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jennabritton's review against another edition
5.0
I’m not usually a reader of sci-fi, but I’m a regular reader of Leslie’s newsletter, Morning Person, and was curious about the topic of this book. I don’t know if I’m now a genre fan or just a fan of Leslie’s writing, but I thought this book was phenomenal. It was interesting and surprising and terrifyingly prescient. The three main characters were flawed, but frustratingly relatable. And the evolving storyline was so well-paced and engaging. I’ll be thinking about this book, its themes, and the consequences of wellness, technology, climate change explored therein for a long, long time!
papercraftalex's review
2.0
The first half of this book had be so absorbed and enthralled, then it resolved into a lackluster, idiotic thriller. It had a great premise and world-building with believabily flawed main characters, then threw that all in the garbage for a ridiculous plot. It took me months to finish because the second half was so bad. I go into specifics with spoilers below.
I don't think it was a horrible choice to make Emmett Maggie's mother, but Emmett's character because basically a cartoon villain. The beginning had great commentary on the Foucauldian nature of technology and social media and I wish she had stuck with that instead of basically throwing the characters into a blender of chaos and stupidity. And the fact that Emmett was so mad that Noa got her drug addicted, emotionally abusive mother deported (when Noa was a teenager), that she nearly killed her and then kept her in a simulation for possibly forever is just ridiculous. After all of this, Maggie's character basically fell apart. She became a mother/daughter object rather than a character with motivations and thoughts. I love multiple POV books. I love books with ambiguous endings. I love books that have nuanced commentar on women technology. But I very much did not love this book.
Overall, I do not recommend.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Overall, I do not recommend.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
megrogs's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
izzy_a's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
kaisle's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
rcrockett12's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
wanderingbean's review against another edition
1.0
I really enjoy reading Leslie Stephen's writing. I'm a paid subscriber to her newsletter, and I had such high hopes for this book based on how much I like it. This is why it makes me so sad to not like You're Safe Here (so much so that I've avoided writing a review of the ARC I received months ago--sorry about that, NetGalley).
I want to start with the positive--Stephens is great at world-building. She creates a world that feels like it's just on the cusp of now. It's a nuanced world with details that make it feel real and like a warning cry for our relationship with technology. Unfortunately, everything else about the book is poorly done. The relationships between the characters are really static (the protagonist and both of her love interests barely engage); we never really get to see the main cause of the tension between them, and all of it fizzles out in the most unsatisfying way. While the book initially feels like it's going to be a sci-fi thriller, it devolves into a meandering mess of mommy issues that also never feels satisfying or logical. I think the book could have been so much better if an editor probed the author's choices more and asked about motivations since the plot points feel more like half-developed ideas that end with a whimper instead of something with more grit.
Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC of this book.
I want to start with the positive--Stephens is great at world-building. She creates a world that feels like it's just on the cusp of now. It's a nuanced world with details that make it feel real and like a warning cry for our relationship with technology. Unfortunately, everything else about the book is poorly done. The relationships between the characters are really static (the protagonist and both of her love interests barely engage); we never really get to see the main cause of the tension between them, and all of it fizzles out in the most unsatisfying way. While the book initially feels like it's going to be a sci-fi thriller, it devolves into a meandering mess of mommy issues that also never feels satisfying or logical. I think the book could have been so much better if an editor probed the author's choices more and asked about motivations since the plot points feel more like half-developed ideas that end with a whimper instead of something with more grit.
Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC of this book.
whatkelsreads's review
3.25
You’re Safe Here by Leslie Stephens starts with such a great premise. It explores the effects of technology created to fully optimize our lives. How do relationships change when we’re used to technology making all our decisions for us? What do we lose when our decision making is automated for us? Stephens explores how, when every day decisions are removed, individuals may end up less able to exercise sound judgment when it counts, and they might end up searching for ways to reclaim control.
However, this book went off the rails for me with the whole twist/thriller element. It was even less realistic than the advanced technology. I wish the author had stuck to the technology aspect of the underlying conflict rather than make it a basic domestic thriller type story.