Reading this I'm reminded of the novel Godless, centering on a casual lie that grows out of the protagonist's control. A hoax developed as an experiment that quickly gets out of control. It explores the nature of belief, the things we believe even without evidence. It looks at people convincing themselves to believe in something or just going along with a lie in order to be a part of something. At the surface, it's pretty funny. There are a number of humorous elements. But it also has serious bones. We see the consequences of this plot, both funny and destructive. We see a fair amount of desperation. Great characters, q quick pace, and engaging plot. A solid read.

Title: It Came from the Sky
Author: Chelsea Sedoti
Genre: YA
Rating: 4 out of 5

This is the absolutely true account of how Lansburg, Pennsylvania was invaded by aliens and the weeks of chaos that followed. There were sightings of UFOs, close encounters, and even abductions. There were believers, Truth Seekers, and, above all, people who looked to the sky and hoped for more.

Only...there were no aliens.

Gideon Hofstadt knows what really happened. When one of his science experiments went wrong, he and his older brother blamed the resulting explosion on extraterrestrial activity. And their lie was not only believed by their town―it was embraced. As the brothers go to increasingly greater lengths to keep up the ruse and avoid getting caught, the hoax flourishes. But Gideon's obsession with their tale threatened his whole world. Can he find a way to banish the aliens before Lansburg, and his life, are changed forever?

I really enjoyed reading this! Gideon is…Sheldon, from Big Bang Theory (except he doesn’t think he’s smarter than everyone), and I love Sheldon, so I enjoyed Gideon’s point-of-view. I actually felt sorry for him, too, because he was just baffled by people’s emotions and how he should respond sometimes.

The secondary characters are vibrant and distinctive, and Sedoti’s writing is solid and enjoyable as always, letting the reader feel at home in the story world. There were several funny moments here, and I’d love to read more about all these characters (like, what’s Maggie getting up to?).

Chelsea Sedoti lives in Las Vegas. It Came from the Sky is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Sourcebooks Fire in exchange for an honest review.)

I have been so intrigued by this book whilst reading, everytime I put it down I was looking for a time that I could pick it up again. It’s a bizarre one because it is super long for the genre which made me feel like it may drag out and not really be for me but this was not the case. It was certainly not boring and there was enough going on to fill those 500 plus pages.

Due to the chapters being so short I found that I flew through this book pretty quickly. It made it a very fast paced read and one that I did not want to p it down. I found myself saying “just one more chapter” on numerous occasions.

The only thing that let this join down for me was the grooming element. I feel like it wasn’t explored in enough depth to give it justice. I feel like it was just brushed over very quickly. I think a lot more could have been done with this.

Overall it was an enjoyable read and I will be looking for read more by this author!

I enjoyed my previous reads by Sedoti and this one was no exception. I was absolutely amazed at how well the situation in this book (two teen boys creating a hoax about an alien invasion in order to avoid getting caught doing something illegal) translates to what is going on in the world today. The conspiracy theories, the mass hysteria, the skeptics--all of it is applicable to many situations and this book, whether accidentally or on purpose, shines a bright light on them.
I adored the snarky sense of humor and the realistic portrayal of relationships. It's refreshing to see a variety of relationship storylines, from Gideon and Owen to Gideon and Ishmael's parents explore different facets of starting and maintaining a romance despite varying issues, both internal and external.
This is a great book for young adults and adults alike.

This was an interesting book and a really fun way to examine sibling bonds. Definitely a great thoughtful yet light read!

This alien story comes from As You Wish author Chelsea Sedoti. Unlike the magical world in that book, this one stays perfectly in our magic less realm/
Gideon likes doing science experiments in the shed. One day, while working a seismograph, his brother causes his test to go awry and make a big explosion on their parent's farm. At first, the white lie covers up the danger of explosion but then it morphs quickly into a tale of extraterrestrial beings. Gideon at first fight this misconception but gives in when he sees it as sociological experiment and one that get him in to MIT.
I enjoyed the main voice being someone who is not neurotypical. Gideon never has it all together. His thought differently than his friends and his voice will resonant with many readers. The author makes no big deal about this aspect of his character by labeling and bringing attention, Gideon just is without expectation.
The rest of the characters. However, are all flat. Despite this, I loved Ishmael. He is a lovable oaf and this plays off Gideon's seriousness well. Other character don't fare so well. The sister seemed out of place and really didn't interact with Gideon so the readers didn't really get to know her or her motivations a well.
Story wise, I was at first intrigued about the hoax. I enjoyed aliens in history including the variety of hoaxes and misconceptions. So thigh splayed in my wheelhouse. But the book pivots making a villain out of a Multi Level Marketing CEO. Comparing the characters hoaxes seemed a little extreme. I'm not big into MLMs and know for most people it's just a pyramid scheme gone wrong. But I know friends who have made it a business and who will be mighty pissed at this idea. There are many an example of modern cults that might have been a much better match in gravity. But I wonder if the author moved away from religion on purpose as that might cause even more bad attitudes from parents than calling out their Mary Kay or Avon.
While the first half of the book pulled me on, I was unsatisfied in the ending. There wasn't a big enough payout. The main character makes some introspective changes but nothing but the punishments for the hoax are pretty nonexistence. I wanted to see how do you handle that? What would actually happen in the real world if these kids had been caught?
Over all I was disappointed in It Came From the Sky having read As You Wish. While there are some good aspects to this tale, the ending of the hoax leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

This book was a surprise. I didn't expect to be this involved in Gideon and Ishmael's life, but I was, I was committed! What started as a "simple" explosion, turned into alien hoax, turned senior year prank, became a national sensation that totally blew up out of proportion and changed the lives of a little town's citizens forever!

The mc is gay, definitely neurodiverse even if not clearly specified, a science nerd, space enthusiast, and is a ball of anxiety. I wanted to protect him from page 1. The book is about an alien hoax/prank Gideon and his brother start, and it's about the sibling bond, family, friendship, a bit about relationship, expressing emotions, the power of persuasion, about the fear of the future and feeling like you're a starfish in a world where they're usually forgotten. It gave me tons of feelings, from laughter to heartbreak. It's told in reports, interviews, blog posts, texts, etc. I definitely recommend it!

IT CAME FROM THE SKY was such a weird and strange little book and I love weird and strange. What started off as a simple experiment quickly goes wrong, and two brothers have an idea to turn it into a harmless prank, where it then morphs into a giant hoax that seemingly brings an entire town together. Gideon and Ishmael are at the center of this wild tale and through the course of interviews, collected data, event recaps, and even more data (thanks, Gideon!), the story of how aliens really and truly invaded the sleepy town of Lansburg, Pennsylvania unfolds. Ok, not really. Though some people will still choose to believe.

Gideon and Ishmael are brothers who are opposites in every sense of the word — Gideon is a true introvert, Ishmael is most definitely an extrovert, one likes numbers and graphs and facts and definites, while the other prefers to fly by the seat of his pants, and when it comes to The Hoax, one wants to keep it as tightly controlled as any proper experiment should be, while the other wants it to be Big and Sensational. But despite all of their differences, Gideon and Ishmael have that unbreakable bond that only the closest of siblings can have, and I adored each of them as individuals and as their little quirky team.

While The Hoax and the events surrounding it acts as the body of the story, Gideon and Ishmael, their relationship with one another and their friends and parents form the heart of the story. I’ve read Sedoti’s previous novels and if they’ve taught me anything, it’s that she is really good at crafting a story around her characters, rather than trying to insert characters into a story. Her characters and their relationships are always the stars, anything after that is just a bonus. And if all of the above hasn’t yet persuaded you to pick up this book, there’s also a little bit of romance between Gideon and Owen thrown in for good measure.

Bottom line — IT CAME FROM THE SKY was such a fun, feel good book that we all need right now. Do yourself a favor and pick it up, and then do yourself another favor and pick up Sedoti’s other books when you finish. She’s definitely on the fast track to becoming one of my favorite authors, and I can’t wait to see what she brings next.

This was such a great read focusing on how quickly a lie can spread and how big it can get! Gideon and Ishmael watched their lie spread and couldn't stop it. It was nice to go along on their journey as they discovered this important lesson.

First of all, thank you to Sourcebooks for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I loved the previous Chelsea Sedoti books I read, especially The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett and was coming in with high expectations.

Sedoti's writing continues to be fresh, humorous, and engaging. Her strength really lies on the relationships she builds, how real they feel. I loved the sibling relationships with Gideon, our MC, his rebel brother Ishmael, and sister Maggie. The friendships and romantic relationships were also believable and important for the plot, even if the latter did tend to run a bit into high school drama cliche of the "oh you could do so much better" variety.

However, the faux aliens issue, which is what the whole plot hinges on, really, was hard to swallow. I didn't find the reasons why all these characters who knew the whole thing was a hoax went along with it. I can't go into detail without spoilers, but I kept thinking... would you really go to these lengths because of that? Same for much of what Maggie does.

Perhaps it would have worked better if we the readers didn't know that it was a hoax, so there would have been some suspense and some of the plot points could have rested on that "do these kids really think there were aliens?" as opposed to "why are they going along with this nonsense?"

Another problematic issue was the underage relationship between a grown man, aptly characterized as a snake oil manipulator, and a teenager. While the adult does get his comeuppance, it never feels like the issue is appropriately dealt with from the teen's side. If we're bringing in heavy topics, we need to give them the time they deserve.

The format was innovative, with the narration including interviews and collected data. This sometimes worked really well and at other times took me out of the story in a way I didn't appreciate.

Aside from the solid writing, what made me give it three stars (which is a good thing in my rating book, by the way) was the fact that there was diversity in the characters. Our MC is on the spectrum, he's a bit of an outcast, a science fanboy, and he's gay. His boyfriend is a popular athlete and student body president and he's nice. The police chief is a woman. No cliches here. Sedoti also wrote something uncommon: a family with parents present. Often times in YA books, much like in teen TV shows, parents seldom appear thanks to convenient plot devices, so the kids can run wild. I liked seeing the family dynamics at play.

Overall, it's a fun book with a unique storyline that might not be for everyone, but the writing and the characters really shine.

I have mixed feelings about this book. The whole situation– the explosion that leads to the alien encounter hoax– is kind of funny. I’m generally a fan of stories in which the characters land themselves in bizarre situations and then have to panic-slash-mastermind their way out of them only to have unanticipated consequences result. So this story definitely scratches that itch for me.

I just… didn’t like Gideon. I appreciated his intelligence. And I sympathized with his struggle to communicate his emotions and his aversion to sticky foods. But all of it seemed so selfish to me. He seemed so selfish. Even the idea that he could perpetrate this large-scale lie without any remorse, because it’s for science! I had a lot of trouble connecting with him.

Even though I didn’t connect with Gideon, I read the whole book because I hoped that it would have the kind of resolution that would make it all make sense and that if he really learned his lesson, it’d be worth the investment in the book.

And he does learn some things and make some changes. There’s growth. One of the things I didn’t like (and I’m going to be vague for spoilers reasons) was that toward the end, Gideon is faced with someone who has committed two different types of crimes. In my mind, one was much more personal and damaging than the other. But it felt like because the other frustrated Gideon more, he prioritized reporting it.

All in all, I thought the idea was fun, and the story was interesting, but this one isn’t for me. If you like goofy heist or prank stories, though, IT CAME FROM THE SKY is one I think you’ll want to check out.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Posted to Goodreads: Gideon has always dreamed of going to MIT but he knows he’s application may not be enough to get him noticed. Gideon plans to cause a seismic event that will get the prestigious school to notice him. However, when his brother, Ishmael gets involved what was supposed to be a small event turns into a large explosion. The brothers tell one little lie to cover up what they did and that lie grows into something that neither of them could control.

I had a very mixed reaction to this book. On the surface, the book lacked character development and was in no way realistic. However, in another way, this book was just really entertaining. The book is very quirky with silly moments that will make you laugh out loud. Also, the plot verges on the ridiculous to the point that it is almost a farce. Yet, those are the reasons that it is so much fun to read. Gideon and Ishmael hatch a far fetched plot without any real plans that unravel in a way that was just really entertaining. Readers looking for a serious book should avoid this one but if you just want a fun story told in a unique way then you should definitely read it.

What a delight! Gideon and Ishmael find themselves in a pickle when Gideon's experiment goes wrong. So, of course, as one would, Ishmael decides they'll put out the word that aliens came to their small town. And, of course, as older people might have guessed but these two did not, that brings in a horde of people all wanting to see the aliens. It's funny, it's smart, it's got some pointed commentary on the world. Know that it's not a straight-line narrative but rather told through blog posts, interviews, and so on. I'm not the target audience for this but it made me laugh- and root for these kids. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Definitely one for the YA crowd but older readers will enjoy it as well. Two thumbs up.

I was thrilled when I got a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Imagine how you would react if everyone in your small town suddenly believed there was aliens in your midst? I would be excited because a believer in all things paranormal and a resident of a similar small town I would love the possibility of knowing we aren't alone.

A fan of Sedoti's charming and easy to read writing style and how she always features life-like characters that reside in small towns, and usually are aiming for greatness.

The main characters Gideon and Ishmael are brothers who balance each other out. Ishmael is a practical joker and prank war champion, and Gideon is the scientist who understands the how and why behind extraterrestials.

As per usual, I couldn't put it down just like Sedoti's other books and eerily Sodie always slips stuff in her books that makes me think we may in fact be twins.




It Came From The Sky! will be released on my birthday August 4, 2020 from SourceBooks, and will be available wherever books are sold. You can connect with the YA author at her website.

I absolutely loved this original tale of two brothers, Gideon (16) and Ishmael (17) Hofstadt who live on a farm in the small town of Lansburg PA, 30 miles south of Pittsburgh. What starts as a lie to avoid getting into trouble over an experiment gone wrong (one which leaves a huge crater in one of their farm's fields!) takes on a life of its own and soon gets attention from the whole town. As more and more is reported of the strange happenings in this small town, it soon finds itself inundated with Seekers, reporters and people from all over the country. Even the FBI comes to check things out!

The boys struggle to keep up with and in control of what began as their story. Gideon (a serious boy with a wonderfully dry wit) and Ishmael (easy going and always up for whatever comes) learn more about life, themselves and others over the course of a few months than they ever could have imagined. This galloping romp of a read is told through blog entries, text messages, journal entries, interviews, and research notes among other methods.

Kudos to everyone involved in this project - it's one of a kind!

My thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebook Fire for allowing me to read a copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. All opinions expressed here are my own.

I was really looking forward to this. I enjoyed Chelsea's book As You Wish very much, and I expected another fun, frothy, light hearted read. I kind of got what I was looking for, a bit?

First, what I liked. The relationship between the brothers was great, and I enjoyed seeing it grow and develop as they got deeper into the prank. Also, the occasional moments of pure random fun, like Ishmael insisting on introducing himself exactly the way you're thinking he does, or running into the woods at night after a cow. Owen seemed perfectly nice, the little time we spent with him. The style, with the insertion of blogs, articles and interviews, was intriguing.

However.

I didn't connect with the main character at all. And as an introvert, with an interest in space and science...though not, admittedly, to the point of building my own lab and blowing things up...I should have been able to. He just didn't seem like a real person most of the time, not to me. Honestly, I knew Ishmael for about six lines and I knew why he was asking how to make the explosion bigger. Brainy Gideon couldn't figure it out?

It's not a dreadful read! I enjoyed parts of it, and the climax is appropriately satisfying. (Although it didn't occur to Oz to claim that the audio was manipulated?) I'll be looking out for more books by Chelsea. I love the way she mixes something a little bit weird into an otherwise normal world.

(But what was going on with Maggie? I never did understand that.)

YA books usually don't appeal to me as it was a long time ago, but this was different and I loved it. 2 brothers, one Mr Popular and the other Mr Scientist, combine their talents to take a major oops on their part to a national media event. Gideon wants to get into MIT and then work for NASA so if he documents this, he feels it will help him stand out a bit more than the average applicant. Add in social anxiety, a really cute guy who wants to be his boyfriend, a flamboyant friend in a tutu and a few others, like Oz the wonderful, for a group of amusing characters. One can't help but cheer them on.

I really enjoyed this and hope there is a possibility of a sequel? I'd love the story to continue. Thank you NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest opinion.

This was a pretty fun read. I really enjoyed how a small intentional lie was suddenly the talk of the town and how quickly it got out of control. Many people outside of the main characters, suddenly saw lights and were being carried off by aliens. Such fun.

What I liked about the story:

Gideon is an introvert, which you don’t see often in books. I could totally relate to him and his socially awkward, science loving mind.
Ishmael and his pranks, plus how well he got along with everyone.
The relationship between Gideon and Ishmael. (Loved their names too) It was nice to see two brothers that were so opposite of each other, still getting along and supporting each other.
Their younger sister, Maggie, starting a cult just to see if she could.
Gideon and Owen’s relationship and how hard it was for Gideon to admit his feelings for Owen.
Gideon’s friendships with Arden and Cassidy, even when it was difficult for him to be open and be honest with Arden.
The whole hoax story line, was at times hilarious and I could so easily seeing it happen.
I liked the different formats that were used to tell the story. Interviews, transcripts, news reports and blog posts. I even liked the footnotes, which I often found very amusing.
The parents were pretty awesome, letting the boys dig their own hole and face the consequences. They maybe should have stepped in sooner, but I liked that they trusted their kids to know when to stop.
What I didn’t like:

Gideon’s mom wanting to “fix” him, because he wasn’t as social as the rest of the family. It just rubbed me the wrong way.
Quincy Oswald, Oz, and the whole myTality scam. Also Oz was just very creepy and I kept cringing whenever he was on the page. That whole story just didn’t work for me and didn’t seem to add to the story except as a way to end the hoax.
The blind date his mom fixed up for him also didn’t seem necessary, but added a bit to Gideon’s overall growth.
If you like funny and smart characters, a small town setting and a story full of heart and good relationships then this is a story you should consider reading.

I picked up the arc of It Came from the Sky because I loved Chelsea’s The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett. Like her prior book, this one is filled with idiosyncratic characters and off-beat humor. I laughed out loud at the trouble Gideon and his brother get themselves into with understandable yet short-sited decisions.

This book started a bit slowly for me because Gideon is an up-tight, science-nerd, but this is exactly what makes him wonderful to follow as the alien mess gets bigger and bigger and he becomes increasingly worried about how it will impact his goal of getting into M.I.T.

At a deeper level, the story explores issues of pranks, marketing scams, and fake news. It considers why people might start a fake story and why others might believe them. Its theme of bravery covers not just big issues like admitting the prank after it has spun out of control, but also every-day decisions like trusting friends and allowing yourself to be vulnerable in relationships.

Yet the humor throughout allows the book to nonetheless be a light, enjoyable read, perfect in a time when we’re dealing with so many heavy issues.

It Came from the Sky will appeal to readers interested in pranks, fake news, friendship & sibling stories, and/or stories about gay male characters in small-town America.

Highly recommended.

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

This review will be on The Winged Pen July 28th. I'll post the review to Goodreads now and to Amazon and Barnes & Noble when it comes out.

Trigger Warnings: on-page branding and discussion of cow mutilation, pedophilia/underage relationship/statutory rape (no graphic scenes).

I discuss these tw's in this review.

This review contains spoilers.

It Came From the Sky follows the story of Gideon, an aspiring MIT student and NASA engineer, who conspires with his prankster brother, Ishmael, to invent and carry out a hoax that aliens have visited their small town . . .

And it all started with what was meant to be a small explosion, to test out the ability of the seismograph. Except Ishmael does not listen to his brother, and was curious to see how much more of a big bang they could create . . . and bam. A crater is formed & the lie begins.

Throughout the novel - and especially in the beginning - I found it hard to connect with Gideon. While I related to his awkwardness, introverted nature, and his curiosity about space, I often struggled with the way he talked. While part of his characterisation was being closed of to those around him for fear of rejection, failure and humiliation, it extended from the page and to the reader. I don't feel like I ever truly connected to Gideon. While he went on a character arc and journey, I think a lot of the emotional weight was missed by not letting the reader in to his thoughts more & allowing us to connect with him & his struggle to connect with people on a social and intimate level. The scenes where he did finally open up to Ishmael, Owen, Cass, Arden and his dad were good (I shed a tear with the latter), I feel they missed the emotional weight. Especially since once it was shared, it was like 'right! On to the next!'

Sedoti combines 'normal' narrative prose with various mixed media formats such as interview transcripts (Gideon's interviews he conducted, and the police), newspaper articles, and posters (some of these were incredibly pretty and felt very authentic with the horrible, but common, comic sans type).

(I think the only thing I did not enjoy was the footnotes, and that's because I have not long finished writing my dissertation and degree, so I am feeling sensitive to them lmao. Stop haunting me).

My favourite element of this novel though was the relationship between Gideon and Ishmael. I really enjoyed seeing them become closer and more understanding of each other, and the support they provided the other. They had an enjoyable dynamic.

Again, I liked the relationship between Gideon and Owen, but the novel failed to invest time in to developing them and exploring that dynamic that it felt lackluster. As stated, Gideon has his reservations about everyone, and this leads him to making some really!! silly!! decisions!! that have not only an impact on him, but Owen. While the author gave this a resolution in the end, I felt incredibly frustrated that the entire novel spent time showing Gideon treating Owen badly for it to end in a conversation. I really liked that Owen did not just immediately accept or forgave Gideon, and was like this is something we need to work on. Before that, it was just text messages of leave me alone, Gideon moping before he finally realises that, despite his feelings, he was a massive jerk and needs to make things better. I don't know. I think I would have liked a few more conversations and investment in the relationship other than Gideon being rude and Owen just sighing at him, for it to then end like this.

As for the hoax, it was incredibly wild - and fun - to see how one small lie about the crater being formed by a meteorite then snowballed in to seeing lights, shapes . . . and then seeing how it got picked up on by conspiracy theorists, and how others then began saying they had 'close encounters' as well. I think the only thing I didn't like about this whole hoax storyline is that in the end, they essentially just got away with all the destruction that they caused?? And there was no concern for their mental state (I mean Ismael literally had Gideon BRAND him with a crop circle design to sell the story. Gideon states at the end that he is going in to theory, but that's more to work on his social skills and those feelings, which is GREAT, but also what about Ishmael?!).

Another thing I did not like was the relationship between Oz and Arden & how the author handled it. It was thrown in for shock factor - and another reason to show how much Oz is the absolute worst - and to push Gideon/Arden closer together, and that was . . . it. The whole thing was mostly brushed over, everyone being more concerned with the fact that Oz is a scam artist as opposed to the fact that he is a pedophile. In the end, he is arrested as Gideon asks Arden to come forward, seeming as the police/FBI do not think they have sufficient evidence to arrest him for scamming (Gideon compares this to Al Capone being arrested for tax evasion). So, while it was good that Oz got arrested for that & will hopefully face the consequences . . . I do not feel it was handled well at all. It was thrown in for the shock, and then dismissed, and then in the end it only became relevant again for Gideon to use to get himself out of trouble.

Overall, It Came From the Sky is not an awful book, but it misses many of it's emotional punches and fails to treat topics with the seriousness and care that they deserve. It would have benefitted from cutting down on these storylines/characters, to give more focus and attention to the main dynamics and topics.