This book took me a bit of time to review, mainly because I needed to reread it again to fully grasp what I read. This is a very fast paced ride and slightly unhinged at times, but as someone who is a true Alice in Wonderland fan we are all a little Mad here right? This is definitely not a book you can get through fast and understand. It can be a bit hard to follow and I’m still not a 100% sure these people don’t all just live inside Mess’s head. However, overall I enjoyed it!

Just do yourself a favor and don't read this book. It's painful I wasted my time so that you don't have to.

Quick and fun read but not quite as expected.
There were many things occurring at once and was a bit difficult to follow at times. May not have been my cup of tea, however can see another audience loving this tale.

Maya’s Unbirthday by Eyal Rosen is a twisted tale similar to “Alice in Wonderland.” It is an adult book and definitely not for children. I really enjoyed taking the decent into madness that this book became. It truly made me sit back and really analyze what did I just read and what really happened. You know a book is good and interesting when it does that. There definitely steamy moments, laughter, times that made you go what and others that made you really try to understand the characters and who was who.
Mess is throwing an unbirthday party for her friend Maya. What ensues is absolute chaos that is similar to Wonderland. The whole thing leaves you in a state of chaos of who, what, when, how and where.
I enjoy psychological books that make you think and wonder. This one definitely does that. It also includes some steam, humor and chaos. I definitely am glad I read it and am interested to see what else the author writes in the future.

Wow! This story feels like I am peeking into the brain of a Schizophrenic having a party. I was beginning to doubt who was real. Or if this party was actually in a locked facility. What a whirlwind.

I.
Don't.
Know.

I feel like I've just fallen down a rabbit hole into Unwonderland.

This was a chaotic trip.

Following Mess's stream of consciousness is a bit like following Alice following the White Rabbit.

Strike that.

It's like following the Mad Hatter. And not for the faint of heart.

It's a mad journey, to be sure. 🎩

Mess, I believe, was meant to be a modern day mad hatter but I was thrown in so many circles the entire time I didn’t realize what was happening until it happened. A lot of confusion among the guests (and myself the reader) during Maya’s unbirthday party. While I did finish the book, I didn’t enjoy it because so much of the book didn’t make sense to me. But, I believe the purpose of the book was to put you into the mind of the mad hatter, or mess, which they are almost the same thing.

I walked into this book thinking it was going to be a light, quirky read. While it is unique and quirky it also had dark elements that I wasn't expecting. While the author does give you fair warning that the character essentially dives into madness, I still feel like aspects of the storytelling were all over the place and not as flushed out as it could be, while using "it's supposed to be quirky" as an excuse.

I was confused from the first lines with this one... I found the concept and blurb intriguing. The Alice mythology is so fabulous and ripe for reimaginings, but somehow I'm nearly always disappointed with how they turn out... This was no exception, sadly. I was lost and found it scattered and random, even given the manic hysteria of the scenarios it was playing upon. This one wasn't for me...

Mayas unbirthday was extremely off its own rocker. I went into this almost blindly only reading a small description that sounded like it was a retelling of Alice and wonderland . This was a weird childish dark lackluster take. While it had certain themes/elements of Alice like the unbirthday , mad hatter, tea, roses and mentions of cutting people head off it was not what i expected at all. The characters names were so bizarre. The dialogue and storyline were written childish and it was so all over the place I couldn’t understand it which made it super confusing. There were many darker elements and things like rape and sexual abuse, assault etc. I honestly wouldn’t recommend this to anyone it was really bad.

This was a fun, quick read. I thought that it was more of a children book but it was not so be aware. I enjoyed the story but it was not what I expected.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this arc

Be prepared for a decent into madness . The main Character Mess has prepared an unbirthday party for her girlfriend Maya —who’s invited guests to their home but Maya is MIA for most of the book. The writing of the book ,character and situations relating to the unbirthday from Alice in wonderland was very well done. The is very adult sexual content in this book and that was a bit over the top for me and I skimmed over those sections. I honestly was convinced that Mess who’s taken on the role of the mad hatter for the party suffering from a mental health disorder like schizophrenia or split personality issue - I really thought 90 percent of the guests were in her head and that Maya was part of Mess mind as well. So the ending threw me a bit .

The writing is vivid and lively and similar style to Lewis Carols Alice in Wonderland— even though the world is outlandish and full of madness the narrative pulls you forward in a frenzy keeping you engaged —though if you’re like me you will need a break as the madness can be overwhelming at times. Though many others found this book humorous — it is not my type of humor- I only found the parallels to Alice in wonderland area party and situations funny - the rest was a bit too unhinged for me , but the author is very creative and skillful in their writing.


Thanks to NetGalley and the author for this ARC . This is my honest review.

Mayas Unbirthday was one of the most strangest books I have read recently and it will likely remain that way. I like the creativity of the book, it stood out to me immediately and made it memorable that is one thing for sure.

I do think overall this book was not for me, there was alot going on that made it hard to follow for me personally, i do see how others may enjoy the darker topics and language that was used and at times it did feel confusing. The characters were unique and memorable and the events unfolding made it all the more interesting. I appreciate the ways in which darker topics were spoken about and the overall idea of the book but i think overall personally this did not specifically work for me.

Thank you, Eyal Rosen and NetGalley, for the ARC. I leave this review voluntarily and happily. Also, thank you publishers for your hard work!

This definitely is in my top five strangest reads of the year so far. There is so much going on, and if you're not careful, you'll get lost in the chaos that is this book. I definitely had to take it slow while reading through this book to understand what was happening. Is it worth the read? I'm still uncertain. I enjoyed parts while in others I was like, wtf, but I think that was what this book was meant to do.

There is a lot going on in this book , as I mentioned before. There is harassment, sexual harassment, verbal abuse, and actual abuse. The list continues to grow, but even so, it's not as bad as it sounds. There is a lot of bad language thrown around and even words that will have you looking up from the book wondering what is going on with these characters. Reading this book, I'd say you need an open mind and be able to enjoy the whimsical and unique strangeness that is Mayas Unbirthday.

This book is filled with unique characters. The main character Mess is throwing an unbirthday as Maya hates birthdays and has so much planned. With guests arriving, where is the guest of honor? This book tells a crazy and just mad as can be story of what happens at this party. Is it fun? Bad? Downright bonkers? Does Maya arrive in time? Read to find out.

This book was a journey. I really liked the funny parts and the parts when guests arrived, but the other more adult parts i didn’t (that’s on me though). I got confused a lot about what was going on and who was talking. The funny parts were super super good but the parts i didn’t like made it hard to read. The ending was, in my opinion, bad. I feel like the end was a whole different plot from the beginning and, like I said earlier, I hated it. Other than that, the book was really well written and hilarious. I feel like some of the more adult parts weren’t necessary but I can look past them and I would probably read it again.

Oke, first and foremost, if you are of a sensitive disposition in respect of no-holds-barred chaos, gently place the book back on the shelf and step away slowly, everybody else, grab hold tight, strap in and clench everything because this book is one heck of an event. Yes, an event

It's the Mad Hatter's tea party reimagined for contemporary soceity. I did find it diffcult to follow the dialogue at times, but that is on me, not the author. When I read through the second time, I had anchored names to quirks and the dialogue ran a lot more smoothly for me (this is not a book for speedreading, it is a book to sit back and enjoy with your seatbelt and safety harness on,maybe a cuddly toy n choccy biccie for comfort) I laughed out loud and made many, many involuntary wtf (in a good way) faces within the first few chapters but then I clicked with the vibe and just rolled with it

This book is groundbreaking in the sense that it paints a vibrant and colourful analogy to describe the difficulties and challenges in real life and in this sense, it reminds me of the experimental prose of psychedelia in the 60s but refined to a clear narrative for a modern reader

There is a lot of energy in this book and it is a great read

Thank you very much to Netgalley and Eyal Rosen for this highly original, blisteringly fun ARC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own