Everyone seemed to love Remarkably Bright Creatures. It was a bestseller, a book club pick, and eventually a Netflix adaptation. So when I finally picked it up, I expected to understand exactly why readers had fallen for it.

Instead, I finished with a slightly more complicated reaction.

I liked it. I appreciated it. I even found myself thinking about its themes long after I finished reading.

But I didn’t quite love it the way I expected to.

In my latest review, I’m talking about what worked for me, what didn’t, and why sometimes the most interesting reading experiences happen when your opinion doesn’t quite match the hype.