“You’ll be normal enough, though. And by this, I mean you’ll have just enough normal to seem normal without actually being normal.”

'Life Hacks for a Little Alien' follows our neurodivergent main character - ‘Little Alien’ - through childhood and adolescence as she navigates the isolating experience of growing up in a neurotypical world. Exploring the struggles of autistic people, with a heavy helping of wit and dry humour, I found this book really refreshing and enjoyed the inclusion of many autistic traits such as stimming, communication difficulties, hyper fixations/special interests, light/sound sensitivity and literal thinking - just to name a few! This publication is a great example of female autism/neurodivergence rep within contemporary fiction.

“You are grateful for how explicitly Mike and Mark express their feelings. You would like it if everyone were like this.”

Issues surrounding the healthcare system (in the context of neurodivergence) are effectively covered, including accessibility difficulties relating to the diagnostic process for neurodivergence. Additionally, mental health issues are also represented in this novel as our main characters mum struggles with a mental health disorder.
Despite the heavy topics this was a light and humorous book which I consumed in partnership with the audiobook (narrated by Sally Phillips) which I really enjoyed. I definitely recommend this read if you're keen to learn more about neurodivergence but aren't a huge fan of non-fiction!

“You look at the big light. It's far too bright. Its white light beams at you aggressively, hurting your eyes but also your mind.”
"The frustration can't just sit there. It has to go somewhere, be somewhere, manifest as something."

(Publishing 13th February 2025- huge thank you to Elizabeth at Riverrun publishing for the physical review copy of this book and thank you to NetGalley for access to the early audiobook!)

Let me start by talking about the actual book. The story was very engaging and sweet. The chapter lengths were perfect for keeping me engaged and wanting to read more and more in each sitting. I loved the characters and I think the amount of backstory and insight into her way of thinking would make it impossible for anyone to not connect with them on some level. I would give the book five stars. The audiobook, however, almost ruined it for me. The narrator did their job well and I could appreciate the buts of music added to the story, but some books just don't translate well to audio. I think the way the chapters are broken up and the interjections of the titles are a bit jarring. They make the listening experience a bit confusing if you're not just sitting still and listening to the book, which I don't think most people are. Unfortunately I don't think there's a solution to this. It's a great book, just some novels don't make great audiobooks. Five stars for Life Hacks for a Little Alien. Three stars for this audiobook.

Life Hacks for Little Alien is a really unique story about a lonely little girl growing up and trying to understand the world. The story chronicles Little Alien's struggles with school, homeschool, her family, and her peers. Struggling from insomnia, she watches tv all night, which is how she learns about the Voynich Manuscript, an ancient codex written in an unknown language. She becomes obsessed with the manuscript and eventually gets Bobby, her only friend, interested in it as well, sending the two on a journey of self-discovery.

The writing style of this book was very unique and I really enjoyed it as an audiobook. It's written almost as a guidebook for Little Alien to understand the world with a particular focus on reading and linguistics. The narrator did an absolutely amazing job with the text, especially the parts that focused on phonics. I almost feel that this book was made to be an audiobook, so I would highly recommend listening to the audio version. The tone was quite funny even when dealing with serious topics. The story deals with neurodivergence, mental health, friendship, growing up, and of course history and linguistics, so I would recommend this to anyone interested in those topics. I think this will really appeal to fans of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine.

I'm not sure how to objectively review this story, as it has so many of my own niche interests it felt like it was written for me specifically to love. Firstly, I should clarify that I listened to the audio book, which was a wonderful production with a consistent little musical tone at each chapter segue that supported the structure of the story. The narration was soothing and felt right for the voice of Little Alien. I read some reviewers disliked the footnotes in the print version of this novel, which surprised me as I didn't even know they existed in the audiobook; it all flowed as one body.

Secondly, it bears mentioning that I'm a speech language pathologist with a specialization in autism, so the notes on linguistics and etymology that might have felt tedious for some was actually especially interesting to me. Finally, I loved the second-person narration choice as it brought us closer inside the world of Little Alien. What can be an annoying point-of-view in many situations was the perfectly nuanced choice for Little Alien. Many neurodivergent and especially autistic people think and speak in second person as a manifestation of their specific language-learning patterns and relationship with personal pronouns. As such, I automatically internalized the standard second-person as Little Alien's own first person narration and cannot imagine it being told any other way. (We are never explicitly told that Little Alien is autistic, and as misunderstood as she was by herself and others, she may have gone undiagnosed.)

I loved that we saw Little Alien's home life and her relationships through her lens and not given any additional information that she did not have herself. We experienced the world as she did, which felt much more intimate than if we'd had extraneous details to round out any of the other characters.

Overall, I felt like I was reading coming-of-age journaling of a misunderstood but funny, smart, and kind girl who just wanted to do right in the world by following her interests and keeping her loved ones close. As intimate as this felt, I would love to learn more about the author and her motivations for crafting this story. It was beautiful.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my review!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an audio copy to listen to in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so good! It reminded me of Emily Austin in the best way. The characters were so well written it was hard not to love them - quirks and all. A gem of a novel!

*Thank you to Little, Brown & Company, Hachette Audio, and NetGalley for access to the advance reading copy and advance listening copy for this book!

What a gem of a story!
First and foremost, this is one of the best audiobook experiences I have had as a reader. The narration by Sally Phillips is absolutely brilliant! This book has a wonderfully singular main character and utilizes a unique style of storytelling. It requires a narrator that has the skill to properly emote for the main character and a narrator that can appropriately implement the many (and really enjoyable) footnotes included in the text. Phillips shows mastery in inflection and brings so much to the book with her beautiful narration.
Our main character: We must protect her at all costs. She is so fantastically characterized by author Alice Franklin. While it seems clear that our main character is very personal to this book's author, she's also somehow endlessly relatable. Experiencing the way in which she's spoken to, spoken about, and treated throughout this story, the reader wants nothing more than to protect her. This leads to a rightfully emotional conclusion to this book, which I was so appreciative of.
This story is incredibly bingeable and endlessly entertaining. Please consider finding the little alien in yourself by reading this book!

Intriguing both in premise and in execution. The omniscient third person POV both set the tone AND made the narrative a little bit muddled at the same time. There’s a lot to this book, but its most unique feature is its portrayal and handling of neurodivergence. Going to have to sit with how I feel about it for a bit.

Little Alien has never felt like she fits in, always a half beat off from what everyone else is doing. This feeling continues until she watches a late-night TV special and hears about the Voynich Manuscript — a mysterious and largely unknown document that has fascinated many of the scholars who have attempted to translate it. One scholar even went mad, convinced that the manuscript was written by an alien. Suddenly, everything makes sense: Little Alien feels certain that she's from outer space, separated from her true family. She becomes fixated on learning everything she can about the manuscript, hoping to learn more about herself in the process.

This debut novel is well crafted, with a unique style. Written in second person, the book puts the reader firmly into the shoes of a neurodivergent person. I admire the use of this writing strucutre as it seems wholly effective at recreating the out-of-body experience of an autistic child who is observing the world from a distance. You, as the reader, have your own experience that you bring into the book, and yet the narrator is telling you that you're having a different experience than what feels familiar to you. Little Alien's relationship with her father is especially heartwarming and encouraging. Read this if you enjoy coming-of-age novels, neurodivergence, and family dynamics.

Thank you to NetGalley, Hachette Audio, and Alice Franklin for an advance copy for honest review. 3.75 stars rounded up.

This is a very difficult review for me to write as I have very complicated and conflicting opinions about this book.

I want to start this review off by saying that this audiobook does not have what I would call a typical format, and I struggled getting started with this, but I am so thankful that I kept going. There is music at every chapter ending/beginning with a review of what books should be read/reviewed after what has happened throughout the past chapter. The concept is very unique and ingenious way of conveying how she processes information.

This book is about a little girl on the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in Britian and what her life is like growing up. Her mom also has severe depression/bipolar disorder and struggles taking care of her. She doesn't talk much, even though throughout the book you know she is very intelligent based on her thoughts and perceptions. It is never mentioned in the book that is on the ASD but based on the way she is treated throughout the book, the way her parents treat her, and her character, I believe that is what the book is trying to convey.

I am the mom of a son on the spectrum and suffer with severe depression. So, this book hit me quite differently, and pretty hard. It was very difficult for me at times throughout the book to hear how she was talked to, how she was treated, and how she was dismissed based on preconceived notions, not actual facts, of who she was. This book evoked so many emotions for me. I LOLed, cried, yelled, and cried again.

So why did I not give this book 5⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐? I would say it is 4.5 rounded down to 4.

The ending fell a little flat to me. There were too many open-ended questions, and too many things left open to interpretation. And maybe that is what the author wanted, but I think an author's note on this book would have been really beneficial. Did Alice Franklin want us to think about ASD? Or should we not make over generalizations? What was the goal of this book?

At the end of the day, I am better for having read this. It helps me connect better with my son. It helps me remember that I should never underestimate those I don't understand. And that just because you don't understand the way someone else learns or does something, doesn't make it wrong or invalid.

This book was awesome. I think it was a great balance of silly and serious in the sarcastic descriptions pretending not to be self aware.

⭐️⭐️💫

This coming of age story is told from the perspective of a little girl through her teenage years, this story is all about a clearly autistic girl trying to navigate life in a world that doesn’t always make sense. As a result, when she hears about aliens she thinks, maybe that’s me. And when she hears about a manuscript discovered several centuries before but the code has never been cracked and someone on tv posit that it could’ve been written by aliens, she becomes obsessed.

It’s a charming read to see this young lady grow up in this crazy world, but heartbreaking to see those around her unwilling to empathize and try to help her.

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I really liked the beginning of this audiobook and found myself chuckling along at the story of a neurodivergent child. It was poignant and eye-opening, however, as much as I love character development without much of a plot it's hard for me to stay rooted to the story and halfway through I gave up.

I loved this unusual story. This is a neurodivergent girl’s endearing coming of age story told in second person point of view (the story is told directly to the main character using the pronoun "you"). I won’t spoil the surprise of who is telling the story, but I suspect most readers will catch on fairly soon. As someone bookish and very literal who never quite fit in and often finds other people’s actions baffling, I could relate. I found the story alternately heartbreaking and heartwarming and always humorous.

The audiobook production was excellent, and Sally Phillips’s narration was a delight. She was fun to listen to, with good pacing, clear pronunciation, distinctive voices and speech patterns to suit each character, and the ability to convey mood, emotion, and humor effectively. The story works very well as an audiobook.

Thanks to Hachette Audio and Little, Brown & Company for providing me with a free advanced review copy of the audiobook through NetGalley. I volunteered to provide an honest review.

"Life Hacks for a Little Alien" is a captivating debut novel that kept me hooked from start to finish. I couldn't put it down! The main character quickly won my heart, and her struggles felt deeply relatable. Watching her growth throughout the story was truly inspiring. While the narrative was generally engaging, there were a few slower moments that slightly interrupted the flow, which is why I’m giving it four stars (4.5 if allowed). Overall, it’s a delightful and thought-provoking read that I highly recommend!

Thank you NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book, written in the third person is about a little girl who is neurodivergent being raised by an engineer father and a mother who seems neurotic but in a common way when we first meet her. Hester. That's a spoiler I guess, because at first, we just hear about the child in a very abstract way that goes to what a tiny, nonverbal child might be thinking when they do things. It is a slow start, but I had a sense I should stick with it. I'm very glad I did, because the little girl in her loving family with her cousin who sometimes bullies her and her best friend who is a lot like her works her way through the world in ways that are engaging, interesting, sometimes humorous and kind of…. informative. Life Hacks definitely got fun to read and the audio version I read was particularly well done.

The slow beginning is most likely reflective of the child''s slow beginning in terms of conventional behavior. She acts out in preschool in ways that stand out. She is beloved and understood more or less by both of her parents. On the outside, I read a lot about this book in terms of a manuscript Heather becomes interested in and her slowly understanding what a manuscript is, where one might be found, and so forth. But this story is way more about coming of age as a neurodivergent person and of family dynamics. Hah! I usually run the other way from novels about family dynamics. They are so often stressful. But seriously, this one is fun and not upsetting. A bit sad at times but okay despite the things that happen. There is lots of humor. There is lots of love. There is a whole lot of confusion, misunderstandings, unconventional conversations and behavior that gets you in a world of trouble if you are a kid whose logic is distinctly not consistent with convention. I really am glad I listened all the way. Definitely recommend.

Starting my 2025 reading year off with a 5 star?! I absolutely loved everything about this book. Not only was it heartwarming and funny, it also addressed heavy topics in a gentle way. As someone whose mother had almost three years of psychotic episodes, I found the way that the mother was portrayed very accurate. While I experienced it as an adult, I can only imagine how difficult it would be as a child. And especially as a child on the spectrum. I loved how the focus was on how special Little Alien was and how her brain working differently was her strength. The audiobook was absolutely wonderful and really brought the story to life!

I just loved this quirky little gem of a book. It is funny, heartfelt, loving and also a little heartbreaking as we follow a young neurodivergent girl who is just trying to fit in to a world she does not understand. I think that anyone with an autistic child would really benefit from and enjoy this story told from a child's perspective. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and the authors writing style. I listened to the audio version and the narrator, Sally Phillips did a splendid job. Highly recommended. 5 stars.

Many Thanks to Net Galley and Hachette Audio | Little, Brown & Company for a chance to read/listen to an ARC version of this novel.

This story is a triple treat. One for the story, one for the inner narrative of a child, and one for the ending. The story begins as a child of three starts seeing the world, and how to navigate to blend in. As the child grows the love of the library grows and shenanigans ensue. The high spirited behavior continues as the child who has been fixated for some time on an ancient manuscript known as the Voynich Manuscript, discovers it is on loan in a college library. The heart of the story tells us that no matter the difficulty there is always a way with the help of family and good friends. This is the type of story that stays with one long after reading. I will be recommending it as soon as it become available.
Thank you NetGalley and Alice Franklin for entrusting me with this advance copy for my honest review.

Another reviewer (or more) said that this is a book you will either get, or you won't. You'll either love it or hate it. I totally agree!

The neurodivergent narrator is telling the story to her younger self (now I can' recall if that was stated, or I' presuming since the audiobook narrator was female). I could see how some may not appreciate and/or understand the perspective.

Other reviews also critique the lack of more explanation of the family. I believe these are from reviewers who don't "get it". We are only going to understand what the "little alien" understood and was able to explain.

As much as I enjoyed the audiobook narration (thank you, Sally Phillips!), I think physically reading this story would also be wonderful for the visual footnotes. Those were very entertaining and had me cracking up.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Life Hacks for a Little Alien is such a lovely title that it immediately caught my attention. The book is written in the second person, which took me a little while to get used to, but I really enjoyed the story. It explores the theme of being different and understanding life from a unique perspective. I love how the narrator, the older version of the "little alien," kindly explains life to her younger self. The narrator did a fantastic job, and the second-person style worked particularly well in the audiobook format. I felt as if someone was actually telling me the story, rather than simply listening to a fictional book. While this book may not be for everyone, I believe it will find its own audience. Overall, it was a delightful read and I highly recommend the audiobook. Thanks to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review. I'll post my review closer to the publication date.