The Loneliest Girl In The Universe by Lauren James (Book Review)

I received a free copy of this book, thanks to HarperTeen and Edelweiss, in exchange for my honest review. This does not affect my opinions on the book.

 

Book Blurb:

Romy Silvers is the only surviving crew-member of a spaceship travelling to a new planet, on a mission to establish a second home for humanity amongst the stars. Alone in space, she is the loneliest girl in the universe until she hears about a new ship which has launched from Earth – with a single passenger on board. A boy called J.

Their only communication with each other is via email – and due to the distance between them, their messages take months to transmit across space. And yet Romy finds herself falling in love.

But what does Romy really know about J? And what do the mysterious messages which have started arriving from Earth really mean?

Sometimes, there’s something worse than being alone . . .

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Tags: Young Adult, Sci-fi, Thriller

My Thoughts:

Book Beach Bunny mentioned that some people were expecting The Loneliest Girl In The Universe to be something else. I think I know what they mean now. Were they expecting a space romance? I was, too, and was caught unawares half-way into the book! Hint: it’s a thriller.

I don’t want to give anything else away, so I won’t elaborate on that. What I will say is that I thought I was pretty good at picking up clues but Lauren James managed to pull the wool over my eyes. There were a handful of instances where I questioned things but eventually let go from my conscious thoughts(lesson learnt: trust your instincts).

…an end to the pointless existence of waiting for death from the day I was born.

The first half was slow-going but it gave a good look into life alone in space and Romy’s daily routine on board The Infinity. The loneliness was all-consuming and inescapable. I had a couple of questions throughout the book, mainly plot-wise, and they were all answered eventually. The second half kicked things up into higher gears and I was thrilled by the tense and stomach-dropping moments. I appreciated the twist in The Loneliest Girl In The Universe but it’s not a new trope. That is possible the reason why, after finishing the story, I didn’t feel the zing! you expect after reading a thriller.

I catch a blurred glimpse of the door as I sprint past, just enough to see that it’s still half open, the way it was left all those years ago.

(I love this quote. It’s so hauntingly eerie for such a seemingly ordinary thing.)

Our MC, Romy Silvers, is a believable protagonist. Some say her inner monologues seem younger than her 16 years but I think the protagonists in YA fiction nowadays seem too mature for their age. How many 16 year-olds can save the world?? Too many according to all those books. Bottom-line, she acts her age. Her naiveté is understandable for someone who’s never interacted with another person aside from their parents and drew their social knowledge from TV Shows and fan-fiction. I greatly appreciated the mention of periods/menstruation however briefly it was. I always wonder how female MCs never mention how they deal with it while they’re trying to save the world, because, hun, that sh*t is real and messy and the cramps are distracting, to say the least.

Is no life at all better than the constant fear and fight for survival I face every day?

The Loneliest Girl In The Universe may not be the thriller of the year, but it does have its shining moments.

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Parental Guidance: 13+
Violence – Medium
Sex – An allusion to masturbation. Some brief sexual thoughts.
Religion – None
Profanity – Few and far between

Should You Get This Book?:

Get it if:

• you like a book with those moments where you discover something and time slows down and you go, ‘Oh, sh*t. They’re in trouble.’
• you enjoy reading stories set entirely on a spaceship
• you like sci-fi with YA characters

Don’t get it if:

• you’re expecting a Gillian Flynn-like thriller

Grab this now on: Amazon | Book Depository | B&N | Goodreads

Extra Goodies: For inspiration, character casts, moodboards and more, click here.

Read an excerpt here.

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P.S. Which cover do you prefer? I like the blue one better, it managed to capture the lonely theme.