I figured I'd like this book, a story of a group of strangers going on a road trip across America a few years after they've been told that their world is actually a simulation. I ended up loving this book, a story of cruces of friendships, found family, consequences of impulsiveness, being chronically online, and reckoning with mortality and grief.

The story may seem overwhelming at first, with so many characters and being thrown into a new world. But the characters get fleshed out over time, things come together, and even if the character doesn't have a ton of them-focused time, they still manage to be thought-through. There isn't a part of this book that isn't necessary for the story in my opinion, and I thought that was great. I even had a surprise bawlfest for a hot second near the end. Like I've implied, there is a lot going on, and probably someone for any reader to begin to identify with.

In conclusion, I loved it. Such a good story.

Thanks to S&S Saga Press and Netgalley for the e-ARC.

This was a trip- literally and figuratively. We meet a group of folks who are heading out to visit... well, it's sort of like the Seven Wonders of the World, but more like The Weirdest Junk in the Simulated World. Basically, these are glitches that make no sense, but are proof that the world is no longer "real". And so, there are tour companies making bank taking folks on tours there, because of course there are.

We follow a very motley crew on this bus trip- two nuns and a rabbi (the jokes practically write themselves), two middle-aged male besties, a pregnant teen influencer, a podcaster and his reluctant son, a loner, and a group of randy octogenarians. They all have reasons for being on this trip, which is lead by a tour guide who has never guided, and a bus driver who is just... over it. And then someone else joins the band, and the whole thing goes from strange to bonkers.

This is a really fun journey, getting to know all these passengers. They are all grappling with the whole "world being fake" thing, which is entertaining, and also a lot of very heavy life stuff, which is less fun but also very poignant. There are also a lot of exciting moments on the journey too, lest you think it is too slow. Overall, it was a really fun adventure!

Bottom Line: A quirky, entertaining road trip with some very cool twists and incredible characters!

absurdist and really interesting. well written throughout and generally pretty good! the characters are cool and the attractions are fun. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

An engineer, a comic book writer, a rabbi, a nun, two wannabe influencers, and four horny octogenarians get on a bus. These modern pilgrims are traveling to see the Impossibles that cropped up after they learned that they're living in a simulation. A tale both hilarious and heartwarming; a can't-miss modern fairy tale.

A lot of characters in this book and at first,
I had to make a card to keep them straight. JP, although the main character (I'm guessing because we curcle back to him at the end), gets lost in the cast. I was very invested to here more about Sister Janet's experience in the tunnel, but it was kind of glossed over. She took care of the forest... ok, for years! Let's talk more about her day to day in the Tunnel. Don't understand where Chet from CET brought Margaret at the end. Deletion? Another lab? Prison?
Lots of loose ends and some technical programing lingo I had to look up.

When We Were Real is an unusual book. It begins as a mashup of The Matrix and the 14th century Canterbury Tales. Seriously. But in ends as a meta look at something completely different. So even if I usually begin my reviews with a plot summary, I won’t do it this time. It is much better to read this wonderful and thought provoking book without any clue what it is about.

I do however want to mention how fully fleshed out the characters were by the end of the book. In the beginning, they were just presented with labels as names: the engineer, the nurse, the influencer, etc. But soon they felt like friends just telling you of their adventures. Like the Canterbury Tales, each chapter tells the story of one of the characters from their point-of -view.

Overall, I loved When We Were Real even more after I had some time after reading to appreciate its premise and mastery of characterization. It is definitely science fiction. But it should also appeal to mystery readers as the characters struggle to figure out the impact of being stuck in a simulation (and what are the simulators’ true goals). The answers will surprise you. 5 stars and a favorite.

Thanks to NetGalley and Saga Press for providing me with an advanced review copy.

A "what if" story... that is done really well!

What if this is all a simulation and we are just coded in to our lives?

But this story is deeper than that. It is a wild ride of unexpected things at every turn. Lots of these twists I did not see coming at all.

I struggled a bit at the beginning trying to keep track of the cast of characters, but the characters in the main focus settled in quickly for me.

The ending though!! Gah!! It makes me hope that there will be a continuation of this fascinating story!

This was my first Daryl Gregory novel but it won't be my last!

I would like to thank Netgalley and S&S/Saga Press for the digital copy of this book! It was published on April 1, 2025.

I was taken along an entertaining cross country ride with a group of people in a stimulation. It was quite stimulating, figuratively and literally. I liked that we got each unique POV, their story and their experiences with the glitches. However at the end of the day, I found that this book is not for me, despite how entertaining it was. There were moments it was too absurd that it would take me literally out of the stimulation, the story. I do recommend this book to anyone who loves absurdist fiction and speculative fiction.

Thank you to the author @SagaPressbooks for the arc and the opportunity to read this book.

Sometimes I forget how much I love sci-fi until I read a sci-fi novel such as this one. Learning that I was living in a simulation would be my worst nightmare so of course I was intrigued by this novel and its premise. The multiple POVs adds layers to a story that is already thought-provoking in and of itself. Really loved this book!

This book is a surprising gem. I must admit to a certain wariness regarding simulation narratives (we're all in a computer, oh no!), as, first, it's a worn trope at this point and, second, it's become amenable to reactionary and regressive ideologies. But this novel manages to revive the trope in good form! In part, it's because it's a genuinely funny novel, with excellent character work. The characters are distinct personalities, but they also represent different aspects of US culture, politics, and society (I especially love the comic book writer, Dulin, the nuns—yes, more than one—and the rabbi). Moreover, the novel doesn't lead up to the reveal that the characters live in a simulation. Instead, it begins with it (or, more precisely, the reveal precedes the novel's story). Instead of some heroic narrative in which the chosen one challenges the machines, we've got everyday people wrestling with the existential anxiety that their lives might be meaningless. It's a novel that's both heady and heartfelt. Well worth a read!

I don't really read blurbs or marketing before choosing what to read anymore, I've found that I get greater enjoyment if I enter a book without any preconceived notions. So the central conceit of When We Were Real (which is explicitly laid out in the jacket copy) came as a complete surprise to me.

Me: Oh, this kinda has Ubik vibes.

Character in the book: [explicitly mentions Ubik]

Me: Welp, there you go.

This was absolutely delightful, and I will probably be reading it again before too much longer.

When We Were Real was so much fun. I loved every bit of it. The characters and their evolution throughout the adventure made this reading experience for me. I loved every creature - human and non-human. Oh, the hollow sheep. I want one. I'm recommending this book to all my scifi loving friends.

Now, I'm probably not the targeted demographic for this book (old-age pensioner here), but it was a hoot. The story takes place 7 years after Earth's inhabitants learn they are all part of a computer simulation. What more is there to say? If you enjoy this genre of science fiction, then pick it up.
I was very impressed that a man wrote such wonderful female characters and even did an excellent job describing a complicated labor and delivery (and I'm a birth doula with over 80 births under my belt. and am very picky about this in my fiction). He writes the male characters well, too.

Thanks to NetGalley for giving me an ebook version of the novel in exchange for a review.

Thank you to Saga Press for the gifted eARC. These are my honest thoughts and opinions.

When We Were Real is one of the most thought provoking pieces of fiction that I've read in quite a while. We've probably all speculated at some point or another if it's possible we're living in a simulation. I mean, we've all seen The Matrix, right? When We Were Real takes this premise, makes it definitive, and then moves us forward seven years past the shock and upheaval to where the world has somewhat adjusted to learning that we are, indeed, in a simulation. This book explores questions about our origins, purpose, religion, life/death, friendships, and morality within this framework. The characters in this book embark on a tour bus journey to see landmarks that appeared when The Announcement was made about the simulation. The people on the bus have all joined the tour for their own reasons and Daryl Gregory uses each character to delve into those philosophical queries from a different perspective. The book flowed well and, even though it was thought provoking, it was also thoroughly entertaining. Truly a great work of speculative fiction!

When We Were Real follows lifelong friends JP and Dulin as they embark on one last wild road trip—a glitch-chasing bus tour across North America’s strangest “Impossibles,” digital anomalies that began appearing after the world was revealed to be a simulation. With JP’s cancer back and time running out, the journey becomes both absurd and profound.

Alongside a bizarre cast—including a nun looking for God, a fame-chasing influencer, Matrix cult fugitives, and unfiltered retirees—they plunge through reality-defying sites toward the mysterious Ghost City, where the truth behind the simulation may be waiting.

Both hilarious and haunting, this novel asks what matters when nothing is real—but friendship still is.

Captivating read, I was so immersed.

Highly recommend.

Thank you NetGalley for the digital book in exchange for my honest review.

When We Were Real is a sci-fi novel about a bus full of people going on a cross-country road trip a few years after it is announced that humanity has been living in a simulation.

This novel features a diverse cast of characters who all have their own motivations for being on the bus trip, Canterbury Trails, which explores various “Impossibles”, anomalies that are placed throughout the U.S. by the Simmers to show everyone that it truly is a simulation.

Gregory employs multiple POVs from just about all the characters and he does a fantastic job at tying each character to a role and introducing them in a way that they are super memorable. I was never once confused by who is who.

The main characters we follow include JP (the Engineer who is battling brain cancer) and his friend Dulin (a comic book writer known for his witty banter). In addition, there is a pregnant social media influencer, two nuns, a rabbi, a “realist”, a reader, a scientist, a nurse, a few old folks, and more.

The plot is propulsive while allowing for plenty of time for introspection and philosophizing and science talk that never bogs down the plot in any way. This book moves quickly for being over 400 pages.

When We Were Real poses several questions of what it means to be human, how we grapple with the world around us and its many anomalies, our relationships with others, and our faith (presence or lack thereof) in a higher being. It’s a fascinating novel that will entertain you and keep you thinking long after you turn the last page.

This was my second book by Daryl Gregory that I’ve read (Revelator is the other) and so far he is two-for-two with bangers for me (both being so different makes it even more impressive). Check it out! It’s out today.

Huge thank you to Saga Press for providing with a free ARC. I also read a portion of this as an eARC on NetGalley.

Because the sim says so in this artificial world!
Welcome to the week long tour bus tour of North America’s Impossibles 🚍 Everyone is along for the ride for their own reasons: a nun hunting for an absent God, a pregnant influencer trying to make her child so famous it won’t be deleted, a professor on the run and best friends JP and Dulin.
After visiting the stops at glitches and miracles, will the final stop at the Ghost City reveal all to those who seek it?

The story weaves a variety of character viewpoints throughout the uniquely sci-fi landscape of the bus tour. A little slow to start but as you get a sense of each character the flow picks up, continuing the journey. And where can I sign up for my own tour of the Impossibles??? 🎟️

This is a very Sci-Fi, Speculative Fiction read that is full of fantasy and adventure- Your wheels get turning and you get some laughs. For me this is a right time and headspace read and I wasn’t really there. But if you are up for an interesting ride, I recommend you get ready 🤯

Thank you to the author, Daryl Gregory, NetGalley and @SagaPressbooks and #SagaSaysCrew for the opportunity to read this book. I received an epub and am leaving this review voluntarily.

Humanity has woken up seven years earlier to find out that we’re all just living in a computer simulation. In fact, the whole universe is a simulation.

The day of The Announcement, words in different scripts flash in front of everyone’s eyes to declare this fact, and to cite as proof hundreds of physic impossibilities that simultaneously appear around the globe. Everyone’s personal beliefs, relationships, ambitions and behavior gets thrown into turmoil. Some people in response commit suicide, others join militant conspiracy groups, while others work on figuring out how to find a glitch in the system that would enable them to escape to the “Real World.” The U.S. government embarks on a billion-dollar project to create true human-like artificial intelligence in order to game the system.

in this ironic futuristic take on The Canterbury Tales, an eclectic set of characters on a Pilgrimage boards a cross-country bus run by Canterbury Trails for a highlights tour of the North American Impossibilities. These range from a frozen upside-down tornado made of an unearthly substance, to hollow wandering sheep, to a Tunnel where you can spend as much time as you like before emerging across the country one second later. Each of the Impossibilities turns reality as we used to know it on its head, defying all the known laws of physics. People’s reactions range from reverence to deep skepticism as they try to piece together their own new understanding of the world.

We start off getting introduced to the tour participants by narrator who uses all caps titles to describe them, from THE ENGINEER, THE RABBI, THE NURSE, THE COMIC BOOK WRITER, and so on. Later we begin to question who this narrator may actually be, along with the potential incompetence of the program’s runners called The Simulators.

Each person on the bus has their own reasons for the journey, but you have to read as each gets surprisingly revealed across time in order to not spoil the surprises.

Suffice it to say that an epic adventure ensues, existential questions get debated, and the character development has you deeply vested in what happens to each tour participant.

Thanks to S&S and Saga Press, and NetGalley for an advanced reader’s copy.

Speculative fictions meets road trip. If that pitch appeals to you, I would give this a read.

Seven years after the announcement that everything we thought was real is actually a simulation, a group of strangers joins a bus tour to see impossible creations across America. A simple enough premise, but there is a lot to learn to keep up with the story.

The ensemble cast is hit or miss. I enjoyed getting to know most of the characters, though there are definitely some we get to know better than others. I couldn't really comprehend what The Reader was doing on the tour. I found the two nuns difficult to differentiate. The octos were just there. The people with a more central story: JP, Dulin, Gillian, and Lady Mmm were interesting and fleshed out, but there was a noticeable amount of filler in the other storylines.

The world building was good. I loved the ideas of the impossibles, and the way people react and can freak out over them. It's an interesting idea that we could learn that nothing is real, but just on with everything anyway.

In the end I thought that there were more questions than answers, the ending felt abrupt.

I would definitely recommend this to some people, but I wouldn't praise it indiscriminately.

Thank you to NetGalley and Saga Press for the ARC!

I really loved this premise. And I especially loved the philosophical exploration of the simulation hypothesis. I really loved the notion that after a period of freak out and adjustment upon learning that we are living in a simulation, that some people just moved on with their lives. Like, as a practical matter, how different is it really? I also enjoyed spending time with the characters and became invested in their relationships, their hardships, and their struggles. My one gripe is that second half of the book becomes increasingly devoted to the point of view of Lady Mmm, the character I least liked and also the one that never really gets redeemed. She just kind of falls out of the book and disappears. I’m also a bit flummoxed by the Rabbi, who doesn’t keep kosher and who comes across as kind of a dufus until he finds faith in himself by following a Minecraft sheep. Not quite sure what we’re supposed to take away from that. Overall, really enjoyed this out of the box book and will definitely recommend to others.

Imagine if it was announced that you are living in a simulated world. This is the very unique store of a huge cast of characters on a guided bus trip to visit "The Impossibles", that appeared just after the announcement. The story is told through multiple POVs. The quirky and odd friendship of JP and Dulin is a highlight.