A big thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book. What a wild and strange ride. As someone married to a conspiracy lover, this book checked all the boxes. Creepy in all the best ways, definitely makes you wonder.

I found the blend of sci-fi elements with the tour bus confusing, and difficult to picture. While I loved the cast of characters, the story itself moved at a snail like pace.

When We Were Real by Daryl Gregory is a novel about a bus trip across the United States after it is discovered or “Announced” that humanity is living in a simulation. In fact, humanity is a simulation. God is still God, or is he the simulator?

At any rate, the bus takes off to see the new landmarks including a gravity defying Zipper, and 6 other new mysteries or wonders of the world. The characters on the bus make it hard to put the book down. There are the men who have been best friends all their lives, the nurse and her cranky mother, two nuns and a rabbi, a very pregnant internet influencer, a father and son pair who are always looking for conspiracies (at least the father is), as well as other memorable characters.

As the bus is ready to leave, there is a woman who gives one of the best friends cash to use his credit card to get on the tour after it has already started. Her addition to the tour makes it chaotic, and that is saying a lot because the others are quite memorable.

By the time the bus gets to the second to last destination, things have gotten so far out of hand that it is questionable if they go on to the last one. The story is a fun read, especially for video gamers and those who love computers.

I was invited by the publisher to review this book. This book was very intriguing. It takes place in a world in which everyone is aware they are in a simulation. Two main characters in the book are lifelong friends, who go on a tour of the "Impossibles" in North America, which are essentially these glitch-type occurrences in the programming. Secondary characters come into play while on this tour, although a lot of them felt like main characters, as well. Even with all of the people to remember, the characters never got confusing. I loved the creativity in all of the stops, as well. This is a good book for laughter, propulsive plotlines, and a well-developed idea.

Thank you to NetGalley and S&S/Saga Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received this amazing book as an ARC on Net Galley and I’m so thankful. I loved it! When We Were Real is incredibly original, weird (in the best way), and imagination blowing.

A tour group from Canterbury Trails Tour Company embarks on a tour of the North American Impossibles, impossible phenomena that suddenly came into existence seven years ago when it was announced to the world that it’s a simulation. Each tour member is dealing with the news in their own way. A group of octogenarians thinks they are in a “Ground Hog Day” type simulation, where every day is repeated, two long time best friends trying to out run cancer, a pregnant influencer who wants to monetize the birth of her child, a “Real Patriot” who plans to expose the Impossibles as frauds, and more. Mysterious Gillian, who seems to be on the run, joins the tour at their first stop. Calamity ensues.

When We Were Real was nonstop and a blast. Gregory stretched my imagination with his vivid imagery of each Impossible. The story of the tour is so much fun and the characters are endearing, even though each one is kind of an asshole. It comes out April 1, 2025!

You are living in a simulation… 7 years ago this was announced to humanity. Now Dunlin wants to take his best friend JP on a last adventure as he doesn’t want to treat his returning braintumor: A bus tour to North Americas Impossibles, artefacts that defy the rules of physics, a constant reminder of the simulation. From here on it kind of sounds like a joke: 2 nuns, a rabbi, an engineer, a pregnant influencer and some other people go onto a bus…
While the idea of humanity living in a simulation isn’t new, it usually is the big twist at the end and not the premise in the beginning which I find interesting. The book started really strong, mixing practical thoughts, rational considerations and doubting belief systems with philosophical questions exploring what it would be like if you knew for sure you aren’t real while following a colourful bunch of protagonists on their road trip dealing all with their own problems and existential angst. I found a lot of food for thought but the pace went down around 2/3 of the book, which I didn’t like especially considering the (for me at least) kind of abrupt ending.
3,5* rounded up

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the earc!