Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read an advanced copy of this.

I requested this before knowing that it was a part of a series based on a podcast, wanting to know more about the series, I started the podcast and missed the chance to download this before it was archived. With this book being connected but also a standalone, it wasn't actually necessary for me to do all that and I quickly figured out that I didn't have the attention span for podcasts as I didn't have access to transcripts to be sure I wasn't mishearing words.

The synopsis of this was what drew me in and even though it's been years since I requested this, the story was still interesting to me. So I borrowed it from my library as an audiobook, and mostly due to my reading slump, it just didn't work out this time. The writing style was different than what I prefer at the moment and I couldn't get into it and stay focused.

(It's been quite a while since I read this, but I'm catching up on some old reviews and would be remiss if I didn't at least come up with something for this one!)

This book was an absolutely perfect conclusion to the universe of The Bright Sessions and also showcases Lauren Shippen's growth as a writer, while also maintaining the potent blend of emotion and humor that made her previous novels succeed so wildly.

There were so many things to love here. The narrative strikes a balance between the approaches of her first two novels: The Infinite Noise almost exclusively depicts events from the podcast, and A Neon Darkness tells almost entirely new material, but this one is an even split of scenes podcast listeners know (including the musical episode) and brand-new content, including a greater development of Rose (whose involvement in the podcast plot was smaller) and an appropriately bittersweet conclusion to Damien's character arc. It also works in a series of non-standard narration components, including both letters and internet forum excerpts, which helps fill out the sense of a whole universe of Atypicals, beyond the Boston area where Dr. Bright's patients reside. And speaking of those forums, fans of the podcast (including The AM Archives and The College Tapes) will find some fun Easter eggs in the handles of posters ;)

Beyond the objectively well-rendered narrative components, this book also succeeded on character and thematic matters. The diversity is, as always, impressive in its depth and variety. Rose is a plus-size Jewish lesbian. Her girlfriend is a pansexual Latina. Damien, as prior readers know, is likely bisexual but never explicitly labeled, and we also get a cameo from fan favorite couple Adam and Caleb. None of this diversity feels tokenized; the characters' various identities are treated as just additional facets of their being. And these characters' varied backgrounds (coupled with their superhuman capabilities) provide fertile ground for Shippen to explore themes including terminal illness, familial conflict, the dual-edged nature of escapism, and the value of connection. Rose and Damien, in particular, have both striking similarities and stark differences in their approaches to relationships, and their unusual friendship casts a light on those as well.

The only thing I would flag is that this book is promoted as a standalone, but I really don't think most of it would make sense (or at least have much impact) for those who aren't familiar with the podcast and/or those who haven't at least read A Neon Darkness. I strongly recommend getting familiar with this world before picking this title up!

I think I'm mostly rambling, so suffice to say I loved this book with all my hear and am only disappointed that the world of The Bright Sessions has finally come to a close.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

A fun read for fans of Lauren Shippen's other works. Would need to be recommended along with her other books (or at very minimum, The Bright Sessions podcast) for readers to fully understand the plot.

Took me awhile to finish this. Beginning moved fast but I felt like I lost a bit of interest half wat through. Will add to my classroom library.

This one was a decent sequel, but probably my least favourite in this series so far. Whereas the rest of the books could stand by themselves, this one you need to have read the other two books at least to really fully grasp the story. There was a lot more family drama and character work in this one and less conflict in the actual plot than I wanted. Unfortunately, for me, this one felt really long and I had a hard time staying concentrated on the plot. This series really shines in its characters, and while I thought they were interesting and well-developed, I just think they were my least favourite set of new characters so far. I did enjoy the journalling and online entry aspects of this one though!

This book was great. Very interesting it did take me a while to finish because I put it back but it had me hooked so I did not put it down for long. It was a fun read thank you Netgalley.

I know that some say that this can be read as a standalone as it is supposed to be a companion novel, third in a series as you may see on Goodreads which I would have liked to know prior to requesting this book. Not only that made it hard to read, but I also later found out that there is a podcast involved I had no idea about either.

Unfortunately, it was hard for me to get into and I was confused in some parts and although I did appreciated the special abilities representation, I cannot say that the reading experience was pleasant as I felt like I wasn't included as a reader as much as I would have hoped to.

I cannot tell if the above factors were the reasons so I am unsure about the rating on this one, and so I decided to go with average and maybe and try and read the other two books in the companion series as well as listen to the affiliated podcast..

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor teens for this e-copy!

I’ve been a big fan of Lauren Shippen’s since the Bright Sessions podcast first began years ago. Her characters are unique and diverse and I was ecstatic to see that this story centered Rose, a character I became very interested in.

I will start out by saying you can probably read this story without the other two books. However, you need to have at least a passing knowledge of the podcast otherwise a lot of the basis for the world is lost.

This story was an interesting examination of a young adult growing up and dealing with problems both relatable and not. She’s starting a new relationship, finding it difficult to connect with her family, and working. But the she’s also dealing with a newly appeared unusual ability, to see and manipulate people’s dreams, and the presence of an institution that may or may not have her best interests at heart.

The characters are interesting and diverse, with unique voices, but for some reason they all felt a little shallow. Except for Rose, and I didn’t like the narrator she became. I wanted more from her character growth. Everything at the end felt rushed. I do like the world Shippen has created, but I will admit, I expected more.

There’s a lot going on in this book, and that ends up with the pacing of the story being a little uneven. It’s a pretty slow start to begin with. And then it’s starts and stops until the last little bit where everything happens at once.

And one of the biggest downsides, for me personally, is that my absolute least favorite character features heavily in this story. He’s manipulative and selfish. And yes, he has a tragic backstory and I pity him. But anytime spent in his head leaves me feeling slimy and gross. Which really lowered my enjoyment of the story as a whole.

All in all, this was an interesting expansion if you’re already familiar with the universe of the Bright Sessions!

Before I begin my review, let me make it clear that I haven't read the other books in the series because I thought they could all be read as stand-alones. I don' think that's the case, because I thought a lot was lost without the previous knowledge, considering the previous protagonists appear as background characters that are not properly introduced because the story assumes we already know them. Idk if this was a marketing mistake or a personal oversight of mine, but I advise anyone that wants to get into The Bright Sessions to do so chronologically.
I can't say anything about the book itself other than it was fine. Not a lot to love but also not a lot to hate. The characters were fine and I even related to Rose here and there, but there were too many plot points to be crammed into barely 300 pages, which made me feel a lot was left underdeveloped, not to the point of being bad, but just unsatisfying.

This review will be completed as soon as possible when I can figure out where to buy the second book in the series! I loved the first but didn't realize this was the third book.

Okay, wow wow wow. I don't even know how to explain this book. This was a beautiful and heart wrenching story of being human—of getting lost, making mistakes, trying to make a connection with others, of falling in love, dealing with our problems, and more. I came for some magic, (and there is magic, yes), but I think what made this book so compelling is the way the author gave me a glimpse of the complexity of reality instead. I love that. 🤧

The writing style is just brilliant. I absolutely love how the author isn't afraid to dive deep into the psyche of the characters, and show the readers how unstable/unreliable the characters are, how lonely they are, what drives them to do things or to cope with the things around them.

In a way, I see Some Faraway Place as a character study that's just so heartfelt and complex and raw. If I shed a few tears reading the last few chapters, well, no one saw it okay 🤧😂 (Also, I adored the queer rep + fat rep! And the way I got to meet all the previous characters from the past books, too! I think really missed Caleb and Adam)

This series is so underrated and honestly deserves more love.

I DNF this book sadly because it just didn’t grip me the way I thought it would. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy in exchange for an honest review!

Speaking as a fan of the Bright Sessions podcast (on which this novelization is based), I liked this book quite a lot. The characters and world-building are enchanting and utterly unique. Still, and maybe it's because I already knew the major plot points, my experience of the story here didn't quite measure up in my mind to the original podcast format. Ultimately, I didn't feel like this translation to a new format generated anything "new" beyond a different means of access, which I do acknowledge is important in itself. Just not quite a 5-star read for me this time.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This ook was really good. I loved the story and how it was told. Loved the vibes.

Rose’s mother can see the future. Her father can move things with his mind. Her brother, Aaron, can read thoughts. And Rose, well… she makes a mean spaghetti bolognese.

Everyone else in her family is Atypical, which means they manifested an ability that defies the limits of the human experience. At nineteen, well past the average age of manifestation, Rose is stuck defending her decision not to go to college and instead work in the kitchen of a local restaurant, hoping to gain the experience she needs to become a chef.

Some Faraway Place is the kind of book that could have been great, but ultimately just ended up falling a bit flat. It was entertaining enough, but it wasn’t very interesting or really fun.

DNF at 40ish%
I thought I'd get around to finishing this, but I think I'm just going to call it quits at this point since it's been like 4 months since I started the book and haven't even thought about picking it up in a long time. This wasn't a bad book, but it wasn't as interesting as the other books in this series and didn't hold my attention. The one word to describe how I was feeling while reading was bored. Even though I got pretty far into this, I just didn't care about what was happening or about what happened to any of the characters. It was a bit too flat and slow for me. I'm so disappointed because I was so close to completing this series. Maybe in the future I'll have the desire to get back into this world since they are all pretty much companion novels so I wouldn't have to start over at book 1, but I don't think that desire will spark for a very, very long time.

To start this off I will say that I had read the two previous books in the series because of this book. I had no clue this book was in a series and the reviews that I have seen genuinely reflect how most people would feel if they read this book with no context. I personally enjoyed the series and the world-building that came with it. This is a low fantasy book that follows people who have unnatural superhero-like powers. This book was a 4 star read like the other books in the series. If you enjoyed the previous books in the series then go ahead and read it. If you liked the podcast then read this book. If you liked neither or hadn't read them then this book probably won't be great for you. All in all, this was a decent book. Thank you Netgalley for the free e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I used this review copy to inform my interview with Lauren Shippen on the Fantasy Inn podcast: https://thefantasyinn.com/2021/08/03/e88-lauren-shippen-interview/