A timely novel about the way we disseminate disinformation, both online and in-person. Witty and funny, but at. times a bit forced.

I always like tales of people adjusting to a new culture, and this was a really good one. I also appreciated the experimental (and possibly satirical) nature of the middle section. There is a lot to enjoy, particularly the tone, in this book. I didn't love the ending.

Very perceptive and often very original and funny, with at least one genuinely surprising twist, though I did wish some of the disparate plot threads had jelled more. RIYL "Leaving the Atocha Station."

I was really excited about this but I couldn’t get past the idea that this could happen. I don’t feel like it made sense and it was a big hurtle I think the author could have explained in a stronger way.

I need a book to hook me within the first 40 pages and this one did not do it for me. Better luck with the next option for me!

As someone who, during the firestorm of 202o, has been pulled into studying (from the outside) the fascinating and terrifying world of online conspiracy theories, I couldn't wait to read this book. Her boyfriend has a secret identity online, which makes no sense based on the world views she knows him to hold? Wow, I thought, I can't wait to see an exploration of the way social media conspiracy communities are performatively used by participants to fill a void in their IRL lives. It became apparent pretty quickly that is not what this book contained.

The writing is tongue in cheek and self-aware, with sardonic commentaries on millennial culture, internet profiles, online dating, honesty and fraud, but I must admit it didn't quite live up to my expectations. About 30 pages from the end, I kept asking, okay, but where is this going? There seemed no real plot, no critical problem, and even the most obvious issue for the protagonist, involving a lot of lies and a visa application, was resolved in a few pages. When I reached the last page, it was quickly obvious that the book is really just a very creative and scathing commentary on identity and the internet, so maybe it's my fault for expecting a plot about conspiracy theories.

I have to admit, I bookmarked a lot of pages because of hilarious and (sometimes worryingly relatable) quotes about the digital age. In that sense, the writing exceeded my expectations, if not the plot. If you like wit and cynicism, highly recommend just for the writing. For an in depth look at alt right theorists and their IRL lives, maybe look elsewhere.

Interesting premise and i found the author’s playing with form to be sort of clever. But, there is no coherent overall whole here to grasp onto. Fell flat to me.

The premise of the story was intriguing and it would make an interesting book club pick. I think this book is best suited for those who are Very Online. It wasn't quite for me but the writing was solid.

I loved the idea of Fake Accounts, which focuses on a woman who discovers her boyfriend is a prolific online conspiracy theorist. However, the execution fell flat for me. First, the paragraphs are so long, making it really difficult to read on my Kindle. Sometimes they would span multiple pages. Second, the prose is unnecessarily wordy and lengthy. It just felt like a slog to get through, especially at the beginning. The novel does pick up as I got farther into it, but overall, it was a bit of a miss to me.

Fake Accounts by Lauren Oyler is a very timely novel about living one’s life on social media. When a young woman discovers that her boyfriend is an underground internet conspiracy theorist, it sets her on a path towards her own online destiny and begs the question how do we exist in these liminal and limiting spaces? While I enjoyed the ideas in concept, I had a hard time with the narrative form, which feels at times meandering and unstructured. A valiant attempt at a literary take on our obsessions with occupying online spaces. But one that I ultimately did not connect with. Thank you to Catapult and Netgalley for the advance review copy.

Thank you to both NetGalley and Catapult for providing me with an early copy of Lauren Oyler’s novel, Fake Accounts, in exchange for an honest review.

I hate giving bad reviews, but Fake Accounts reads like a poorly edited textbook. It was dry, overwritten, and in serious need of an editor. The first chapter seems to ramble on forever. Also, while semi-colons are a criminally underrated and underused punctuation mark, I felt myself longing to see a period. While I have no doubt that the author is a truly gifted writer given her journalistic feats, in applying that style to a work of fiction the discordance is almost palpable.

The premise itself is intriguing and even has potential to be entertaining, had it been executed better. Any quips are easily missed as the reader’s eyes glaze over from the sheer boredom of the protagonist’s overanalytical inner monologue. Stream of consciousness should be buried along with Hemingway.

The book blurb should have tipped me off, but one never knows who is responsible for writing those things. In this case, it was obviously the author. Plus, when a book endorsement stems from an author who is utterly overrated, then I only have myself to blame for requesting a copy.

If you can slog through 84ish pages, that is where the novel “picks up.” I’m all for expanding my vocabulary, but “Antipodean”? Really? Just say, “Australians” or “New Zealanders”, like you did two pages prior. Also, was naming every country in alphabetical order while in line to get a Visa in Berlin really necessary? Did I mistake this for a fiction novel, but in fact it was an essay? What is happening? If you are annoyed by the amount of questions in this paragraph, then buckle-up, because unless the author was trying to reach a minimum word limit this happens for seemingly no reason the entire novel.

At one point, I’m pretty sure a chapter continues on with neurotic confessions and thoughts for over 100 pages. The author even alludes to it in the chapter, claiming it was really only 40, but I am highly doubtful of that fact.

The only redeeming moment for me happens to be in the portion aptly titled, “Middle (Something Happens),” about the D.C. Women’s March. I was shocked to find that not only was this the best part of the novel, a novel that baited its readers with a plot containing a conspiracy theorist, but also that it was probably the closest scene to read like literary fiction and not a personal essay.

Despite my harsh critique, many readers seemed to have enjoyed it. So, if you like the premise, then ignore my review since it appears I am in the minority.

UPDATE: Adding a star because I misread the genre. This is a classic example of literary fiction. Despite the fact that This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald is my favorite novel and is an example of literary fiction, I guess I prefer general fiction books overall.

Coming of age story for the digital age, I highly recommend the story that will explore themes that most millennials will relate to.

From the start, this novel has a wry, dark humor and is intentionally playful with the reader. If you're someone who is Very Online, you'll likely appreciate all of the social media references, dating apps, and so on. A lot of the book is delightfully relatable in terms of its commentaries on dating, friendships, and every day mild depression. It's definitely a book about people who live in cities (in this case, New York and Berlin), who are young and sort of aimless. On the other hand, the dry, sarcastic tone sometimes felt too easy... when mocking the Women's March, for example, or the NYC subway; who doesn't agree that those are obvious, easy things to dig at? Who doesn't find D.C. boring? Etc. A wry voice is really engaging when it's fresh, but some of the blows felt too easy and expected, which made the book an uneven read for me. I also at first felt amused when the novel changed to a fragmented structure, but it went on a touch too long, to the point that the misogyny just dripped. I liked the twist (and had seen it coming, but pleasantly) though I wish it had actually happened earlier in the book, and that we got to see a bit more of a fallout.
Overall, I would recommend this book to people who are intrigued by its premise; it's sure to be a five star for a lot of readers who are into the book's vibe and voice. But it was uneven for me personally.