This was such a cool story! It reminded me in some ways of Sylvain Neuvel's Themis Files (but in a wholly different way, if that makes any sense at all).

The appearance of something unexpected with the attendant worldwide consequences that accompany Things We Don't Understand lends itself to everything from slapstick antics to thoughtful consideration of what it means to be human in the modern world, and in the hands of a talented writer (which Green clearly is) that blend makes for a marvelous ride. I also REALLY enjoyed the exegesis on fame, social media, and the fleeting nature of public opinion in this day and age. Add in excellent writing and spot-on pacing, a clever heroine (who is, in the nature of the best heroines, often too clever for her own good or the good of those around her), a fantastic (literally and figuratively) idea, and the result is a book that pulled me in from the opening salvo and never let go.

There's a subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) biting wry wit at work here. It simultaneously makes a mockery of our obsession with social media "fame" and pays a reluctant homage to the bizarre power of masses of people to shape the way the world works (for good and most definitely for ill). I found it thoughtful and thought-provoking and infuriating and inspiring - an amalgamation that doesn't come along in one entertaining package all that often.

I must confess, John Green isn't much to my taste. I find him a little too angst-y and existential-why-of-youth focused. I'm not his prime audience, so that's not a criticism so much as a comment. Hank Green is ENTIRELY to my taste though, and I'll be seeking him out in his myriad fora from now on!

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green was something. . . I spent much of the book deciding if I really liked the book. The story revolves around the arrival of Carl statues around the globe - Imagine a bunch of Optimus Prime replicas, and that's what goes down. They show up unexplained one evening at a variety of locations, and April May and a friend film their interaction with one. Overnight (literally), April becomes an internet sensation as buzz about the Carls goes viral. Throughout the story, April navigates her newfound fame and perceived expertise, as everyone tries to figure out who the Carls are, what they mean, etc. I liked the pieces of the book that focused on how April tried to navigate being thrust into the spotlight and all that came with that experience. It was some intriguing commentary on how social media can accelerate a story and the role it plays in news and real life happenings today. Overall though, this wasn't one that totally captivated me. I kept reading because I wanted to know what was happening with the Carls. However, I wanted more character development and depth. I was more driven to know what was happening because of the mystery, and I wanted it to be because I was drawn into what was happening to the characters. This was an interesting enough read that kept me turning the pages, but wasn't fully and totally my jam. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me have a look at this one that's now available in paperback.

I was missing the character F, but after a while I didn’t really notice because this crazy story had me wanting to read more. It might have been the weird formatting, but it took me until pretty much the of the book to realise that this might be a book of a book. Anyways, I really enjoyed the story; she was a little whiny, but this was fun and quirky and different.

I am floored I mean REALLY floored how much I loved this book! Not for any other reason then sometimes “new adult” books just aren’t my jam but wow this book was my jam!! I loved everything about it! I loved how Hank shows that being rich and famous isn’t always what it’s crack up to be. I also love how this book was seriously unlike everything I have read before. I also loved April, but not because she was awesome all the time but because Hank wrote her so real and completely unawesone (I know it’s not a word) she was a lot of the time!

I highly recommend An Absolutely Remarkable Think and I look forward to read more from Hank!!

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing tackled some heavy issues which I wasn't really expecting going into it. Now the writing which was fast paced and engaging was something I did expect from Hank Green.

The appearance of The Carls did spook me quite a bit and I realized quickly that this brand of sci-fi that bordered on a near-apocalyptic landscape gave me a bit of anxiety while reading it. That doesn't mean that I disliked the book at all. The plot felt rich, but blended, and the various song and lyric references were a surprise to me.

I did feel like this was in the sci-fi genre, but light sci-fi to the point where it stretched itself over two different genres which I enjoyed and I feel will allow others interested in similar subjects to dip their toes into without feeling like they're diving directly into the deep end.

Without a doubt I'll be looking forward to the next in the series and possibly checking out any of Hank's future releases.

The Internet Can Transform You into a Celebrity

April May is conflicted. She has a job where she can use her artistic degree and talents, but she still can’t afford a decent apartment in New York City and works long hours. On her way home in the early morning, she comes on a gigantic sculpture. She’s intrigued by the intricate design of the transformer. In fact, she’s so excited she calls Hank, her best friend to make a U-Tube video.

The next morning, April awakens to Internet fame, but it’s not all delightful. The sculptures, which she calls Carl, are showing up all over the world. Now people are terrified and April finds herself in the position of defending the invaders.

The plot in this book is good. We have the aliens invading our space, but are they bad or good. However, in the first half of the book, the emphasis is on April and her response to fame. Social media can be a wonderful way to stay in touch with friends and explore on line relationships, but it can turn ugly, as April discovered.

The plot moves swiftly and in the opening chapters exploring interesting concepts with fame. We may want it, but it can bring more problems than it’s worth. Besides, it can change people in not good ways. This is one takeaway from how April handles things.

I enjoyed the book. It’s readable and contains insights on finding the first aliens as well as how social media shapes people and events.

I received this book from Net Galley for this review.

All, you have to read this.

April is an ordinary young millennial-- working a soul-draining job she hates to pay off student loans-- before the Carls arrive. The Carls are silent, immobile, 10-foot tall Transformers that appear mysteriously around the world. April is the first one to capture a Carl on film, and she's catapulted into fame, suddenly becoming the unofficial spokesperson for the Carls and the possibility of first contact.

This is a pretty good first contact story, and it is a spectacular, biting commentary on Internet fame and how celebrity transforms a person. The sci-fi part really isn't the focus, and you will likely be disappointed if that's what you want. The apogee of the novel-- where April reaches max fame-- is brilliant and left me thinking for a while. <i>An Absolutely Remarkable Thing</i> captures the zeitgeist of the late 2010s so perfectly that I can imagine people reading it decades from now to try to understand us.

Some really neat things that deserve particular attention:

Green does a stellar job of capturing April's voice. She is so real that I felt like I could hear her talking as I read the novel. April is often not likable and recognizes this, and that complexity makes the book even better.

There is an awesome Easter egg hunt that occupies part of the book, and it's a lot of fun. It reminded me of the best parts of <i>Ready Player One</i> except better. I wonder if Green was inspired by MIT's performance in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DARPA_Network_Challenge">DARPA's red balloon challenge</a>?

Without spoilers, Hank Green is the brother of John Green, and both appear to fall into the "Death of an Author" camp. As I submit this review, I see that the book is labeled #1, which indicates we might get more? That's excellent news. Can't wait!

ARC obtained through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and independent review. Thanks!

I picked this novel thinking I was going to read about tumultuous relationships amongst high school students. This assumption was based on the one thing you are not supposed to use to pass judgment, the cover. I was completely wrong, but I was pleasantly surprised by what I got instead. An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green is unlike any book I have read in recent memory. It combines science-fiction, platonic and romantic relationships, an analysis of current political tensions, and commentary on fame through social media. The novel follows the life of April May, a 20-something New Yorker in search of her place in the world. On her way home, she discovers what looks like an art installation in Manhattan and posts a video that goes viral, because what she found is not art and is not the only structure to have appeared overnight. In fact, there are 64 of these “Carls” around the world and April May and her friend Andy decide to use their marketing and design backgrounds to turn the success of their first video into a platform with a positive message (and a lot of monetary gain). Strange things begin to happen with the structures and these events seem to revolve around April May. Then the phenomenon begins to spread to the population as a whole and sides are formed. The book is written from April May’s point of view, so there is introspection and growth as she deals with her celebrity and power. The book is a commentary on new types of fame and the detriments and benefits that come with that fame.

There it was—in the middle of the sidewalk. An Absolutely Remarkable Thing. It was “a ten-foot-tall Transformer wearing a suit of samurai armor, its huge barrel chest lifted up to the sky a good four or five feet above my head.”

April May didn’t know what to do. She’s a Millennial graphic artist so of course she had her friend Andy film her interviewing it while calling it Carl. They posted it on YouTube.

The next morning, April May is a viral sensation. The video of New York Carl is eventually watched by 94% of the humans on the planet. It seems she and Andy have caught the tip of a phenomenon. There are at least sixty Carls in cities all over the world. News programs are paying the two $10,000 each per 20 minute interview.

Just when April May starts liking the attention (and the money, of course), she reads some trolling comments on her video. Someone is also impersonating her in a fake, and rude, Twitter account. Worst of all, she discovers that there is something secret and scary about Carl. To continue her fame, she decides to do something about it.

Instagram fame is fleeting unless you are curating your life for others as hard as the Kardashians. April May is caught by a fame she didn’t seek but also doesn’t want to see wane. That moral is the center of this science fiction thriller. Despite being substantially older, I could totally see myself in many of April’s decisions. Not just the fame but also the need to find out who or what Carl is. I think An Absolutely Remarkable Thing is An Absolutely Remarkable Book! Great for teens through seniors with a story with an immediacy rarely seen in novels targeting New Adults. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5 stars!

Thanks to Dutton Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was a phenomenal book. I absolutely love the way it explores internet celebrity and our appreciation, concern, and fear of technology. This book is (very fittingly) absolutely remarkable.

I was excited to read a book by Hank Green, but this book was a difficult read for me. I found the April May character readable/relatable and the plot fairly amusing, but it was still just "eh" for me. I have yet to recommend it to any other readers in the six months that have passed.

This book is so good!

Frankly, I don't know much about the Green brothers and have never read a John Green novel, but I didn't have high expectations going in. Based on the description about giant alien robots, I thought it's going to be something like The Themis Files series, but for teens. I was totally wrong! First of all, this is not YA. It's straight-up a literary sci-fi. Secondly, it is less to do with the aliens, and more with social dynamics, the effects of social media and overnight fame on a person and their relationships, the intricacies of the cyberspace, even the divide between the left and the right online and offline. The main plot revolves around convincing humanity to work together toward a common goal, so, a very topical and interesting social commentary masquerading as an adventure novel. Dope! Also, it's really funny. I enjoyed it immensely.
My only note is that I hope it ages well? But there are so many popular culture and meme references that will be confusing in 5 years. But nevertheless, I'm looking forward to the sequel. My other small complain is that the e-arc was pretty badly edited: if a word had an "ff" in it, it was always missing the fs (I have no idea how that can even happen), some paragraphs were out of order, etc. It somewhat affected my ability to enjoy the novel, so I hope it's fixed for the online version of the book.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc! I will definitely be buying a paperback for my collection.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. It's intriguing and I'm excited to read more from Hank Green in the future (the sequel? yes please). Also obviously I love that we've got a bi main character in such a prominent book.

April May is just chilling, walking through NYC late in the evening (almost morning) when she discover: Carl. A huge,hulking, immovable sculpture, he immediately fascinates design-school graduate April and her video-savvy friend Andy, and they make a video with him, wondering where he came from, what he means, et cetera. But that video goes viral when it becomes clear that NYC Carl isn’t the only Carl. There are dozens of Carls all over the world, in Hollywood and Sao Paolo and Tokyo, you get the idea. It’s…crazy. Because no one is taking credit for the Carls, no one can move them, no one knows how they got there, and no one can explain how the Carls were made. Because the Carls aren’t just weird…they might be out of the world. That’s how April gets pulled into being a social media star, the spokesperson for the Carl movement and also a leader of an online community trying to figure out just what the heck is going on with Carl. But not everyone is convinced that Carl is kind and benign. There are others out there who want to end the Carls and everyone who represents them, which puts April may in the crosshairs of her own social media race and a clash of clans. Where did Carl come from? What does he want? And why is everyone having the same dream now that April has come onto the scene?

This book is speculative fiction but grounded in reality, grounded in the social media landscape we recognize with fantastical elements like sculptures from outer space and dreams shared by millions of people with puzzles to unlock, but it drew me in. I thought this was a stand alone novel but let me tell you, once you get to THAT ending, you will understand that it is NOT a stand alone. I don’t know much about the next book yet, but I know everyone who has read this book is already clamoring for it.