I used this review copy to inform my interview with Lauren Shippen on the Fantasy Inn podcast: https://thefantasyinn.com/2021/08/03/e88-lauren-shippen-interview/

This book would probably be a lot better if I read the previous installments, but I had no idea it was part of a series before I requested it.

I thought this book just sort of dragged on and on. I was super interested in what was happening but it was SO hard to read. I don’t even remember a lot of it because it took me so long to get through it all.

I will admit I didn't do my research and didn't realize this is the third in a series. It didn't really impact my reading that badly, there isn't a ton of callbacks to earlier books that I could see.

I really couldn't get into the writing style at all, it's very dialogue heavy mixed with online forums. I normally like unique stuff like that but it felt a bit, eh, immature, I guess? I know this is YA but other YA books have handled online forums/texting/similar styles better than this book has. This was definitely not for me though, although the main character getting a major crush on a new girl was really sweet, it wasn't enough to keep me going.

I mean. I ADORE the bright sessions podcast; to date it is one of my favorite pieces of media ever. Lauren Shippen clearly knows how to tell complex stories about dynamic characters and she does so with great skill in this Atypical world. I’m a little sad to say goodbye to this universe now, but I can’t wait to see what she comes out with in the future.

Let me start with a disclaimer: I had no idea that this was the third book in the series. I went into Some Faraway Place by Lauren Shippen fully expecting the first book in a series. But, I feel like that makes my opinion of this books even more special. Shippen has crafted the most impressive world that I was able to understand the elements and sci-fi elements by just reading the third book. Secondly, the format of this story makes my brain so happy. At the end of most chapters is some kind of internet article, let it be a blog post from the girlfriend or the main character´s brother writing on an online forum. It is such a creative form of story telling that includes the importance of tech in our day to day life even in 2016. And it was increasingly fun to figure out who each of these internet personas were since they all had very secretive usernames. And finally there is something so magically to a book that is a definable last book in a series with an open ending. Very very cool Lauren Shippen.

In Some Faraway Place a lot of people from the first two books came back, made an appearance and then unfortunately faded away into the background. Cos there are a lot of characters that I really liked and enjoyed reading about from the previous books, that really did make me happy. I was also excited to read this story since Rose is a lesbian, so the entire time I was just like yessss lesbians let's goooo.
Like I was really excited to read get even more lgbtqia+ rep in this series and Emily is such a cinnamon bun with such a upbeat way of talking and writing, since throughout the book you do get excerpts from her fanfic blog, that just warmed my heart every time.

I also really liked the form in which the story was told, since Rose's perspective is from her dream journal/diary and then there are also forums in which her brother Aaron chats with other Atypicals and then Emily's blog. And there are written letters throughout the story and you will find out who they're from, but there are hints throughout the book and if you've read the other books you'll know, but there are also other mysteries and it just was a nice story overall.

This a review for an arc from NetGalley.

Some Faraway Place, the third Bright Sessions novel from creator Lauren Shippen, features Rose, who has her humdrum life flipped upside down when she starts to travel into dreams.

Rose’s mother can see the future. Her father can move things with his mind. Her brother, Aaron, can read thoughts. And Rose, well… she makes a mean spaghetti bolognese.

Everyone else in her family is Atypical, which means they manifested an ability that defies the limits of the human experience. At nineteen, well past the average age of manifestation, Rose is stuck defending her decision not to go to college and instead work in the kitchen of a local restaurant, hoping to gain the experience she needs to become a chef.

When a Rollerblading accident sends her to the hospital, she meets a girl she can't forget, and she starts to feel like maybe her life isn't quite so small. But when she starts falling asleep mid-conversation, only to find herself in other peoples' dreams, she thinks, Then again maybe I’m doomed to never have good things.

Rose should be happy—diving into dreams makes her a part of her family in the way she's always wanted. But the more time she spends in the dreamworld, the more complicated her ability becomes. Trying to balance her work, her power, and her girlfriend who doesn’t know about Atypicals, Rose seeks help. But she soon discovers that dreamdiving comes with dangers she never could have imagined. Even her carefully constructed dreamworld isn’t safe.

A YA fantasy book that I've enjoyed pretty much okay. I love the characters here! Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

The third installment of The Bright Sessions follows Rose, who is the only seemingly normal human in a family of atypicals (people with x-men like superpowers). Rose's father is telekinetic, her mother can see the future, and her brother reads minds, but Rose is eighteen and her ability still hasn't manifested, so she isn't expecting it to.

When Rose begins falling asleep everywhere, she is given a narcolepsy diagnosis by human doctors, which she believes to be the explanation. However, when she tells her family about her diagnosis and her spontaneous naps, they immediately believe that what Rose is experiencing is the manifestation of her ability. She is sent to an inpatient treatment facility for Atypicals where she is confirmed to be a Dream Diver, which is exactly what it sounds like - someone who can enter other people's dreams.

This book was probably my favourite of the three so far, Rose was a really intriguing protagonist and I loved the exploration of addiction in relation to her powers, and her familial relationships (and of course her relationship with Emily). I thought it could've been a bit less predictable but will please its target audience.

trigger warning
<spoiler> trauma, mention of kidnapping, mention of mind controll, mention of being drugged, mental illness, nightmares, memory loss</spoiler>

Rose comes from a family of Atypicals, people with unusual abilities - but so far, she's the only one left without powers. It used to be her and her brother against the rest of the world, but then he went and became able to read people's thoughts.
And now Rose is so sleepy.

These are companion novels, meaning they're set in the same world and characters you already met might turn up, but they're not a series in the sense that the plot progresses from one book to the next - which is great since, by accident, I started with book two, now read book three, and still have book one before me. It's been ages since I've done that, since before I researched my books and had a GR account where I could easily check up installments, and what can I say? It feels fun to progress in a weird way.

Rose is in the place after highschool where you don't know what to do with yourself. Well, no, that's not true. Rose is into food in a big way and aspires to be a chef, but feels pressured to get a college education she doesn't want. Or need, if we're being honest.
I like this depiction of a young person finding their place in the world, because not everybody has this five year plan and knows how to achieve their clear-cut dreams. Of course it's nice for an author to have a character express the goal that's looming somewhere on the horizon, but I feel it's like the majority is hyped for college, and it's nice to read about someone else for a change.

Since she has weird dreams and is constantly falling asleep in the weirdest places, Rose started to journal, and thus we have an epistolary novel written in the first person narrator voice. Additionally, we have a few blog entries from Rose's love interest, and a person writing letters to a guy named Mark. Without sending them. Then there is Rose's brother, who found a community on something that sounds suspiciously like Reddit, a community of Atypicals who try to help each other out because life is tough, especially if you can't tell a regular therapist about it.
The different PoVs compliment each other nicely.

Since I have suspicions about who the first book is about, and I am very intrigued by that person, I can't wait to pick it up, but considering the time of year, I am unsure when it'll be. I have these big plans of finishing as many series as possible this year, but well, we know how that usually turns out.

If you're looking for stories about people with special abilities but without the usual superhero tropes, this is for you. This is related to the podcast the Bright sessions, but I promise that you don't need to know that to understand what's going on, because I still haven't got round to it.
Now that I know what to expect, and that I've met Dr. Bright, it's risen on my priority list to be sure.

The arc was provided by the publisher.

For some ridiculous reason, I'm in the minority with this book in the fact that I adored it. I think that people are going into this without reading the other two books and without the other two, yeah I can see how it would be confusing. Heck I kind of needed a refresher before I started this but, this book is still so so enjoyable.

It's a messy savic fantasy-esque book with characters who have cool abilities that come with their own challenges and this massive web of characters and storylines that just draw you in until you get so stuck in the web that you are fairly obsessed. I will admit that I have not listened to the podcast yet and I don't know really know why because I'm such an audiobook person that I should be able to listen to a podcast no problem, but for whatever reason I haven't gotten there yet. I've been told that the podcast makes these books even better which I am eager to experience.

This one features Rose, who is the only person left in her family who has not displayed any atypical traits, that is until she starts being able to see other people's dreams. One day she ends up in a rollerblading accident that puts her right next to a woman she quickly falls for but Rose's life is complicated and she's not sure that she can have any sort of future with someone who isn't atypical. Rose works on navigating her own ability and controlling it while also trying to deal with some other conflicts that arise. I don't really want to say too much more because I'm trying not to be spoilery.

You do absolutely need to read the other books first. Once you've done that, you can hop right into this one and enjoy.

Midsize Lesbian MC, sapphic relationship, multiple secondary queer characters.

The art and the premise of this book sound adorable, but I was not aware it was part of a series. Would I read the series? Yes because the premise sounds enticing.

Disclaimer: I was granted an early copy of the book by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved all of Lauren Shippen's previous books and I'm an avid listener of her podcasts, and this story was one of the ones I really liked to read more of, so I was really happy this came out! There's something about the way Lauren writes that draws you in, and this book really does that magically! Please try to pick this book up!

My feelings on this book are mixed but by the end are quite positive! I think there are a number of things that complicated my reaction, which I'll dig into, but I do want to say that I recommend it and by the end I really dug what it was going for.

Basically I got tripped up in the first quarter and it took me about a month to get through -- then I finished the last 75% in a single day. There's a lot of things that just threw me out of the story. Like -- why are some websites given fake fiction names (Mumblr, Readit) but others aren't (AO3 -- even the entire MCU and things like Bucky being the Winter Soldier are mentioned straight out, so it can't be for copyright reasons). Every time I encountered one of this it threw me out and I tried to figure out a pattern. Then on top of it, it had an issue with too many POVs. The entire story is in an interesting epistolary format -- where every character's is some modern version of letter-writing (other than Damien, who just gets... letters). So one person is sharing bits of what's going on on Reddit (Or Readit, rather), another is writing posts on Tumblr (...Mumblr), and the protagonist is keeping a dream journal. But although it was neat to see a modern social-media forward take on the epistolary novel, having four points of view was too many and cluttered the story. I'd argue only 2 were actually needed to make the story work: Rose's for sure, and Damien's for the subplot. The girlfriend's were a bit of nice insight but nothing happened in them that we wouldn't also have gotten from the scenes she was in, and I found the brother's actively detrimental. I spent the entire story assuming they were only there so his OBVIOUS list of identifying information about his family members on a forum dedicated to hiding from the secret organization would get them found out and then... nothing happened with that at all. I think I would have liked Aaron better as a character if we only got his interactions with Rose through her POV.

So those were the things that I tripped over, and (Damien's letters aside) it was almost all just Rose's story with her family and girlfriend drama through the parts I was distracted in. And then... at around the 50% mark it became totally entwined with the rest of the series even though it had been an independent read before.

My feelings on this were complicated too. Having about 45% of it be its own thing meant that it felt like a promise there. I'm not super familiar with the podcast anymore -- I've listened to the first season and a half, and then I haven't read the other books yet, and I picked this one up because, based on the back cover indicating Rose wasn't involved in that, it seemed like it'd be standalone, but it definitely wasn't. The book actually says that outright: "It feels like I've been over here living out my own fantasy novel, and for a moment, I stepped into a companion series with its own cast of characters and plot lines."

But... the thing is, the story where Rose is part of this main cast is the better story. The other stuff is fine but it's just... supernatural slice of life with terminal illness storyline, and it isn't really going anywhere other than character growth, but when Rose gets involved with the others, it pulls into a bigger, more involved story that is just better as a narrative. Even though I resisted it at first, I honestly wish it dug into it *more*, because some of them (Sam, Caleb, etc) aren't even characters in this story; they appear in it but only so we can be told about her interactions with them instead of seeing it. But Damien's story was really compelling, and how he and Rose play off each other feels like an ingredient that had been missing was finally there and everything tasted *right* in this recipe.

I can't believe I'm saying this as someone who was terrified about what he'd do in the podcast and stopped listening because I was too worried about it to listen as it came out.., but I hope we get more Damien soon.

Beyond that -- really cute f/f love story, a slice of life paranormal story with emotional complications that feels like it needed a bit more time in development to fully pull all its flavors together, but I'm glad I read to the end instead of putting it away.

I received an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

Some Faraway Place review:

2.5 stars rounded down.

★

E-book arc provided by Macmillan-Tor/Forge through NetGalley for an honest review.

★

I have not read the previous two book, and read this as a standalone and I didn’t really feel like it affected my reading experience. But I would recommend reading the first two since (I think) there are characters from the previous two books mentioned/included in this book.

★

Some Faraway Place by Lauren Shippen follows Rose, a gay nineteen years old girl, who lives with her Atypical family, except she’s not like them, as far as she knows she’s a normal girl with a family that possesses super powers.

★

This is perfect for those who like The Incredibles and The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, except with a main queer character.

It’s a light fantasy/romance read, perfect for young adults who want to see themselves in a more supernatural settings.
Rose has wanted to feel ‘normal’ in her family, which meant the opposite in her situation, with a mother who can see the future, a father with telekinesis, and a brother who can read minds, normal meant being Atypical, except she wasn’t. Until one day she passed out, and found out she’s not so normal after all.

★

I didn’t see the point of reading Aaron, Emily and Damien’s entries since I didn’t feel like they add much into the story and only took me out of the story.

I felt like Rose acted more like a sixteen years old rather than nineteen which bothered me at times.

I also felt there were some loose threads in the story, as if there is a next book. As far as I know this was the last installment but I’m not so sure anymore.

★

Ultimately, I don’t think I’m the target audience for this book, since the story felt slightly childish for me and I wasn’t that interested in the plot.

Unfortunately I think I'm going to have to call it a day on Some Faraway Place: A Bright Sessions Novel. I'm sure I'll come back to finish it at some point, but having it linger here is just kind of stressing me out. And I'm not invested enough in the story or characters to continue. Plus, there was one plot point that I'm just not in the headspace this year to deal with. It might come to nothing, and I guess I could have skimmed through the book to see what happens, but I think at this point I'd rather not know.

Full disclosure, I haven't listened to a single Bright Sessions podcast. I read the first book The Infinite Noise and enjoyed it for the most part and didn't feel like I was missing anything by not having listened to the podcasts. I realized after I started this book that I had skipped over book 2 in this series, A Neon Darkness, thinking Some Faraway Place was the second book. Looking over reviews on A Neon Darkness, I don't think it really matters that I didn't read it first, but I honestly don't know. I do think those who have listened to the podcasts will appreciate these books much more than those of us who didn't.

Thank you so much, NetGalley, Macmillan-Tor/Forge and Tor Teen, for the chance to read and review this book in exchange of an honest review.

Everyone in Rose's family is Atypical, they have abilities that defies the limits of the human experience. Her mother can see the future, her father can move things with his mind, her brother can read minds. Only Rose doesn't have an ability, but her life is still complicated, while she fights for her right to choose not to go to college, working in the kitchen of a restaurant and learning how to be a chef . At nineteen, past the usual age of the ability's manifestation, Rose doesn't think she will ever get hers, when an accident change everything. She can now dive into dreams, she can travel into them. Rose should be happy to have an ability, but her new power only complicates even more her life and she struggles between a new girlfriend, who doesn't know about Atypical, her power, her family and her future. And being an Atypican doesn't mean being safe either.

Some Faraway Place is the third Bright Sessions novel by Lauren Shippen and, as the author's previous ones, it's amazing and a wonderful and thrilling read. The story is captivating and Rose is a complex main character. She's a young woman, struggling with her life and identity, her choices, future, family, studies and her new ability complicates everything, even though before she was the only in her family without one.
She's relatable, very realistic in her actions and feelings and a very good character.
The writing style, the narration, the plot twists...everything is amazing and captivating, mixing a search for one's identity with queer love a new power and dangers. A ​brilliant mix, an unforgettable story and family.

I've always loved the Bright Sessions and diving back into this world was like coming home, getting new questions and answers, discovering new characters, finding older ones and it was really amazing and intense. I totally recommend this book to everyone looking for a powerful story, a sweet queer love and complex and intricate characters.

Some Faraway Place slots itself into the world of the Bright Sessions so easily. Rose is a newly discovered Atypical, a person who has a supernatural ability. Ranging from pyrokinesis and empathy, to telepathy and manipulation. Rose is a dreamdiver: she can create entire worlds within her own dreams and travel into other’s. While she struggles with her new power, her entire world is changing around her, too. A new girlfriend, family troubles, and and new Atypical friends you might find familiar if you’ve listened to the Bright Sessions podcast, and Rose’s future is just some faraway place she can’t picture anymore.

This book is told in a multimedia style format. Most of the book is told via Rose’s perspective and her journal. There are also Tumblr style posts from Emily, Rose’s new girlfriend; Reddit style posts from Aaron, Rose’s brother, in a forum for Atypicals; and letters from a mysterious source who is revealed later. I really love how the letters connect the story to the Bright Sessions before the author is revealed, and how the dates at the start of Rose’s journal entries establish where in that timeline we are. The Tumblr posts let us get to know Emily, who is outside this whole Atypical thing and who is a completely wonderful person. She writes Stucky fanfiction, for one, so I immediately know she is my kind of person. The writing feels very comfortable and emotional, down to earth yet introspective and exploratory. With the help of the podcast, and the wonderful voice actors who work on it, I was able to have an even more immersive experience, with their voices in my head whenever the characters spoke.

The relationships are particularly well written. Rose and her girlfriend have an adorable meet cute and their time together is so warm and wonderful. Rose has a contentious relationship with her parents, now that she’s discovered her ability. They don’t understand her dreamdiving and Rose is avoiding them, too, hiding in her dreams to escape the stress of her life. Her and her brother have a good relationship for the most part, but she resents him for having his own life outside her family during high school, during the time when he discovered his own ability (telepathy). They’re only over a year apart in age, so they are quite close, though she also resents him for being Atypical. Though we only get glimpses of their interactions, because of the format of the story, all these relationships are well represented and described, the love palpable through the words each character writes.

I’ve listened to most of The Bright Sessions, but I haven’t read the first two books in this series. I was able to understand almost everything with that knowledge, and hope to read the first two books soon so I can have a better understanding of certain events. I highly recommend familiarity with the podcast before diving into this book, and series. It kind of makes this book pretty niche, and difficult to get into. But I would say it’s worth it. I recommend this book for anyone who likes podcasts, who wants to read more new adult books. And, yes, I would say this is more new adult; it’s young new adult, but still. Rose is nineteen, almost twenty, and is out of high school. She is not pursuing a degree but is, instead, gaining experience in a commercial kitchen so she can save money to go to culinary school and become a chef. This book just offered a tiny glimpse into her life and I can only imagine what is next for her! And, god, do I want to know. Lauren Shippen has this way of making me feel yearning and desire for a positive future. She gives me hope for change and for a world where things are just so slightly skewed, yet is so similar to our own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for an early copy of this book!

Some Faraway Place is the third book in The Bright Sessions series by Lauren Shippen, a series that I always enjoyed reading. However, I have sadly to admit that this new book did not live up to my expectations.

I always have the same complaint with these books: to me, it seems that they lack something in the end. They give you a lot but then never enough, and this is something I was almost fine with the first time, even the second, but not the third. I feel like Some Faraway Place offers a story a bit weaker than the previous ones, and what makes it a bit more interesting is not even the new protagonist, Rose, but Damien, and only because, in my case, he is a character that I already know quite well.

Moreover, these novels are all presented as stand-alones, but in my opinion, to have a more solid introduction to this world inhabited by Atypicals you have to read the first novel, The Infinite Noise. Also, because in the second book and in this one too, you encounter characters from the first one, but here they are not presented as well as they should be. And, at the same time, if you’ve read the others, then it’s a bit boring to get their presentations again. One example is Damien’s story in this new addition. If you don’t know his story, which was the main topic of A Neon Darkness, then I guess it’s a bit confusing learning about him or even understanding him. To understand everything fully you have to read all the books.

Thank you to the publisher for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I don't have any major issues with this book. The author was just interested in a different part of Rose's story than I was. I was much more interested in Rose's romantic relationship, which is discussed, but the focus is on her relationship with Damien. There's nothing wrong with that, just not what I was looking for.
My only critique would be that a lot of the book was spent getting Rose to distrust the AM. After two books and however many podcasts, the audience already knows they're bad news. I know Rose is just starting this journey, but a lot of time is spent with her having okay experiences at the AM. I understand the narrative purpose, I just think Lauren Shippen has explored this better in the podcasts. I know not everyone will have all of that knowledge going into this book, but it really slowed down the plot.

A really great addition to an already favourite series! An introvert with late-bloomer atypical abilities, a sweet sapphic meetcute, a complicated but supportive family dynamic, and more time spent in the Bright Sessions universe. AND it’s mostly told in this cool mix media sort of format, with journal entries and blog posts!! What’s not to love ?! (Oh did I mention the love interest is a Stucky fanfic writer ?! Because 😍 Love Interest Goals)