DNF @ 65%
Yes I could finish this; but I just don’t care about any of our characters, the ‘mystery’ is boring, and it’s really contemporary lit, not science fiction.

Yes the blurb made it clean the alien ships leave; but it also promised weird things happening afterwards. In reality this book is about a marriage (with two little kids) falling apart due to an affair, a boy coming to from a catatonic state 20 years later (who seems to be awfully self sufficient given he knows no technology, lost 20 years and was just a teen when the state first started), and some random teen who hates her step-father (and who has like 3 short chapters, she feels insignificant), oh and the cat (which is soo not as engaging as the octopus in Remarkably Bright Creatures). All of these scenarios and people could have been interesting but their thoughts are too straightforward. They all seem to just know what to do next and don’t struggle enough with the idea of aliens, the idea of 20 years lost, or the idea of their wife having an affair. It’s just boring.

In fairness, I am not a contemporary book reader (usually). There are a rare few I have loved; but generally they are not interesting to me. I love my fantasy and science fiction. So it could be that this book was never intended for a reader like me. Or you could argue that the best books surpass genre. Which is what I had really hoped for here. This is a debut novel for author Emily Jane, so maybe she just needs some major editing (to stop repeating the same things in subsequent chapters, I remember where we last were you change POVs!), some help with you inner dialogue approach for her characters, and a better marketing team that doesn’t allow this book to end up in science fiction; but puts it in the right place under fiction or contemporary literature.

All in all, I have too many things staring at me from my TBR to carry-on. Thus a DNF, where I lost about 200 pages of credit for my reading challenge; but I believe it won’t be worth the remaining 100+ pages to get there. I’ll take the loss and move on.

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

While I did enjoy this book, and thought it had a great level of snark, as well as being very funny in parts, I felt somewhat let down by the ending. I'm not sure what I expected but it certainly wasn't what I got.

A polished hunk of awesome. I loved reading this quirky sweet book. If there are aliens among us, I hope they are really meerkat look a likes wearing human skin. And OF COURSE they would think cats rule the world! A super fun read, recommended for all humans, but especially Americans. This is a great positive look at our weird and unpredictable human natures from the point of view of somewhat friendly non humans. Again, loved this book. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the digital copy.

This was a fun, quirky sci-fi novel that finds humor in the potentiality of humans discovering they are not alone in the universe. What if aliens aren’t a scary, technologically advanced species bent on earth’s destruction or stealing our limited resources? What if instead…they were obsessed with television?

That is the case in the world Emily Jane has created. Only, when the aliens finally arrived, they left again almost immediately, leaving chaos in their wake as humanity came to terms with their newer, smaller place in the universe. Particularly, the novel follows Blaine - a man whose too-good-to-be-true wife suddenly whisks him, their kids, and their cat away on a road trip to Disneyland that Blaine starts to suspect might not actually be Disneyland. It also follows Heather, who sees the ships floating overhead and starts to dream that things are finally going to get exciting and change her for her. And then there’s Oliver, who suddenly wakes up from a twenty year coma with weird flashes of memory, the ability to speak to cats, and a strange desire to go to west. Eventually, all of their stories collide as they struggle to answer life’s deepest questions about our role in the universe.

The novel makes me think of The Hollow Man by T. S. Elliot, specifically the line “not with a bang but a whimper”, in that for the most part the aliens simply arrived and then left. They did nothing cataclysmic, did not ask to speak to world leaders, did not beam anyone into their ships… and yet the world almost dissolves into chaos regardless. There is a tone of satire, of ridiculousness to the world’s reaction and the author does an excellent job of leaning into the humor of it all.

However, the focus is more a slice-of-life and character study than it is a full on sci-fi novel. The pacing tends to lag frequently and things get boring just when you want them to lean into the weirdness of it all. There are definitely some people who would love this type of very light, funny sci-fi, but it wasn’t for me.

I've tried several times to get into this book. Clearly as I'm leaving this review a year after pub. But I just cannot enjoy the writing style. I'm calling it now, this is just not for me.

**Thank you NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for the eARC**

One of my most boring reading experiences lately. All of these characters should’ve been abducted and never been seen or heard from again (especially the kids).


Thanks to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for providing a copy for an honest review.

This strange but wonderful tale is quite the ride! A little bit sci-fi, with a dash of heartwarming examination of humanity. This definitely gave me the same feelings I got reading "The Guncle". Completely different story, but the same feelings!

On Earth as It Is on Television by Emily Jane was a fun and quirky read. Just what I needed at the time. I was truly thankful to have gotten to read this before most people! I would like to purchase this one for my physical library!

An absurdist and delightful science fiction novel that really explores how much we don’t know about the universe. Reminded me of Douglas Adams.

The premise sounded really interesting. Unfortunately it was slow and too sci-fi for me. But I realize that’s a me thing, and I can absolutely see people enjoying this.

This is a well written, fast paced, engaging book. It has some fine lines, amusing mild snark, a generally amiable tone, a few well-conceived set pieces, and a fair share of perceptive and insightful observations. It's also good, sometimes pointed, fun. I would encourage inquisitive readers who like playing with genre conventions to give the book a try.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hyperion Avenue for an eARC of On Earth As It Is On Television.

The premise of this book really drew me in. First contact with aliens gets me every time, but I almost DNF’d at 50%. Then around 70% it got interesting. The different POV’s were finally starting to mesh. The entire book jumped around with no real intention. The ending fell flat. I get this was supposed to be a book about being human and emotions that evolve no matter what species you are and less about first contact. I just wish the execution could have been explained a bit more in detail and more of the actual plot was fleshed out.

What would present day humans do if space ships arrived one day and then disappeared just as quickly? This book is not so much about the arrival but the after effects. It is SciFi humor in the vein of Douglas Adams. Quirky, weird, and fun and would make for a great summer beach read. It does start a little slow but push through to get to the meat of it and it's a good time. There is some strange pacing which pulled me out of the story from time to time but overall this is a novel that I enjoyed.

I'm catching up on reviews so... Thank you to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for access to this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Unfortunately this book didn't work for me. I am not the biggest sci-fi person ever, but I do enjoy a good book here and there. This one for me was just boring and weird to follow along with. I just didn't care for our characters or what was happening, perhaps because it took so long to get to the point of the story, that by the time we were in it I didn't care anymore. I did care about the cat, because I always care about the animals and it was funny, but I just didn't like the writing style so this wasn't for me.

Comedic sci-fi in the Douglas Adams mode, ON EARTH AS IT IS ON TELEVISION tells a hilarious sci fi story while poking fun at very human foibles, just as they encounter life from elsewhere in the universe. I love big, weird swings, and this is definitely one of those. Great fun!

This book sounded just like the sort of bonkers sci-fi book I would normally love. However I could never connect with the characters. I need likable characters in a book. This book was just too disjointed and bonkers for me.

This is a really creative and different type of sci-fi that left me engaged and thoroughly entertained throughout. Pacing is a little off and it's... uh, weird... but the humor kept me going. I liked it!

This book - oh, i don't know where to start!

It was quirky, and fun, and a whole lot weird at times, but I couldn't put it down.
Did I mention it was fun and outrageous?

Not your typically sci-fi, for sure. If you're looking for something lighthearted and original, On Earth As It Is On Television is the book for you.

This book was weird. Really weird—but not in a bad way. I think it toed the line between being speculative and goofy, though sometimes leaning too much toward the latter for my tastes.

Jane ties in independent storylines in a way that gives a refreshing perspective on humanity and what it means to be human. There’s also a lot of satire revolving around consumerism that I really enjoyed. The book almost lost me at certain points, but I feel like the ending was overall emotionally satisfying and climactic.

An adorable book. If you love UFOs, the glow of a TV, and Cats, this is for you.

Well paced, humourous, and full of childlike wonder.

I received a digital ARC from NetGalley.