The Birds Aren’t Real movement is a funny one, but this book didn’t pay off. I initially got this book as an ARC ebook, but it wasn’t enough to hold my attention.

My library got the audiobook, so I decided to give it another go. In the current political age, it’s probably not going to age well or find much popularity, because anyone paying attention is already burnt out by the current climate.

There were parts that felt fun and enjoyable, but the list of presidents was a jump of a shark. I think the social accounts are funny in small bits, and the book deal was a cash grab that didn’t pay off. Bummer.

This book is for a very niche audience and fortunately, I am that audience. I saw other reviews complaining about the “unnecessary fluff” but I thought every detail was great. I immediately recommend this book to the people in my circle who will most certainly “get it.”

Thank you to Netgalley & the publisher for this ARC

Okay, I went into this book completely blindsided. Some sources are siting this book as nonfiction or history, so starting a book that's telling me I'm probably going to be stalked and killed for reading/listening to it was pretty alarming. Lol. I quickly realized I had jumped into a true work of satire, one that couldn't take itself seriously in a million years.

Birds Aren't Real was a highly entertaining work of fiction that had me rolling my eyes and laughing out loud throughout the entire thing. But also, once I finished reading it, I kept having some weird bird interactions that had me questioning things (like a bird sitting atop a pole with a door opener button on it, that didn't fly away even as I pressed the button; or one being in the exact same place in my yard when I left my house, just to come back to it still being there).

Also, when's the last time you looked at a full list of presidents? Why are so many names John or James?

Anyways, what a weird, fun book.

This is one of my favorite conspiracy theories / satire. I thought this was very funny but if you aren’t familiar with this group you probably won’t enjoy it or find the humor in it. Overall, this was a fun read and it had me laughing throughout.

This book is probably one of the most important pieces of text we'll see in the next decade because they definitely want to hide this information from us.

Overall this book was absolutely hilarious and made my day 10x better

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me a free e-book copy of Birds Aren't Real by Peter McIndoe and Connor Gaydos. I enjoyed the humor in this book and recommend it to fans of satire. I especially enjoyed the meta-reality concept here, blurring the line between appearing to be non-fiction while really being fiction. I wish we had more books like this one.

This book is definitely for people that are already familiar with the birds aren't real...movement? Theory? Or at least fans of satire. Otherwise, entering into this world would be quite a surprise. While the whole thing is ridiculous and hilarious, this book and everything that came before it are really doing a lot under the surface. This far-out theory is often used to highlight the flaws in logic held by a lot of conspiracy theorists and extremist groups. It's a guide to the kind of thinking that goes into conspiracies, and it's just plausible enough to get you thinking.

This book is wonderfully absurd and so consistent in its crazy conspiracy theory that it is quite entertaining. There is no "just-kidding moment" in the book from cover to cover, so kudos for that. That said, the story gets old and stops being super funny or entertaining, which is why I can't go any further than 3 stars.

OMG, this book is hilarious. It reminds me of Mad Magazine when I was a child, and I loved having the great lass.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book. Birds Aren’t Real is a mildly amusing book that carries its premise for much too long. It would have been perfect as an essay, but the book length stretched the joke until it wasn’t funny anymore. It just seemed like two old frat brothers telling a tedious, oft-repeated story from their past. For people who thought of the masterpiece Why Fish Don’t Exist when they saw the title Birds Aren’t Real, this is the opposite of that book in every way. Do not recommend.

If you enjoy over-the-top conspiracy theories and a little political mockery then you might enjoy this book, but it’s also not a must-read.

Thank you, NetGalley for this ARC.

I honestly could not follow. Is this satire? I wanted to be interested and follow the book but I couldn’t get into it.

I picked up this book excited to go on an adventure. And boy, did I.

I found the book's first quarter funny, the second quarter more problematic that we were still there, and the last half unreadable. The premise was fun, and there was a lot to it. But I'm not sure this needed to be a book.

This is a great satirical work that will almost certainly be taken seriously by someone if not properly labeled. However, birds are suspicious creatures and may just want us to believe this book is a joke so that we'll let down our guard. Reader, it's up to you to decide.

This book is a satire about conspiracy theories. In it’s unfolding, the authors envision the coordination complexity and extraordinary level of detail management that would be needed if many conspiracies were true and how many onion layers of disbelief suspension it would take to believe in them. They did a great job keeping a straight face, so to speak, in developing the backstory and efforts to inform the public of the birds-to-drones theory. While the premise is funny and the book is creatively organized, it was a bit challenging to stay interested as the book progressed.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing this eARC.

I think the "Birds Aren't Real" movement is very clever social commentary, but ultimately I didn't feel like there was quite enough here to necessitate a full book.

Thank you Netgalley for the advance reader copy of Birds Aren't Real by Peter McIndoe; Connor Gaydos in exchange for an honest review. This book was hilarious from the start. I loved how well fleshed out the conspiracy was about the secret surveillance by government robotic birds.

To be completely honest this book I had trouble with. I have attempted multiple times to get into and just cannot. While it may not be for me, I am sure others will love it and encourage them to give a read. I gave 3 stars because the concept is interesting and I wish I could’ve gotten more into it.

Political parody that was a fun skim. The authors commit to this satiric conspiracy theory and to this book, which is effectively the manifesto for the Bird Truther movement. IYKYK, but the gist is that all US birds have been replaced with robotic bird drones that spy on the population, keeping us in check. Included in this often-sly book are the fictional backstory of the conspiracy, a field guide identifying and explaining some of the bird drones, a FAQ, a chapter purportedly for kids, chapters on US Presidents and how they're looped in, and further spoofy documents and how-tos. The book's subtitle says a lot: "The True Story of Mass Avian Murder and the Largest Surveillance Campaign in US History." True, no. Story, yes.

[Thanks to St Martin's Press and NetGalley for an opportunity to read an advanced reader copy and share my opinion of this book.]

This started out amusing but it seems like a struggle to fill a book. This is a funny concept and I have followed it with delight. I was eager to read the book but was left a little disappointed. Ultimately, there just isn't enough in this bit to fill a whole book. 2.5 stars (rounded up to three since 2.5 is not possible).