On a perfectly normal Tuesday, small g God appears in a middle Eastern desert. (He is explicitly the Old Testament, Judaean god, but narration consistently refers to Him with a small g.) He appears ready to continue where the Old Testament left off, smiting Egypt and urging the Jews to annihilate Palestine, among other fairly horrific things. Sam, our almost-definitely autistic English 'hero', just wants things to be normal again.

Although it's a clever idea, and the blurb only covers half of it, there's a whole other section after the God stuff, I didn't like the writing style - a lot of the action is conveyed in dialogue rather than description, conversations don't have speech tags so it's hard to know who's talking, and things keep happening like people starting phone conversations without us, the readers, being told a phone was ringing. Which sounds like a small thing, but got very irritating over the length of the novel.

Aaron clearly has a great imagination and he came up with some very clever things here, but the style just wasn't for me. I hope the book reaches readers who will appreciate it better than I did.

I have thought long and hard about what to put in this review. The story itself is interesting and well written. As a christian I was not offended by the depiction of God and indeed it was the wrathful God of the old testament we are shown here. I did have problems with the voice of the narrator until I realised he was autistic and OCD, which made him easier to understand.
My problem with this book is that it features the mass destruction of Palestine by the Israeli state (sanctioned by God) during a time of great current chaos in the area. It does appear to be a crass and uncaring was to sell a book, although I am sure that the shock value will sell copies and garner press coverage.

Satirical, wise and a bit mad - a book that’ll be hard to forget.

God is back (if he was ever here in the first place) and the world is going mad. There are government prayer recommendations and a new revelation every time you turn on the news. Sam, a worrier by nature, has a lot of jobs to get done but in this time of unprecedented uncertainty, will his bins still be collected? Is it time to sort out his garden? Should he get a cleaner? And now his mum wants to go on a roadtrip to visit his dad (who is dead) because she wants to feel close to him, but Sam is not sure it’s the time. He’s not sure. No one is sure. And what will God do next?

This is not a book about religion or religious fervour. To me it is about what awful things humans will do and how we justify it. Among the humour, some really terrible things happen in this book and it’s dealt with in what I think is a very realistic way. When awful things happen on the news every day it stops feeling real and it’s easy to stop feeling. The parallels the author draws between this and covid are powerful and relevant.

Threaded through the absurdity of the narrative is the question of what makes a good person and this is the bit that really got me. That was where Sam really tugged at my heart. He doesn’t think much of himself but his small actions are everything.

What I think is really interesting is that I had no idea what gender Sam was until about 60% of the way through the book. I don’t know if that was intentional but it meant that my reading of their experience was almost pure.

My only note about this book is it was a tad too long and it would have read much stronger as a novella.

Thank you #Netgalley for my review copy

The blurb was promising. It suggested humour. An entertaining read. Sadly, what it delivered was a tedious internal monologue of the minutiae of Sam's everyday life and anxieties.

Whatever your views on religion, publishing a book right now in which God (or god, depending on your viewpoint) commands Israel to annihilate Palestine has to be monumentally insensitive.

I was beginning to wonder what possessed the publisher to take this book on, but then I discovered the publishing company has been in existence for just 24 days, and has only one director, named Aaron Asadi.

So, Mr Asadi, this is vanity publishing. As you have acknowledged, you wrote the book for yourself - and it really would have been best kept for yourself and your mates, at the very least until it had been polished up into a much more compelling read. If you really are intent on establishing a publishing house, I'd suggest recruiting an editor, a proofreader, and a tech person to sort out the bizarre e-book formatting.

I accepted the offer to read and review Ohmigod! - Aaron Asadi because of the marketing plan “A wing and, ironically, a prayer” having read the publisher’s blurb, this made me laugh. It was also an interesting premise.

However, this is a rare DNF for me. As a portrayal of a man with social anxiety it is superb, hence my rating not being lower. As a story, it is not, and with about 30% to go I found I did not care what happened anymore.

I skipped to the “Q & A” at the end which did make chuckle so there’s that.

Wasn’t sure what to make of this book at first. It’s narrated by Sam who is fixated on bin day, should he put the bins out, will the neighbours put their bins out, he always puts the bins out on Tuesday. So why is he fixated? Well, he’s on the spectrum but there’s more to his fixation - it seems that god has returned.

This god is not a pleased god. This god proceeds to wage his revengeful displeasure in humanity by creating disasters of biblical proportions. All of this is upsetting to Sam as he needs his structure and routines. What warmed me to Sam was his interactions with other characters, Andy the gardener, Maria, his mother, and his ex-girlfriend Emma.

Hats off to the author for tackling subjects like religion, refugees, immigration, war, greed and the likes in such a manner; also for posing the situation of humanity declaring war on god. I did however find Sam’s never ceasing repetitive stream of consciousness too much for me. The author’s interview at the end was distasteful.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for a copy of this book.

This is a long, a bit ranty review, so feel free to skip to the last sentence for the only thing you really need to know.
I wish I could say anything good about this book, but I have been bored and annoyed by it almost since the beginning; I only went through it because I have been asked to provide a honest review and it seemed unfair to just call it boring after a couple of chapters and quit.
It's meant to be a half-humorous, half-inspirational story of a contemporary apocalypse (in the sense of God appearing on Earth and dispensing judgement and punishment), as seen by Sam the common man, but the protagonist is self-pitying and seemingly unable of agency; most of the time he tries to distance himself from world events and the people around him, and even when he happens to do something good it's because he's somewhat forced down a path, and just goes with it. As if this wasn't enough, the entire book is written in first person, so you're expected to identify with Sam, and most of the text keeps you prisoner of the least interesting internal dialogue I've ever read.
The surrounding cast of characters is bland and unmemorable, and both the apocalyptic events and the protagonist's arc are predictable and unidimensional. To add insult to injury, the book's afterword is a self-interview in which the author tries to justify himself for writing the book and basically mocks any readers who had to the patience to stick with him to the end.
The only constructive feedback I have for the author is to write his next book for the readers rather than (as he admits) for himself, get a good editor and listen to their advice, or maybe just stick with the technical manuals for the time being.
To anyone else, I suggest not to buy this book and get Good Omens instead.

Note: I received this book for free as an ARC from #NetGalley but - clearly! - the opinions above are mine and unbiased.

Oh this book! Where to even start writing a review for this. I liked it, I thought it was funny, I found it quite thought provoking, but…….I’m not so sure how readers will take it. I wonder when it was written, as I did feel that some of the ‘acts of god’ in the book are perhaps, given the current circumstances around the world, a little insensitive. The author does say somewhere that god’s actions in the book are consistent with the bible, I wouldn’t know having no interest or knowledge of what the bible includes.

I did feel there is a lot written between the lines, maybe I’ve got that wrong but it seemed like there were little digs here and there at the way a certain country behaves maybe? As for this country, well he certainly got that right. I thought the Government alert text messages telling people to stay at home, then you can go out, then….ah no sorry stay at home. That’s definitely true to life.

As far as the god bit of the book goes, I’m going to leave it at that because I feel like I’m walking on politically correct eggshells. As for the central character Sam, which the majority of the book is about and written in the first person from Sam’s point of view, I liked him. He’s funny, I loved the relationship he had with his mum and some of his everyday observations. His concern with the minutiae of simple tasks and decisions reminded me of Rob Temple’s Very British Problems. Sam is socially awkward, he prefers his own company because it’s less hassle, less to worry about. Poor Sam suffers with acute anxiety and yet as the reader you can identify with much of what worries him, I think we all have a bit of Sam in us.

It was actually the author’s bio on Amazon that made me decide to read the book. I’m glad I did. It is on the whole fairly light-hearted, it made me chuckle pretty much most of the way through the book and yet I thought the ending was quite sad.

If I could give this zero stars I would. It's a promising idea -what if God manifested on Earth - what would happen? Unfortunately it's about a man almost incapable of action and drowned by life to the point of total uselessness in the face of this apocalyptic event. It could have been a comedy if that was the case but it's not - it's just depressing. It has a suicidal fallen angel and a genocidal God wreaking havoc across the Middle East until he is vanquished by a mysterious girl who asks him to perform an impossible feat. There's no discussion at all about the effect this God has on the Eastern religions and how devotees of those religions might be reacting. There's no redemption or even a proper story about the main character Sam. It's a pointless tale of domestic details and negative emotions. A wasted opportunity to tell an interesting story. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone as I felt my time was wasted reading it.

I was invited by the publisher to read and review this book after its publication date. A quit unusual book asking the question what would the consequences be if God from the Old Testament were to return to society today. A light and quick read probably for the authors own amusement than an attempt at a best seller. Nevertheless I enjoyed it and it is a quick read.

It's an interesting conundrum what would happen to the world if God came back. In his book Ohmigod, Aaron Asadi's character Sam plays the central storyteller when this happens. As is to be expected not everything goes well. There are parallels drawn with many plights going on in the world right this minute. Certainly made me think about how the world treats certain people.

Thanks to #NetGalley for an #ARC of #OhMiGod #atheism.

Looking at reviews before I read this, many of the said this book was odd, unusual. Having read the book, I definitely understand. The book follows Sam who struggles with social interaction and filling his time. All of a sudden time is filled with Internet and news items about God appearing. Sam tries to maneuver through this time, which isn't exactly all sunshine and roses.

It would be difficult to recommend this book without knows a person's religious stance. However I do have to say I was drawn into the writing, feeling all of Sam's anxiety and struggles, and I was interested to see how the hypothetical return of a higher being would play out.
I couldn't say I liked this book, but I'm glad I read it and I would like to read more by this author.

(Sidenote: I didn't enjoy some of the interview at the end, it was mean)

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book with no obligation to review.

It's an odd one, this. I didnt like it as much as I thought I would.

I liked the afterword and the author sounds so nice. I hope the book does well. it is imaginative and original. It is not a comic novel although here is some humour in it.

I like Sam and found some of his difficulties quite relatable, especially about putting out the bins where he does exactly what I do. I think it is a realistic portrayal of people who have a similar world view, mindset and difficulties to Sam

I think there is probably a lot more going on with the God part than my tiny and lazy brain could understand and, as a religious believer, I was a bit disconcerted by the nations joining together and attacking god. The whole god part might offend people.. It did not offend me as such but it did shock me a little and I was a bit uncomfortable.

I liked the angel part better although it didn't all work out and again, I am sure the whole treatment is a satire on the ways of the world today. Unfortunately I think the refugee question is so nuanced and complicated than it is better as a discussion rather than someone just giving a view.

I did feel the ending was abrupt although maybe that was the point, it all happened, it's over now and things just carry on. .

I was a bit unsure of this book. I received the invitation to read from the publisher and it sounded very intriguing and it definitely lived up to that. It was irreverent in places although I wasn’t bothered by that. The light sprinkles of humour were subtle but there and all in all it is worth a read but bear in mind it is unusual, which is what the author managed in spades.

To be perfectly honest, this is a 3.5 star, rounded up thanks to the writer’s clever writing, and because those who pick this book based on its descriptions will not be let down since the description in the promotional material is very truthful to the essence of this book.

I liked the first 15 or so pages. It got a little repetitive for me with the chats between the MC and his mother, but soon I realised that I was wrong, and it was not repetition. The MC displays autistic traits and enjoys things the way they are, to remain as they are - neurotypical readers might find this idea relatable too because if everything in our adult lives start to change, our sense of the self, the world and life would drastically change.

The writing style is more of a stream of consciousness from the POV of the MC. We get to see glimpses of how the government reacts, how god reacts, the dynamics between the MC and some loved ones. Yet, it is the humorous take of the writer that makes this book fun and easy-to-read.

Disclaimers: chapter 4. Also, the way the book approaches god and religion, but I suppose if you picked it, you will be anticipating this.

This is a little bit like the animated show, Carol and the End of the World.

Well the blurb had me intrigued I knew it would go one of 2 ways the 1st clue being God and Lord both spelt with lower case G and L. I felt the writer had an understanding of the Bible if not it's Author

I agreed to accept a free copy for an honest review and for the 1st time I wasn't able to read every page but I accepted the book on these terms so here goes. I have never reviewed a book before that I haven't read ever page wetger brought or given, so this is a 1st but as I got into chapter 8 whilst understanding in the context of the book I struggled reading with the things being said about God. I'm a Christian Aaron the author says he was raised a Catholic but now very much an Atheist., this is said at the end So no surprise we have very different views. So that said here's my review and why I gave it 3 stars

The central Character Sam is either ADHD or Autism not stated but the clues strongly point that way. This is very well writen and I love the way his interactions with others is described and his as in Sams handling of the God situation. The difference between the way he shares about his Mum, Andy the gardener and Emma the ex and Maria plus others is really well told. The way he reacts to Jimmy's podcast and Government broadcasts instructions. But obviously I personally struggle with the way the author treats God so I'm mixed so as I'm being honest and keeping my word I would say if you Worship love and are offended by mockery or offence talk about God this isn't for you but if you ain't and want some humour or creative writing then you may enjoy it.

Honestly when I first saw this I was intrigued. A normal man wanting to do house chores and God re appears. Sign me up. I found the book very enjoyable.

I received this ARC via Netgalley and I'm voluntarily leaving this review.

What would happen if god came back, did some bible-esque shit and we got to see what/how it went down from the POV of an English person who would rather be doing anything else …

I really enjoyed reading this book but part of Chapter 4 was tough to get through 🍉🍉🍉

So well written. Worth a read!

** I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review **