Foster Kresowik, a kitchen worker in his twenties, collaborates with Robert Kallman, a resident with ALS, to create ‘The World of Pondside’, a videogame for the elderly. It allows residents like Duane Lotspeich and Laverne Slatchek to relive cherished memories or embark on new adventures, whilst the busy administrator indulges in a digital world of luxury.

Disaster strikes when Robert is discovered dead in the pond, and with the disappearance of the game, the residents are left in turmoil. Undeterred, Foster brings together a group of residents and staff to resurrect the game and unearth Pondside's clandestine affairs, revealing illicit activities and Robert's final motives. Their mission takes them on a journey filled with poignancy, straddling the boundary between the real and the virtual worlds.

Merging humour with empathy, "The World of Pondside" insightfully probes the significant escapades of advanced years, illuminating both the moving and exuberant experiences that lie within the walls of Pondside Manor.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience

I loved this book! It was engrossing and funny and wonderfully written, and I was captivated by it. I know this review is late; I'm finally getting through my backlog to the ones that slipped through the cracks, and I'm so glad I did. This was worth the wait. Thank you for the chance to read it!

What a bizarre book! In a nice way, I mean. The concept is so entertaining -- nursing home residents playing a VR game!!! -- and the characters were rich and enjoyable to spend time with.

What a great concept for a novel. I really love the idea of the elderly getting to experience life again through the video game--I really love the idea of them rebelling when it is taken away. Excellent concept and execution is perfect.

I love a plot that uses old people or retirees as the main characters which was what gravitate me towards this story as it centres on nursing home patients and a mysterious VR computer game that explores the fate of the creator of the game.

The setting and concept was interesting enough to keep me captivated but I find myself feeling bored from the dialogue between the characters. I was also confused about the whole computer game settings and how it worked. Even when I figured it out, I found the concept of the game underwhelming. What kept me going was when the patients were trying the game out and found out this is not just a simple computer game and there are many underlying secrets trapped within.

Overall, I had a higher expectation from this story and this wasn’t for me. Thank you Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for the arc.

Clever and satirical. This is an odd little book that will find its audience. It isn't for everyone, but I enjoyed my time in The World of Pondside.

A really clever combination of computer VR game and the nursing home patients who use it. I really liked the idea, it seemed fresh., The game was very interesting and I could see why people would be virtually additcted to it but I never really understood the mechanics of the game--how did the communication work? The parts set in the game were a little confusing because of this, it felt like the rules were changing or maybe they just weren't super clear to begin with. I feel like it was good but could have been great with maybe a better editor?

This was an interesting one for me! I love the premise and I tend to always enjoy a good mystery and a novel with people over 70 at the center. However, I found this book to be slow moving for about 3/4's of the book. I also thought that the characters were underdeveloped, which was remarkable considering about half of them had massive life experience. However, I liked the premise and the book somehow felt cozy, so it still comes in at a three for me.

I quite enjoyed this novel. I was engaged with the storyline and eager to know what came next! Good job!

The World of Pondside was the surprise read of the year for me so far. I didn't expect to enjoy this book as much as I did, but the slightly zany plot and lovable cast of characters won me over immediately.

Pondside is a nursing home and rehabilitation center where Robert Kallman, who suffers from ALS, has come to live out his days. With the help of the "kitchen boy," Foster, Robert creates a virtual reality computer game called The World of Pondside, which allows residents to relive their best memories. But when Robert is found dead in the pond, still strapped into his wheelchair, and The World of Pondside server goes dark, it's up to Foster and a motley crue of Pondside residents and staff to get the game back online -- and to find out what really happened to Robert.

The World of Pondside is an entertaining mystery, but it's also a respectful and compassionate exploration of the aging process and the elderly that really resonated with me. This book is about The World of Pondside the game -- a fascinating idea, even if the actual mechanics of the game are a bit muddled -- but it's also about the world of Pondside the nursing home itself, taking readers into the inner workings of the facility, introducing us to a cast of unforgettable residents with all their quirks, and the overworked staff committed to caring for them. Stefaniak's depictions of these characters are vivid, authentic, and heartwarming. Her writing is a balance of tenderness and whimsy, sad moments tempered with humorous ones. There's something so wholesome about this book.

There are a couple of mysteries to solve, a few unexpected twists, and even a romp across the globe to enjoy. But most of all, it's the characters that carry The World of Pondside and make it so special. What an unusual, unexpected, unforgettable reading experience.

For the first half of this book, almost nothing happened. Then the plot took a convoluted and implausible turn. Most of the action takes place in a nursing home, and the cast of characters, staff and residents, are a lot like their counterparts in the virtual game of Pondside – flat and unconvincing. I also found the writing to be too cutesy – all the women had “bouncing” hair – and at times undignified in describing the elderly patients (“Ted the trembling man” and “Screaming Jeannie”) more as props than people.
The more interesting story, the friendship between Robert and Foster, took a backseat to all the ridiculous shenanigans.
I received a digital review copy of this book from NetGalley.

The world of Pondside is a book set in a retirement home, but not just ANY retirement home! In this one, a resident is found dead in the pond. What's more, he is the creator of a mysterious game, The World of Pondside, in which other residents can recreate their own world and avatar as they see fit. Foster, one of the carers close to Robert, the deceased man, takes on the task to figure out how he can use the game to understand what happened to Robert. On the way, he discovers much more !

The cast was pretty funny, all the residents and staff have very distinct personalities, and they oddly fit together in this environment. Obviously, one of my favorite thing was how none of the residents was described in a pitiful way. They're all whole persons, with personalities, and are not limited to simply being old. That was refreshing, as it's not all that often the case.

I also enjoyed the concept of having old people playing a sim video games, but to be honest, I expected more game stuff than there actually is in the story. Sure, it's a central point, but I thought it wuold be the majority of the setting, which was not the case.

I liked following everyone's stories, and seeing everything come together at the end, but I must admit I'm not entirely sure I understood the reason Robert died, why he was in trouble and how some characters were linked to it. It was still a cool read, with an interesting and original setting, with fantastic characters !

This book started with an unusual and intriguing premise - a virtual reality game that helps older residents in a home hold onto hope - by reliving their best lives in a composite world fashioned from their own photos, memories, audio tapes and videos.

Add a couple of deaths, one of which appears to be a murder mystery, and the plot seemed off to a great start.

Only I just couldn’t get totally engaged. The writing style is very detailed and dense, , and so intricate that it was hard to stay interested. A couple of the characters (Foster and Laverne) were well-crafted, but not enough to carry the story for me.

I tried the audio version, thinking it might be a better fit, and interspersed my reading with my listening. In some ways it helped, but I am not a fan of male readers doing female voices, and ended up not finishing the audio. I also found the story too complex to follow on the audio only experience.

Overall, the book had great potential but I feel it needed tighter editing.

Thank you to NetGalley for the audio and e-ARC of this read. All thoughts presented are my own.

Unfortunately this one just did not grab me. I wanted to like it - the story seemed unique and I felt some Thursday Murder Club vibes initially, but the characters and prose just fell flat. Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read and review.

dnf at page 140

trigger warning
<spoiler> grief, memory loss, trauma, mention of bullying </spoiler>

Two people died in a nursery home. What makes them different from their contemporaries is that they drowned under suspicious circumstances - normally, they would have needed help to navigate their wheelchairs down to the pond, and it looks like one tried to save the other and then drowned himself.

One of those deaths impacts the whole nursery home, because Robert was the sole developer of a kind of second life video game, tailored towards the gamer with all their memories and personal preferences. And on the day he dies, the laptop the server is on goes missing.

Main character is a dietary aide, meaning he helps in the kitchen and feeds residents who don't have the necessary control over their limbs anymore, which is how he befriended Robert, who in turn lost his mobility to ALS.

Nobody really knows anything, neither the police nor the nursery home staff nor the people living there, and the latter two are far too busy for a proper investigation. The nursery home is badly understaffed, which is the only reason nobody gets fired even when safety protocols get ignored on a weekend.

The prose is very near to stream of consciousness, which made it hard for me to stay on topic because it makes my mind float, and I really wish these things were mentioned in the blurp to make literature more accessible.
I found the book to be either very boring or very depressing, which is probably an accurate depiction of life in a nursery home, but nothing I can stomach right now.

I did not get the feeling the author is a gamer themselves and the details about the game felt either wrong or so vague that you can't really comment on them. Another thing I had problems with was that the characters basically all felt the same and it was not easy to keep track of who is who.

So despite me dnf-ing it, I think it's a personal thing - mostly.
If you still think you might like it, I urge you to read other reviews.

The arc was provided by the publisher.

This book is about a murder in a retirement home, a virtual reality game created by a resident of the retirement home and a host of interesting characters. Sit back and enjoy a read unlike any you have read before. Thank you to Blackstone Publishing andNetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

powered through this book whenever I had a moment to spare. Part crime novel, part critique of assisted living homes, and part homage to life simulation video games - a place to escape to when real life becomes unbearable - this book has wonderful characters that will steal your heart and give you hope.

Getting old is not for the weak; nor is trying to figure out what you want to do with your life when you’re in your early twenties. The World of Pondside examines these two extremes, and the bonds that can form between the people living these lives.

While there were times when I had trouble keeping track of which character was which, eventually the major characters took on more solid personalities.

Thanks to Blackstone Publishing for the ARC in return for an honest review.

I think the best way to describe this book is eccentric. This book wasn’t as much of a thriller as I thought it would be. It was definitely more of a slow-paced story, but it was an interesting read and the characters were endearing.

I really enjoyed the first half of this book. Although the characters were not distinguishable from one another and ran together. The premise was good and there were humorous parts throughout. However, about two thirds of the way in, I became confused. Sometimes it was difficult to tell current time from previous time or when a character was real or in the game, especially since the characters in the game became real, too. The ending was disappointing. Everyone just goes off into the sunset. There was no satisfying wrap up to the story. I was disappointed. I was excited to have the opportunity to read this book and so wanted to like it. I had to push myself to finish it. It made me sad because the author has so much potential.


I received an ARC of this book from Blackstone Publishing through NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book. I am voluntarily submitting this review and am under no obligation to do so.