Romy’s parents died, leaving her the sole resident of a spaceship headed for another planet. A story of loneliness, anxiety, and desperation. This book is what the movie Passengers should have been.‬ ( )

2,8 stars

Oh boy, what a wild ride. It started off with promise, which was steadily chipped away until the end. This is the kind of Young Adult that gives other Young Adult a bad name.

Now, I didn't hate the book. I just didn't like it. The writing was mediocre at best, the characters were one dimensional, the plot was weak, and the plot twists weaker. This is the kind of story that could have been great if executed by someone else.

I feel no great need to pick up anything else of James'. ( )

“On good days, which don’t come often, I love my ship and everything it represents. I thrill at the thought of seeing Earth II. There are going to be so many things there that have never been seen by human eyes before. I’ll get to study the planet using priceless, brand-new equipment that’s just waiting to be unpacked. I’ll discover things that might change the fate of humanity for ever. The Infinity is the biggest, most expensive scientific mission in history. I get to be the very first person to see the results. I’m so lucky.
On bad days, I worry about my responsibilities until my gut cramps and my head feels full of knives.
On my very worst days, I think of nothing but how vulnerable I am out here. I’m balanced on the edge of oblivion with only a fragile skin of metal separating me from the void of space”

This is a GREAT Sci-fi thriller. Set in the year 2067 Romy is a normal teenage girl. Except she was born in space during a space mission to reach a new planet and colonize it. After varying tragedies that left her the sole survivor on the ship Romy is now completely alone in space and the commander of this vessel. Finally after being alone for five years she gets word from NASA that another ship will be reaching her within the year. What starts off as seeming like an end to her loneliness ends up being a entirely different kind of nightmare.

I can think of few things more terrifying than being completely alone with no hope of help in sight. Romy had to entirely depend on herself for the length of the book and the mere thought of being in that situation was enough to put me on edge the entire time. It made for a perfect thriller.

Likes:
-Romy being relatable af by crushing on a character from a tv show and just wanting to write and read fan fiction. Plus I just love the idea of the NASA scientists who were put in charge of FINDING the fanfiction to send her.
-Just the fact that it took place in space. It was different. I have never read such a contained book before. Every scene took place in such a small space and unless you count flashbacks you only ever see a total of three characters physically there. It made for a different kind of story
-Romy’s character arc. I loved her. She dealt with so much anxiety but powered through it to do what needed to be done
-It has a very satisfying conclusion

Dislikes:
-I feel like the pacing could have been better. It was kind of slow for the first half of the book, but then I feel like they rushed through the very end far too quickly. After so much build up I wish there would have been more time spent on dealing with the antagonist as it really was the best part of the book

Overall: Just a really good sci-fi. It kind of reminds me of Illuminae. ( )

I came in expecting YA romance, so set my expectations low (romantic (sub)plots are often my main beef with YA novels). But – at the risk of spoiling you – The Loneliest Girl engages in bait and switch. The first act sets up a space meetcute as two young people build a relationship over email as they hurtle towards a distant planet. The second act abruptly changes tack to deliver a paranoid space thriller that pushes our heroine to her limits; a trial by fire in which she must come to terms with her past to survive.

Related through Romy’s diary entries, Lauren James does a sterling job of seeding plot to move things along while keeping her heroine’s state of mind front and centre. Initially cute, often harrowing, I appreciated that Loneliest Girl sidesteps the red flags inherent in its concept. And yes, I’m keeping this vague because while I think it’s worth knowing this isn’t a YA romance, I also think it rewards being unspoiled about the details. ( )

I was given a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The book has a slow start, as could be expected of a novel about a girl alone in space. I thought this was going to be a 2-Star book with the initial set up but it got intense and exciting FAST in the last third which brought this up to an enjoyable 3-Star read for me. It wasn’t my typical genre but it was a nice change up. ( )