This collection of stories felt like a glimpse into a possibly not-so-distant future; it read lyrical and romantic at times while dystopian in other moments. The writing was propulsive and compelling. Many of the stories explored the themes of love, family, death, and technology. Some of the stories really moved me: "Backwards," which details a woman's experience with her father who chose to age backwards and die of young age, will definitely stay with me for a long time. Many of the characters in these stories are trying to escape, avoid, and/or come to terms with death, and are doing so with futuristic technology and fantastical elements. Some of the stories felt more like a warning and a reminder for how fragile human relationships can be, and how limited we are. Other stories left me confused- by the time I felt like I understood was happening, it was too late to appreciate them. Overall, I really enjoyed this collection, it made me think about what it means to be human and the value of shared experiences, and I would like to read more from this author.

Two of my favorite quotes:
"How many places exist? How far could she get from this moment?"
"The brain only lets you see what you can handle, but once it knows, it knows forever."

Side note: The formatting on the e-book was quite strange, many fragmented sentences that I didn't feel were intentional (e.g. line breaks every few words for multiple pages), random blank pages that broke up sentences, etc.

I read and loved the author's book, Girl Talk, years ago, so I was intrigued by this short story collection. Baggott has such a wonderful way of drawing you into a story and the lives of its charming characters. The short stories all combine some element of sci-fi or technology into a character-driven story. Each story is wildly intriguing because of these deftly written elements. I would definitely recommend if you're looking for something unique and heartwarming.

Thank you Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for providing this ARC. All thoughts are my own.

I love a good speculative fiction collection and this one really delivers. Most of the stories had a distinct "Black Mirror" vibe, like the title story in which everyone has a dating score and poor behavior can get you not only banned for life from dating apps, but potentially undateable at all, or "Welcome to Oxhead" where life is lived under an unexplained protective grid and a sudden power outage also shuts off all the adults in the community. The story that stuck with me the most, and that left me a weepy emotional mess, was "Backwards", in which a woman reconnects with (and develops unexpected empathy and deep affection for) her estranged father for his final week of life as he moves backward in age one decade per day until he simply stops existing. Some stories left me feeling unsettled, some left me feeling a soft kind of melancholy. The entire collection held me in an iron grip until I reached the last page, and I haven't stopped thinking about it days later. I want more stories from Julianna Baggott at her earliest convenience, please.

I’m a big fan of short stories and this collection is such a fun trip - with some exploring loneliness, grief and sadness through a sci-fi lens. I found the writing engaging. I’ll definitely check out more from this author. This collection was thought provoking and has stuck with me.

The book is a collection of short stories. The genre of all of these is Science Fiction, but with something about them making one’s body, life, community, or reality itself not what it seems to be. Most of the stories were somewhat dystopian, with judicious use of adult language throughout. Several of the stories involve the use of memory, or that memories are stored, as different from what might be found on a tape recorder. There were holograms, the possibility of having different memories – those of other people. And, how those memories of the same events appear very different to people nearby who live or exist in markedly different circumstances. Hence – why eyewitness accounts have been shown to be extremely flawed even when people are doing their best to truthfully recount an incident.

The whole thing puts one’s mind in a state of philosophical thoughts, about how could or might reality actually be, beyond our everyday perception of it. And, how things might drastically change if conditions were markedly different. I personally love a book that gives me something to think about outside its pages.

A good collection and a standout beginning to my experience with Baggott's writing. I look forward to hearing what my roommate thinks when they are finally in a position to read it. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity with this title.

It's almost like I set this book up to fail - I HATE short story collections, even from authors that I know and love sometimes. Something about this grabbed my attention, though, so I gave it a try. I was very pleasantly surprised! Very engaging and unique stories that are perfectly paced and easy to fly through. I will be looking for other work by this author.

So many of my favorite short story collections by single authors in 2022 were written by queer and trans authors who pushed boundaries and played with form. That said, I wasn't sure what to expect from Julianna Baggott's I'D REALLY PREFER NOT TO BE HERE WITH YOU, AND OTHER STORIES. It's an enjoyable short story collection with an approachable range of characters. My favorite story was "I'd Really Prefer Not to Be Here with You" because of it's humor. The timing of the support group's real purpose was spot-on; it made me laugh out loud. It wasn't what I expected and it was clear the author was playing with readers' expectations. That kind of smart, sly delight threaded through several stories. It's a great example of what a short story can do.

Truly and immensely loved every nook and cranny of this collection. Each story had me a little more enthralled than the last—all of them their own unique version of haunting and unsettling. How They Got In, Nest, and Portals were a few of my favorites, though I did not find myself disliking any of the stories.

Thank you NetGalley for the E-ARC!

I don’t often pick up collections of short stories as I like to really dive into a book and live in that world. I was pleasantly surprised by this book. Each story was more interesting than the last, each with their own sci-if/dystopian feel. I found myself picking this up as I was cooking or waiting in car line to enjoy a quick story or two. How They Got In, The Holographer, and Inkmorphia were my favorite stories and wished they could have gone on for longer. I loved the ghost aspect of How They Got In and felt my adrenaline going as the story went on. The idea of our loved ones who have passed possibly waiting for an “in” had me hooked. I really liked the themes of memories and how we find them in both The Holographer and Inkmorphia. Both stories had similar themes but were told in such different ways. Imagine losing your memory due to trauma or your memory taken and then returned to someone else. What would you do to get your memories back?
Each story had such interesting themes and really had me thinking. This book has definitely inspired me to pick up more short story collections.

Wow! This is a collection of short stories about loneliness, grief, trauma, love all with a scifi/dystopian bent . And I LOVED every story. My favorite is "I'd prefer not to be here with you." I look forward to reading more by this author!

This collection of stories was definitely interesting and captivated me from beginning to end.

Despite its interesting content and highly original stories, I just couldn't manage to enjoy it as much as I wanted to. I feel as if this is no fault of the author; I am just not a huge fan of the science fiction/horror genre that many of these stories fit into.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

This is an amazing short story collection as Baggott is a first-rate writer. The first story pulled me in and I didn't lift my head from reading until the book was almost finished. Favorites are "The Now of Now" and "Backwards." Highly recommended. Similar to Ray Bradbury's "The Martian Chronicles" with its lyricism and mystery. Highly recommended. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.