A great, really engaging book. You really root for the main character. A unique style as you never learn the main character's name.

A story for everyone who has ever felt just that little bit different.
The tale of Little Alien is heartwarming and we follow how they navigate the world around them through the book they are trying to understand, it is told from the second perspective. When the Alien discovers the unusual Voynich manuscript she becomes convinced that it will explain the mysteries of the world, and ultimately herself too. .Personally second point of perspective is a little bit tricky to read at times as its not something I overly choose to read. It's a very quick read and does flow well and it is broken at times by footnotes.
Thank you NetGalley as always and to little, Brown and Company for sending this book to review.

For some reason this book just didn't do it for me! and i was so excited to read it too! the little alien is the narrator of her story, and it's obvious she sees herself as an alien as she doesn't fit in with those around her - and her character I did enjoy reading about. It was just the adults around her that really annoyed me!!

It's obvious her mother had mental health issues too, and the dad was busy with work, but there just didn't seem to be any empathy to their daughter! The schools she was put in, and then kicked out of!, all gave up very quickly and the teachers couldn't seem to care less about what was happening to the girl or how to get her help - they just wanted her out of their hair!

The only enjoyment I had was when her and Bobby went off on their adventure to learn more about the manuscript, but even that storyline didn't seem to go anywhere and it all just felt a bit pointless! The main character was an intriguing one to read about though and I loved how her mind worked things out, and how she tried to make sense of things around her.

This book is so weird, and so beautiful, which is one of my favourite combinations a book can be. My only criticism would be that I wanted it to go on for Little Alien's whole life - I could have stayed with her so much longer! It's a real insight in to growing up neurodivergent without ever feeling manipulative of either the character or the reader (as some similarly marketed books have to me) and made me stop and say 'oh wow' multiple times because a line made me think "yeah. exactly." I really loved it.

Life Hacks For a Little Alien is a sweet story about humanness, language, and the differences that makes us ‘us’. Written in a second-person narrative, I admittedly found this really hard to read – I’m unused to this style. However, I soon found my footing and thought it was a smart device to make you, the reader, feel as uncomfy as our narrator, a young girl with autism. As she traverses through school, homeschooling, and other such milestones in childhood, we see the narrator’s struggles with being different to the other children. Her observations of the world are searing, laser-sharp, only the grown-ups don’t understand, the other kids call her an alien, something she’ll remember for years and even begin referring to herself as. Franklin’s treatment of the narrator is tender and soft, and peels back how it feels to live in a confusing world.

This is a sweet, heartwarming story that provides a mirror-clear representation of what it’s like to be neurodivergent. Having said that, I’m neurotypical so it might be best to take that with a pinch of salt! Once you get past the unusual second-person perspective, the story is genuinely lovely and I’ll be recommending this to many!

Charming read, reminded me of Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine so if you liked that then you’ll like this.

It’s relatable and funny and just an all round enjoyable read.

I think I have a contender for book of the year already. I listened to audio (my first audio book!) but read some of it digitally too. Sally Phillips is a real talent and it was hearing an extract of hers that pushed me to apply for the audio,

It was a delight from the offset. It's such a beautiful ode to linguistics and language and the little alien is such a complex character. I could tell you lots of bits I loved but it is a book that needs to be read with no spoilery reviews or thoughts. Instead, read the blurb, if you think you will like it then you will. It is pure joy and I'm loath to start another book right away as I want to relish in this one. Little Aliens will stay with me for a long time to come.

I really enjoyed this book. It is funny and sweet and heartbreaking.

Little Alien lives with her mum and dad. She struggles to negotiate every day life, engage with people or understand what's expected of her. She becomes obsessed with the Voynich Manuscript, a strange manuscript that was "discovered" hundreds of years ago and that scientists of all description have struggled to interpret ever since.

As she tries to find the truth in the language of the manuscript her home life breaks down.

This is one of those books that "spoke" to me. Little Alien is an engaging character. She is the perfect narrator, simply saying things as they are rather than how others interpret them. Of course that makes her "odd". Her parents are, unfortunately, also very flawed which gives her even more of a disadvantage.

This is not like any book I've read before. It is very funny in parts and makes you wish for a kinder world the next. Little Alien is a sympathetic character and even though I knew her parents were also flawed I still wanted them to be better.

A very interesting look at relationships and academia, friendship and child protection. I thoroughly enjoyed it all. Thankyou Little Alien for an interesting journey.

And thankyou to Netgalley and Quercus Books for the advance review copy.

This is a very good debut novel about a girl who is different, most likely neurodivergent. The rather unusual 2nd person narration emphasizes how 'the little alien' perceives these differences between her and her peers, family members etc. It is an endearing read which I enjoyed - however, I found myself losing interest at around the mid-point of the story, but recaptured it towards the end.

Thank you to Netagalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest and impartial review.

I adored this book. We have a little insight into neorodivergency in our family and this book really hit home. It made me laugh and cry but mainly reflect that we don't all experience life in the same way. Should become a classic.

👽 Life Hacks For A Little Alien • Alice Franklin 👽
★★★★

Read if you enjoy:
👽 Contemporary fiction
👽 Second person POV
👽 Coming of age stories
👽 Reading about neurodivergence
👽 Linguistics
👽 Mysterious manuscripts

This is a story about a young girl who experiences constant barriers throughout her life. There’s miscommunication, a lack of social skills, and sometimes the inability to speak. She knows she’s different from those around her but cannot work out how. Suddenly, her interest is sparked when she discovers the Voynich Manuscript through a documentary and wonders if it was written by an alien. If it was, then perhaps she is one too.

This was so good. It was quick to read, clever in its narrative and sweet yet pensive in its plot. This book is written in second person, and readers never actually learn the main characters name. For me, these were calculated and fitting choices for the story the author wanted to tell. The author literally wants to put readers in Little Alien’s shoes. It’s a bold choice, sure, but given the propensity for many people with autism to take things literally, I think it’s an apt one. The barriers encountered throughout the book were so enraging to experience and really added to the emotional provocation of the book. Overall, I really enjoyed reading it, and I learnt a lot about the Voynich manuscript too!

A quick read but just not one for me. I started off with high hopes but the style and character development didn’t develop as I had hoped.

The Little Alien of the title is a child we watch grow up from toddler to teenager. From a young age, she has felt like she doesn't quite belong and she is frequently misunderstood and taken advantage of by those around her. She grows up bouncing between schools and home-schooling (not that this really happens) and spends much of her time with her distant and mentally unwell mother. Her father works as well as trying to hold everything together and providing his daughter with the only real love and attention she gets.

It is only when she learns about the Voynich Manuscript that things start to make sense and the 'Little Alien' spends all the time available learning everything she can about the Manuscript and linguistics. She meets several supportive adults over the years, who support her research.

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the way it was told and the insight it gave us into the way that the girl experienced different situations. I also loved the repetition ("Time passes gloopily" at the start of each part, with examples of day-to-day life), the footnotes and the little book lists at the end of each chapter.

It takes a little while to get used to the narration; it feels a bit like a prologue where the reader is being spoken to directly about what is to come, only for the whole book but it is worth sticking with, even if you initially don't like this style. I loved it!

This was a very different read to what I was expecting and one of those books that creeps up on you and before you know it you’re hooked. The premise is so different that it’s hard to say too much about the story and to be honest I think I enjoyed it more not knowing what was to come. The characters are all great and mostly likeable and that’s down to the quality of the writing which is absolutely superb. All in all a wonderful story that I would highly recommend and I was really surprised to find this was a debut book so hopefully we will be able to read more from the author in the future, 3.5 stars
My thanks to NetGalley and Quercus Books Riverrun for giving me the opportunity to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Little Alien has always known she was different, particularly when she doesn't fit in at school. She often wonders if she really is from another planet. Could a six hundred-year-old manuscript that has never been translated give her the answers she's always looked for?

Life Hacks For A Little Alien by Alice Franklin is one of those quirky titles that caught my attention. Reading the synopsis only cemented my need to read this unconventional story.

We meet Little Alien as a toddler. From this early age, it's very obvious that she's different. Where Little Alien is convinced she must be from another planet, the reader quickly discerns that she's neurodivergent. We see Little Alien and her family struggle with unmet needs in mainstream education, leading to an unsuccessful attempt at homeschooling. I was filled with empathy as we followed Little Alien trying to cope with an education system that simply wasn't fit for purpose and reinforced her feelings of not belonging.

By chance, Little Alien sees a documentary about a manuscript that has never been translated although many people have tried. This sets her off on a quest to learn as much as possible about the origins of language and ciphers. Having promised so much at the start of the story, it was at this point that I felt the plot lost its way a little, leaving me feeling as if the quest to solve the riddle of the manuscript was padding for the greater issues at the beginning and end of the novel.

The final section of the story focuses on mental health and as with the section on education we see a commentary on how the current system fails the people in desperate need. I did feel that the conclusion where Little Alien found her place in society and similar people was a fitting one, reminding us that there is a place for every person if they are lucky enough to find it.

I liked the little details in this book and it was quirky and smirk worthy in many places. Very human book - observant on the minutiae.
But, on the whole, a little 'meh' and lacklustre...not sure i would have carried on reading if it wasn't a review copy.
Thank you to Netgalley and Riverrun for my ebook and print copy.

This was a so-so book for me.

I loved some aspects of it:
The use of a second person narrative is an unusual and bold choice, and this book carries it off superbly.
The descriptions of the world from Little Alien's perspective are wonderfully vivid and insightful.

However:
Descriptions of the truly Dickensian conditions and treatment (or rather, neglect) of the children in the school made it impossible for me to engage in the book and really 'believe' the story. If schools for neurodiverse children are really like this, it would be a national scandal.
The ending left a deflating feeling of 'oh, so none of this has actually happened yet, we're back at her birth again'.

Three stars for the concept and the writing style.

Little aliens will recognise themselves in this book, I know I did. Well written and engaging, this deserves success.
Thanks to Netgalley.

This was a really lovely character-driven story. I listened to the audiobook which was wonderfully narrated by Sally Phillips. She read with such compassion and understanding that it really elevated the story, in my opinion.
This book reminded me very much of The Theory of (Not Quite) Everything by Kara Gnodde, in that the main character is neurodivergent and struggles significantly with social interaction and has a very particular special interest. In the case of 'Little Alien' it is a fascination with linguistics and the Voynich Manuscript in particular. Although I felt little personal interest in the Voynich Manuscript, and could have perhaps had less detail about this, it was a reasonably good hook on which to hang 'Little Aliens' special interest.
I loved the epilogue which is thought was really emotive.

Overall an accomplished debut and I would definitely read more by this author.

'Life Hacks for a Little Alien' follows the main character who's neurodivergent and appears to be on the spectrum from childhood to young adult. Although I enjoyed it there were times I struggled as I 'didn't really get it', in hindsight that was maybe the point the author was trying to get across. Thank you to the author, netgalley and publisher for an early read.