This was a decent read. I found it took a minute to get somewhere but overall I found myself enjoying it enough. I thought the characters were so so but the plot really was the books saving grace.

Chelsea Sedoti’s last novel for young adults was <u>As You Wish,</u>which was a humorous take on a small-town life… if the people of your small town get three wishes when they turn eighteen. It was a really fun “what if” kind of book. All the really fun “what if” kinds of books seem to disappear from the shelves of my high school library. As You Wish disappeared last year and hasn’t been seen since.

So I was really excited to hear that Sedoti was coming out with another “what if” kind of book set in a small town inhabited with lots of quirky characters who have a way of choosing to do their own thing. <u>It Came From the Sky</u>does not disappoint.

Super geek Gideon Hofstadt convinces his older brother Ishmael to help him out in a science experiment to see whether or not his homemade seismometer actually works. They need to create a small explosion at their family farm. This explosion leaves a crater, which the boys choose to explain away by blaming it on an alien landing.

There are many in the town that choose to believe this story and Ishmael is also eager to turn this into the best senior prank that the school has ever seen. Reluctant Gideon goes along because he thinks that this could become a great sociology experiment that might just seal his application to MIT.

What they don’t bargain on are the alien truthers out there who descend upon their small town in tents and RVs and a “messianic” founder of a multi level marketing scheme who needs to use the alien story for his own purposes.

Truth gets twisted around in this story, which can be lots of fun, especially when the reader is trying to figure out which characters are buying into the story and which aren’t.

What is believable is Gideon. He’s the real deal. He likes people and has some really great friends, including a handsome secret boyfriend, but he also needs his privacy and his time away from people, which frustrates his friends and definitely his mom, who doesn’t get his introverted side at all. He’s really a likable character.

The ending is unexpected, but also satisfying. Lots of readers will want to try out this one.

This was a really fun read. I didn't really know what to expect from this one, but the concept intrigued me enough to give it a try. Overall, it was a good read that interested me. There were times it dragged a bit, but it didn't stop me from finishing the book. The characters were well rounded and the small-town feel really came across.

This was a cute read. It was a bit predictable but I loved the characters so that more than made up for it. The style of this book was great and if you’re a librarian, I think a reluctant reader would really enjoy the format.

What a delightful little book! Told in interview excerpts, text messages, and others of its ilk, It Came From the Sky about two brothers who start an alien hoax in order to keep from getting in trouble with their parents and the law - you know, a classic tale. I really enjoyed the storyline, the LGBTQ rep, and the format, however I had a difficult time connecting emotionally with the characters. Overall, I enjoyed the book but doubt that I'll remember reading it in 5 years time.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

I was really excited to pick up Chelsea Sedoti's newest book, as I really enjoyed As You Wish. This book was just as fun and a little out their as the last book, but featured alien encounters as its premise.

What I enjoyed about the story:
-The overall concept of the book. Teenagers creating a hoax to get out of trouble for blowing up their farm and the hoax totally blowing up was fun to read. Sedoti does a really great job of infusing her writing with humor.
- The LGBTQ rep.. It's so nice to see more contemporary stories featuring LGBTQ characters, and this one was no exception.
- The science aspects of this book - I felt like I learned some new things as I was reading that I hadn't known before and it seemed clear to me that Sedoti had taken time to do research into astrology when creating her characters.
-The different formats. Sedoti had blog comments, texts, and interview excerpts sprinkled throughout the story that added unique elements to the story and made this truly seem more like a report than just a typical story.

What didn't work for me:
- The footnotes. I don't dislike footnotes, but I felt that this was the author's main way of providing readers' insight into what had happened prior to this book or into Gideon's friends. They didn't add a lot to the story and I often skipped over them.
- The MLM side story. This is purely personal, but I am not a fan of MLMs and the fictional MLM in this story was mentioned so constantly it felt like I was reading advertisements at times.. I wish this hadn't been quite as prominent an aspect of the story.
-Gideon's character: Gideon is a bit arrogant and awkward, which made him a little unlikeable at times. He was really hard to personally feel connected to, which made the overall reading experience a bit less enjoyable for me.

Overall, I think this book is worth reading if you're a fan of contemporaries and sci-fi. This wasn't a perfect fit for me but there were elements that I really did enjoy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. My opinion was not affected by the free copy.

I was getting worn out by all the YA fantasy I've been reading lately, so this turned out to be a breath of fresh air. It had some good humor, ridiculous scenarios, well-developed characters, and an engaging story. I always wanted to know what would happen next.

My biggest critiques stem from this being an uncorrected copy. There were a lot of instances when words were smashed together, and a few times where it felt like words were completely missing from sentences. Also, there were a lot of blank pages that I'm sure will be filled with pictures or flyers or whatever it is that was meant to be shown. I'm sure those visuals would change the reading experience. The footnotes were awkwardly formatted as well, again something that probably came from this being uncorrected, or maybe from being an e-book. I don't want to fault the book for these things, but they did detract from the reading experience.

As for the story itself, I'm a little on the fence on how it was presented. It would have been more interesting if it was presented from an outside perspective showing all of this happen, but then again the summary ruins it by saying right off the bat what's going on. I guess having the interviews wasn't a bad idea, but it was a little off-putting how bluntly honest they all were. I couldn't help thinking "why would they say that to this person". I'm also not sure how I feel about the climax of the book. A part of me wishes it would've stuck just to the alien hoax.

On the plus side, though, all the characters were very unique and fleshed-out. I really liked Gideon and Ishmael's bond as brothers. I also liked how it showed all of Gideon's anxieties and fears, and how he grew over the course of the book. It is a shame that some of the characters faded into the background, but overall they were interesting and I liked following them on this crazy journey. It was fun and entertaining, and it did have a nice message about being curious.

I wasn't blown away by it, but I enjoyed myself.