Nobody, Somebody, Anybody
By Kelly McClorey

This book reminded me in some ways of "Gone Girl". Unfortunately, despite its popularity, I really did not like "Gone Girl". In fact, I thought it was one of the worst books I ever read.

As in "Gone Girl", I found absolutely nothing of redeeming social value to the protagonist. The main character, Amy, is a liar and a flake, who seems to think everything she considers wrong in her life is somehow someone else's fault – including her deceased mother. She creates weird scenarios in her mind regarding 1) her several attempts to pass her EMT exam, 2) her relationship with her co-workers, and 3) her love life. When these things don't follow her mental images, she resorts to being vindictive and destructive. By the end of this book, I found myself asking why I wasted my time reading it.

Very interesting book and the title really says it all because his woman named Amy had a lot of problems and she kept referring back to Nightingale What would she do in this situation She had a lot of problems from the past especially with her mother and how she really could never really focus on anything she would lie and conceive things to make her feel better and and she develops a relationsdevelops and relationshipdeveloip with men who don't understand her but her landlord named Gary she kind of let him on a wild goose Chase and she kept nto his mail and then she got a job at a yacht club and this kind of helped her but she had a lot of issues With being who she really was she was a liar in a lot of ways Especially when she thought she was wanted to become an EMT And she kept failing the exam so she pretended she was this way This is why she could never face reality

Nobody, Somebody, Anybody follows Amy, an EMT who has done everything she needs to start her new job except pass her exam. In the meantime, she's working at a yacht club for the summer - a job she takes very seriously. Amy is clearly very smart, but she can also be a little conceited - she imagines how other people must think it strange that a person who studied at a prestigious college is working as a 'chambermaid' as she calls it. There's a very strong narrative voice, which took a chapter to get used to but I really liked. It really lets you get to know Amy, sometimes there's almost a hint of an unreliable narrator, in the sense that she sometimes (often) doesn't interpret other people's responses to her in the right way, or becomes suspicious that people are trying to sabotage her. Though she's not a very likeable character (which is fine, I like those!) I did find myself rooting for her. Amy struggles a lot with presenting herself in a way that will make her appealing to others, which manifests itself in interesting ways. I'm not sure what I thought of the ending, but overall I really liked it and thought it was a solid debut. 3,5 stars.

I didn’t care for this book at all. At first I had sympathy for Amy. She was trying to make something of her life and pass the EMT test. Except she sabotages herself. The deeper I got into this read, the less I understood her actions. When she faked stuff I lost any empathy for her. I didn’t like the ending either, but it was in character with her.

This book was a blend of My Year of Rest and Relaxation and Convenience Store Woman, that is to say that it was great. Kelly McClorey created a bit of a monster in Amy Hanley, who is desperate to achieve her dream of being an EMT despite her apparent social awkwardness and on/off relationship with the truth. I really enjoyed inhabiting Amy’s life with her off kilter character and unique perspective on social and romantic relationships. If you like Moshfegh and Murata, or if you enjoy other books with unreliable narrators and darkly comic themes, then you will really love this. Thanks to the publisher for the free copy.

Nobody, Somebody, Anybody hits most of the notes one would expect from the classic tale of a twentysomething woman's self-actualization - the crushing realization of lost potential, debilitating loneliness and desperation for human connection, complicated mother-daughter relationships, disappointing heterosexual situationships, you name it. Amy, a would-be EMT working as a "chambermaid" to pay the bills, is fueled by anxiety, self-consciousness, people pleasing, and a persistent fear of the worst; she sets out to create a three-step "placebo" to improve her life. The book reads like a less sardonic version of Halle Butler's "The New Me," with such a pervasive sense of dread throughout the book as a result of the reader waiting for the eventual, inevitable fallout of Amy's "placebo" deceptions. Though the tonal shift in the last chapter and the sudden tense shift on the last page lifts the mood of the book as a whole significantly, more humor or bits of levity would've improved a reading experience that was at times bogged down by Amy's own worst impulses.

Amy is dead-set on becoming an emergency medical technician but just can't pass the certification test. But that's not her only problem. Impulse control is another. Then there's her magical belief that if she says she has passed the EMT exam, it will help her when she actually goes to take the test again. It's one thing to tell oneself positive messages. It's another to tell the world that one has passed the exam when one hasn't. That is generally called lying.

Yes, Amy has problems. Although her mother has died, she still has a loving father. Her landlord treats her kindly and even entertains starting a relationship with her. Her boss listens to her ideas.

It seems as though Amy believes that her way-- which isn't working too well for her-- is the right way and disregards what she is told to do and the way she is told to do it.

This character made me cringe in about the same way that some of Flannery O'Connor's characters make me cringe. I wouldn't want to know her but it was a fascinating experience to read about her.

I wish to thank NetGalley and Harper Collins Publishers for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book. I have voluntarily read and reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is a book that I really considered strange. I thought it was going to be humorous but instead found the main character, Amy, to be a person who is lonely, unlikeable, and full of self-destructive behaviors. I did not bond with her. Some of the other characters were a little more interesting but I still did not engage with any of them. I found this story a hard one to read and to finish. I struggled to do so and never could get caught up in the plot or exactly where this was going. I did not enjoy it and readily admit it is not to my taste. Others might like it but for me 2 stars are the best I can do.

Author Kelly McClory has given us a look into the life of Amy Harney, a young woman whose role model is Florence Nightingale. She works as a chambermaid for the summer, but will soon take an exam - again - to become an EMT. It seems she has a good grasp of the information but because of persistent anxiety does not fare well in the testing situation. Amy has never properly dealt with the recent death of her mother and is far from her brother so she will seek out somebody, anybody to relieve her aloneness. As a reader I laugh, I cringe. And I empathize. Others may not as Amy is a bit hard to be around. Here again we come to the question of likability of the central character as a necessity for sticking with and eventually enjoying a book. Because of that this book will find it's audience but is not for everyone.

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley. I really enjoyed this book even though I didn't like the characters at first. I grew into liking the main character, feeling sorry for her now & then. I applauded her decision! A goid read.

This striking first novel is mesmerizing. The narrator is suffering from a profound loss, which the reader discovers slowly. The writing is beautiful. The story is heartbreaking and true. Brava.

After the initial pages, I found myself not connecting with the story or characters, so I decided to pass on this book. Did not finish

Thank you to NetGalley and Ecco for this free ARC.

If you are into Ottessa Moshfegh style of writing, then this book is for you. A semi-depressing story that kinda ends on a high note.

For fans of Ottessa Moshfegh, this book manages to be quirky, melancholy and earnest, all at once, and without trying too hard. I suspect that readers will be divided on Amy's "likeability" (and, subsequently, on whether or not likeability matters!) but I rooted for and empathized with her throughout. I could understand and appreciate the the lengths to which her guilt and loneliness took her, even if I wouldn't have made the same choices (or would I?). While her sadness and loneliness sometimes threaten to overwhelm her, they do so in equal measure with her hopefulness and idealism. And finally - the cover is perfect! Will absolutely be following Kelly McClorey. Many thanks to #NetGalley for the review copy.

Amy Harney is spending her summer as a chambermaid, cleaning up after people, but aspires to be an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) even though she’s having trouble passing the exam. She wants this distinction so badly that she begins to fabricate her credentials. But the lies beget more lies, and she has told so many of them to her roommate / landlord who has been corresponding with a woman in Russia with the hopes of a quick marriage. This book is simultaneously laugh out loud funny and full of pathos. It feels wrong to say I enjoyed watching Amy self-destruct, but the writing is so deft, that the process of getting to know this character felt intimate and necessary. Fans of Marie-Helene Bertino’s Parakeet and Jen Beagin’s Pretend I’m Dead are sure to enjoy. Thank you to Ecco Books and NetGalley for the advanced review copy.

Nobody, Somebody, Anybody was an absolutely hilarious, heartbreaking read. Amy is a perfectly unperfect narrator, completely unaware of the havoc she wreaks upon her own life and the lives of those around her. I spent chapters internally screaming at Amy to stop whatever ridiculous thing she was doing, and kept tearing through to the very end. What a gem this one was.

In NOBODY, SOMEBODY, ANYBODY, Amy is floundering after failing her EMT exam for the second time. Being an EMT is her dream. She knows the material, but keeps bombing at the test. She only has one more chance to pass. She is obsessed with Florence Nightingale, and likes to drop medical facts into everyday comversations. While she continues to study, she takes a job as a maid (she likes to call herself a chambermaid). Amy lives on the property of Gary, and as he is preparing for his hopefully soon to be wife from Ukraine, he starts cooking and having Amy over to taste his creations, and they become friends.

What permeates this entire book is Amy's deep loneliness and want for connection- for somebody, anybody. As her anxiety as her exam approaches increases she decides on trying to "placebo" herself and envision herself already as an EMT (printing her certificate, wearing the uniform, etc.) But Amy is struggling, and does some rather unconventional and disturbing things. This book is weird at times, but could be viewed as quirky. But it is an interesting portrayal of grief and isolation.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ecco for the advance reader copy in exchange for honest review.

Amy Hanley wants nobody, somebody, anybody to notice her! Working at a local yacht club as a chambermaid for the summer, Amy is counting down the weeks until she can take her EMT certification test. Amy is an isolated young woman, who has difficulty controlling her emotions in certain situations, occasionally leading to dangerous and disasters interactions with others. She hopes that following her true calling as an EMT will help shape her life for the better. Having failed the test twice before, Amy decides to give herself a placebo; a specialized plan that she hopes will not only boost her confidence, but will help pass her test and follow in the footsteps of her idol Florence Nightingale.

Even though this book is written from the point of view of a woman who has some anxiety and obsessive tendencies, I found this book to be calming. Author Kelly McClorey is an excellent writer. McClorey was able to expertly convey Amy's neurosis so that as a reader we could understand the stress and anxiety the character was feeling, but those same feelings weren't thrust upon us as the reader. I wasn't getting stressed and anxious reading about someone who was stressed and anxious, and I appreciated that about this book a lot. I found Amy to be a very three dimensional and well constructed character. I found myself rooting for her to succeed just as strongly as I was rooting for her to get help with her struggles. I was happy when she made friends with her landlord Gary, helping him to prepare for his Ukrainian fiancé's arrival; and I felt equally disturbed to read what had happened with between she and her college roommate that lead to her being expelled from the school. McClorey created a very multifaceted character who was entertaining and thought provoking to follow.

I also thought "Nobody, Somebody, Anybody" structurally flowed very well. Its an extremely well researched book. There is a lot of medical jargon and historical facts throughout the plot, but it never feels bogged down by detail or like you are reading a text book. It's executed very well and not only makes Amy's situation more realistic for herself, but for the reader as well.

Overall, I enjoyed "Nobody, Somebody, Anybody" and I would recommend it for readers who are looking to for a character driven book that has heart, drama and vulnerability. I want to thank Ecco and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy.

This read very existentialist.

This was probably one of the strangest books I've ever read. I feel like I still don't know the plot or is that the point? It's clear the main character has mental health issues and an obsessive personality. I had a hard time getting through his book. It was a struggle to finish. The writing itself is great but the actually storyline was just strange and had no clear plot. She's clearly delusional and just wants attention but then also isolates herself from her family? I was kind of confused throughout the book in general about the plot, main character's adventure, purpose of the book, etc? I finished it and I'm not sure what I was supposed to get out of it.

Kelly McClorey’s Nobody, Somebody, Anybody is an unsettling read: not because it has any particularly graphic scenes, but because McClorey’s writing is almost visceral. Amy Harney’s inner turmoil, grief, and delusion spill over every page. I felt second-hand shame, loneliness, and anxiety because of Amy’s behaviour, and found myself checking and re-checking the way I made my bed, cleaned dishes, washed my hands. There isn’t a dramatic plot to follow; instead, McClorey drops subtle reveals throughout that better explain why Amy thinks and acts the way she does, and at the end, there is no closure.

Though this book is marketed as a humourous jaunt, likely because of its light-hearted, broken main character — I didn’t find it funny. Not laugh-out-loud funny, anyway; if it’s “funny”, it’s funny in the same way ‘dark humour as a coping mechanism’ is funny. I don’t think this book is for everyone — it certainly isn’t for me, hence the low review — but for those who enjoy an unlikable character, this is a good read. I’d also recommend this to fans of Otessa Moshfegh and Jenny Zhang; and if you appreciated Gail Honeyman’s Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, this might be up your alley as well.