This was definitely more intense than I thought it would be based on the title and description. Not bad, just intense. It might just be because the paranoia bits during the alien visitation felt a little too eral and close to lockdown for me. It does have a lot of humor, but it didn't always hit for me. It was a slow starter, but it did pick up steam eventually. It's an ok read.

4 stars

Sci-fi isn't my favorite genre, but I was so curious about the buzz for this upcoming release that I just had to know, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Readers who find this premise interesting but are nervous about the sci-fi elements need not be; this is one of the most accessible and humorous versions of the genre I've encountered.

There's an alien invasion happening, and this causes folks - of course - to have all kinds of questions about who they are, what will happen to them, and what has already happened to those they love. While the characters have names, they are frequently referred to by their relationship roles (i.e., "The Brother," "The Wife," and so on), and I love this element. It's easy for readers to put themselves in the positions of the characters but also to imagine how our incoming expectations shape these roles in our minds. Hilariously, those incoming expectations play a huge role in the narrative overall via the role of television. There's a fun postmodern vibe when it comes to reality versus manufactured "reality" and what makes life worth living (for many of these characters, the answers are bacon and cats, which I can't disagree with more, but fortunately this isn't my actual reality...yet).

It'll be easy for readers to - if they want - make some snazzy connections between pandemic living and alien invasion living. What will happen? Who are we? Do I still need to go to college, or is the weirdest trip to Disneyworld a better option?

There are two unexpected joys I found in this book, in addition to the engaging narrative. First, the relationships are surprisingly meaningful considering the tone and topic. I really enjoyed seeing how the characters demonstrated care for and devotion to each other, especially in untraditional circumstances. Also, this book is just funny. That's not a reaction I often experience to this genre or subject matter, so it was especially fun to encounter that here, and the narrator of the audiobook does a lot to highlight this.

I'm surprised and thrilled by how much I enjoyed this and recommend it as an engaging and quirky read.

I was surprised by this, and I think I enjoyed it. I struggled to get into it at the beginning. It felt slow, and the characters didn't feel super deep. I especially didn't like The Husband, which I think was the point. So, I'm not sure if I was supposed to like him in the end. Once we got to the perspective of the cat and I realized there was more to this story I was more invested. I do wish it had been deeper in parts, some of the characters felt unexplored so when they had their emotional climax it wasn't as engaging as I had hoped. I did really like how this ended and I am looking forward to reading more from this author.

For several days, enormous spaceships hover over some of Earth's major cities only to disappear. The humans are left wondering why they left without doing anything and try to continue with their lives, changed or unchanged. Three families (and cats) share their lives in the aftermath - Oliver who had been comatose for 20 years and wakes up, Blaine who supports his wife Ann (even though he suspects her of an affair) and their 2 kids and cat Mr. Meow-mitts, and Heather stepdaughter of TV producer Jack P.

I really enjoy this book and especially the narrator. It definitely puts a bit of a different spin on the genre. I loved the unique cast of characters, especially the cats. I became attached to all of them and as the conclusion drew close, was invested in what would happen to them. While this is fiction, there was some social commentary woven in, especially about not exactly fitting in, what we treat as important vs what actually is important, and how we deal with crisis.

I really enjoyed this novel. Aliens arrive in Earth's atmosphere, they hover over major cities for a while before disappearing as quickly as they arrived. What does it mean? What will happen next? What should I do next? Each character has their own reaction to the aliens' arrival and disappearance. The story rotates between a cast of characters, who are all processing these events in different ways. It took me a little time to get into the story, but after that, I found this book to be funny and quirky. Not the same old - something new and fun to read. The narrator did a great job. She was actually too good at recreating annoying noises. I for this reason, I might have enjoyed the print version more. I think this would make a great summer read! Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy in return for my honest opinion.

A first contact story, count me in! This book had me hooked from the beginning... why are spaceships hovering in the sky? What does it mean? What should I do?

Emily Jane's debut novel shows promise for a successful career. Though I had trouble at time understanding which characters were which, the more I read, the more fleshed out the character became. I feel the confusion was intentional, to make the chaos of aliens arriving that more impactful. I look forward to more works from this author.

My biggest critique is I did not feel connected to any characters. I feel exploring the dynamics and developing the characters deeper earlier on in the story would have lended me to want to read this book and consume it at a faster rate.

3.5/5 stars

This book was a big swing with something different and incorporated humor. The narrator was fantastic. If you are looking for a very different approach to aliens this is a funny book that is the author's creative interpretation. Thank you for the opportunity to listen to the audiobook!

On Earth as It is on Television is outside my typical wheelhouse, but I thought the premise of an alien visit seemed interesting, so I went out on a limb. This is the kind of book that I think definitely has a clear audience—it's zany and satirical and odd, which I think really works for a lot of readers. For me, it became quite grating quickly, which I think was made worse by the audio experience (not because of a bad narrator, but because this version enhanced what was already annoying to me about the story). I'm wary of books that work too hard at being comedies, which is what this felt like to me, but I also know lots of other readers will find this a much more fun experience than I did.