Followers

I was kind of excited about the premise of this novel. And at first, I was enjoying the flow of the prose. For me, a BIG FACTOR in reading is the author’s ability to draw you into the story quickly to where you forget you are reading, and instead you just feel like you are hearing the story.

If I have to stop and re-read long passages, or if the story doesn’t flow well, then I get distracted and it ruins the experience for me. Because of this, I tend to find authors who I really like and stick with them, because once you find an author that writes well – you can count on them to deliver over and over again most of the time.

I feel like Megan Angelo has this quality. But I still found myself not enjoying this novel and putting it down and stopping over and over again. Why? Because for me, the novel wasn’t holding together logically. Maybe it was me, and maybe I was misunderstanding, but there were several places where the technology didn’t seem to add up.

The story is a risky venture, trying to predict what will be happening in social media five years from now is risky, and Megan is aiming MUCH FARTHER into the future with the novel, Followers. But right off the bat, we are in a building with a mail room that reminded me of my college circa 1988. Notes were being taken by hand. There were SO MANY instances where the technology seemed pre-internet, and definitely pre-smart-phone, and yet we are supposed to believe this is taking place in the present and future. Or at least that is what I was understanding.

Maybe I didn’t get far enough in to understand why this disconnect seemed to be taking place, but I kept getting sidetracked and kept wondering WHY is this their reality? Why aren’t they using digital tools instead of paper and pencils?

I don’t know if I just wasn’t patient enough, or what – but when you compare this to a novel like Ready Player One, where the future is laid out in a believable, consistent and imaginative way – there is a feeling like Followers was a great idea and story, but it wasn’t carefully plotted out or planned to make sure that it felt like the future. It felt dated.

It is kind of like when you see an old tv show and someone is checking their pager. SURE, SOME people still use them in some weird instances, but for the most part, you just feel like it is dated or someone got it wrong. Followers has that feeling, like the author is anchored to the past and can’t fully let go of it, or this is that strange case where it actually makes sense, but you can’t get past it regardless.

I spent too much time trying to find reasons for things to be the way they were in the story, and not enough time enjoying the story. I may give this a try again later. But for now, this just didn’t hold my attention long enough to read it through. And I devour books, often finishing them in a day or two – so that’s a pretty bad thing when I can’t get through a book.

Sorry… but this one just didn’t work for me. 🙁

I hope you find this review helpful. I feel like that reviews are super important on Amazon and they really help me determine if a product is worth buying or not – so I try to return the favor and leave a review that will honestly tell you whether a product is good or not. We all use products differently, so I also try to make it clear what was important to me, and hopefully that makes it easy for you to tell if you will like it too.

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I read this over the course of a few nights on my phone. Each time I finished, I anxiously pushed my phone a bit farther away from me on the bedstand. This novel is a terrifying and believable glimpse into the future AND our present obsession with sharing every detail of our lives. Thank goodness Angelo manages to depict that vision of the future with a wry humor that lessens the otherwise constant suspense. If you love Children of a New Age, Station 11, Machines Like Me or other works of speculative fiction, or, for that matter, if you just got off of twitter or instagram to read this review, pick this book up immediately.

Megan Angelos novel is immediately addicting. I was hooked from the prologue and love the theme of present day and future day situations. I appreciate all of the Pennsylvania references (wawa!) and the eerily predictable FOLLOWERS world that could absolutely come true in my lifetime. I cant wait to finish this book to see how it all ends up. Do yourself a favor and buy this book!

Megan Angelos first novel did NOT disappoint. Before I had finished the Prologue, I was hooked. I had to know more. I needed to learn everything I could about these characters. This authors voice is one that deserves to be heard for many years to come because her skillful character development and point of view is one that I found beyond engaging. With a busy work schedule and two young children at home, I never have time to read for fun anymore. This book made me want to make time for it. I devoured every page in barely three days and was hungry for more . . . and I sincerely hope there will be more from this author soon. Do yourself a favor & buy a copy. If you start reading it & dont agree with me, do everyone else a favor and gift it to a friend who actually likes to read! In sum: a great read. . . the only downside was that it had to end.

Great characters! Scary view of the future. Makes me want to put all electronics down and head out into the woods- once I get to the end of the book! I’m giving it to my teenagers as soon as I finish. I love it.

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