The Loneliest Girl in the Universe
By Lauren James
Publication Year: 2018
Type: Fiction
Genre: sci-fi, thriller
Read on 2018-12-06
View additional specs on this book in Muhan’s 2018 Reading Survey ➞
★★★★★
I read this book in 2 sittings in one day. It is perhaps the best book I have read in 2018.
I’ll add to this once I’ve had some time to process but basically this book is an incredibly tightly written thriller masquerading as a sci-fi space adventure that is, in turn, masquerading as a YA romance novel.
I love concision and tight editing, and I am blown away by how much lush sci-fi goodness and rich character building the author has managed to serve in only 260 pages. The pacing is breakneck - a stylistic choice that kept momentum, all without losing the poetry of her writing.
Romy’s is an extraordinary and entirely unrelatable life story, but James paints her experiences and personality so vividly and believably. The delivery of key character histories alongside the advancing plot is masterful.
This plot line is not ultimately itself unique - similar beats can be found in blockbuster space flicks like the Martian, Interstellar, and Passengers - but the delivery I think is what makes this story so outstanding. A gripping space thriller should make you want to call your loved ones to tell them you love and appreciate their presence in your life while simultaneously making you clench every muscle in your body from fear of cold oblivion and oh my fucking god does this deliver.
