read the book if you want to know any more ;)
But I can promise an entertaining and imaginative read you won't want to put down!
This thriller came out just a couple days ago and I hope it will get the success it deserves !!
I dived into the book not really knowing what to expect. I read a lot of thrillers but none of them are set in a futuristic, tech crazy version of our world and I am not a huge science fiction fan. But Oh what a pleasant surprise this story was.
Freya is a young woman unable to live her life to the fullest as she is haunted by the memory of her foster sister, Ruby, who disappeared without a trace years ago. She is gifted this device that is supposed to improve her productivity and help her take decisions, but when she tries it out for the first time she is taken aback, the persona and voice randomly generated by the gadget is based of non other than Ruby's data. The device starts to mentions newer things the real Ruby could have never known about if she were dead. If Ruby is alive and producing data still, the device could be picking it up and Freya could well be adressing an "older version" of her sister she loves so. The hope that she might be hiding off somewhere is rekindled in Freya and it obsesses her more and more..
If this absorbing and moving novel is the author's first then I am dying to see what she will next come up with ! I loved Freya's character, she is a relatable twenty something and having personally experienced death in my family fairly early on in life I can understand her constant questioning and the unnecessary blame she puts on herself. Despite that aspect of her history and the trauma it caused her, she remains driven, the problem being the only path she wants to follow is one that would lead her to Ruby. But is it truly possible that Ruby hid away for years with cameras and face recognition technology everywhere ? Could this quest be more dangerous than Freya ever thought ? And is this technology driven world as enticing as it first seems to be ?
Heather Child perfectly encapsulated what being a young adult in such a fast paced world feels like, except this one is much more scary than ours !!
I'm afraid you will have to read the book if you want to know any more ;)
But I can promise an entertaining and imaginative read you won't want to put down!
April 27, 2018
I am a bit new to this genre so I am still trying to find my feet with what I like and dislike and, on the whole, I liked this book very much. Set in the near future, technology has moved on enough so that people rely more and more on virtual assistants. Mostly they are generic AIs but more and more they are being customised for users and can be made up from people they know, created from their own online lives. In fact, it has become necessary for you to opt out if you don't want your personality used in this way. By way of her flatmate, Julian, Freya gets her hands on one of the newest forms of virtual assistant. So new in fact that it is still in beta. After automatic set-up she finds that it has taken on the personality of her sister Ruby. Well, her adopted sister anyway. Her sister who disappeared several years ago. An event that Freya thinks she is responsible for. She has always wondered what happened to Ruby, was she still alive even? And then her virtual assistant starts to go a bit weird. When real people are used for VAs their personality and life experiences are supposed to be only limited to what the programmers have found online. But Freya notices that Ruby knows things she couldn't possibly know. Things that happened after she disappeared. Could it be really possible that she is still alive. Freya has to know and sets off on this, her most personal mission.
I really liked Freya right from the off. Her home life isn't that great as she is still sharing with her ex and he is acting, for the most part, a little weird. He work life is also a bit pants as she has been demoted in her job, her previous role having gone to an AI. Her relationship with her mother is OK but strained. But she still gets up in the morning and tries to do her best. She has a good relationship with Chris at work and there are some really funny scenes of the two of them at work.
The technology in the book was easy to follow. Most of the stuff described was familiar from other sources but the way they were used in this book was unique so there was a lot for me to learn. There are so many examples of this that I could wax lyrical about here but I fear spoilers so I am leaving that here. With a book and a world so heavy on technology, there is also the flip side. People who want off the grid and that, without going into detail, was also handled very well here too.
As well as Freya wanting to find Ruby and possibly absolve herself of the guilt she has lived with for years, the book is also about Freya as a person. Her awakening or coming of age if you like. I really enjoyed this aspect - Freya's journey - how she overcame certain fears to try to get to the truth. And it was a rather shocking truth when all was revealed.
All in all, a well plotted story starring some cracking characters that held my attention very well throughout, leaving me satisfying at the end. Oh and it's another debut book to boot. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.
I really liked Freya right from the off. Her home life isn't that great as she is still sharing with her ex and he is acting, for the most part, a little weird. He work life is also a bit pants as she has been demoted in her job, her previous role having gone to an AI. Her relationship with her mother is OK but strained. But she still gets up in the morning and tries to do her best. She has a good relationship with Chris at work and there are some really funny scenes of the two of them at work.
The technology in the book was easy to follow. Most of the stuff described was familiar from other sources but the way they were used in this book was unique so there was a lot for me to learn. There are so many examples of this that I could wax lyrical about here but I fear spoilers so I am leaving that here. With a book and a world so heavy on technology, there is also the flip side. People who want off the grid and that, without going into detail, was also handled very well here too.
As well as Freya wanting to find Ruby and possibly absolve herself of the guilt she has lived with for years, the book is also about Freya as a person. Her awakening or coming of age if you like. I really enjoyed this aspect - Freya's journey - how she overcame certain fears to try to get to the truth. And it was a rather shocking truth when all was revealed.
All in all, a well plotted story starring some cracking characters that held my attention very well throughout, leaving me satisfying at the end. Oh and it's another debut book to boot. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.
August 12, 2018
'Is there some overarching power of the smartface that gives everyone what they want, by hook or by crook?'
So Everything About You is definitely quite similar to an episode of Black Mirror in the way that it's about the dangers of living inside an echo chamber and how virtual assistants are basically nightmare fuel for someone who's already emotionally vulnerable. Yet it's somehow lacking.
The world-building of Everything About You is quite well-executed as the world has advanced to the point that there are scarves with internal heat, drone takeaways and the extreme prevalence of personalization tech. Unfortunately, that also means that every technology that's introduced in the book comes with deep reflections attached to it that it becomes almost boring to read about how nothing is safe in a world that relies this much on technology.
Yet for all the world-building, the main character seems to be as clueless as the reader as to how her own world works so every discovery or a plot twist comes with the question of how come Freya didn't have a clue which kind of became annoying at some points because of its repetitiveness. Nevertheless, reading about Freya's relationship with her missing foster sister and then with her personal assistant with the same personality was eerie, thought-provoking and lead to some great discoveries about Freya herself.
In the end, though everything that happens in Everything About You makes technology looks like the big bad from every angle and I can't imagine that there's not even a single positive thing to be said about it here. So despite not being wholly impressed with the big, predictable reveal and being slightly put off by where the book itself ended, I think it tackles an interesting concept that might be more enjoyable for readers going in with lower expectations.
Favorite quote: 'Everyone gets what they want. But a little too much. It's always interesting to see what someone does when they get too much'
-------
Another Black Mirror-sounding book! KEEP 'EM COMING
Tragedy siblings? Tragedy siblings.
So Everything About You is definitely quite similar to an episode of Black Mirror in the way that it's about the dangers of living inside an echo chamber and how virtual assistants are basically nightmare fuel for someone who's already emotionally vulnerable. Yet it's somehow lacking.
The world-building of Everything About You is quite well-executed as the world has advanced to the point that there are scarves with internal heat, drone takeaways and the extreme prevalence of personalization tech. Unfortunately, that also means that every technology that's introduced in the book comes with deep reflections attached to it that it becomes almost boring to read about how nothing is safe in a world that relies this much on technology.
Yet for all the world-building, the main character seems to be as clueless as the reader as to how her own world works so every discovery or a plot twist comes with the question of how come Freya didn't have a clue which kind of became annoying at some points because of its repetitiveness. Nevertheless, reading about Freya's relationship with her missing foster sister and then with her personal assistant with the same personality was eerie, thought-provoking and lead to some great discoveries about Freya herself.
In the end, though everything that happens in Everything About You makes technology looks like the big bad from every angle and I can't imagine that there's not even a single positive thing to be said about it here. So despite not being wholly impressed with the big, predictable reveal and being slightly put off by where the book itself ended, I think it tackles an interesting concept that might be more enjoyable for readers going in with lower expectations.
Favorite quote: 'Everyone gets what they want. But a little too much. It's always interesting to see what someone does when they get too much'
-------
Another Black Mirror-sounding book! KEEP 'EM COMING
Tragedy siblings? Tragedy siblings.
May 4, 2018
I’m sure many of you have a digital assistant in your home. It doesn’t matter if you use Siri or Cortana, Google or Alexa it’s all still a bit of a novelty isn’t it? Flash forward five or ten years from now, and it will be commonplace. We’ll all have our own assistants that are with us twenty-four seven. A virtual presence that knows you better than you know yourself and caters for you every whim. Sounds blissful doesn’t it? Heather Child’s debut novel, Everything About You, uses this as a jumping off point. The big question it ponders – what if this most intimate of relationships wasn’t all it appeared to be. Many of us live big chunk of our lives online. Who knows how our personal data is being used and by whom? Just imagine, is there is anything more unsettling than a piece of technology hanging on your every word?
Where I think this novel excels is the characterisation of the main character. There is an inherent sadness in Freya. Ever since her foster sister, Ruby, disappeared, Freya’s life has been on hold. She floats through her days without any real sense of direction. I found it incredibly easy to empathise with her. Freya attempts to live a normal existence. She tries to hold down a crappy job (because that’s what you do). She doesn’t really have anyone she could call a friend. She is all but cut off from the rest of the world. The only people in her life are her mum, a self-absorbed colleague, a loathsome boss and a virtual-porn addicted ex-boyfriend, Julian, (who Freya still shares a house with). Freya’s life has stalled, her sister’s loss continues to eat away at her. Even though it has been years since Ruby went missing, the experience is still so raw Freya dwells upon it constantly. The only bright spot is her digital assistant. Using Freya’s online footprint as a guide, the device has assumed an identity based on Ruby. The strange thing? Virtual Ruby feels too real, too close to her human counterpart. Freya becomes obsessed with uncovering the truth.
There is also an introspective quality to the writing I really enjoyed. Freya is constantly searching for answers. Losing her sister has left such a huge gap in her life that Freya can barely function. The only thing pushing her forwards is the possibility, however small, that Ruby could still be alive. Freya’s journey allows Child the opportunity to pick apart the anatomy of grief and what that can mean to a person. Bonding with her sister’s virtual ghost changes Freya. Through the digitised memories that the artificial Ruby is made of, Freya begins to better understand herself and the real person she thought she knew.
The author peppers the plot with tiny topical flourishes that perfectly flesh out the main story. An offhand comment about Brexit and the inevitable Bre-entry here, a dialogue about the continuing automation of jobs there. We may live surrounded by technology, in a digital information-age, but we are still finding our feet when it comes to living a digital existence. Everything About You taps directly into all the concerns that come with this way of living. What with the recent revelations regarding companies like Cambridge Analytica and Facebook, Everything About You is not only entertaining but also eerily prescient.
Everything About You manages to be thought provoking, cutting edge and heart-breakingly emotive all in a single breath. Heather Child’s command of the narrative remains compelling throughout and I was hooked from beginning to end. I had to keep reminding myself this is her debut novel, it is so confident and self-assured. This is exactly the sort of immersive experience that is crying out for adaptation to the screen. It could easily feature as an episode in the next season of Black Mirror. I was so caught up in the story I rattled through the entire novel in a couple of sittings.
Where I think this novel excels is the characterisation of the main character. There is an inherent sadness in Freya. Ever since her foster sister, Ruby, disappeared, Freya’s life has been on hold. She floats through her days without any real sense of direction. I found it incredibly easy to empathise with her. Freya attempts to live a normal existence. She tries to hold down a crappy job (because that’s what you do). She doesn’t really have anyone she could call a friend. She is all but cut off from the rest of the world. The only people in her life are her mum, a self-absorbed colleague, a loathsome boss and a virtual-porn addicted ex-boyfriend, Julian, (who Freya still shares a house with). Freya’s life has stalled, her sister’s loss continues to eat away at her. Even though it has been years since Ruby went missing, the experience is still so raw Freya dwells upon it constantly. The only bright spot is her digital assistant. Using Freya’s online footprint as a guide, the device has assumed an identity based on Ruby. The strange thing? Virtual Ruby feels too real, too close to her human counterpart. Freya becomes obsessed with uncovering the truth.
There is also an introspective quality to the writing I really enjoyed. Freya is constantly searching for answers. Losing her sister has left such a huge gap in her life that Freya can barely function. The only thing pushing her forwards is the possibility, however small, that Ruby could still be alive. Freya’s journey allows Child the opportunity to pick apart the anatomy of grief and what that can mean to a person. Bonding with her sister’s virtual ghost changes Freya. Through the digitised memories that the artificial Ruby is made of, Freya begins to better understand herself and the real person she thought she knew.
The author peppers the plot with tiny topical flourishes that perfectly flesh out the main story. An offhand comment about Brexit and the inevitable Bre-entry here, a dialogue about the continuing automation of jobs there. We may live surrounded by technology, in a digital information-age, but we are still finding our feet when it comes to living a digital existence. Everything About You taps directly into all the concerns that come with this way of living. What with the recent revelations regarding companies like Cambridge Analytica and Facebook, Everything About You is not only entertaining but also eerily prescient.
Everything About You manages to be thought provoking, cutting edge and heart-breakingly emotive all in a single breath. Heather Child’s command of the narrative remains compelling throughout and I was hooked from beginning to end. I had to keep reminding myself this is her debut novel, it is so confident and self-assured. This is exactly the sort of immersive experience that is crying out for adaptation to the screen. It could easily feature as an episode in the next season of Black Mirror. I was so caught up in the story I rattled through the entire novel in a couple of sittings.
January 5, 2019
This book wasn't for me, unfortunately.
I really wanted to like this book and I was really interested because the concept sounded so cool!
But I found that the 'voice' in which the story was told was really confusing, maybe the first-person would have been better for me.
After a while I couldn't focus anymore on the story when I was reading it, I don't really know why, I can't place it. Maybe I should try reading this again another time.
I do think that it will be a good book to read if you like the writing style, and this sort of book.
I really wanted to like this book and I was really interested because the concept sounded so cool!
But I found that the 'voice' in which the story was told was really confusing, maybe the first-person would have been better for me.
After a while I couldn't focus anymore on the story when I was reading it, I don't really know why, I can't place it. Maybe I should try reading this again another time.
I do think that it will be a good book to read if you like the writing style, and this sort of book.
August 5, 2018
I loved the idea behind the story and the way that it takes the tech we have today and extrapolates it all just that little bit into what we might have tomorrow!
It made it feel very realistic and relatable, like a world I'm excited to see. If anyone remembers Tomorrow's World on the BBC, it made me think of that a lot while I was reading it (spaghetti plants aside).
Part of the story is that Freya is struggling to find her own space in the world and I get that, it just felt like she didn't understand, and didn't care to understand, basic things about how society works. She was so clueless it was hard to fully grasp the world and how it worked. It was like she’d just been dumped there and was a stranger herself. As the reader we learn the world through the characters and because Freya didn't understand her world it made me feel lost, like basic parts of the plotline were passing me by.
As an example, Freya goes on a date she's arranged online and 8 men turn up. She is confused and scared by it but after discussions with her virtual assistant appears to eventually grasp the situation - I never did.
But the more I think about the book after I've read it the more I like it. It makes important points about living in an echo chamber, how we need to be careful about passing off control of our own lives, and how much authority we give to artificial voices programmed to guess at what we might want.
I loved the storyline and the tech and I had a lot of sympathy for Freya but I felt like it was hard to get a grasp on the world. It stopped it from being a truly immersive book for me.
It made it feel very realistic and relatable, like a world I'm excited to see. If anyone remembers Tomorrow's World on the BBC, it made me think of that a lot while I was reading it (spaghetti plants aside).
Part of the story is that Freya is struggling to find her own space in the world and I get that, it just felt like she didn't understand, and didn't care to understand, basic things about how society works. She was so clueless it was hard to fully grasp the world and how it worked. It was like she’d just been dumped there and was a stranger herself. As the reader we learn the world through the characters and because Freya didn't understand her world it made me feel lost, like basic parts of the plotline were passing me by.
As an example, Freya goes on a date she's arranged online and 8 men turn up. She is confused and scared by it but after discussions with her virtual assistant appears to eventually grasp the situation - I never did.
But the more I think about the book after I've read it the more I like it. It makes important points about living in an echo chamber, how we need to be careful about passing off control of our own lives, and how much authority we give to artificial voices programmed to guess at what we might want.
I loved the storyline and the tech and I had a lot of sympathy for Freya but I felt like it was hard to get a grasp on the world. It stopped it from being a truly immersive book for me.
August 18, 2019
I read a page and i had no idea what the author was saying.
I found the pace glacial and the main character irritating.
Just no.
Shill
an accomplice of a hawker, gambler, or swindler who acts as an enthusiastic customer to entice or encourage others.
Reviewers who gave this 5 stars are shills!
DNF
I found the pace glacial and the main character irritating.
Just no.
Shill
an accomplice of a hawker, gambler, or swindler who acts as an enthusiastic customer to entice or encourage others.
Reviewers who gave this 5 stars are shills!
DNF
February 9, 2019
Not very intriguing short story dragged out way beyond its due.
Wasn't even about what I thought it was about—when it cared to be about anything at all.
Nah.
This book was given to me by me because I found it in a sale :)
Wasn't even about what I thought it was about—when it cared to be about anything at all.
Nah.
This book was given to me by me because I found it in a sale :)
September 8, 2018
Got to page 49 was so slow and boring i gave up lifes too short to waste on a book like this i never give up on a book as a rule but its a chore to read
September 2, 2020
This story sort of reminded me of Ready Player One.
May 4, 2019
This was an interesting book about a woman who has a virtual assistant (think siri, alexa,cortana etc) and this virtual assistant takes on the persona of her missing sister. This was creepy and thought provoking when you think of all the data that is collected from various sources about us. When I bought this book, Walmart had it classisfied as a Psychological Thriller - it really wasn't that which was what I was expecting. It had more of a science fiction type of vibe to me and it was more of that type of thriller. While this is not the type of book I normally read, I can see where it would appeal to people who enjoy science fiction type of thriller books.
November 26, 2018
|3.5 stars|
I am not a huge fan of technology, but the whole virtual assistant thing made me ask for this book. When you think about it, it can really be a wonderful thriller, with a hidden person feeding information etc.
Freya is thrilled about her new virtual assistant, a bot who knows everything about her, the information being fed via a cloud. Freya has one weakness- her dead sister. As the virtual assistant slowly turns herself into Freya’s dead sister, Freya starts to believe that her sister exists, especially because the assistant knows things more than it should know.
While Freya is the protagonist, the plot is driven mainly by the virtual assistant, who FYI, is super creepy. But then as the story progresses, Freya takes the center stage as it is her who has an unbearable loss and is looking for a closure.
Everything About You has a promising writing. There’s a plot with twists, characters who are engaging and there’s a visible development. I, however, felt that something was always missing. The ending was quite predictable and I read it only because of the world building and the sci-fi aspect, which was pretty decent.
Everything About You is a techno-thriller that has a chilling premise, complex relationships, and a downright creepy virtual assistant.
I am not a huge fan of technology, but the whole virtual assistant thing made me ask for this book. When you think about it, it can really be a wonderful thriller, with a hidden person feeding information etc.
Freya is thrilled about her new virtual assistant, a bot who knows everything about her, the information being fed via a cloud. Freya has one weakness- her dead sister. As the virtual assistant slowly turns herself into Freya’s dead sister, Freya starts to believe that her sister exists, especially because the assistant knows things more than it should know.
While Freya is the protagonist, the plot is driven mainly by the virtual assistant, who FYI, is super creepy. But then as the story progresses, Freya takes the center stage as it is her who has an unbearable loss and is looking for a closure.
Everything About You has a promising writing. There’s a plot with twists, characters who are engaging and there’s a visible development. I, however, felt that something was always missing. The ending was quite predictable and I read it only because of the world building and the sci-fi aspect, which was pretty decent.
Everything About You is a techno-thriller that has a chilling premise, complex relationships, and a downright creepy virtual assistant.
June 22, 2019
Disappointing. There's a great concept at the core of the story, but there are too many ideas competing here that simply spoil what could have been a great book.
The story goes from the more interesting aspects of a virtual assistant, AI and near future social networking, to an overly long exploration of an extremely boring virtual reality game. At the same time, I found myself with little interest or empathy for any of the characters, none of whom were particularly well developed.
Everything About You is well written, but has an identity crisis. Stripped down and simplified, it could have been an excellent, unsettling read. As it is, it feels more like an over ambitious young adult novel, that lives up to none of the hype or expectations the cover promises.
The story goes from the more interesting aspects of a virtual assistant, AI and near future social networking, to an overly long exploration of an extremely boring virtual reality game. At the same time, I found myself with little interest or empathy for any of the characters, none of whom were particularly well developed.
Everything About You is well written, but has an identity crisis. Stripped down and simplified, it could have been an excellent, unsettling read. As it is, it feels more like an over ambitious young adult novel, that lives up to none of the hype or expectations the cover promises.
April 29, 2018
A strikingly visual book that really stimulates the imagination. It's fast paced and does that smart thing that when you finish a chapter you just have to move to the next. It's clever, inventive, thought proviking and scary. Its not the type of book I usually read and I enjoyed it all the more for it. A fantastic debut work of fiction.
July 26, 2018
I can honestly say this book was a real page-turner, I was intrigued to see where the characters would end up and how the mystery would develop. I really enjoyed the descriptions of the imaginative tech in Child's version of the not-too-distant future; some made me laugh, some made me feel uneasy in how easily they could be upgraded versions of products around today - convenience definitely comes at a cost..!
I'd recommend reading to enjoy an interesting and refreshing story while simultaneously prompting you to reflect on your own use of and reliance on technology. I'll definitely be keeping my eyes peeled for Child's future releases.
I'd recommend reading to enjoy an interesting and refreshing story while simultaneously prompting you to reflect on your own use of and reliance on technology. I'll definitely be keeping my eyes peeled for Child's future releases.
June 16, 2018
I think if you’re into hi-tech, virtual reality, science fiction, this may be the book for you. However, I just couldn’t get into it at all. I found the pace sluggish and the main character irritating.
I really wanted to like it and so persevered for longer than I would normally, but, it wasn’t to be.
Thanks to Netgalley and Orbit books for the opportunity to preview this ecopy in exchange for this honest review.
I really wanted to like it and so persevered for longer than I would normally, but, it wasn’t to be.
Thanks to Netgalley and Orbit books for the opportunity to preview this ecopy in exchange for this honest review.
July 23, 2018
This is a wonderful, compelling read. The setting of the book is very clever and so terrifyingly relevant to the way we live and use technology - today and in the near future. For me however it is the journey that the main character goes on and the descriptions the author uses to bring all her experiences to life that i enjoyed the most. Would recommend - and not just for science-fi/ fantasy fans.
February 24, 2020
I read Everything About You recently for my book club - but it was a title I'd put in our jar [we put suggestions of what to read in a jar, and each month we choose a new one] after being gifted a copy from Orbit Books through the Swansea Blogger Collective.
It's fair to say it had a very mixed reception in the group; personally, I always think these are the best kinds of books for creating a lively discussion.
Now, I quite enjoyed Everything About You - I've given it four stars - but unfortunately other reactions in the group ranged from feeling ambivalent about it ('It was ok I guess') to actively disliking it and DNF'ing it.
I have some theories here.
This book is marketed as something like a Black Mirror-esque thriller. The teaser on the back of the hard back exclaims:
Discover this year's most cutting-edge thriller - before it discovers you.
The cover is quite striking, in a dark and Matrix-like way, and I thought the woman looked somewhat vulnerable.
Although these elements, to a certain degree, were in place, this story was not the edge-of-your-seat, high-jeopardy psychological thriller we were led to believe it was.
I was relieved. I hate those things. Therefore I enjoyed it. My mostly thriller-loving fellow book clubbers - not so much.
Admittedly, it took me a little bit to get into the story because of the tense; it's third person present tense, with quite a few flips into past tense as something from the protagonist's past is related. Although difficult at first to get used to, this third person narrative did give a sense of the voyeuristic, of being intrusive; paired with the immediacy of present tense, it really put me in mind of social media and being told what all your friends are doing right now this minute look here.
So having consolidated myself to the tense, I was able to enjoy all the other clever little quirks to this book. The story is set in the near future, and I really enjoyed how Child projected our current society and tech use into her own future. Little things, like adjustments to language - "I really rated it/it's rated" instead of "I really liked it/it's great" - cemented this world in my mind and made it believable. Likewise the character development was so subtle - some of the members of my book group argued the characters were flat, but I disagree. I felt like I had a good sense of Freya, and I really picked up on not just the changes in her as the story progressed, but those in her friend Chris also. It was that kind of second-hand awareness, like noticing a friend is posting a lot of pictures of hillsides lately so maybe they've taken up hiking...
I enjoyed the plot, but again I think this was more of a story about a girl coming to terms with loss and battling through a mental health crisis, rather than a mystery or a thriller. There is an element of mystery, there is a drive to discover what happened to someone, Freya is motivated by this belief; but it just didn't feel like the all-consuming star of the show that this kind of thing usually is in thriller books. I was quite surprised when the story took a Ready Player One kind of turn
My one criticism of this book was that it sometimes felt like the author got a little carried away by the tech. I can absolutely see the representation of how technology is becoming more and more integrated into everything we do, and how having such a heavy focus on it here mirrored that growing obsessive need. There were some moments that really made you stop and think, for example the way Freya's glasses modified what she saw and hid homeless people from view. Or the magnificent metaphor of her damp and mouldy walls (I don't want to go into that one further, because it might faintly spoil something, but again it was this notion of what we're using technology to plaster over and hide.) However, by the time I got to the end of the book, it felt like the plot was secondary to the various different bits of technology. Like a sci-fi novel of old, written to explore a scientific theory, the focus felt more on the various gadgets and apps and their influence on the characters. I think it was because of this, that the final resolution lacked the punch you would normally expect to get.
Like I said, this was my only criticism, albeit it was a major criticism for the other members of my group. It certainly made me think about our current dependency on the internet and social media, how easily things are accessible for us. The following really resonated with me:
All her life she has been able to tap into a larger brain and become a momentary expert on any subject... A piece of information being out of reach is more than unthinkable; it is maddening.
In short, Everything About You was insidious and thought provoking!
It's fair to say it had a very mixed reception in the group; personally, I always think these are the best kinds of books for creating a lively discussion.
Now, I quite enjoyed Everything About You - I've given it four stars - but unfortunately other reactions in the group ranged from feeling ambivalent about it ('It was ok I guess') to actively disliking it and DNF'ing it.
I have some theories here.
This book is marketed as something like a Black Mirror-esque thriller. The teaser on the back of the hard back exclaims:
Discover this year's most cutting-edge thriller - before it discovers you.
The cover is quite striking, in a dark and Matrix-like way, and I thought the woman looked somewhat vulnerable.
Although these elements, to a certain degree, were in place, this story was not the edge-of-your-seat, high-jeopardy psychological thriller we were led to believe it was.
I was relieved. I hate those things. Therefore I enjoyed it. My mostly thriller-loving fellow book clubbers - not so much.
Admittedly, it took me a little bit to get into the story because of the tense; it's third person present tense, with quite a few flips into past tense as something from the protagonist's past is related. Although difficult at first to get used to, this third person narrative did give a sense of the voyeuristic, of being intrusive; paired with the immediacy of present tense, it really put me in mind of social media and being told what all your friends are doing right now this minute look here.
So having consolidated myself to the tense, I was able to enjoy all the other clever little quirks to this book. The story is set in the near future, and I really enjoyed how Child projected our current society and tech use into her own future. Little things, like adjustments to language - "I really rated it/it's rated" instead of "I really liked it/it's great" - cemented this world in my mind and made it believable. Likewise the character development was so subtle - some of the members of my book group argued the characters were flat, but I disagree. I felt like I had a good sense of Freya, and I really picked up on not just the changes in her as the story progressed, but those in her friend Chris also. It was that kind of second-hand awareness, like noticing a friend is posting a lot of pictures of hillsides lately so maybe they've taken up hiking...
I enjoyed the plot, but again I think this was more of a story about a girl coming to terms with loss and battling through a mental health crisis, rather than a mystery or a thriller. There is an element of mystery, there is a drive to discover what happened to someone, Freya is motivated by this belief; but it just didn't feel like the all-consuming star of the show that this kind of thing usually is in thriller books. I was quite surprised when the story took a Ready Player One kind of turn
My one criticism of this book was that it sometimes felt like the author got a little carried away by the tech. I can absolutely see the representation of how technology is becoming more and more integrated into everything we do, and how having such a heavy focus on it here mirrored that growing obsessive need. There were some moments that really made you stop and think, for example the way Freya's glasses modified what she saw and hid homeless people from view. Or the magnificent metaphor of her damp and mouldy walls (I don't want to go into that one further, because it might faintly spoil something, but again it was this notion of what we're using technology to plaster over and hide.) However, by the time I got to the end of the book, it felt like the plot was secondary to the various different bits of technology. Like a sci-fi novel of old, written to explore a scientific theory, the focus felt more on the various gadgets and apps and their influence on the characters. I think it was because of this, that the final resolution lacked the punch you would normally expect to get.
Like I said, this was my only criticism, albeit it was a major criticism for the other members of my group. It certainly made me think about our current dependency on the internet and social media, how easily things are accessible for us. The following really resonated with me:
All her life she has been able to tap into a larger brain and become a momentary expert on any subject... A piece of information being out of reach is more than unthinkable; it is maddening.
In short, Everything About You was insidious and thought provoking!
April 29, 2020
~I received a copy from Hachette NZ and willingly reviewed it~
Freya has a new smartface, and it's perfectly tailored to her needs. It knows what she wants before she has to say a word, and more importantly it's assumed the voice of the person she needs—her sister Ruby, missing and presumed dead. As Freya allows the smartface to control more and more of her life, she starts to become obsessed with the idea of finding Ruby. Will she be able to stop using the smartface before she goes too far?
This book has a way of effortlessly integrating never-before-seen tech into the story, making it all seem natural. I have to say, I'd love to have some of these gadgets! but the more important focus is on the data, and specifically data privacy. It really makes you think about the propsect of having your life publicly viewably online; that being said, this book is not overly dystopian.
Overall, I just felt there was something missing. I was compelled to read on but it felt more like marching along in a straight line rather than skipping about to and fro from excitement? The character dynamics felt weird, whether it was Freya and her ex-boyfriend/housemate Julian, Freya and her work colleague/friend Chris, or Freya and her ex-boyfriend/housemate's dad/mother's boss Thalis. Or even Freya and her mother, Esther. Oops, yeah, Freya was just a bit bland in my opinion.
Everything About You holds a lot of promise and there are parts of it I really enjoyed, but it didn't have that wow factor for me. I recommend it for anyone who loves tech, and futuristic tech at that, but if you're looking for something dystopian or psychological thriller I suspect you might be in for disappointment.
Freya has a new smartface, and it's perfectly tailored to her needs. It knows what she wants before she has to say a word, and more importantly it's assumed the voice of the person she needs—her sister Ruby, missing and presumed dead. As Freya allows the smartface to control more and more of her life, she starts to become obsessed with the idea of finding Ruby. Will she be able to stop using the smartface before she goes too far?
This book has a way of effortlessly integrating never-before-seen tech into the story, making it all seem natural. I have to say, I'd love to have some of these gadgets! but the more important focus is on the data, and specifically data privacy. It really makes you think about the propsect of having your life publicly viewably online; that being said, this book is not overly dystopian.
Overall, I just felt there was something missing. I was compelled to read on but it felt more like marching along in a straight line rather than skipping about to and fro from excitement? The character dynamics felt weird, whether it was Freya and her ex-boyfriend/housemate Julian, Freya and her work colleague/friend Chris, or Freya and her ex-boyfriend/housemate's dad/mother's boss Thalis. Or even Freya and her mother, Esther. Oops, yeah, Freya was just a bit bland in my opinion.
Everything About You holds a lot of promise and there are parts of it I really enjoyed, but it didn't have that wow factor for me. I recommend it for anyone who loves tech, and futuristic tech at that, but if you're looking for something dystopian or psychological thriller I suspect you might be in for disappointment.
July 22, 2019
The technology in this book is believable and scary. I found myself drawn into this story so much so that I felt like I was in another world, one too close for my comfort. The author does a fantastic job of world building which was more interesting to me than the characters. While Freya and "Ruby" were likable and necessary to tell this story, I was more interested in the side stories that came up such as possibilities of losing jobs to AI, all the constant marketing, data mining, rating systems and tech speak. I really enjoyed this book and think it will appeal to a wide variety of people.
March 25, 2019
A chilling portent of how technology could be used to manipulate perception and personality as Child deftly combines sci fi and thriller. Freya’s spiral into obsession driven by grief and desire as brought on by a beta version of a virtual assistant which has taken on the personality of her missing sister Ruby is unsettling through the ease in which her life becomes driven by the very technology she has always been wary of. Powerful stuff with more to it then I expected, perhaps not so far off from the future we are speeding towards as online media continues to become a larger part of our day to day lives...loved it.
May 3, 2020
I liked the sound of this book but it wasn’t what I expected it to be. I found it very difficult to get into and it was a bit too fantasy/sci-fi for my liking. I read it until the end only because I wanted to find out what happened to Ruby, but found the whole story a bit too unbelievable.
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