I really enjoyed this book, it was heavy on character development and I think it was done really well. All the main characters felt real and I cared about them all. It was heavy on political messaging and while the author and I clearly have the same political affiliation, I felt like at times she wasn’t giving the reader enough credit to read between the lines, and it was a bit overdone. I think the moral messages would be completely lost on someone who didn’t share political ideologies for this reason. However, the premise really makes you think about the far reaching effects of these strings would have in our society and I enjoyed how the author’s incorporated her speculations about this. It’s something I think I’ll be thinking about for a long time.

One thing that I felt like was never addressed which seemed obvious to me is determinism vs free will. The strings seem to mean determinism is the way the world works, yet no one in the book seems to think this, or has any sort of existential crisis about it. Everyone just seems to come to the conclusion that they still have free will even though they can’t stop their death (or life). I think this topic should have been explored more, or at least discussed.

Overall, a fascinating premise (just don’t expect a sci fi novel) which delivers on character development and societal commentary. 

Incredibly thought-provoking book. The entire concept of knowing exactly how long you are going to live and the impact that that can have on the decisions that you make and the decisions that are made for you is so scary but I was riveted throughout.

 From the second I first heard about this book, I was so excited to read it. I was hoping this would be similar to The Midnight Library—which I absolutely loved. Unfortunately, while I think I’m in the minority opinion, this book fell flat for me. 

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The premise of this book was very intriguing! The idea that each person receives a box with a string that represents the length of their life is a very interesting idea to explore. When thinking about this concept, I thought about it from a personal or individual standpoint. Nikki Erlick touches on some bigger, broader social issues that I hadn’t thought of (yet they would be very relevant). These include how the strings could potentially impact: government regulations/policy, the political scene and election process, occupations people are allowed to/choose to have, and how it could ultimately lead to divisiveness and discrimination against a new group of people—those with short strings. I know some people didn’t appreciate the political commentary, but it’s true that this type of situation would seep into all facets of life, government and politics included. However, I felt like the commentary on all these social issues was very brief and surface level. Had the author chosen just one to focus on and flesh out, it may have been better. 

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Characters and character development are so critical for me, and this is where I felt the biggest let down. This book follows the lives of eight central characters, focusing on how they navigate a new world in which they are able to pinpoint how long they will live, how they cope with their (and their loved ones) string length, and the choices they make in light of this newfound information. Sadly, I didn’t feel a deep attachment to any of the characters. Again, it felt very surface level and predictable. There were no big surprises and not a ton of personal growth, in my opinion. All of their storylines and how they were somewhat woven together was interesting. Though, I’m not sure if it was the way the characters were written or if eight characters is just too many to really create the kind of depth I was hoping for. 

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All of this said, there were some beautiful prose throughout this story that really made me pause and reflect on the meaning of life, the choices we make that impact the kind of lives we live, and whether or not those choices are in line with our  core values. 
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Beautiful. Thought provoking. Emotional. Refreshingly *not* overwritten, which seems rarer and rarer lately.