A review by christinefitz
Life Hacks For a Little Alien by Alice Franklin

dark emotional funny sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

If you've ever felt like everyone in the room is in on a joke you don't understand, you might relate to this book. Told in the second person ("You do this, they laugh at you. Your dad tells you to act normal." etc), it's easy to sink into the unsettling place of the nameless main character. There are laugh-out-loud bits of observational humor, broken up by a lot of heartrending misunderstandings and details about the little alien's family life (which is turbulent at best). This is about neurodivergence, mental health, family, friendship, and finding a place for yourself in a vast universe where everyone else seems to intuitively know where they fit. It seems less like fiction and more like memoir. It's the kind of book that hurts to read but you can't put it down.

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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