Ally Condie’s The Only Girl in Town is a unique and introspective young adult novel that blends dystopian elements with a deeply personal narrative. The story follows a girl named July, who wakes up one day to find herself seemingly the only person left in her small town. What unfolds is a quiet, contemplative exploration of loneliness, survival, and self-discovery.

Condie’s writing shines with emotional depth, capturing July’s inner world as she navigates the eerie emptiness and grapples with her memories and relationships. Rather than being action-driven, the novel focuses on the protagonist’s emotional journey, using the strange, deserted setting to delve into themes of identity, grief, and resilience. The mystery of what happened to the town is a background thread, but the heart of the story lies in July’s evolving understanding of herself and her place in the world.

The Only Girl in Town is a thought-provoking and reflective read, perfect for readers who enjoy character-driven stories with a touch of mystery and psychological depth. Condie crafts an intimate and haunting narrative that stays with you long after finishing.

DNF- hard to understand what is going on. You can't determine what is going on with the character and then you aren't interested

This was just okay for me. I have read the author before and liked previous books. I feel like this could have been beefed up more. Started off well but left me disappointed at the end.

Sigh. I’m not even really sure what to say about this book, it felt like such a flop. July is the only person left in her town. There is no explanation as to why, we only know she is the only one who remains. Her story oscillates between Now, her current alone state, and Once, her memories. At first you might think apocalypse, or maybe July is dead and in a state of purgatory, but there is little in the plot to explain why she is in the state she’s in. In fact, for a story told entirely in her point of view, we actually don’t get to know or understand July herself at all.

The story structure, I think is meant to incite urgency and create an lyrical and poetic cadence; however, if this was the intention, it did not succeed. The book was frustrating to read and often difficult to follow. It seemed like the intention was to tease and create short sound bites with intense cliffhangers, but it was difficult to follow and chapters were unsatisfying.

There are certainly some deep seated themes of a struggle with mental health and depression, but this emerges towards the end and is not enough to provide clarity along the way. There was so much potential for this book to be a real talking point in the conversation surrounding mental health, friendship, relationships, and those difficult teenage years. More than anything, this book was a bit of a let down. It’s got a great synopsis, but it didn’t pan out the way I’d hoped.

I have read all of Ally Condie's books as she is an auto buy author for me. The Only Girl in Town hit a bit differently than her other books. This one took me on an emotional ride and I'm not quite sure how I feel about it. While currently I'm sitting at a 3 for this book where her others are 4's for me. I may circle back and read this again to see if I feel different about it in a different season of life.

Thank you NetGalley for an arc of The Only Girl in Town by Ally Condie

I liked how short the chapters for this one were but it felt pretty slow paced and like nothing really happened to keep me hooked. Just not what I was looking for at the time unfortunately but I've liked some of Ally's other work!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

I’m not sure how I feel about this one still. I liked it while I was reading it but I found it very forgettable. I did really like the characters and the story line.

Thank you Penguin & Dutton for a copy of this book for an honest review!

I absolutely flew through this book and it’s because of the chapters. The chapters are a page (sometimes less) long and it’s poetic. The writing was really my favorite part about this book.

The emotions really run high - and it’s definitely not as it seems. The mystery behind this book got me to the end where you start to realize what exactly is going on. It’s a realization that almost really smacks you in the face and I couldn’t wait to get to the final page to see what was going on.

The only thing I’d say about this book is that I almost wish it was longer!

I really enjoyed this read by Ally Condie--very eerie and atmospherical and a good tale overall. I can't imagine if it were me in this story!!!!

Okay so for some reason, I had convinced myself that this was more of a crime/thriller book? Instead, it's more of a contemporary mental health story where everyone in town has vanished and the main character examines the events that led her here while she tries to work out who's leaving her mysterious clues.

Reviewing "The Only Girl in Town" presents a bit of a challenge. The book starts strong with its beautiful lyrical prose and engaging short chapters that draw you in. The initial setup and mystery surrounding July's life are intriguing, but as the story progresses, it takes a somewhat confusing and disappointing turn. While it addresses significant themes like loneliness and depression, the execution may not fully satisfy all readers. The alternating past and present chapters gradually reveal the puzzle, but the ending left me wanting more. However, the characters, especially July, are relatable, and the hopeful tone at the conclusion adds a positive note. Ultimately, this book offers a unique perspective, and its impact may vary depending on individual experiences and preferences.

This is a hard one to review. The lyrical prose in the short chapters was beautiful, but the story had me invested in the beginning. Trying to figure out where it was going. But then I became a little confused then let down with the ending. I’ve read similar books that I won’t name to avoid spoilers and I think it is hard to come up with an ending that exceeds the buildup in the reader's mind.

The book is emotional and ultimately deals with an important issue, but left me feeling a little flat.

The Only Girl in Town has a super intriguing premise—what would happen if everyone in your town disappeared? It’s an interesting discussion on loneliness, isolation, and depression.

*I received a free copy of this ebook from the publisher.*

I've read several Ally Condie books, and this one is so different from the others. It's not what I expected, and it's not particularly what I had hoped for. I went into it without reading any reviews, thinking it was science fiction when it was actually a book about loneliness and depression. Chapters alternated (not equally) between past and present, allowing the reader to gradually gather enough pieces to suspect how the two connected and what the significance of August 31 was. At times, it was written in a somewhat stream-of-consciousness way (which is not my favorite), and at others it was written like free verse. The chapters were pretty short. I think I liked July (18), as well as a few other characters, but I'll be honest: I didn't like Syd. The ending wasn't very conclusive, though it did feel hopeful.

That said, I didn't hate it or anything. I just didn't love it. However, I'm sure there are people who will really feel a connection with this book; I'm just not one of them.

Note: A little mild swearing.

I’m not to sure how I felt about this one. This story follows July as she wakes up one day to find herself alone in town with no one else around. We also follow July in an earlier time frame coming of age following her first heartbreak very slice of life.

In this book I get what the authors getting at but July as a character just fell a little flat for me. I had a really hard time staying interested in the now timeline and wish it would have just stayed with the one pov. I will say this is a unique book so if you are a fan of strange books you may enjoy this one. I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for a chance to read this book for an honest review.

I thought this was an interesting novel, but I don't know if students will "enjoy" the ending - wanting something a bit more conclusive than the feeling of isolation one has with depression. Is it enough of an answer?

Thank you to netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group, Dutton Books for Young Readers for allowing me an e-arc of The Only Girl in Town by Ally Condie. I thought going into I was emotionally ready but man was I wrong. This book took me on a emotional roller coaster that I wasnt ready for but I needed to go on.

This felt like a metaphor for depression, which as someone with depression, I understood. I could understand why others might not connect with it, and I love that for them!

Looooved the cat!

Overall, I thought this story was very very good and I liked piecing together the events in July's life, the friendships, the ice cream shop, the relationships, but it's such a nice story that I'm not sure the average neurotypical reader will get where the author was going for!

I'm not quite sure how I feel about this book. The beginning is compelling and I found myself quickly turning pages to figure out what happened. Then throughout the middle it felt a big bogged down by July's sadness and loneliness, with lots of running around town without accomplishing much. I know that was the point of the book.

It often felt very filled with teenage angst and drama. I also hadn't realized she had any feelings for Alex, and she was quickly ready to jump into a relationship with him as soon as Sam breaks up with her. I did like the twist of the book. The metaphor of her loneliness. Also, YOLO is the greatest cat character ever.