I really tried to enjoy this book. The format just didnt work for me. It was definitely genre bending. I think many people will love this book, though!

This was an interesting concept but unfortunately it felt like a chore to read. I found myself referring back to other parts of the book at times because I was unclear as to what I was supposed to be getting from the book. It felt a little long, but again, very interesting concept! I am willing to get this book again in a year or so to see if it has grown on me.

Remember You Will Die is written in a way that never allowed me to get my feet under me and settle in. The use of obituaries to move the story forward and express the emotions and history of AI mother Peregrine as she works through the death of her human daughter Poppy is impressive. Although I was not able to become immersed in the story in the way that I prefer, I recognize the remarkable complexity of what the author has undertaken. While this book may not be for everyone, I have already recommended it to someone who loves both history and research.

Thank you Sourcebooks Landmark and Netgalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

Man the premise of this book was so cool so I give it kudos for trying something new. Unfortunately, it just doesn't work for me. It is really disjointed and doesn't come together the greatest in the end. The book, while exciting and refreshing at first, got pretty old for me and never hit the payoff. I think the concept is a neat idea though.

I liked this book, but struggled to follow it due to the disjointed nature of the plot. I also was a little confused as to what exactly I was supposed to be taking away from the story. The writing was perfectly good and I liked some of the characters whose stories the book highlighted, but at the end of the day I didn't really have much of an opinion on this one.

An innovative epistolary novel about an AI woman consoling her inhumanness and grief over the loss of her human daughter by creating her own ancestry through interrelated obituaries, reading articles and dictionary references to understand loss, and while learning about what is certain about existence.

This is not your commercial fiction, mass-market-appeal story. It's non-linear (arranged in "emotional time" as the author has put it). It covers thousands of years of obituaries and articles. It tracks people that are blood-related, that are not but knew each other in life, or where one was an idol to the other person. It lacks simplicity in conflicts and goals. It is a strange and peculiar experience to read what essentially is an AI's internet search history, especially when the present time is set in the far future and we get to see the dreadful glimpses of what humanity has supposedly achieved and is suffering through.

But it's highly creative and no less impactful. From the names (the symbolism is not lost on me), to the format, to the individual stories (my god, the many lives!), to the messages, RYWD is provocative, indeed.

Thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for providing me with the e-ARC/DRC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was highly recommended by an author I like, and I thought the format sounding intriguing since I like epistolary novels. It is told almost entirely in obituaries. About a third of the way into the book I was confused but persevered since it was so highly recommended. I read until the end, but I am still confused. Maybe it would be better to read it with a book group so it could be discussed.

The description of the book was promising but the format was very disjointed and hard to follow. Comprised of articles and obituaries, the book does indeed follow through on the promise of the title, however, it leaves a lot to be desired. Little plot, despite having a unique voice and potential for a better narrative.

The premise of this book is SO intriguing and I began reading with such high hopes! However, I unfortunately had to stop reading after 30% because I was unable to follow the plot. I think the book would have benefitted from having some narration woven in to connect the pieces of information and stories. It felt like a ton of work to decipher what was happening, which isn't what I like to do when I'm reading for fun.

[arc review]
Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Remember You Will Die releases October 22, 2024

This is told in a string of articles and obituaries, spanning from the 1st Century CE to the early 2100’s, wherein the offspring of a fugitive AI drowns.

I struggled to identify a coherent theme. The grief of a mother through the lens of AI, which was the main selling point in the blurb, didn’t translate well in terms of character depth.

Enjoyment level was equivalent to picking up an ordinary newspaper or a dictionary focusing on etymology. In other words, I found it boring and was skimming most of it.

This book is incredibly unique. There was a part of me reading this that as I connected a dot between two obituaries, I’d feel accomplished. While it was interesting I will say there wasn’t too much of a plot. Maybe that’s the sufferings of the format or something else, but I feel like having something to connect them all for a clean ending would have been nice! Mostly because I couldn’t feel like I could connect with anyone because of this.
Overall though, very interesting read!

A format for a book that I have never read nor have ever thought about before 60 people all have one thing in common - and you will have that same thing in common to - you will die. Morbid ? Yes! True - also yes. I think this is an interesting read that would make a great college classroom discussion or even something like an ethics class. What and who did you leave behind and what is the mark that was left.

The writing of this book was very different. There wasn’t really a plot as much as a “message”. It was a bunch of obituaries of people. Throughout the book, you could see a link between people but I was waiting for the ending to come together. It doesn’t. It’s just a message of how we all die and will have obituaries to look back on.

The format of the book is similar to epistolary format but not exactly like that. The concept is unique. It has news articles and eulogy. The book has investigation insights of the woman who drowned and her AI mother refuse to give up. Poppy Fletcher died and the cause of her death was drowning in east river. There were many thoughtful things and thought provoking concepts. Overall, it was an interesting read.

Many thanks to the Author and Publisher

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book for free in exchange for my review! All opinions are my own.

This was a very strange book. I thought the premise sounded unique but I wasn't expecting it to be very as strange as it was. It was an ok book. Perhaps I am just not meant to read a lot of sci fi books. Still, I might consider reading more of Eden Robbin's books in the future.






If you are interested in seeing more of my reviews and other content feel free to connect with me here <3:

https://linktr.ee/bookreviewsbyjules (links to my Instagram, Goodreads, TikTok, Storygraph, My blog and Substack newsletter, etc)

If you are a publisher or author who has questions about my reviews (as well as questions about my stats, reach or engagement), please free to email me. I am also open to requests for book reviews from authors or publishers. Thank you again for taking time to read my review, and I hope you have a wonderful day!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

This is one of the most interesting books I have read in a long time, format-wise. I think it perfectly fit the story and it genuinely felt like searching on Google and finding more information piece by piece.
However, it was really hard to follow the story for me personally. The overall themes and feeling came across right as intended (I think), but I don't know if I'm just unable to follow this or if it needs a second or a third read to understand.
Because there was no coherent storyline, with a clear beginning or end, maybe that's what makes me feel like I didn't "understand" it. 
While I had a couple of moments where I thought I would quit and not finish, I'm glad I did finish. Some pieces fell together by the end and the feeling came through.
I think it's a very real prediction of how the world could develop and that added to the vibe. 
I do think I could've been more emotionally invested if it was in a more traditional format, which kind of frustrates me.
I would recommend this book, but I think only a very specific subset of people will like it, or manage to make it to the end.

The premise of this book is what drew me to it but it really fell flat. Rarely do I ever not finish a book, but sadly I just could not get to the end of this one.

I appreciate netgalley for allowing me the opportunity to read this early.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The book as a meal: Like chewing paper with a smidge of flavor
The book left me: Bored :(

Why did this call out me?
The cover seemed interesting and up my alley. The blurb was also fascinating, and it teased elements of AI. Ultimately left me questioning why I was drawn to it in the first place🤨

Pick-Up-able? Put-down-able?
Put-down-able. My stubborness kept me coming back for more, because I am delulu. I was never eager for my next "reading bubble"-_-

How is it paced?
In my mind I was leafin' through newspapers and official documents. The slow pacing and "newspapery" style persists🥱

What about progression?
Sluggish. Neither improves or falls off really. At least here it is consistent; in being boring

Issues:
Tough writing style
Character obituary mentions a character, next obituary is that character that mentions another character, next character is that character ...
None of the things I read felt important or relevant

Good things:
Book concept is very new to me
Satisfies my morbid curiosity of ✨death and what's left✨

What makes this different?
Written entierly in obituaries, official documents and definitions

How did it feel to read?
It felt like an assigment from work where I was handed a hundred different papers. In these papers is both relevant and irrelevant information. I am supposed to find the relevant info. The ratio of relevant to irrelevant is heavily skewed

What mood would i read this in?
Best read in a phase of existential crisis. I was not in that phase and should probably have waited a little💀

Better or worse than expected?
Ultimately fell short. I even napped, and I am not sure if napping is increasing or decreasing the score. I think my oversight of a particular detail in the blurb contributed to my disappointment😴

Where does this fall in my tier list ranking?
Earns a spot in E tier. Sadly :(

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to review this book.

The blurb tempted me immediately. Told in different people’s obituaries, this book was written beautifully but disappointed me. The short, interconnected stories were nice but failed to meet my expectations of a story about “an AI woman grappling with grief after the mysterious death of her human daughter.” This had the potential to be such an interesting book, but ended up just telling the story of many people’s deaths interspersed with some of the AI story we were promised.

Full transparency — I DNF’d (did not finish) this book at the 30% mark. The description of this book sounds SO interesting. The book kicks off with a newspaper article of a mysterious girls death, cool. Then, a copy and paste of a dictionary definition, okay. Then, an obituary of a random person, HUH? And so on, exactly in this pattern. No plot, no story. Just obituary of a random person… Definition of a random word… For the first THIRD. This had such great potential but the execution was not there.