This was another stay up all night and can not stop reading book from Janelle Brown. This was a mystery book that took Jane from the remote/ isolated life in Montana living with her father to the bustling city of San Francisco out on her own. This novel is about family and finding oneself and also about the power to change our destinies. The writing is excellent from the descriptions of Montana and the life there to Jane`s relationship with her father. I recommend this book and think it will be a top book of 2025!

Another unputdownable book by Janelle Brown! This smart, fast moving mystery is first set in an isolated cabin in Montana where Jane lives with her father. As the book goes on, the reader gets a taste of what Jane’s isolated life looks like, idealistic at first. As Jane grows older she is eager to see the bigger world out there and slowly learns more about her father and the reasons why they live is such isolation. The book is later set in silicone valley in the mid 1990’s in the midst of the early internet frontier. This book is expertly written and captivating.

Dear bookish friends,

Stop what you’re doing right now and request an ARC of this book immediately! And after its release, make sure to grab your own copy to proudly add to your treasured library. Trust me—go into this book blind and devour every single page. It’s truly extraordinary! As many brilliant readers and reviewers have already noted, this is not only Janelle Brown’s best work but also one of the finest novels of 2025. I’ve already placed it on my top ten fiction/mystery list!

This masterpiece explores the impact of technology, the rise of AI, societal changes, the fine line between intelligence and madness, and themes of family dysfunction, abandonment, and doomsday fears. From the moment you start, you won’t be able to stop reading. The story’s provocative ideas and deeply resonant themes will leave you speechless, as every chapter masterfully challenges the reader with thought-provoking perspectives.

The story follows 17-year-old Jane, who lives an isolated life in a remote cabin in Montana with her overprotective father. Jane’s only connection to the outside world is through occasional trips to a bookstore and rare phone calls with her only friend, Helen, the bookstore owner’s daughter. Jane is homeschooled and well-versed in philosophy, survival skills, and self-reliance, from cooking freshly hunted chickens to chopping wood for winter fires. However, she has never socialized with peers, applied for a driver’s license, or even experienced popular culture like watching her favorite TV show, The X-Files, on a colored television.

Her father strictly teaches her that technology is destructive and warns of its potential to destroy civilization. Jane is told her mother died in a traffic accident and that her father is the only person she can trust. However, her father begins disappearing for days, leaving Jane alone. One day, he returns with an IBM computer, which becomes Jane’s first glimpse of freedom. Through it, she connects with the modern world and strikes up an online friendship with Lionel, a 21-year-old tech worker in San Francisco.

When Jane finally begs her father to let her accompany him on one of his secret trips, her world spirals out of control. Left stranded in a big city without any survival skills, Jane must navigate her newfound freedom, investigate her father’s mysterious past, and uncover the truth about her family. Along the way, she discovers that nothing is as it seems, forcing her to redefine her identity—at a cost that may be greater than she can bear.

I devoured every page of this book and was captivated by its flawless execution, deeply layered plot, and perfectly developed characters. Jane’s tragic family dynamic chilled me to the core. I absolutely loved everything about this novel and cannot recommend it enough. Shout it from the rooftops—this book is a must-read! Don’t let it languish on your TBR pile. Grab it and dive in!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for providing me with this brilliant ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.