While our protagonist's voice is witty and able to hone in on social ills, the narrative as a whole was not really something that grabbed me. I was very excited to read this based on the premise. It feels more like a slow but quirky slice-of-life novel rather than the uberstrange book that I've seen advertised by other reviewers. All the same, it was a pretty breezy read. I just know that I would never pick it up again.

I didn't know what to expect from the description and this book is a strange, unique, and overall enjoyable read. The author uses unique structure: we don't know names of the characters or the places they live. Even without names we gain insight to the narrator's world and, surprisingly, the printer's world.
At times it's unclear what is reality and what is imagined. The narrator questions her own understanding of what is happening to her and around her. We learn the truth to some mysteries, and not to others. It's funny, it's sad, it's hopeful.
If you've worked in an office setting, you can likely relate to the narrator in some way, whether or not you've ever bonded with your printer.

This book is freaking wild. If you need a short smutty book this is the one for you. I don’t think I’ll ever look at a printer the same way again

Let's just say that the last POV/section is what quickly cemented this as a 4/5 read for me. It was not nearly weird enough for how it was marketed but I definitely enjoyed it. I wonder if translation impacted this at all?

i love fiction that unpacks the toxicity of living in a capitalist society.

not much happens in this book, but that's quite literally the point. this little book fully encapsulates the tedium of underpaid, thankless labor and the things that we do to survive it - our little coping mechanisms.

an unnamed narrator (this somehow makes the story even more haunting - because this quite literally allows you, as a reader, to comprehend that this story is about you and all of us) is working an office job, printing copies and responding to customer service emails. if i'm honest, this book was a little too real and clearly constructed by a writer who has lived this life. to cope, she begins airing grievances to the office printer, struggling through its final days with problems no one seems to be able to repair.

god, there was so little plot here, but also so very much.

her colleagues have overheard her talking and management mistakenly believes she's spent her days on the phone when really, she's been panicked and obsessing over the delivery of an office package. eventually, she's put on leave because she's burnt out and misses her emotional support printer pretty desperately. this book treats us to a perspective from the printer itself which does sound pretty insane until you realize the whole chapter is a commentary about capitalism putting people out to pasture once they've outlived their usefulness.

so, yeah. i didn't find this as "weird" as some reviews are making it out to be. i, too, have an emotional support water bottle. if i leave it at home, it kinda ruins my day. and why? maybe because i'm a cog in a corporate machine and expending my energy on caring about my water bottle distracts me from self-awareness?

anyway, i'm going to be thinking about this book for a long, long time.

i will say: there was an unnecessary vignette of a character we only see once (the narrator's neighbor) having his pet rats taken by his father and being beaten to death by a frying pan. it wasn't graphic, but i didn't really understand the point of its conclusion and i don't believe certain things, especially if unnecessary to the plot, are entertainment. so that keeps this book from being a 5-star for me.

This is definitely a weird book but it was so much more than I thought it was going to be. This is marketed pretty heavily as being a weird book about a woman who is in love with her office printer but it really wasn't that at all. This is much more an exploration of job burnout, social expectations, childhood trauma, anxiety and chronic illness. The main character is not so much in love with her printer but rather it is her one true confidante.

The author really went in on exploring deep fears and the constant rumination of nonsense that anxiety can bring. The main character was constantly over analyzing her every social interaction, her every choice, and the intentions of everyone that she came into contact with. In the beginning of the book we also learn that the main character has been diagnosed with a chronic illness and we get to watch as that completely unravels her. The author did a really great job of portraying how a chronic illness impacts every aspect of your life and your mental health.

I will say, the narrative structure of this book can feel a bit overwhelming. The writing style was scattered and often got completely carried away but that made total sense given the mental state that our main character is in for the majority of the book. There is a lot of commentary and heavy subject matter in this story but the author does a decent job of keeping it from being gratuitous and on page. The reason that I am not giving this a higher rating is because I actually felt like the book could have benefited from being a little longer so we could have explored these topics a bit more in depth. Also, there was an entire section that was from the point of view of the printer and while that section was well done, I didn't really care for it. I just wanted to get back to the main character.

Ideally, I think this book is going to be perfect for both the weird book nerds and also those who really enjoy parsing through some serious social commentary in their contemporary fiction.

Told with cold and sparse writing, HARD COPY is a relatable story about a young woman narrowly skirting by burnout (or does she?) and fully enmeshed in life with anxiety. She's forced into taking leave by her boss because they think she's losing it -- after all, she's close to the office printer. Like, really close.

The writing is what kept me from enjoying this. I recognize that it's translated fiction, and there will always be a small barrier there. However, the writing is cold and comes off a little weird at times. I nsome ways, it matches the context of the story (as Tiktok likes to call it, 'weird girl books'), but it left me feeling disconnected from our protagonist and unable to really root for her. I like stream of consciousness, light on plot type books, but there was something missing from this one.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGally for this ARC. I love weird girl books so I naturally enjoyed this one. It’s told by two POVs, one being our unnamed narrator who works in an office where it seems she isn’t really included. She mostly stays in her little office with her printer who she shares her stories and interests with. I never thought I could feel so much for a printer but he did wiggle his way into my heart 😂 I think anyone who is struggling with burn out or anxiety about the future can relate to this story. I will say it did get slow in the middle and took me a while to get through but the end really saved it for me.

Weird girl fiction is usually such a hit for me, but I'm displeased that this one was more of a miss. The premise itself does check all of my boxes for a really good read, but I had such a disconnect from the main character that I ended up not enjoying Hard Copy as I wanted to. I definitely can see this finding its home though because it's definitely out there!! I just wish I could look past the execution.

Thank you Bloomsbury and Apollo for my free ARC of Hard Copy by Fien Veldman — available Jun 6!

Read this if you:
🖨️ form bonds with or talk to inanimate objects
🍞 cried while watching The Brave Little Toaster
🥂 like weird fiction that just gets weirder as you go along

Translated from Dutch by Hester Velmans 🇳🇱

Our girl [redacted] is happily chatting away to the printer in her office, having no desire to do so with the humans, when one day she is put on leave because the rest of the office thinks she's losing it. Is she? Maybe. But her job kind of sucks, so she's not despondent over hanging out at home for a bit. The only problem is — who's taking care of her printer? Does he miss her? Can she sneak in and see him?

If you cried while watching The Brave Little Toaster, you are the ideal target audience for this book. I didn't really know what to expect from this story, but it's short and weird and kind of a great time. I wanted a little more printer, but I loved the garbage man and the office weirdos and the way things turned out in the end. If you're looking for something unique in the literary genre, this book is for you!

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

I think I can safely say I have never read such a tender story involving a printer before. I really enjoyed this strange little book. I did have a issue with the italized text, it was hard to read but it might have been becuase it was on the Kindle. I kept wanted to skip it but it was important so I forced myself to but a clearer font would have been nice.

A strange little book about a girl and the love of her life- that being her office’s printer. I’m a sucker for a good “unhinged woman in an office setting” story, and this one definitely delivered. Some of the writing style feels very alienating, which works throughout most of the story as it adds to the strangeness and emphasizes the narrator’s mindset throughout. I especially enjoyed the section from the perspective of the printer- never thought I’d write those words in a book review, but this isn’t a conventional book. Overall, very enjoyable.

“It’s only human to be constantly looking for something good, but rarely be able to find it.”

This was such an unexpected treat! From the description, I thought it was a girl-printer romance and wanted to read it for the shock value. This book ended up being not that and so much more. It was a slice of life story that dealt with the difficulty of anxiety and made poignant commentary about society.

It was beautifully written and so unique and odd in the best way possible. I could fill a notebook with all the highlights I have from this book.

Needless to say, I highly recommend Hard Copy. I hope people are able to past what it appears to be in order to find the richness within.

An office romance between a printer and a lowly worker.

We follow two POVs

-Office Lady: (I’m calling her this because she does not share her name.) She works at a job that doesn’t pay her enough, and is haunted by something she did in her childhood. She talks to the printer, tells “him” stories, her grievances, perspectives. She becomes infatuated with her friend that only talks back in the form of beeps and error messages.

-The Printer: Surprisingly sentient. All knowing. Fills in a ton of gaps for the reader.

This is a story about survival and being a cog in the corporate machine. Are you truly living? Shouldn’t you have a hobby? Why is work so important to you when you can be replaced instantly?
The Office Lady is full of paranoia, judgements, and in search of a package that may or may not be for her. She has an allergy to stress that only an epipen can fix. She is unlikeable and unreliable. Oh, and she loves that printer - that’s something I know for sure.
This is one of those weird girl books that I usually devour and savor. But, this one just didn’t live up to the hype I had in my head. Office Lady is unlikeable - which I usually enjoy - but had no redeeming qualities other than a justified revenge in the past. She has no friends, nothing nice to say, and zero ambition.
I found the meat of the story interesting, but it fell flat.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher who provided me with an ebook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All of these thoughts and opinions are my own.

I wanted to like this book but I didn't really find a point to it. It felt very rambling and there were sections that didn't tie into the main plot at all. Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

This was one of the few times that a “weird girl” book didn’t hit for me. It just felt a little flat and messy for me, normally I love stream of consciousness, but nothing about it really grabbed me. I do think a large part of it might have been my own ignorance, there was definitely some sociopolitical commentary that went over my head, and I didn’t quite understand until I researched it. Objectively speaking, I still think it is worth the read and many people will enjoy it, it just wasn’t the right book for me.

ARC provided by NetGalley.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! I loved this one so much.

I am so thankful to Bloomsbury Books, Fien Veldman, and Netgalley for granting me advanced access to this supportive yet unique love story before it hits shelves on June 6, 2024. Our unnamed FMC is experiencing a lot of pressure at work, who isn’t, and is on the verge of burnout, but the only thing getting her through each monotonous work day is her corporate crush, no one other than the printer. Yep, you read that right. Oh, the scandal, NO! This is one of the most wholesome relationships I’ve ever read of and I simp them so hard.

But no seriously, her boss is starting to get a bit worried about her obsession, especially as she seems to be talking to either herself or the printer about personal life matters during working hours. Our FMC gets placed on a temporary leave while she “figures out” her mental blockage. What may come off as a paid vacation to some is a nightmare for her as she is separated from her one true companion and wants nothing more than to be reunited with her dear printer.

Readers almost feel compelled to fall in line with the rest of her workplace, not knowing what or who to believe, BUT that’s until we hear from the POV of the beloved printer, that we can settle our insecurities about this partnership. This is a match made in heaven, and I’m not even being delusional, and I’m totally feeling a type of way about my household appliances… ARE YOU SENTIENT?!? LET ME KNOW!!! I WILL LOVE YOU.