This was a rough read. The writing wasn’t bad but the topic and plot…hoo boy. It read like TLDR blurbs from Reddit lore and internet “ooh this one amazing fact” type posts. Nothing new to me here but maybe that means I ingest too much media online. Ether’s character reads like someone mansplaining to you while drunk at a party and insisting they majored in some obscure philosophy track.

3.5 stars. This was an absolutely wild ride wrapped up into a bizarre story. Loved the wild situations that the characters get themselves into. The rants from the main characters were very hit or miss for me though, sometimes adding value to the story and occasionally having no relevance to the current situation. The reddit comments and headlines sprinkled throughout was a hilarious touch.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the eARC!

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martins Press for this copy of "I'm Starting to Worry About This Black Box of Doom."

Reading this book was an unforgettable, thought-provoking, entertaining experience. I could definitely see it being made into a dark comedy movie.

As Abbott and Ether drive from California to Washington, D.C. the nation becomes obsessed with the contents of the "black box." From alien corpses, nuclear bombs, and murder victims, the only question is what will happen if they're stopped.

Author Pargin uses the cross-country trek to deliver the "black box" to talk about our addiction to social media, our need for instant gratification, our anxiety and fright about anything that's different, and many other social observations.

My favorite of Pargin's novels that I've read so far. Funny and insightful to the point that I occasionally got mad at it (and then accepted, learned, grew, embraced, etc.) Crackerjack quotes throughout but I think my favorite is "knowing what kind of dumb you are is one of the most valuable kinds of smart there is."

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a review.

Jason Pargin is easily one of my favorite writers and this book is a perfect example of why. He loves writing about odd adventures, wacky scenarios, and outright bizarre situations but in a way that is entirely believable and relatable. Even if he is talking about something you're sure doesn't exist or could never happen, if it does in his books you think YUP THAT'S FACTS!

Jason Pargin's writing style is intelligent, witty, and downright hilarious. He has a wonderful way of creating a story that makes one ponder on how the world is going right now (in real time) while not being too overbearing or wordy. He makes his text light, funny, and full of jokes or bizarre scenarios while making the reader think critically. I enjoy the way he points out facts about our world without trying to attack anyone, making the text more accessible to the masses.

If you're looking for a wild ride that will have you hooked from chapter one, THIS IS THE BOOK! It is bizarre, it is unhinged, it is literally like nothing else you will ever read in your life! When I started this book, everything else stopped until I finished it! Plan on staying up late reading it as fast as you can ! 10/10 Jason Pargin does it again =)

This was a fun romp from an author I've been meaning to check out for ages! I'm really happy (and grateful) to have gotten the ARC for it but when looking at reviews it seems this isn't their best so maybe I will need to check out some others.

WOW! Just Wow! This book by Jason Pargin is quirky, entertaining, humorous, well-written, sobering, and even thought-provoking. It’s hard to find a book that’s a total package like this, but this author created just that.

Mr Pargin has intertwined a bunch of well-developed characters, their stories, and the plot into one compelling, can’t-look-away tale. It’s simple… Abbott Coburn, a rudderless young man with low self-esteem is a Lyft driver. When a young woman offers him more money than he can imagine to transport her and a large black box across the country, he agrees. It’s against his better judgement but with this windfall he can move out of his father’s house and figure out his life. What could be the downside? Oh, dear reader, you have no idea and that’s where the adventures begin.

As I read the first few chapters I really didn’t think I’d enjoy this book. but, I’m so glad I stuck with it, because things changed pretty rapidly.

This was my though process:
At first it was a simple and goofy story – 3 stars
Then, I decided there was more to this book than I had first thought. And, I really liked the characters. This could be a crazy ride! – 4 stars
Finally, I found myself fully invested. The book kept getting better and better and I could hardly put it down – 5 stars.

My hat’s off to Mr Pargin. He wrote a novel that I completely and thoroughly enjoyed! Please do it again soon! NetGalley provided an advance reader copy.

Jason Pargin has the uncanny ability to ensnare relevant commentary regarding the spread of information in this overly digital age as well as the harms done by the isolated communication that the internet thrives on.

This novel is smartly constructed and makes the most out of every characters' POV. The juxtaposition between those without internet access and those with is striking and hilariously logical.

It's the narrative driven by the type of speculation that everyone online partakes in. When you consume only a scrap of the truth and let speculation take the reins.

The most original story I read this year! The first time I see Reddit used as a plot device :D
I am not sure if this is a slow thriller or a fast social commentary book, but either way, it's quirky and fun! I did not guess the ending, so it was worth sticking around for that!

Part action movie, part social commentary, part thought experiment, Pargin’s new novel takes his old formula and works new magic. When an anxious internet recluse signs on with a literal manic pixie dream girl to do mischief he is definitely not cut out for, what could go wrong? Well everything, of course. But also so much goes right. A fun and thought provoking read with heart and humor!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy. These opinions are my own.

2.5 rounded up.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book pulled me in right away - we have a mysterious box, a road trip, and tons of chaos.

I found myself fully engaged for the first half of the story, but then things really started to drag and I stopped really even caring about what was in the box?! (the final reveal lowkey made me wish I DNF'd)

An interesting look at modern society, but a bit heavy handed and never-ending for my taste!

This book was a wild ride. I had no clue where the story was headed and I had a hard time putting it down. The only thing was the ending was a bit weird but other than that I liked it. I would suggest others check it out.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

Do you know how sometimes you just need to read something so out of your normal as a book palate cleanser??? That was me with this book. I don’t normally read these kinds of conspiracy theory stories. To be fair I had never even read this author before. I took a chance and I have to say I’m glad I did.
It was refreshingly funny and completely unrealistic. Which made my day. And at the same time it makes you think maybe in the not so distant future this kind of thing might actually happen. (I shudder to think).
If you just suspend your belief you can go along for this fun, wild, and crazy ride too.
I received a ARC of this title, all opinions are my own.

There were several times during my reading of this book that I had to stop and think about things. Like "oh wow..." There were also moments that made me roll my eyes. And then there were moments that had me going "now way, really?" I think a good book is one that you keep talking about after you put it down. I highlighted several passages because they really resonated with me. It was interesting how parts of the book infuriated me and others comforted me. That's pretty amazing. The multiple POVs were really interesting because they were so diverse. It really helped paint a full picture of things. It also drives home the point that people are complicated and more than one thing. I really enjoyed this book, and Pargin continues to be a favorite author of mine. This one is great for the non-horror fans. It still made me laugh but it made me think. Not a lot of media I consume does that.

Outside Los Angeles, a driver pulls up to find a young woman sitting on a large black box. She offers him $200,000 cash to transport her and that box across the country, to Washington, DC.

But there are rules:

He cannot look inside the box.
He cannot ask questions.
He cannot tell anyone.
They must leave immediately.
He must leave all trackable devices behind.

As they hit the road, rumors spread on social media that the box is part of a carefully orchestrated terror attack intended to plunge the USA into civil war. But the truth is even stranger.

Suspend belief to enjoy this wild ride. The book is full of action and wacky characters. The humor is not going to be for everyone.

There is a lot of dialogue to get through especially from one character. Threads from social media give another perspective to the situation and are probably realistic. Everything else not so much..

This story isn't going to be for everyone but fans of the author might enjoy it. I think the story might make a fun movie.

OMG, you guys, this book was a wild ride! 🚗💨 Abbott, a Lyft driver, is offered $200K to drive a woman named Ether and her giant, mysterious black box cross-country from LA to D.C. Sounds simple, right? Nope. He can’t ask about the box, look inside, or tell anyone where they’re going. No biggie. 😅

While they’re cruising across the country, the internet goes crazy with conspiracy theories. Like, people think this thing could be an alien, a nuke, or who even knows what. There’s so much going on, and it seriously feels like watching a Reddit thread spiral out of control.

Okay, real talk: it dragged a bit in the middle, and Abbott? Kinda hard to like sometimes. 🤷‍♀️ But the humor and total chaos kept me going, and the ending was like, WHAT JUST HAPPENED?! Definitely not as fun as Pargin’s other books, but still super creative and full of dark humor.

Big thanks to NetGalley for the ARC! 💖 4 stars for the originality and the total internet-culture madness. 🎉

Jason Pargin has a fun romp about a road trip across America that somehow goes viral. Part-time Lyft driver, Abbott Coburn driving his father’s expensive SUV, is offered 200k to drive her and her box from California to Tennessee. If he hadn’t left a note to his internet friends, probably everything would have gone fine. It doesn’t help that the occupant where the box came from was quite mad when he died and there are radioactive traces over his house. There’s also an ex-con biker chasing after them to steal the box. And in a retired FBI agent, Abbott’s father and a million internet rumors, and everyone is thinking, I'm Starting to Worry About This Black Box of Doom (hard from St. Martin's Press). I laughed a lot at the sheer audacity and recommend it highly.

This was a roller coaster of a ride. This book had me at the edge of my seat. Interesting premise. Traveling cross country with a box that they can’t open. You won’t want to put this down. Many thanks to the author, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

3/5. ⭐⭐⭐

This had a lot of promise for me, because I love sketchy things, and this sounded sketchy.

꩜ .ᐟ Somewhere outside LA, Abbott, a Lyft driver, is approached by a woman, (Ether) who tells him she will pay him $200,000 to drive her and her sketchy black box across the country to Washington DC. But, here are the rules:

He cannot look inside the box.
He cannot ask questions.
He cannot tell anyone.
They must leave immediately.
He must leave all traceable devices behind.

Super sketchy. Check annnnnd check. ✔️✔️

꩜ .ᐟ This, however, didn't live up to what I wanted it to be. It was waaaaaay too long for what it was, and I didn't find myself loving the characters or story. I have heard that other books by Jason Pargin are phenomenal, so I'm definitely down to give this author another shot!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a chance to review this e-book.

I adored the first quarter of I'm Starting to Worry About This Black Box of Doom. The plot of a loser paid $200K to move a girl with a box labeled radioactive across country and the various online trolls and redditors “interpreting” found social media images of the pair is an innovative idea.

However, once the road trip started, the book was filled with repetitive road trip conversations. While some were funny, most were just stupid people doing, or usually just saying, improbable things. If I was riding on a bus next to these characters, I would definitely find a different seat. Seriously, they are all annoying, and not in the interesting John Dies at the End type of way. The book is also ostensibly political without actually picking a side. Unfortunately, after slugging my way through over 300 pages, the actual contents of the box and the rest of the ending was the ultimate anti-climax.

After loving the earlier books by this author, I'm Starting to Worry About This Black Box of Doom was a disappointing miss for me. 3 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an advanced review copy.