The Atmospherians by Alex McElroy takes a dark look at social media and today's culture. Labeled a contemporary satire, I kind of missed that mark but I still really enjoyed The Atmospherians just the same. Sasha is the latest social media guru, having her followers "Abandon" the current beauty regimes. She experiences all of the best perks of having a following, including an internet troll. Sasha's life takes a complete turn for the worst when the aftermath of dealing with the negative troll comes to a head. She loses everything. Her best friend from childhood comes and saves the day, sweeping her away from the negative media bubble. Dyson wants Sasha to help him open a men's cult to help rid the world of the men's hordes that have been popping up over the world. Dyson and Sasha risk everything they have with no idea of what they are doing. They concoct a plan to rid men of the toxic attributes they possess, at times winging it as things happen. Could The Atmosphere actually save Sasha's social media presence? Somehow the men chosen go with the therapy and rigorous program without questioning the cult leaders. Could the cult plan actually work and be successful? No spoilers here!
Overall, The Atmospherians by Alex McElroy is a wonderful tale of the current social media sensations and the repercussions when they fall from the media's watchful eye. While I missed some of the satire because I took the story a little too serious, I still really enjoyed the story. I am disappointed in myself for putting off reading this book. I will be recommending The Atmospherians by Alex McElroy to others and would love to check out McElroy's future work! Special thanks to NetGalley, Alex McElroy, and Atria Books for the advanced digital books for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest opinion. 4 stars for me.
#NetGalley

Oof, this book ended up being a bit too literary and a bit too weird for me. I couldn't get invested in the characters at all. Not what I expected from an Atria novel!

What a timely read this was; I really have a soft spot for books that focus on social media and all the implications of growing a following and or losing said following. This book details the downfall of one influencer. We live in a time, surrounded by this cancel culture which can keep everyone awake at night, and this is what this book did for me...kept me awake, speculating and thinking through what I assumed would happen. Let me tell you I was shocked! Loved this one and the storyline, plot, character development, and setting.

While I loved the concept and found some of the writing to be humorous despite the dark topics, The Atmospherians was a bit of a drag for me. I found Sasha to be a little insufferable as the main POV character, and while I don't think the point of the story was for us to totally sympathize with her, I was left feeling confused about what exactly we were intended to feel about her as readers. The majority of the book left me irritated with every character. I enjoyed some of the strange dystopian elements of the book and I appreciate it as a work of satire, but the idea of man "hordes" never felt entirely fleshed out to me. I think my issue was that many of the intentions of this story left the characters feeling stiff and uncomfortable. Overall, this one is a 2.5 from me.

A strangely modern story involving internet influencers and trolls that leaves a lot to be desired. Yet, there is a great deal of unique description that reads extremely well despite doing nothing to move the book forward. So much of the book is blah, blah, blah, then oops that was an interesting sentence, and back to more blah, blah, blah.

There are some real truths about internet trolls. First, they are relentless. Second, reporting them to the internet police is useless. Yes, the powers that be ban them and remove their accounts, but the ease with which a troll will acquire a new email address and handle, that gets them a new account, allows them to continue the bad behavior. And third, responding to said troll turns the tables on the troll-ee.

I thought this was going to be a fast read; it is not. For the most part it is iterative and a slog of 'oh, poor me.' It seems to be a treatise on the cellphone/social media obsessed generation, and white men.

I recommend you give this a pass.

I was unsure if I would enjoy this book but I loved it. The Atmospherians is a perfect example of satire done right. A creative look at social media/influencer culture and the rise, and hopeful downfall of, toxic masculinity, this not one to be missed!

Thank you for the advanced copy of this book! I will be posting my review on social media, to include Instagram, Amazon, Goodreads, and Instagram!

I wanted to get into this one but really couldn't. I was HOOKED with this description: “Fight Club for the millennial generation” (Mat Johnson, author of Pym), actually! But the actual book (maybe it was a time and place thing for me) couldn't get me into it.

An interesting satire but ultimately felt too untethered from reality for me to enjoy it—I kept wanting everything to be more grounded in realism.

The premise for this book was good and drew me into the story. For me, the voice of the characters did not completely work for me. Some people will love this one, just not my favorite. I will keep a look out for future novels by this author.

#TheAtmospherians #NetGalley #AtriaBooks

This was a so-so one for me. I liked it but didn’t love it, it def wasn’t my favorite but one I would recommend to some.

this was a really good story, I loved getting to know the characters and their world. It was very well written and I enjoyed going on this read.

Interesting tale of stereotypes. I really enjoyed this writers way off thinking. I would read other books by this author.

Here is what happens when revenge takes a turn. An Influencer whose public has turned on her exacts her pound of flesh in more ways than one. Her partner in crime , a sometime actor has issues of his own,unresolved and deep. Sasha knows how to market “ the latest trend” spoofing the public need to be at the forefront. Armed with resentment and resolve she is forced to face a few ticks of her own . Desperate for deliverance these men have com3 to bare themselves and seek rebirth. Let’s hope Sasha can deliver.

Sasha's life is ruined after one of her subscribers commits suicide and blaming her. Totally alone, her high schoool best friend Dyson comes to her with a proposition. They will join together to form the Atmospherians - a cult designed to change problematic men. This book is entertaining and satirical. Some of Sasha's thoughts were funny or relatable so I did like this but it was nothing special that I will remember.

I have mixed feelings about "The Atmospherians." The idea of a satirical take on social media influencers, self-professed self-help gurus, toxic masculinity, "wokeness", social media culture, social standards of beauty, success, etc. was appealing. At times the satire is quite effective, with the author hitting just the right tone. The story has some very funny moments and some profound moments. There were times when I could not wait to see what Sasha and Dyson or the other characters were going to say or do next. However, there were other moments in the story where I thought the dialogue or storyline was subpar and I questioned whether I wanted to continue reading the book. Sasha and Dyson are supposed to be both likeable and unlikeable, but at times their behavior was too off-putting. While I don't regret reading the book, it is not a book that I would recommend to others. Ultimately, it was not the book for me.

I received a copy of the e-book via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

What do you get when you cross a canceled social media influencer with a “retired” actor? A CULT of course!

This was a goddamn ride, y’all, and I wanted it to last forever.

Satirical as hell, with some truly laugh out loud moments, mixed with an underlying dread about the state of our society, as well as heart-pounding moments filled with anticipation for what will happen next.

I absolutely loved and devoured it.

“But meaning never mattered to Dyson. In his speeches and lectures, he aimed for the cadence of wisdom, wasted no time striving for content. Cadence was far more important than content. Cadence dug a trench in the mind. Establish cadence and any word you whispered would flow, convincing and clear.”

DNF - did not finish. I was intrigued by this one but, I could not connect with the writing and storyline so I decided to put this one down. Thank you, publisher and netgalley for the chance to check this out!

The Atmospherians is a complex book, fast-paced and engrossing, with so much under the surface. The hard turns of the plot were jarring, and also, realistic. I think the best way to describe this satire-is-it-satire? is multi-layered.

It's kind of amazing how many books I end up reading about cults. This one is fiction, but still....I end up reading a lot. Probably because I grew up in a cult, so I'm unconsciously attracted to them. Who knows? Anyway, yes, this book is about a fictional cult. It's about the beginning, the craziness, and then how it all explodes. Fascinating, weird, and a little f-ed up. But I liked it either way.

3/5 Stars