This book was a little creepy to begin with. The cross-connections and coincidences were a little too handy. But this book was hard to put down. Although I figured out what what going on from the beginning, I was still eager to read the book. One chapter flowed into the next, in spite of saying to myself “only one more chapter, it’s a school night.” Before I knew it, it was midnight.

I don’t think the book was very believable or true-to-life, but that did not impact my enjoyment of the book. I recommend this book as a beach read. It’s also good for a long car ride or plane ride. Just don’t start it if you don’t have time to finish it in the same sitting.

I started this book, and though the premise and the first couple chapters were extremely intriguing to me, I just couldn't seem to connect with the characters. For that reason, I did not finish and am unable to give a full review.

I wasn't entirely sure what to expect going in to this story. While I liked the idea, I could never fully get invested in the story itself. I felt it wandered quite a bit, and I didn't need so much info about the broadcasts. However, I am glad I read it; it's quite a unique idea.

A VERY unique storyline that will grab your attention quickly. A television show that has videos from the last two thousand years. Videos of everything!
The book has excellent parts and some not so good parts but in the end, it kept me reading and entertained. It will be interesting to see what this author does next.

Well I liked the idea of this story.... And I really wanted to like the story itself. But it never connected with me. I tried reading at several different sittings (to make sure it wasn't my mood any particular time) and never made much progress.

Thanks to NetGalley for the copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

#The Broadcast #NetGalley

I couldn't put this book down, but do I recommend it, do I like it? It is a very complicated story with very many characters. The beginning is simple, unwed mother must give her son up for adoption. Then it jumps to a different topic, with you all the while knowing that somehow, somewhere, this mother and son will be reunited. I think maybe it was a bit "futuristic" but then would I believe that there is a capability to watch everything at all times and record our happenings? I do believe drones are capable of capturing the present moments and have been available for a short time in the past. But all the way back to the first century? Nope, I can't buy that - and neither could those caught up in "The Broadcast". Who was creating these films? Where did he/she get their information? This part was a bit out there for me! I could, however, see the possibilities of error in the television broadcasts and the problems that might arise from around the country and the world.

I am going to rate this book 3 stars. I liked reading it, but there were too many characters and too many coincidences that made the book fall into place. Not one of my favorites but okay.

While the premise is interesting, the execution does not work for me. The writing is stilted, with lots of short declarative sentences reminiscent of a newspaper article. Punctuation is often inappropriate with semicolons and commas in the wrong places, and changes of tense within a single sentence are jarring, to say the least.

In short, this work would benefit from a good editor.

I did like this book. The concept was very interesting. There was a lot of unnecessary information as far as the broadcasts were concerned though.

Mysteriously developed films are aired on the Broadcast show. The dynamics of a family are explored. There's a lot going on but it comes together in the end.

Posted on Amazon - I received an ARC and promised an honest review. My interest peaked after the first 25 pages, when the plot, characters and writing fell flat. Great premise - needs more work to be a viable success - that's my take. Appreciate the change to read - wish I liked it better.

Interesting idea and unusual in a way. The story introduces us to many characters and later lets us see how they interact. All have back stories that may or may not tie together.

What if you could see what really happened- in a murder, in history, etc and I mean really see. It's almost like it comes from space as the camera zooms down to show you what really happened. But.. is it real or is it fake? Walter, the TV producer has sworn not to reveal his source, but what if he has to?

The characters were interesting, the story line a bit unusual, at least for me, and I wanted to get to the end to figure out how it was being done. The writing is a factual style, almost like a reporter just giving the facts. The problem was that facts were repeated; do you think we are stupid? That we forgot already? As you can tell, that annoyed me and threw me out of the spell I was under while reading.

Thank you NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Broadcast focuses on the story of a television show that is able to show videos of actual crimes and events in time. It’s a mystery as to where these videos are coming from or how they are able to pinpoint exact places and spaces in history, but that isn’t the whole story. This is also a story of people’s lives - people that are both involved with The Broadcast, or or linked by people involved.

I almost put this book down at the beginning simply because it sounded like it was going to be a fictional retelling of the OJ Simpson/Nicole Brown murder. Thankfully it moved on from that particular anecdote. There are quite a few characters and storylines to follow, perhaps a few too many. The actual show, called The Broadcast, is a character in itself. Walter is the producer of the show. His brother Jonathan is married to Sarah, who was forced to give up a child from a teenage pregnancy. Michael is a young man just finding his way in the world. Stewart McPherson is an investigative journalist trying to break the secret of where The Broadcast gets its videos. He employs a man nicknamed HH to do some research into The Broadcast. All these characters get intertwined through the story. And there are more side characters and other side stories to follow as well.

I give The Broadcast 4 stars for an unusual topic, but 2 for presentation. There are parts of the story that go on and on unnecessarily. Once we have experienced two or three of the actual topics of the show, The Broadcast, it seems repetitive to devote entire chapters to each broadcast. Perhaps for students of history, it might be interesting, but I found it redundant after the third show. Also, there are bits and pieces of the story that get repeated, as though we are actually viewing a TV show with the “on the last episode” portion at the beginning. There are some tough topics in this story, reader beware.

I like the premise of the book but I found it had too many stories going at once , I lost interest on some of the side stories.

The characters in this book are very complex and well developed. Sarah’s background as a sixteen year old pregnant girl sent away by her family affects her life in the future greatly. Jonathon’s parents were killed in a car crash when he was two, and he and his brother were split up in foster care. These two monumental events in their early life shape everything that happens in the future. While they love each other very much, their marriage isn’t really what it should be. They do bond over a new tv show called The Broadcast. This show takes cold cases and shows a grainy video taken from a view above the event and helps the police to solve the case. Later on, the show takes historical events and broadcasts them in the same manner. There is a lot of controversy over the show, some think it’s a hoax, religious leaders are against it as they don’t want people to see the actual events in case it would affect their beliefs. Other characters have this show affecting their lives and the author leaves many breadcrumbs that really keep the flow of the story going and pique the reader’s interest. I highly recommend this book.

I usually review on B&N and Kobo but couldn't find it on either site.

The Broadcast by Liam Fialko does a lot of jumping to different characters. Information from earlier in the story is repeated, almost as if this was a two part story merged together. The Broadcast holds some major coincidences. I was given a copy to review.

Riveting mystery
This is an intriguing story about a man who has discovered how to go back in time. A mystifying television show is at the center of a complex web. It is a very interesting story that branches off in different directions interconnecting the lives of many people. Great character development. I loved the plot line and how the story unfurls from different angles. It is well written and very entertaining. Keeps you guessing to the very end.
I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion of it.

The book's description caught my attention and I was not disappointed. It is the story of how one television show affects the lives of many people. The characters are realistic with everyday flaws.

Told from varying points of view, the multiple storylines of the characters, who seem unconnected in the beginning, come together like pieces of a puzzle. The overall plot will have you questioning just how much technology has taken over our lives and the power of the media.

The end of the book seems open to a sequel as it leaves some questions unanswered.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Edgy and tense... though the theme of broadcasted brainwashing isn't completely unique, it catches my imagination because the irrational part of my brain always tells me "it could happen!". I enjoyed the characters and dialogue, and the plot kept me interested to the end. Recommended!

I am not the person to review this book. I can tell that I am not part of the target audience and therefore my feedback would be counterproductive. I will include my notes on the first chapter, which give ample evidence as to why I am not going to finish the book or submit a full review.

review

found myself bouncing off this as soon as I started to read it.

a) the writing doesn't seem to flow naturally, or rather, the prose style is more like that of books written for those who do not read widely and deeply

b) the "horrific' crime appears from the initial description to simply be that of OJ Simpson with the serial numbers filed off

c) I seriously doubt that 'the media' whatever that may be, would call anything "The Trial from the Movies"

d) um, people don't come into the possession of 'filmstrips' anymore. Tapes, yes, recordings yes, filmstrips belong to a long forgotten technology for most people today

e) when was the last time you read / heard that an opinion poll was 'funding by' anyone. They are paid for.

f) "The network had scheduled the show to air at 10:00 pm" .... in what time zone. A blockbuster 'revelation' would be scheduled to run in all the times zones at the same time, one would expect. So 10 EDT, 7 PDT?

g) what is the difference between a hoax and a deception?

h) every metropolis is, by definition, big

I really wasn't sure what to expect based on the description and then with the opening chapter. The initial set up wasn't clear and I was unsure about continuing to read, But the writing is good and the chapter by chapter build up from each person's perspective was engaging and I persevered.
I am glad I did, I ended up really liking this book. The different people and their storylines begin separately and begin to weave together in a very interesting ways that was neither not trite or predictable. From the young woman who loses her child, to the boy who loses his parents to the embittered bad guy and curious good guy, there is both balance and challenge.
The revelation was a little of what I suspected and I loved it. Very creative. The ending is quite satisfying, the right people ended up in the right places with the right person. I wish some of that magic would work for me.

Very surprising and lovely read. thanks