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Girlfriend on Mars
Amber Kivinen is moving to Mars. Or at least, she will be if she wins a chance to join MarsNow. She and twenty-three reality TV contestants from around the world—including a hunky Israeli soldier, an endearing fellow Canadian, and an assortment of science nerds and wannabe influencers—are competing for two seats on the first human-led mission to Mars, sponsored by billionaire Geoff Task. Meanwhile Kevin, Amber's boyfriend of fourteen years, was content going nowhere until Amber left him—and their hydroponic weed business—behind. As he tends to the plants growing in their absurdly overpriced Vancouver basement apartment, Kevin tunes in to find out why the love of his life is so determined to leave the planet with somebody else.
An audaciously original debut from an "immensely talented writer" (Emily St. John Mandel), Girlfriend on Mars is at once a satirical indictment of our pursuit of fame and wealth amidst environmental crisis, and an exploration of humanity's deepest longing, greatest quest, and most enduring cliché: love.
An audaciously original debut from an "immensely talented writer" (Emily St. John Mandel), Girlfriend on Mars is at once a satirical indictment of our pursuit of fame and wealth amidst environmental crisis, and an exploration of humanity's deepest longing, greatest quest, and most enduring cliché: love.
368 pages, Hardcover
First published June 13, 2023
About the author
Deborah Willis
5 books116 followersDeborah Willis is a writer based in Calgary, Alberta. Her first book, Vanishing and Other Stories, was shortlisted for Canada's Governor General’s Award for fiction, named one of The Globe and Mail’s top 100 books of the year, and recommended by NPR as one of the best books of 2010. Her second book, The Dark and Other Love Stories, was longlisted for the 2017 Giller Prize, won the Georges Bugnet Award for best work of fiction published in Alberta, and was named one of the best books of the year by The Globe and Mail, the CBC public broadcaster, and Chatelaine Magazine. Her fiction and non-fiction has appeared in The Walrus, The Virginia Quarterly, The Iowa Review, Lucky Peach, and Zoetrope.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 568 reviews
August 9, 2023
3.5 Stars:
I was in the mood for a light-hearted audio that is clever, funny and amusing. After returning from a 5-day trip to Canada, “Girlfriend on Mars” published by Penguin Random House Canada caught my eye. Is it silly? You bet! It involves influencer wannabes and reality TV contestants, all competing to win a spot on a spaceship to Mars, to become “Mars-onauts”. And yes, it’s funded by a morally questionable billionaire, Geoff Task (no, not Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg nor shall we utter…Elon Musk… but Musk-like).
Canadian humor abounds….can you find an angry Canadian? The contestants are from around the world, but the girlfriend in question, Amber, lives in a Vancouver basement with her boyfriend of 14 years, Kevin. They are professional hydroponic weed growers (yes gags abound) as weed remains illegal in Canada. Furthermore, Amber cares about the environment and is appalled at the overbuilding and destruction of the planet. There’s plenty of shots taken at our culture which claims to care about the environment while simultaneously smoking/littering/burning fossil fuel.
The story is from Amber and Kevin’s point of view. Kevin is a bit whiny and very confused as to why his pro-environment girlfriend decides to compete in crazy “Survivor-like” challenges to be alone with a person she doesn’t know, for the rest of her eternity. Of course, these challenges are televised, and Kevin must watch Amber complete her physical competitions. Plus, he sees the very handsome Israeli soldier who is also on track to earn a spot on the spaceship.
Amber narrates her challenges. The listener learns of her conflicted feelings about her attraction to the handsome Israeli and the degrading earth, and her interest in being in a new world that humans have not ruined. We also learn of the other contestants who are imaginatively created as attractive, vain, and a bit scarce in the intelligence department.
Author Deborah Willis has loads of fun with this one. She pokes fun at our influencer culture, the environmentalists, the evangelicals, and of course the wealthy billionaires who willy-nilly buy countries, islands, and fund aeronautic programs. It’s a hoot. It met my needs.
Landon Doak and Venessa Matsui narrate. Penguin Random House did a fine job in structuring the audio, using two narrator voices for Kevin and Amber. I commend Audible for this original production.
I was in the mood for a light-hearted audio that is clever, funny and amusing. After returning from a 5-day trip to Canada, “Girlfriend on Mars” published by Penguin Random House Canada caught my eye. Is it silly? You bet! It involves influencer wannabes and reality TV contestants, all competing to win a spot on a spaceship to Mars, to become “Mars-onauts”. And yes, it’s funded by a morally questionable billionaire, Geoff Task (no, not Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg nor shall we utter…Elon Musk… but Musk-like).
Canadian humor abounds….can you find an angry Canadian? The contestants are from around the world, but the girlfriend in question, Amber, lives in a Vancouver basement with her boyfriend of 14 years, Kevin. They are professional hydroponic weed growers (yes gags abound) as weed remains illegal in Canada. Furthermore, Amber cares about the environment and is appalled at the overbuilding and destruction of the planet. There’s plenty of shots taken at our culture which claims to care about the environment while simultaneously smoking/littering/burning fossil fuel.
The story is from Amber and Kevin’s point of view. Kevin is a bit whiny and very confused as to why his pro-environment girlfriend decides to compete in crazy “Survivor-like” challenges to be alone with a person she doesn’t know, for the rest of her eternity. Of course, these challenges are televised, and Kevin must watch Amber complete her physical competitions. Plus, he sees the very handsome Israeli soldier who is also on track to earn a spot on the spaceship.
Amber narrates her challenges. The listener learns of her conflicted feelings about her attraction to the handsome Israeli and the degrading earth, and her interest in being in a new world that humans have not ruined. We also learn of the other contestants who are imaginatively created as attractive, vain, and a bit scarce in the intelligence department.
Author Deborah Willis has loads of fun with this one. She pokes fun at our influencer culture, the environmentalists, the evangelicals, and of course the wealthy billionaires who willy-nilly buy countries, islands, and fund aeronautic programs. It’s a hoot. It met my needs.
Landon Doak and Venessa Matsui narrate. Penguin Random House did a fine job in structuring the audio, using two narrator voices for Kevin and Amber. I commend Audible for this original production.
February 22, 2023
The concept sounded incredibly fun and entertaining but was so poorly executed.
It could've done with a much tighter edit; often seemed like it didn't know whether it wanted to be more of a ‘romp' or something more philosophical. It did not need to be as long as it was, so many ideas were repeated incessantly and by the end Kevin's POV was just insufferable.
Such a shame because there were some bright moments, but not enough to stand out in the muddle.
It could've done with a much tighter edit; often seemed like it didn't know whether it wanted to be more of a ‘romp' or something more philosophical. It did not need to be as long as it was, so many ideas were repeated incessantly and by the end Kevin's POV was just insufferable.
Such a shame because there were some bright moments, but not enough to stand out in the muddle.
June 26, 2023
I've seen a lot of negative reviews of this book, but I think many of them stem from a fundamental misunderstanding of what Willis set out to do with this story. What could have been a slapstick kind of satire with a Hunger Games-style competition for a spot on the first mission to Mars was instead a thoughtful and insightful rumination on belief, religion, humanism, and the varieties of trauma we carry with us from childhood to adulthood.
Amber and Kevin are both likable and unlikable in their own unique ways—you desperately want to root for them even as you want to take them by the shoulders and shake them. But that's also what makes the story compelling. Neither is entirely right or wrong in the way they see the world, or how they approach life's challenges.
If you go into this book expecting the space & sci-fi elements to take center-stage, you're going to be disappointed. But I sort of enjoyed how much Willis made them the background for the real human drama to play against. Of course, in our day and age of privatized wealth, extreme privilege, and obsession with social media, the next major space development won't have the same noble aura of NASA's previous advancements. It will be farcical and half-baked and driven by dreams of profit. And because of that it will fade into the background of our lives with the other examples of wealthy behavior that impact all our wellbeing even as they have nothing to do with our day-to-day lives.
I really enjoyed Girlfriend on Mars and am looking forward to reading more from Willis. This would make a perfect beach read for someone looking for a story at the intersection of fluff and thought-provoking.
Amber and Kevin are both likable and unlikable in their own unique ways—you desperately want to root for them even as you want to take them by the shoulders and shake them. But that's also what makes the story compelling. Neither is entirely right or wrong in the way they see the world, or how they approach life's challenges.
If you go into this book expecting the space & sci-fi elements to take center-stage, you're going to be disappointed. But I sort of enjoyed how much Willis made them the background for the real human drama to play against. Of course, in our day and age of privatized wealth, extreme privilege, and obsession with social media, the next major space development won't have the same noble aura of NASA's previous advancements. It will be farcical and half-baked and driven by dreams of profit. And because of that it will fade into the background of our lives with the other examples of wealthy behavior that impact all our wellbeing even as they have nothing to do with our day-to-day lives.
I really enjoyed Girlfriend on Mars and am looking forward to reading more from Willis. This would make a perfect beach read for someone looking for a story at the intersection of fluff and thought-provoking.
February 10, 2023
I thought the concept was cute, and again the individual chapters were pretty good. But there was no world (no pun intended) where this needed to be 360 pages. I've surprisingly had a lot of good luck with books about reality TV lately so I thought this would be a fun additive element but it really brought nothing, particularly because the challenges didn't matter (everything was by popular vote) and it was obvious who was going to win from the start just by how the author wrote it. There was no tension on "what will happen," all of that was clear. Instead, we just got to watch these two people slowly degrade into the worst versions of themselves. And then the ending petered out. This sounds like such a harsh review but on a sentence/paragraph/chapter level I thought this was funny and thoughtful. It just dragged way too long and kept hammering home the same stuff.
April 26, 2023
This book was hard to put down, and it took me some time to decide what to say in a review. It’s funny and depressing and satirical and sad...yet hopeful. It touches on Internet celebrity, how our upbringings make us who we are, and how to try and save the planet. You know, the small stuff. It’s Sci-fi because of the whole Mars plot, but it’s also refreshingly character-driven.
Amber and Kevin have been together since their late teens and have settled into a somewhat co-dependent but warm relationship across the country in Vancouver. Amber decides to apply and gets a spot on a reality show that eliminates two people each week, with the final two heading to Mars to help colonize the planet. It's sponsored by MarsNow, a company run by a tech-bro-douchebag, as Kevin would call him.
The characters are so well-written and so flawed in authentic ways. I will for sure check out the next thing Deborah Willis writes. Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Amber and Kevin have been together since their late teens and have settled into a somewhat co-dependent but warm relationship across the country in Vancouver. Amber decides to apply and gets a spot on a reality show that eliminates two people each week, with the final two heading to Mars to help colonize the planet. It's sponsored by MarsNow, a company run by a tech-bro-douchebag, as Kevin would call him.
The characters are so well-written and so flawed in authentic ways. I will for sure check out the next thing Deborah Willis writes. Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
October 16, 2023
we could have unpacked a lot of this in therapy vs going to mars
April 10, 2023
This was absolutely miserable. The characters were miserable, the storyline was miserable, the ending was miserable. The characters are like if the worst, most nihilistic parts of Twitter became people. All complaining and no action. And when there is action taken by the characters to try to make things better, they fail. The alternating POV chapters are confusingly written in first and third person. The critiques of society are biting, but they're just critiques. No one does anything with them. If it's meant to be satire, it's not even funny. It's depressing.
Content warning: fatphobia, racism, infidelity, suicidal thoughts, miscarriage
Content warning: fatphobia, racism, infidelity, suicidal thoughts, miscarriage
August 14, 2023
This was fun. But also not fun at all. More people need to read this so you can feel what I feel. Humor-full humorless dread. Rated 5 stars cause I need other people to read it.
“I close the laptop and wonder if there might be an epically long German word to express exactly what I am feeling: profound shame at being part of humanity. Can I go on? Can I live in this insane world? I might throw myself out the window if I’m not careful (and when you live in a basement, that could result in bruises).”
One last note, do millennials really care about the Bradgelina divorce that much? Why was it mentioned like three times? Why?
“I close the laptop and wonder if there might be an epically long German word to express exactly what I am feeling: profound shame at being part of humanity. Can I go on? Can I live in this insane world? I might throw myself out the window if I’m not careful (and when you live in a basement, that could result in bruises).”
One last note, do millennials really care about the Bradgelina divorce that much? Why was it mentioned like three times? Why?
September 18, 2023
Funny but philosophical and pretty bittersweet..
Like Love Island but contestants are fighting for a chance to be pioneers on the planet Mars (and less trashy)
https://www.instagram.com/p/CvFnDJprRUT
I’m not sure whether we’re supposed to like the characters or not - both flawed and I guess that’s what makes them human. I loved the different POVs and their backstories.
Strong-headed short Indian girl Pichu was my favourite 🤎 and I absolutely LOVED the reference to Andy Weir’s The Martian.
Although the story was slightly predictable, this was so easy to read and I really enjoyed the writing style - I’ll definitely be keeping my eyes peeled for what she comes out with next! 🚀
3.5 stars
Like Love Island but contestants are fighting for a chance to be pioneers on the planet Mars (and less trashy)
https://www.instagram.com/p/CvFnDJprRUT
I’m not sure whether we’re supposed to like the characters or not - both flawed and I guess that’s what makes them human. I loved the different POVs and their backstories.
Strong-headed short Indian girl Pichu was my favourite 🤎 and I absolutely LOVED the reference to Andy Weir’s The Martian.
Although the story was slightly predictable, this was so easy to read and I really enjoyed the writing style - I’ll definitely be keeping my eyes peeled for what she comes out with next! 🚀
3.5 stars
March 28, 2023
Oof. Well, I'll get this out of the way first: this book has a terrible cover! The cover does not reflect the content or tone of the book at all. This book is not fun, or silly, or even satirical. I thought I was going to get something completely different based on the cover.
This book takes itself very seriously, and the characters take themselves very seriously, even when they shouldn't. The story suffers from a dual third-person, first-person narrative and even though I think I know why that was done (), it was a strange choice that leaves readers less connected to Amber than we should be. She's the one leaving the planet, so maybe that's why we are supposed to feel closer to Kevin, the one remaining Earth-bound like us ... but it's a strange dynamic to set up, since hers is the more complex perspective. She could benefit from a first-person POV. The book also felt too long, in part because the reality show element sort of peters out disappointingly, and also because nothing really happens at home on Kevin's end.
For some reason my primary gripe is that it seems inauthentic when either of the main characters talk about environmental activism or the climate crisis. Many aspects of their characterization are seamless and sensible - Amber's background in gymnastics, the routine of caring for the marijuana plants, the complicated life and death of Kevin's mother, the mixture of comfort and dissatisfaction between Kevin and Amber in their relationship. All of those were well-demonstrated, relatable and felt real to me. But this illusion dropped completely whenever there was mention of the climate crisis or some sort of passion for the environment. We never saw that played out in any way, we never felt those feelings from the main characters the way we did with other issues they were compelled by. It felt forced and weird. The only authentic thing about it was that sometimes the rants really *did* feel as empty and toothless as those a group of stoners might ramble off together. "Yeah, man, Eff Elon and save the bees!" or whatever. It felt fake and half-hearted, and like the author just used symbols of climate change to stand in for real passion and commitment from the characters. Why bother adding this element if you aren't going to treat it with the same care as other issues?
Finally, the ending was rushed and somehow disappointing. The actual plot of the ending I liked, but the execution was bland and hurried, and Kevin's portion became nearly unreadable. I wouldn't want to DNF a book so close to the end, but I considered it!
I wish the book had been more tightly focused on Amber, expanded her experiences on the show and after, and flashed back to Kevin far less or differently - but then this would have been a different book! No one owes me that story and it's not fair to judge this book harshly just because that's not the story the author chose to tell. However, I think that this book is probably not going to find wide audience appeal. Perhaps there are a few too-different story threads here that just weren't well-braided into a whole. I think that tighter editing and some restructuring might have turned this into a more satisfying book. As it is, I wouldn't recommend it.
This book takes itself very seriously, and the characters take themselves very seriously, even when they shouldn't. The story suffers from a dual third-person, first-person narrative and even though I think I know why that was done (), it was a strange choice that leaves readers less connected to Amber than we should be. She's the one leaving the planet, so maybe that's why we are supposed to feel closer to Kevin, the one remaining Earth-bound like us ... but it's a strange dynamic to set up, since hers is the more complex perspective. She could benefit from a first-person POV. The book also felt too long, in part because the reality show element sort of peters out disappointingly, and also because nothing really happens at home on Kevin's end.
For some reason my primary gripe is that it seems inauthentic when either of the main characters talk about environmental activism or the climate crisis. Many aspects of their characterization are seamless and sensible - Amber's background in gymnastics, the routine of caring for the marijuana plants, the complicated life and death of Kevin's mother, the mixture of comfort and dissatisfaction between Kevin and Amber in their relationship. All of those were well-demonstrated, relatable and felt real to me. But this illusion dropped completely whenever there was mention of the climate crisis or some sort of passion for the environment. We never saw that played out in any way, we never felt those feelings from the main characters the way we did with other issues they were compelled by. It felt forced and weird. The only authentic thing about it was that sometimes the rants really *did* feel as empty and toothless as those a group of stoners might ramble off together. "Yeah, man, Eff Elon and save the bees!" or whatever. It felt fake and half-hearted, and like the author just used symbols of climate change to stand in for real passion and commitment from the characters. Why bother adding this element if you aren't going to treat it with the same care as other issues?
Finally, the ending was rushed and somehow disappointing. The actual plot of the ending I liked, but the execution was bland and hurried, and Kevin's portion became nearly unreadable. I wouldn't want to DNF a book so close to the end, but I considered it!
I wish the book had been more tightly focused on Amber, expanded her experiences on the show and after, and flashed back to Kevin far less or differently - but then this would have been a different book! No one owes me that story and it's not fair to judge this book harshly just because that's not the story the author chose to tell. However, I think that this book is probably not going to find wide audience appeal. Perhaps there are a few too-different story threads here that just weren't well-braided into a whole. I think that tighter editing and some restructuring might have turned this into a more satisfying book. As it is, I wouldn't recommend it.
August 20, 2023
I enjoyed this Canadian debut SO much!!
Amber Kivinen is an ex-Olympic hopeful gymnast turned influencer who decides to leave her college boyfriend, Kevin to compete in a reality television show offering two spots on the first human-led mission to Mars.
Hosted by a rich Jeff Bezos/Elon Musk type tycoon, the show provides the chance for two invididuals to seek the utmost level of fame in a life-changing adventure. Full of romance and wit, this story was one I couldn't put down and found so fascinating.
Told from the POV of both of both Amber and her ex, Kevin, the book explores Millennial life, climate change, the power of social media, corporate culture and more and is perfect for fans of books like Andy Weir's The Martian and was good on audio narrated by Landon Doak and Vanessa Matsui.
⚠️CW: late-term miscarriage, cancer
Amber Kivinen is an ex-Olympic hopeful gymnast turned influencer who decides to leave her college boyfriend, Kevin to compete in a reality television show offering two spots on the first human-led mission to Mars.
Hosted by a rich Jeff Bezos/Elon Musk type tycoon, the show provides the chance for two invididuals to seek the utmost level of fame in a life-changing adventure. Full of romance and wit, this story was one I couldn't put down and found so fascinating.
Told from the POV of both of both Amber and her ex, Kevin, the book explores Millennial life, climate change, the power of social media, corporate culture and more and is perfect for fans of books like Andy Weir's The Martian and was good on audio narrated by Landon Doak and Vanessa Matsui.
⚠️CW: late-term miscarriage, cancer
February 20, 2023
I went into this (ARC from the bookstore) excited! I thought the premise on the back was interesting, and that it would be a fun satirical play on reality TV and space exploration and a doomed Earth--like For All Mankind, but lighter and more nihilistic towards climate change. But this wasn't really that.
The POV is split between Amber (competing on TV to be one of two people chosen to go to Mars) and Kevin (her slacker, stoned boyfriend who is absorbed in grief and boring self interest). I didn't like this choice but understood why the author did it--except it just made me wonder why I was spending time with Kevin at all, when I only wanted to read Amber's POV. The choice to do one in first person and one in third is confusing, too--you feel distanced from Amber and the start, and are also given these annoying inserts with Kevin where he's talking directly to you, like you're hovering above his head as he lives his life.
You kind of come to care about the characters, but not enough to be emotionally invested or a believer in the stakes here. Especially Kevin--I felt bad for him ultimately, I guess, but it came down to not caring enough, when I've spent half the book with him rehashing his superiority-complex a thousand times over. That's all kind of the point--everyone in the book isn't Good or Productive or community organizing in the face of mass destruction, and it's all blah blah capitalism. But the commentary and satire of this book is so surface level, so repetitive, I don't want another list of every catastrophe on earth, that the characters "care" about (but not really). I know the list! Be clever or snarky, but this is just boring (and aimless).
Easy to get through and I kept reading since I wanted to find out what happened to Amber, but the final portion of the book (Season 2) ended up bringing my read down to two stars. Could I have spent more time with Amber? The ending was rushed, and the final perspective chapter was....fine? But again--give me something to care about. The way huge moments are breezed past in order to flashback to Kevin made me think that the author knew not enough time had been given to these moments so the reader didn't actually have an emotional impact from them.
Thank you PRH Canada for the ARC none the less
The POV is split between Amber (competing on TV to be one of two people chosen to go to Mars) and Kevin (her slacker, stoned boyfriend who is absorbed in grief and boring self interest). I didn't like this choice but understood why the author did it--except it just made me wonder why I was spending time with Kevin at all, when I only wanted to read Amber's POV. The choice to do one in first person and one in third is confusing, too--you feel distanced from Amber and the start, and are also given these annoying inserts with Kevin where he's talking directly to you, like you're hovering above his head as he lives his life.
You kind of come to care about the characters, but not enough to be emotionally invested or a believer in the stakes here. Especially Kevin--I felt bad for him ultimately, I guess, but it came down to not caring enough, when I've spent half the book with him rehashing his superiority-complex a thousand times over. That's all kind of the point--everyone in the book isn't Good or Productive or community organizing in the face of mass destruction, and it's all blah blah capitalism. But the commentary and satire of this book is so surface level, so repetitive, I don't want another list of every catastrophe on earth, that the characters "care" about (but not really). I know the list! Be clever or snarky, but this is just boring (and aimless).
Easy to get through and I kept reading since I wanted to find out what happened to Amber, but the final portion of the book (Season 2) ended up bringing my read down to two stars. Could I have spent more time with Amber? The ending was rushed, and the final perspective chapter was....fine? But again--give me something to care about. The way huge moments are breezed past in order to flashback to Kevin made me think that the author knew not enough time had been given to these moments so the reader didn't actually have an emotional impact from them.
Thank you PRH Canada for the ARC none the less
June 19, 2023
This book really surprised me with how much the ending touched me. For me this book was really about grief in so many ways the sad slow loss of a romantic relationship, loss of hopes and dreams we have for ourselves, the losses of climate crisis and the grief of losing a parent. Despite all of this the book is super funny and actually a total page turner. The social criticism is right on challenging the absurdity of billionaires, celebrity, and spectacle. It's he characters are what really drive this story, Willis is a skilled writer no doubt. If you want a read with some heart and ever feel like the world is face palm worthy then this is probably a great read for you!
August 26, 2023
This was awful. I wish I had listened to my first instinct: to DNF within 20 or so pages. I hate every character. I would wish this on an enemy so they can suffer just as much as I did. Why did I do this to myself? Why did I waste my precious time? I need to read or watch something to disinfect my brain. Save yourself. It’s not what you expect from the synopsis. The marketing team did an excellent job convincing me it was a fun read but it is lies.
August 25, 2023
I enjoyed Girlfriend On Mars.
What I liked:
Two POVs
Character-Driven
Unique Storyline
Flawed Characters
Real Situations
Laugh Out Loud Moments
Reality TV Aspect
What I didn't like:
First & Third Person Story Telling
Too Many Pages
The ending. I didn't see it coming! The last 40ish pages caught me completely off guard. I won't say anything else because this is a spoiler free zone, but oh my goodness. Completely blindsided.
There are some heavy content warnings. Please feel free to send me a message if you would like to know more.
My thanks to Penguin Random House Canada for this gifted copy!
What I liked:
Two POVs
Character-Driven
Unique Storyline
Flawed Characters
Real Situations
Laugh Out Loud Moments
Reality TV Aspect
What I didn't like:
First & Third Person Story Telling
Too Many Pages
The ending. I didn't see it coming! The last 40ish pages caught me completely off guard. I won't say anything else because this is a spoiler free zone, but oh my goodness. Completely blindsided.
There are some heavy content warnings. Please feel free to send me a message if you would like to know more.
My thanks to Penguin Random House Canada for this gifted copy!
February 26, 2024
La mia ragazza su Marte di Deborah Willis (Bollati Boringhieri) è stata una scoperta bellissima. Il romanzo è arrivato a sorpresa e l’ho cominciato subito a gennaio senza sapere nulla, incuriosita solo dal titolo. In un battibaleno sono stata catturata dalla penna di Willis così ironica e precisa. Era gennaio, i problemi personali hanno fagocitato la mia vita e i libri sono rimasti indietro, sono riuscita a terminarlo solamente un mese dopo averlo iniziato e sono anche contenta perché me lo sono proprio gustato.
Kevin e Amber sono i protagonisti, il loro punto di vista continua ad alternarsi per tutto il libro e questo conferisce dinamicità alla narrazione. Questa coppia è una coppia agli opposti. Amber è dinamica, ha fame, voglia di mordere la vita… Kevin trascorre le sue giornate sul divano ad osservare le piantine di marijuana che crescono. Sì, i due coltivano droga leggera per arrivare a fine mese. Amber da ragazzina è stata un’atleta prodigio, l’unica cosa che contava era superare i propri limiti , stringere i denti e andare avanti verso la vittoria. A qualunque costo. È questo che la spinge a partecipare a un reality sui generis: MarsNow.
RECENSIONE COMPLETA: https://www.lalettricecontrocorrente....
Kevin e Amber sono i protagonisti, il loro punto di vista continua ad alternarsi per tutto il libro e questo conferisce dinamicità alla narrazione. Questa coppia è una coppia agli opposti. Amber è dinamica, ha fame, voglia di mordere la vita… Kevin trascorre le sue giornate sul divano ad osservare le piantine di marijuana che crescono. Sì, i due coltivano droga leggera per arrivare a fine mese. Amber da ragazzina è stata un’atleta prodigio, l’unica cosa che contava era superare i propri limiti , stringere i denti e andare avanti verso la vittoria. A qualunque costo. È questo che la spinge a partecipare a un reality sui generis: MarsNow.
RECENSIONE COMPLETA: https://www.lalettricecontrocorrente....
August 6, 2024
c'est vraiment dommage parce qu'il y a plusieurs moments où tu vois tu sais tu sens que l'autrice a énormément de sensibilité et de talent et elle arrive à te pondre des phrases cosmiques après lesquelles tu te dis "peut-être que la vie a tout bonnement un sens" mais la majorité du temps on est juste coincé dans la tête de personnes insupportables qui évoluent autant au fil du livre qu'un fossile enterré sous trois tonnes de cailloux. les chapitres du point de vue de Kevin dans le dernier tiers du livre sont une torture d'ennui particulièrement rare, qui touche presque au sublime : imaginez être coincé dans le monologue intérieur d'un homme médiocre qui n'accomplit rien et se laisse dépérir dans une jalousie moribonde envers à peu près le reste de l'univers tout en se branlant sur son ex qui elle-même est en train de se laisser dépérir dans un caprice moribond qui l'aura menée à la destruction de sa propre personne et à copuler avec un homme édenté. ça ne donne pas très envie n'est-ce pas. c'est parce que ce n'est pas très bien. aussi le livre semble découvrir que la téléréalité c'est très la société. et nous invente une sorte de crypto-Elon Musk avec qui l'héroïne échange un gros patin parce que pourquoi pas. je ne sais pas. tout est morbide et condamné à mourir dans ce livre. tout pourrit. tout est triste. mais ça se veut drôle et ironique et spirituel en même temps. sauf que c'est juste triste. et déprimant. et vraiment je le dis ça ne m'intéresse pas de lire les histoires d'un homme qui vivote en fumant de la beuh légale parce qu'il a échoué à maintenir son commerce de beuh illégale. mais c'est peut-être juste moi. les livres sur l'espace méritent mieux.
May 4, 2023
Kevin and Amber have been together for fourteen years. They share their Vancouver apartment with their hydroponically-grown cannabis "babies" and have a profitable business selling weed. Life is going smoothly, or so Kevin thinks, until Amber tells him that she's been selected as a contestant on a reality show that will send the two winners to Mars. Permanently. And she really wants to win. Despondent, Kevin flips to the show every week to watch his girlfriend compete for a spot while falling in love with someone else. But what can he do? Is there a way to win her back? And why does she want to leave so badly in the first place?
This is one of those books you’re either going to connect with or not — at first I wasn’t sure which way it would go for me, but I did end up invested in the story. I can't say I really even liked Amber or Kevin, but I definitely was interested to find out how their stories would end.
Told in two POVs, we get to see Amber's perspective on the MarsNow competition and her relationships with its contestants, as well as Kevin's pathetic little life back home in Vancouver, trying to hold it together. They're both pretty terrible people, and if you can't stand cheating, they're not people you're going to like. They cross relationship boundaries so casually that it's grating, but I think this serves to illustrate how neither of them really should be in that relationship anymore.
Overall I found this book to be such an interesting concept and told extremely well (especially for a debut!) and I'm curious to see what Deborah Willis comes up with next. Check this one out if you like quirky character-driven novels, especially ones full of characters you don't have any particular affinity for. It's kind of like playing the Sims — you don't really care about them but it's fascinating to see what they do in weird situations.
Thank you to Deborah Willis, WW Norton & Company, and NetGalley for my advance digital and physical copies!
This is one of those books you’re either going to connect with or not — at first I wasn’t sure which way it would go for me, but I did end up invested in the story. I can't say I really even liked Amber or Kevin, but I definitely was interested to find out how their stories would end.
Told in two POVs, we get to see Amber's perspective on the MarsNow competition and her relationships with its contestants, as well as Kevin's pathetic little life back home in Vancouver, trying to hold it together. They're both pretty terrible people, and if you can't stand cheating, they're not people you're going to like. They cross relationship boundaries so casually that it's grating, but I think this serves to illustrate how neither of them really should be in that relationship anymore.
Overall I found this book to be such an interesting concept and told extremely well (especially for a debut!) and I'm curious to see what Deborah Willis comes up with next. Check this one out if you like quirky character-driven novels, especially ones full of characters you don't have any particular affinity for. It's kind of like playing the Sims — you don't really care about them but it's fascinating to see what they do in weird situations.
Thank you to Deborah Willis, WW Norton & Company, and NetGalley for my advance digital and physical copies!
November 30, 2023
this has so much promise but it was painfully long for what it was. too much dialogue and nothingness and I’m a character driven gal, but this wasn’t even character driven. I ended up skimming the last 100 pgs or so. 😴
July 20, 2023
Came for the cover and premise. Stayed with the hope it would get better. Continued to stay because it couldn't get worse and more dumb. It did get worse and dumb.
August 15, 2023
Sally Rooney meets Otessa Moshfegh? Kinda?
August 14, 2023
a miserable read filled with miserable characters
September 13, 2024
La vie de Kevin se retrouve complètement chamboulée lorsqu'Amber, sa petite amie de longue date, lui annonce qu'elle va participer à l'émission MarsNow, une télé-réalité dont l'objectif est d'envoyer les deux gagnants sur Mars pour y fonder une famille.
⠀
J'avais pas mal d'attentes concernant ce titre, et bien qu'il ne s'agisse en aucun cas d'une catastrophe, j'ai vraiment été déçu. J'imagine que c'est principalement dû au fait que je m'attendais à lire de la SF, et malgré ce que le résumé peut laisser entendre, ça n'en est pas tellement, ou en tout cas pas comme je l'aurais aimé.
⠀
En revanche, s'il y a bien une chose sur laquelle vous pouvez faire confiance au résumé, c'est pour l'aspect satirique de ce roman. L'autrice nous propose ici une critique très vive de notre société sur pas mal d'aspects, et notamment sur notre consumérisme. De ce point de vue là, la lecture a vraiment été intéressante et l'autrice fait souvent mouche.
⠀
J'ai peut-être été un peu moins emballé par les personnages. Kevin est encore assez sympathique (malgré son côté loser complètement assumé) mais j'ai eu plus de mal avec Amber. Et ce n'est même pas tant son caractère qui m'a gêné (même si elle a les dents qui rayent le plancher, qu'elle est profondément égoïste et très peu empathique). Non, mon vrai problème avec Amber c'est que je n'ai jamais réussi à croire à ce personnage, et surtout à ses choix, qui, pour moi, ne sont absolument pas cohérents avec son profil (ex-athlète émérite, profil plutôt intellectuel). Ca n'est pas tellement important mais ça m'a un peu sorti de l'histoire.
⠀
Le personnage d'Adam ne m'a pas tellement plu non plus d’ailleurs, puisque je l'ai trouvé très froid et sans relief. Heureusement que la pétillante Pichu était là pour apporter un peu de sympathie parmi les candidats de l'émission.
⠀
Pour continuer dans ce que j'ai moins aimé, j'ai aussi eu beaucoup de mal avec la dernière partie du roman (qui était pourtant la plus SF, comme quoi) que j'ai trouvé extrêmement plombante, pour ne pas dire sordide. Je ne sais pas trop à quoi je m'attendais, mais pas à ça en tout cas.
⠀
J'ai quand même bien accroché au style du roman, déjà pour son côté très cynique mais aussi pour son côté très pop, plein de références qui m'ont beaucoup parlé. D'autant plus que le roman se déroule au Canada où je passais moi-même mes vacances au moment de ma lecture. Ca n'en a rendu ma lecture que plus immersive.
⠀
Au final, ça a quand même été une lecture sympa, à découvrir, mais tout dépend des attentes qu'on en a.
⠀
J'avais pas mal d'attentes concernant ce titre, et bien qu'il ne s'agisse en aucun cas d'une catastrophe, j'ai vraiment été déçu. J'imagine que c'est principalement dû au fait que je m'attendais à lire de la SF, et malgré ce que le résumé peut laisser entendre, ça n'en est pas tellement, ou en tout cas pas comme je l'aurais aimé.
⠀
En revanche, s'il y a bien une chose sur laquelle vous pouvez faire confiance au résumé, c'est pour l'aspect satirique de ce roman. L'autrice nous propose ici une critique très vive de notre société sur pas mal d'aspects, et notamment sur notre consumérisme. De ce point de vue là, la lecture a vraiment été intéressante et l'autrice fait souvent mouche.
⠀
J'ai peut-être été un peu moins emballé par les personnages. Kevin est encore assez sympathique (malgré son côté loser complètement assumé) mais j'ai eu plus de mal avec Amber. Et ce n'est même pas tant son caractère qui m'a gêné (même si elle a les dents qui rayent le plancher, qu'elle est profondément égoïste et très peu empathique). Non, mon vrai problème avec Amber c'est que je n'ai jamais réussi à croire à ce personnage, et surtout à ses choix, qui, pour moi, ne sont absolument pas cohérents avec son profil (ex-athlète émérite, profil plutôt intellectuel). Ca n'est pas tellement important mais ça m'a un peu sorti de l'histoire.
⠀
Le personnage d'Adam ne m'a pas tellement plu non plus d’ailleurs, puisque je l'ai trouvé très froid et sans relief. Heureusement que la pétillante Pichu était là pour apporter un peu de sympathie parmi les candidats de l'émission.
⠀
Pour continuer dans ce que j'ai moins aimé, j'ai aussi eu beaucoup de mal avec la dernière partie du roman (qui était pourtant la plus SF, comme quoi) que j'ai trouvé extrêmement plombante, pour ne pas dire sordide. Je ne sais pas trop à quoi je m'attendais, mais pas à ça en tout cas.
⠀
J'ai quand même bien accroché au style du roman, déjà pour son côté très cynique mais aussi pour son côté très pop, plein de références qui m'ont beaucoup parlé. D'autant plus que le roman se déroule au Canada où je passais moi-même mes vacances au moment de ma lecture. Ca n'en a rendu ma lecture que plus immersive.
⠀
Au final, ça a quand même été une lecture sympa, à découvrir, mais tout dépend des attentes qu'on en a.
March 11, 2024
I put this book down for a while about halfway through and oh boy did it change genres.
The first half was a fun, somewhat dramatic read. Kevin and Amber narrate their own story, and I felt increasingly more annoyed with their choices. Suddenly I felt accidentally rocketed (ayyy a pun) into an existential analysis of the future of humans in the face of technology and climate change.
While I did enjoy the read, despite hating all of the characters, it seemed to need a bit more thought to sprinkle a more serious tone into the beginning (or make the shift seem more intentional) and perhaps cut down on a lot of unnecessary dialogue. There’s only so much I can stand to hear of Kevin refusing to leave his basement apartment.
Oh and I had to add this edit -- I know everyone's experience of being a woman is different, but there were multiple times I did a double take at what the author wrote. Like... starting to work out more should not stop your period???? Amber probably needs to get that checked out.
The first half was a fun, somewhat dramatic read. Kevin and Amber narrate their own story, and I felt increasingly more annoyed with their choices. Suddenly I felt accidentally rocketed (ayyy a pun) into an existential analysis of the future of humans in the face of technology and climate change.
While I did enjoy the read, despite hating all of the characters, it seemed to need a bit more thought to sprinkle a more serious tone into the beginning (or make the shift seem more intentional) and perhaps cut down on a lot of unnecessary dialogue. There’s only so much I can stand to hear of Kevin refusing to leave his basement apartment.
Oh and I had to add this edit -- I know everyone's experience of being a woman is different, but there were multiple times I did a double take at what the author wrote. Like... starting to work out more should not stop your period???? Amber probably needs to get that checked out.
October 12, 2023
This was excellent
November 3, 2023
Author Deborah Willis deals with a number of weighty topics using a light premise: a contest in the form of a reality tv show created by a repellent billionaire to send two winners to colonize Mars.
Former Olympic gymnast Amber Kivennen and her underemployed extra actor and wannabe writer boyfriend Kevin each narrate this story in alternating, short chapters that explain their histories (dysfunctional families, religion, ambition, injury, failure, loss, grief), their reasons for growing and selling drugs, and why Amber chafes at their limited existence while Kevin feels happily cocooned in it.
Meanwhile, their world is a series of climate disasters, fuelled by continued greed and exploitation, while people their age are at a loss for what to do about it all.
Amber surreptitiously auditions for the contest and is picked, along with a number of other beautiful young people from around the world.
The contestants are flown to different locations to undergo various difficult challenges, and Amber keeps passing them, while Kevin remains stubbornly ensconced in their Vancouver basement apartment, angry she’s participating in the contes and expecting to fail and return. He’s lost, refusing to engage with the outside world, and hate-watching the weekly episodes of the “Mars-onaut” reality show, furious that Amber would be representing a mindset of consumption and escape from Earth’s problems.. At the same time, Amber is deeply upset about the state of the world, the effects of corporate greed, and fthinking her botany and hydroponics knowledge could be instrumental in establishing a home for humans.
What starts out as a seemingly silly and ridiculous (the writing is often humourous) is slowly revealed to be a thoughtful examination of maturity, second chances, dreams, identity, relationships and exploration. And how a younger generation feels, saddled with all the mistakes of previous generations.
Former Olympic gymnast Amber Kivennen and her underemployed extra actor and wannabe writer boyfriend Kevin each narrate this story in alternating, short chapters that explain their histories (dysfunctional families, religion, ambition, injury, failure, loss, grief), their reasons for growing and selling drugs, and why Amber chafes at their limited existence while Kevin feels happily cocooned in it.
Meanwhile, their world is a series of climate disasters, fuelled by continued greed and exploitation, while people their age are at a loss for what to do about it all.
Amber surreptitiously auditions for the contest and is picked, along with a number of other beautiful young people from around the world.
The contestants are flown to different locations to undergo various difficult challenges, and Amber keeps passing them, while Kevin remains stubbornly ensconced in their Vancouver basement apartment, angry she’s participating in the contes and expecting to fail and return. He’s lost, refusing to engage with the outside world, and hate-watching the weekly episodes of the “Mars-onaut” reality show, furious that Amber would be representing a mindset of consumption and escape from Earth’s problems.. At the same time, Amber is deeply upset about the state of the world, the effects of corporate greed, and fthinking her botany and hydroponics knowledge could be instrumental in establishing a home for humans.
What starts out as a seemingly silly and ridiculous (the writing is often humourous) is slowly revealed to be a thoughtful examination of maturity, second chances, dreams, identity, relationships and exploration. And how a younger generation feels, saddled with all the mistakes of previous generations.
July 6, 2023
This was a science fiction novel that was crying out to be written, inspired by the failed attempted by the now collapsed Mars One to combine reality TV with a mission to Mars. In Deborah Willis's novel, the company becomes MarsNow, but the concept is exactly the same: two 'marsonauts' chosen in reality TV knockout style are going to be sent on a one-way trip to Mars.
The two central characters, Amber (the would-be space traveller) and her boyfriend Kevin seem designed to reflect the opening line of the Larkin poem This Be The Verse - they both are seriously damaged by their parents (as is Amber's other love interest and reality show competitor, Adam). The book is divided into alternating chapters, swapping between a first person account from Kevin and a third person account of what Amber is doing.
This approach broadly works well as their lives diverge, with Kevin left behind in Vancouver and Amber taking part in rounds of the reality show that are located across the world. Kevin, arguably, is the book's weak point as he has no redeeming features. His life primarily consists of sitting on his couch and smoking weed. You can see why Amber got together with him initially as they both escaped their parental homes - but it's hard to believe she would have stayed with him so long. Even before entering the show, Amber was bringing in the money while Kevin did... nothing much.
What the book does really well is explore the dark side of social media and reality TV as they distort the truth and manipulate their audiences. It also throw in a dubious tech billionaire behind MarsNow, whose big picture posturing is shown to simply a cover for making more and more money.
On the whole, Willis is also good at presenting the scientific reality of the difficulty of getting to Mars and surviving there. The only big error is that she thinks that constellations would be different on Mars - the distance from Earth is so much smaller than the distance to the stars that there would be no visible difference.
As we see Amber's relationship with Adam changing during the rounds of the reality show, it's hard not to see a bit of an Adam and Eve theme going on, especially given Amber's evangelical upbringing.
As a high concept novel and as far as the Amber segments go, this is a solidly five star book - but Kevin spends far too much time sitting on the couch, stoned, indulging in dull introspection, which makes the middle of the book sag a little. Nonetheless it's one of the high points of 2023.
The two central characters, Amber (the would-be space traveller) and her boyfriend Kevin seem designed to reflect the opening line of the Larkin poem This Be The Verse - they both are seriously damaged by their parents (as is Amber's other love interest and reality show competitor, Adam). The book is divided into alternating chapters, swapping between a first person account from Kevin and a third person account of what Amber is doing.
This approach broadly works well as their lives diverge, with Kevin left behind in Vancouver and Amber taking part in rounds of the reality show that are located across the world. Kevin, arguably, is the book's weak point as he has no redeeming features. His life primarily consists of sitting on his couch and smoking weed. You can see why Amber got together with him initially as they both escaped their parental homes - but it's hard to believe she would have stayed with him so long. Even before entering the show, Amber was bringing in the money while Kevin did... nothing much.
What the book does really well is explore the dark side of social media and reality TV as they distort the truth and manipulate their audiences. It also throw in a dubious tech billionaire behind MarsNow, whose big picture posturing is shown to simply a cover for making more and more money.
On the whole, Willis is also good at presenting the scientific reality of the difficulty of getting to Mars and surviving there. The only big error is that she thinks that constellations would be different on Mars - the distance from Earth is so much smaller than the distance to the stars that there would be no visible difference.
As we see Amber's relationship with Adam changing during the rounds of the reality show, it's hard not to see a bit of an Adam and Eve theme going on, especially given Amber's evangelical upbringing.
As a high concept novel and as far as the Amber segments go, this is a solidly five star book - but Kevin spends far too much time sitting on the couch, stoned, indulging in dull introspection, which makes the middle of the book sag a little. Nonetheless it's one of the high points of 2023.
March 9, 2023
If the publishing industry had a face to punch, I would punch it. Willis wrote this tragicomic, really quite poignant novel in the form of a fun page-turner... and the industry releases it with a title and cover art that not only dumbs it down to a factor of ten but seems calibrated to alienate male readers. You have to flip it over and notice that Alice Munro blurbed it to deduce that it's not meant to be a "beach read" for tween girls. I enjoyed the heck out of this book, which is mainly about grief yet is somehow fun to read.
February 10, 2024
Ge-nius. Tried very hard not to laugh/cry too obviously in the office.
Sad to see this was not marketing the right way, this is indeed not about drama within a tv reality show (tho there is) but more ✨ the drama of our fucking human existence within a capitalist society in which we're all gonna die of eco-anxiety if we're lucky enough to survive the rest ✨ kind of book. The characters, their voices, their humor : very relatable, even when you're not a cannabis grower / a tv reality celebrity (and I can tell cause I'm none)
Sad to see this was not marketing the right way, this is indeed not about drama within a tv reality show (tho there is) but more ✨ the drama of our fucking human existence within a capitalist society in which we're all gonna die of eco-anxiety if we're lucky enough to survive the rest ✨ kind of book. The characters, their voices, their humor : very relatable, even when you're not a cannabis grower / a tv reality celebrity (and I can tell cause I'm none)
January 1, 2024
I can't decide if this is a generous 3 or too low of a rating. I can't figure out if I'm smart and this book is dumb, or if this book is smart and I'm dumb. I didn't particularly like it but I did think about it a fair amount. I think there's some Gatsby parallels going on that I can't quite articulate. Did it need to be so long? It felt like two separate stories by the end. I'm not sure I've ever been so confused about my feelings for a book haha. Is that the point or am I just a lil basic?
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