This was a fun and quick read. The protagonist is really toeing the line between relatable and unlikable. Could've leaned into the weird a bit more.

@HarperBooks | #gifted You have to love an author who’s brave enough to write her first novel about a blob! That’s right, Maggie Su’s debut, 𝗕𝗟𝗢𝗕, co-stars a… blob. This gelatinous puddle, with what may be eyes, is found by Vi, daughter of a Taiwanese father and a white mother. Vi is a recent college dropout who’s struggling with a lot, including her personal identity, a devastating break up, a stunting job, and honesty almost everything else in her life.⁣
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The blob plays an important and wildly creative role in this story, but it’s really Vi’s self-discovery that’s at its heart. I came for the blob, but I stayed for Vi. I found her both sad and endearing, and I loved her trajectory as the story progressed. In its creativity and willingness to star an unconventional character, this reminded me of 𝘈𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘦 𝘉𝘰𝘵 by Sierra Greer. I know I’ve not given you much about this book, but rest assured I loved the reading experience and I know it’s a book that will stick with me. Is it a little out there? Of course! That’s exactly what made it so fun. If you’re looking for a fast read with a serious side, this is the book for you! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨⁣
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“𝘐𝘧 𝘐 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯, 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘴: 𝘋𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘫𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘴. 𝘔𝘺 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘣.”⁣
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“𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘦, 𝘵𝘰 𝘉𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥-𝘈-𝘉𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘢 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥. 𝘐 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝟿𝟷𝟷 𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘕𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘚𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘍𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘣𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘶𝘯 𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵.”

One of my personal picks for best book of the year. both figurative and literal story of personal evolution and growth. This is a beautiful, addictive, uncomfortable story that will make you laugh and cry.

After dropping out of school and enduring a break-up, Vi is feeling particularly direction-less and unworthy. Then, post-drinking one night, she finds a strange blob-like thing that seems to have some sort of sentience and decides to take it home.

If you came for the Blob Man romance, know that the story is more about Vi revisiting moments from her past that have brought her to her current iteration, making questionable decisions in the present and developing as a person, than it is about an amorphous blob that transforms into an amalgamation of a young Ryan Gosling, George Clooney from E.R., Hugh Grant from Four Weddings and a Funeral and Leonardo DiCaprio à la Titanic.

As a character Vi isn't a very likeable person, but her struggles are relatable. This novel touches on may themes, e.g. identity, love, loneliness & belonging, and the blob subplot is a vehicle for those themes to be roused and explored. The story is tethered, more grounded than your typical weird girl lit.

It may not be everyone's bowl of cereal, but overall I liked it and found it to be very readable. Thank you Harper Books & NetGalley for this eARC!

I give Blob by Maggie Su 3.5 stars⭐⭐⭐💫 (rounded to 3 stars for NetGalley)

I really enjoyed this book! It's not a book that is going to immediately let you know exactly what's going on, but the surreal elements are dealt with really well. I enjoyed the character's differing reactions to what the blob actually is and how although you probably don't agree with the main character's actions, she is written with a good amount of depth and complexity that make you understand why she does what she does. I would love to read more by this author!

Funny and quirky, and at times a little cringey. Enjoyable quick read. Thanks to publisher for sending.

I loved this book! The premise was fantastic and well-executed. Humorous, yet relatable despite the impossibility of it all

The themes of Blob: A Love Story absolutely captivated me. I love exploring the idea that love requires molding. When we have a relationship with someone, is there a piece of us that wishes we could shape them? Change them into someone else? And how much of modern rhetoric is shaped around the idea of creating a list of ideal traits and hobbies for our loved ones? Blob: A Love Story explores these turns of phrases and thoughts we all have in the middle of the night. What person would we make if we could? In a relationship, is there not always a degree of (mutual) shaping?

In a world of heartwarming romances and thrilling suspense stories, sometimes you just need something WEIRD. Maggie Su's Blob has just entered the chat.

In this debut novel, Vi, an apathetic hotel clerk, finds a strange beady-eyed blob outside of a bar and decides to take it home. As she nurtures her blob, she is surprised to discover it is transforming into a male of the human form. A man Vi names, "Bob." But now that she has literally grown a swoon worthy man, what exactly is she supposed to do with him?

As Vi navigates the tricky road of being an adult, yet still feeling like a child, figuring out life with no motivation and little prospects, and coming to terms with her identity as the daughter of a Taiwanese father and white mother, she now also has to determine what to do with Bob, who went from being a blob who loves to watch wrestling and eat Fruity Pebbles to being a man with thoughts, feelings, and hang-ups all his own. Desperate to keep our own life from spinning out of control, while also trying to keep a handle on the ever-restless Bob, Vi is in for her biggest challenge yet.

Blob is such a refreshing read because it is so different from most everything else out there right now. Sure, Vi without Bob is your typical twenty-something coming of age story, but Vi WITH Bob is something else entirely. I hung on to this story with apt attention, eager to see how Vi juggles her job, family, friends, and now Bob, while also figuring out what it is she wants to do with her life.

This story is humorous and engaging, while also being reflective and poignant. The hilarity of a blob growing into a man was not lost on me, and I quite enjoyed watching "Blob" turn into "Bob" over the course of this novel. While blob was essentially a pet, Bob is a flesh and blood man, which comes with its own set of rules and consequences. Vi can barely manage her own life, and now she has to give Bob guidance too?! She didn't sign up for this, which is what makes Blob such a fun and compelling read.

Recommended to readers wanting something quite different and unexpected from the rest of the market.

A tender coming of age book where our FMC (Maggie) is dealing with finding out how to move on from her past relationship that made her feel more insecure than ever before. Maggie was always unsure of herself even while growing up, and we get glimpses of that throughout the book - then she meets Blob and thinks that if she can build her perfect man to complete her…she will then have a reason for being.

Blob reminds us that no matter how much you think you need someone else to make you feel your worth - only you can give yourself that power and understanding.

This book has absolutely weird and laugh out loud moments that are woven with pensive thoughts to make you self reflect.

This is a weird girl book all around with so much heart and blobs.

Great book!

My favorite genre is contemporary fiction where there's just one element that's a little f*cked up, and BLOB was a masterclass in this. What a delightfully weird little novel. I look forward to see what Maggie Su writes next.

I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Harper Collins and NetGalley for this opportunity!

Attention all weird girl/sad girl/unhinged woman fic lovers! This is one for us! Blob is a quirky little book that follows Vi, an adrift, unmotivated, socially awkward young woman that is grappling with finding her identity and purpose in life. One evening, as she is staggering home drunk (because it’s sad girl lit fic), Vi happens upon an amorphous blob with two sad eyes, and she decides to take it home with her. As the blob (or as Vi begins to call it, Bob) becomes acclimated to life with Vi, it begins to transform into Vi’s ideal partner. Vi wants to keep Bob sequestered in her apartment forever, her own perfect partner of her own creation. If he can’t leave and see that life is better outside of her walls, he can’t leave her like everyone else has in her life, right?

From a strictly conceptual level, this novel had everything I’m looking for in lit fic. It’s weird, visceral, and completely different from anything else I’ve ever read. In reality, I feel like the overall goal of the story escaped me. Even after a lot of thought, I’m not sure if this story was about the complexities of romantic relationships, the search for racial identity and a sense of belonging, or something else I may have missed. The reason that the goal was unclear to me is because Vi is an objectively terrible person for the first 80% of the book, and her motivations feel completely self-serving, and then, suddenly, at the end of the book, Vi wants to right all of her wrongs. Vi’s actions at the end of the book were completely out of character, and I just want to know why and how she changed. This story could have been so allegorical and cool, but it just left me feeling like I’m holding in a sneeze.

Thanks again to the publisher and NetGalley! This book and its gorgeous cover came out on Tuesday, so go check it out! I’d love to discuss.

this is very much in the vein of Emily Austin where it's a seemingly silly little story on the surface but turns out to contain layers about the human experience and what it means to love yourself and others. Definitely not for everywhere as it is more of an internal monologue and character study than anything else, but it so very much for me and I cannot get over how much the last 10% HIT

3.75 stars rounded up
Thank you NetGalley for a free digital ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.
My review is my true and honest thoughts and opinions with no outside influence.

This book is a prime example of readers needing to know the difference between a ROMANCE and a LOVE STORY. We’ll get more into that later.

So let’s talk about the first 75%. I heavily relate to Vi as a person who was awkward, anti social, neurodivergent, and unlikable as an adolescent. I tried so hard to fit in I stood out in all the worst ways. I didn’t realize the true weight of my words and actions. I lied to make myself appear one way, only to appear the opposite when my lie was discovered. So in a very painful way, I can relate to Vi.
The premise is HILARIOUS. There are many many many hilarious quotes in this book where I laughed so hard I cried. I was having a BLAST up until the 75% mark.

Then we hit the 75% mark. I, as a library worker, know the difference between a love story and a romance. It is required in literature for a romance to have a happily ever after or a happily for now for the main couple, if it doesn’t it’s a love story. Think The Fault in Our Stars. So I, knowing the difference, knew this wasn’t going to be a happily ever after. That’s not a spoiler if you know your genres, and if you don’t and you go into this thinking it’s a romance you’d be disappointed anyway so you’re welcome. Anyway, I knew this wasn’t a romance. However, I was not expecting THAT ending. I don’t quite understand that ending. I don’t.. like that ending. I don’t see the point of that ending.

I do understand the lessons: “No one else can teach you how to be human” and “You can’t force people to love you” being the biggest (among others). However those lessons wouldn’t have been compromised with a much better and well thought out ending.

3 stars for the story, .75 for the humor.

Again thank you to NetGalley for the free digital ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.

Loved this. The ending wasn’t what I hoped for but it was satisfying. Vi was written in such a strange way, the reader doesn’t know whether to love or despise her. Kinda both. The girl is full of problems. But Rachel is the one to dislike here, even Vi can see why. The family bits were so uncomfortable, almost too real. Great writing.

I love a weird premise so this was totally up my alley. And I love a frazzled woman with potential maybe just as much. This book really goes into the world of one woman as she hits bottom only to figure out what she really needs and desires in life. Also she finds out she really is worthy of real love, which was nice. Overall a good later in life coming of age, with some Asian rep, and blob rep.

Okay so this book is absolutely insane and I loved it. Here are five things I enjoyed about this 5-star read:

1) The entire premise is so bizarre that it doesn’t make sense that it works - AND IT WORKS.

2) The writing is exquisite. It made me laugh and cry and think deeply about the human condition.

3) All of the characters are thoroughly described and have great depth, even the sentient blob.

4) I loved how all types of relationships were explored and I found a lot of what was shown to be very profound.

5) It’s a book about a blob man. What more do you need to know!

Thank you to Harper Books and Netgalley for this ARC. Blob: A Love Story is out 1/28!

I'm struggling to find the words to describe this one. The premise sounds wild, but what actually ensued had me feeling so many different emotions. Our main character, Vi, is unlikeable...but at many times I found her incredibly relatable. I was desperately wanting good things for her. I do think this is a love story, just not in the way most people would expect. I think this will be on my mind for a while.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper for the e-arc!

This is the weirdest book I've read in awhile.

I loved every single word.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to live inside this weird world.

When I first read the synopsis for this book a few months ago, I knew I needed to get my hands on it. This did not disappoint.
I mean, come on, girl whose life is a mess takes home a sentient blob and shapes it into her perfect man? I’m here for it.
And yes, that is exactly what happens in this book, but there’s so much more too. This deals with identity in many different forms and in a really fantastic way.
It has some amazing scenes that made me laugh out loud and the characters are all so vivid and flawed.
This is a book that I’ve been thinking about since and recommending to virtually everyone in my path.