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.

Life Hacks For a Little Alien by Alice Franklin is a brilliantly fun and complex debut telling the story of a little girl's obsession with a mysterious manuscript and the effects this has on her childhood and perception of the world. It discusses themes of family, human behaviours and the human experience, friendship, and is full of insight as you're immersed into the head of someone who doesn't see the world quite the way the majority of others might.
I honestly had so much fun reading this! It was funny and peculiar, and the story being told in the second person made for such a unique and immersive reading experience; it made relating to our main character the "Little Alien" so easy.

**CONTAINS SPOILERS**

I do believe this is Alice's debut novel.

This sounded so whimsical and odd and magical and right up my street. The synopsis instantly made of me think of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, which I loved.

The formatting was a bit off on my digital version which meant, where there were asterisks pointing you towards little extra bits at the bottom of the page, I had to hunt for them, but once I understood that it was fine. I don't usually like the addition of little bits at the bottom because it feels like an add-on - like, it's it's that important, put it in the main text. But I liked it in this story.

It wasn't what I was expecting. I thought it would be a fun, frivolous adventure about an alien, but it's not. It's about a girl who is on the neurodiversity spectrum - be it autism or something else. It's about what it's like to grow up feeling different, like an outsider. And as soon as I had that thought, it became really obvious. But it did make it quite intense when I was expecting a read that was going to be a bit easier than that.

My Mum used to teach at a school for children with disabilities and learning difficulties, and so I grew up around people with varying degrees of autism and perhaps that gave me a different outlook on this book than most people. I do believe Alice herself is autistic, and so she does a good job at describing what it can be like, because it's difficult to explain to someone else how you view things, because that's your normal.

I don't think I've ever read a book in the 2nd person, and I'm not sure I'm a fan. I prefer 3rd person, but do enjoy 1st. 2nd just feels a bit...I don't know, I couldn't gel with it at all.

It started well and instantly drew me up, but it dipped at about 35% through. It got very detailed about the history of language and whilst that interests me, it felt too drawn out in this situation and unfortunately I found it a bit tedious. But it did find it's way again by the end.

Overall, it's an interesting read, definitely not what I was expecting. It's not perfect and needs a bit of tidying up, but I can see what she was trying to do and it was an interesting way to explore neurodiversity.

For me this was really a book of two halves. I’m glad I persevered but the beginning was quite difficult - perhaps done on purpose to make us sympathetic to the nameless narrator’s plight.
Our narrator is like a ‘little alien’ - in that she is neurodivergent and doesn’t fit the mould her family, education system and society have prescribed for her. This is written in second person so we as readers put ourselves in her shoes, navigating the complex world around. We go from homeschool to school to homeschool and back to school again, never quite fitting in but picking up some ‘hacks’ for life along the way - the biggest is her interest in an obscure manuscript.
I found the second half much more pacy, with our ‘little alien’ venturing out of her comfort zone and experiencing different things. I thought the family dynamics were really interesting and wondered if more could be made of them to help those of us who are outside her world understand more of the complexity of mental health within her family unit.
The ending provides resolution of sorts but I was kind of hoping for something a bit more concrete.
Really interesting read but not one that grabbed me fully. Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a sweet and important story. The whole novel being written in second-person was a brilliant decision that perfectly aligns the reader with the protagonist. It highlights the difficulty of growing up neurodivergent and the challenges that are faced. You find yourself pulled into their lives as you are kept on the age of your seat as the story unfolds.

A very interesting voice and a nicely paced novel, but it didn't resonate as much with me as I thought it might. I liked the writing style and the characterisation but I wanted a bit more from the plot and interactions.

DNF

Upon reflection, this book was comped to a book I did not get along with so I should have been warned. A big issue for me was picking up the audiobook. I just did not like the narrator.

Firstly thank you to @netgalley and @quercusbooks for the arc.

I picked this book because it was not something I would normally read. I still have no idea if this is meant to be aimed at adults or younger readers. It tells the story of a young girl who doesn’t feel like she fits in from very young. Her view of the world makes no sense to her and she’s basically trying to work it all out.

I don’t like to leave negative reviews, however for me this simply wasn’t great. There was however a strong positive which was the humour. It definitely made me chuckle on a number of occasions throughout. The childish language used and wit were on point.

As a general thriller lover I guess books such as this simple do not hold my interest and this is reflected in the rating. This is possibly more down to my preferred genre of books rather than a reflection on the book itself.

The MC was likeable. Personally though it felt like it made little sense throughout.

Life Hacks for a Little Alien is such a lovely title that it immediately caught my attention. The book is written in the second person, which took me a little while to get used to, but I really enjoyed the story. It explores the theme of being different and understanding life from a unique perspective. I love how the narrator, the older version of the "little alien," kindly explains life to her younger self. While this book may not be for everyone, I believe it will find its own audience. Overall, it was a delightful read. Thanks to NetGalley and Quercus Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. I'll post my review closer to the publication date.

utter drivel - if anyone knows what this is about please send me a message

This does not deserve any stars it was utter rubbish

Little Alien is a little unusual. She is different to the other children and doesn’t understand why. She attends various educational establishments and is obsessed with language and words, which leads to her strong interest in the Voynich manuscript - an ancient tome written in an indecipherable code.
It’s a lovely story of friendship, understanding and trying to fit in.
I found the footnotes distracting although I feel they probably work better in a hard copy of the book and I do understand why they are inserted into the story.

This was an unusual read which I feel I could relate to, I also enjoyed how as the book went along the character 'grew' up and the language matured

This book really grabbed me by the heart and squeezed. I loved the narration about Little Alien and the constant incredulity of the situations in which she was treated like she was being "difficult" when in actual fact, she just wanted some clarity or comfort. This was a beautiful novel, and the ending truly wrapped everything up so perfectly.

Warm-hearted, insightful, and poignant. Also frank, uncompromising, and a touch uncomfortable at times. Had to put it down a few times to consider the story and especially the side characters! This is a book that seems easy on the surface and sticks in the mind long after reading it.

Little Alien is a character who goes straight to the heart of the reader. The world around her is a confusing place and the narrator (an older version of herself) is attempting to explain it with the benefit of her years of experience. Whilst similar characters in other books have been praised and fallen in love with, in my opinion, it takes a very special fictional creation to really highlight the genuine difficulties faced by some people whilst simultaneously forging a genuine feeling of empathy. The first one I came across was on television and watching his friends explain 'it's a social convention, you have to do it' to make him understand why he had to do something he found utterly incomprehensible, was enlightening. Little Alien has exactly the same effect. Reading her older self explain the illogicality of something was both moving and educational. Personal experience has led me to try to learn more about how neuro-divergent brains operate in a bid to try to help make it easier for someone to navigate the world and learn to control their impulses and work out socially acceptable behaviour and conversations. To see in print the progress Little Alien makes in her understanding was heartwarming.

Some of the asides she makes are genuinely comical and I can completely understand why she finds certain things baffling. However, what I found most interesting was the hyperfocus on the Voynich Manuscript. This was the thing which rang most true to my own experience and consequently, was the bit I was most intrigued by. I find myself getting drawn into particular areas of research, but rarely to this extent. However, I know people who do get fixated on things and know well the alarming level of detail they are sometimes able to recall.

The other thing I liked was the role books can play in helping us understand a world where very little makes sense. The additions of a reading list to each chapter was a nice touch.

Tender and tragic, this is an insightful look into living with autism and also an exploration of how we communicate, of the beauty and fallibility of words. This book will stay with me, and I believe it will make me a more compassionate person. This is exactly what literature should be: bold, smart, incisive, and kind.