On Earth As It Is on Television by Emily Jane is an incredible science fiction romp. The story is told through different perspectives about the aliens coming to earth and what it means for humanity. This was so fun and such an interesting take on the first contact genre.

I didn't finish this one, the narrator just didn't do it for me. But Sci-Fi fans looking for something a bit lighter would enjoy it, particularly teens that are just dipping their toe in the Sci-Fi genre. This audiobook is a great secondary purchase in libraries where the audiobook collection is particularly robust.

I enjoyed the beginning, however, I lost interest after the first 50 pages and did not want to finish. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC for my opinions.

On Earth as it is on Television is a quirky book. I love sci-fi and this book seemed like it was right up my alley. The beginning was slow and didn't quite have the sci-fi elements that I was looking for. The second half was definitely more interesting, but the book just wasn't for me.

The narration is excellent and might be the best part of the novel. Hayden Bishop did such a great job with the kids voices that it made my skin crawl.

Funny, but not overly so. Quirky, but not quite enough. The extreme nature of some of the characters was repetitious and off-putting (The Wife eats bacon, the kids call their cat a chonk). The constant whiny, baby-talk of the two main children was mildly humorous the first couple of times we meet them, but after a while we see that this is their only character trait, and it's irritating.

Interesting debut and will look for their next title.

Great debut and really fun read. Every cat owner knows cats can talk. Sadly, we humans cannot yet understand much of what they say. All that changes in On Earth as it is on Television, when cats begin to speak and it is revealed aliens walk among us. Love this audiobook! Great fun!

This story unfolded in an intriguing way, through the perspectives of a cast of characters, all of whom relate in some way to a recent alien visit. Aliens have been living among us for years, taking on the lives of recently deceased people and researching the Earthlings. Those that have been scouting the way have taken up living as humans and are really enjoying themselves. When the set day on which they are meant to be picked up comes and goes without any sign of their comrades, the aliens start families and go about as though all is normal, not knowing if or when they will be asked to return to their home planet. When the spaceships appear over cities across the world, the aliens living on Earth start to worry about what their futures hold.

Overall, I liked this book, though the "husband"'s kids were super annoying.

As a lover of science fiction, weird fiction, and dry humor, On Earth As It Is On Television was a delight to read. This is a fun twist on the alien invasion story, staying on the lighthearted side of things and playing with the various absurdities of what it means to be a human (especially a human in today's society). The narrative voice is jaunty and fun, delighting in the silly moments while still remaining authentic and heartfelt in the serious ones. Hayden Bishop's audiobook performance is top notch. The two young children in one of the storylines kept me laughing - as a parent of two similarly-aged children, their ongoing squabbles, dialogue, and cat-focused babytalking were hilariously and accurately absurd. I loved this book, and I'm going to recommend it to friends who need a good palate-cleanser in between darker/heavier reads. I also love that this was a debut novel, and will be following Emily Jane's moves going forward.

Thanks to Net Galley for the advance reading opportunity!

This debut was a little too quirky and weird for my tastes but the characters were fun and I enjoyed where the author went with the story. Would definitely check out whatever they write next and thought the audio narration by Hayden Bishop was good. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

One morning the world wakes to find dozens of alien spaceships hovering around earth. They hover for a short amount of time and then leave. But the questions of what they were doing and what or who they may have left behind remains, and why are all the cats behaving so weird all of a sudden? This book explores different families dealing with the aftermath of realizing they are not alone in the universe. This sharp and witty Sci-fi story tells an interesting -if somewhat off the wall- story which unfolds in surprising ways. The author weaves together hilarious characters and storylines together into a moving story of interstellar migrants. The narration strikes just right tone, balancing the humor of the story with the moving character arcs and the narrator does a subtle but powerful job of depicting different characters.

I wasn't sure how I felt about this novel at first. It was weird and strange. By the end of it, I loved it. It's weird and strange in all the right ways! If science fiction and aliens are your jam, this novel is for you!

Earth is being invaded? We think. There's spaceships in the skies all around the world. Communications are spotty on why there are there and what they are there for. People are panicking. Is the end of the world here? Very War of the Worlds vibes. But then the spaceships just leave. Vanish. No communications. Nothing destroyed. Nothing stolen. And it leaves people feeling... complicated and contemplating the deeper meaning of life.

Like what did the aliens want? Where did they come from? Will they come back? What if they were here all along? Did the government know about them? And what are humans supposed to do now?

This novel follows three families as they navigate a post-alien visit: Blaine, the average human husband with a gorgeous wife and two hyper kiddos who are coping with aliens by going to Disney; Heather, a Malibu princess who finds new perspective on her too perfect family; and Oliver, who miraculously comes back to himself once the aliens come to earth.

Oh and did I mention the cats? The cats are cool.

I think this may end up in my top 10 of 2023!

Unfortunately I did not finish this one at 49%. I found the premise of the story very interesting and will likely be finishing the book by reading a physical copy, however the narrator really grated on me and made me not want to continue listening. The audio "effects" that the narrator added were just too much for me and really distracted me from the story. Other than that, I was enjoying the plot and am excited to finish reading a print copy!

This was a fun listen. I enjoyed the story, but I felt the build up was a little long. Great narrator.

This was a great first-contact story--we open with an alien encounter and unravel it throughout the novel. I listened to the audiobook and particularly enjoyed Hayden Bishop's narration! Such a strong debut from Emily Jane. I can't wait to see what she writes next! Thank you to Hyperion and NetGalley for sending me an audio ARC!

On Earth as it is on Television was a highly enjoyable, lighthearted book about the after effects of an earth side visit from aliens. The audiobook was the perfect way to enjoy this fun read.

Thanks to Disney & NetGalley for providing an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I get why the comps for this book include THE HITCHHIKER'S GT THE GALAXY; it's billable as an "irreverent" take on alien visitation, I guess. BUT this book goes on (and on, and on) in a seemingly pointless manner for SO MANY chapters that even listening to it as an audiobook was a bit of a chore. Aliens visit Earth, freak out the populace, then leave. Then it becomes clear that certain people thought to be human are actually aliens, and we learn they were dropped off 18 years previous (but for some reason no one noticed spaceships then?), but never picked up as they were supposed to have been. Oh, and the aliens love plastic and meat and cheese and booze, and their higher ups believe that cats might be the dominant species on the planet. So we have a lot of cat telepathy.

This could have been a more interesting book were it more sci fi oriented (as it stands, it could have at least a third taken out; it reads as more absurdist than SF), but I have lost the will to plough through. Hayden Bishop's inability to pronounce certain words has eroded my patience, and their ability to conjure annoying child voices (the endless whining was a little *too* real), while impressive, is just too grating.

While the premise and narration were engaging and entertaining, the text of the book did not translate well to an audiobook format. I found it hard to follow, in terms of the change of perspective. The characters and events were interesting but the structure of multiple perspectives clashed with my personal preferences. I do think that this book will be enjoyed by many, but unfortunately it is not my cup of tea. The subject of alien contact and family conflict interest are right on trend and for those who like multiple perspectives this is a wonderful choice.

Ok there is quirky fun and quirky WTF is going on. This book for me sadly fell into the latter. Maybe I just didn't get it. Maybe this book is better suited for someone who enjoys a good head scratch, but for me, I felt like I had to think way too hard while I was reading this and this book became more of a chore than an enjoyable read. Maybe others will feel differently.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this ALC. Hayden Bishop was a fine narrator, but this book was not for me.

On Earth as It is on Television is pretty nonstop as it follows several people after an alien “invasion”. Maybe not an invasion. They just kind of come to Earth and then hang out for a bit and then leave. No one knows why. While some people weirdly return to their lives as if the visit never occurred, others are just running around trying to figure out what this means to them. Eventually, all becomes clear.

The book itself was filled with an array of characters. Some are likable and others are not-I’m looking at you kids. I appreciated that the end was quite different from what we usually get from this type of book.

I can pretty much guarantee that you've never read a First Contact story quite like Emily Jane's debut, On Earth as It Is on Television. Rather than focusing on the aftereffects of an alien invasion, this novel instead asks: How would humans respond if aliens showed up in Earth's skies one day...and then promptly left with no contact and no explanation? The answers are zany, entertaining, and surprisingly heartfelt. They are also told from 3 (very different) POVs.


*Special thanks to NetGalley and Disney Audiobooks for the audio e-arc.*