The loneliest girl in the universe

Summary Alone in space, Romy Silvers is a teenage girl on an important mission to find the next home for humanity. The only contact she has with the outside world is with the NASA therapist Molly until they send out a new spaceship with another single passenger called J. They start to chat via email and a bond starts to form. Romy quickly falls for J but is there something that he isn’t tell her? Also will the upcoming news from Earth ruin their space mission altogether? I have only ever finished a book in one sitting once before which was Carry On by Rainbow Rowell and I can now add The Loneliest Girl in the Universe to that list! As well as that, this was one the same day that I received the book in the post so if that isn’t dedication then I don’t know what is. Review When I first read the synopsis I expected the story to be more of a sweet, soppy teenage romance set in Space but oh how wrong I was. This is another book that throws some surprises for the reader and Lauren laid them out perfectly! It’s been a while since I read a space story and I’m glad I have made a change to that with this. Lauren was able to describe the technical side of the spaceship and outer space (which the nerd in me loved by the way) without throwing the reader off. Despite some of the dark stuff that happened on the ship, you will still want to give it a chance yourself if you ever got the chance. From the very start I could sense that Romy was a very anxious and fearful person. She always pa...

“On good days, which don’t come often, I love my ship and everything it represents. I thrill at the thought of seeing Earth II. There are going to be so many things there that have never been seen by human eyes before. I’ll get to study the planet using priceless, brand-new equipment that’s just waiting to be unpacked. I’ll discover things that might change the fate of humanity for ever. The Infinity is the biggest, most expensive scientific mission in history. I get to be the very first person to see the results. I’m so lucky. On bad days, I worry about my responsibilities until my gut cramps and my head feels full of knives. On my very worst days, I think of nothing but how vulnerable I am out here. I’m balanced on the edge of oblivion with only a fragile skin of metal separating me from the void of space.” ― Lauren James, “This whole journey is a balancing act based on faith. We're all just hoping the The Infinity will eventually be able to reach somewhere safe. And for what? To satisfy the great human spirit of exploration? My life is a gambling chip thrown carelessly across the universe in the hope it'll land somewhere my descendants can survive.” ― Lauren James, “Another ship. It’s the best news I could ever have imagined. Who are they going to send? Who’s coming? I stare out of the helm window, straining my eyes against the infinite blackness, pressing my fingernails into my palms so hard they sting. I can’t see anything except the silver pinprick stars. How long un...

Summary A surprising and gripping sci-fi thriller with a killer twist The daughter of two astronauts, Romy Silvers is no stranger to life in space. But she never knew how isolating the universe could be until her parents’ tragic deaths left her alone on the Infinity, a spaceship speeding away from Earth. Romy tries to make the best of her lonely situation, but with only brief messages from her therapist on Earth to keep her company, she can’t help but feel like something is missing. It seems like a dream come true when NASA alerts her that another ship, the Eternity, will be joining the Infinity. Romy begins exchanging messages with J, the captain of the Eternity, and their friendship breathes new life into her world. But as the Eternity gets closer, Romy learns there’s more to J’s mission than she could have imagined. And suddenly, there are worse things than being alone…. Now nominated as a YALSA Quick Pick!... I get why people dislike this story, but judging it based on dislike of bait and switch or because it contains horror elements is disingenuous. James wrote this novel based on a time dilation equation she was given at University. If you approach this story as science fiction, and not as yet another fluff romantic YA (for which i can point you to many terrific choices) it fits well into the genre. As YA though, it does function didactically in asking you to challenge government lies and to not be ruled by fear. It's supposed to make you think critically about space...

The Loneliest Girl in the Universe is a story of the unexpected passenger on the journey to a new Earth. For the longest time, she had been, as the title clearly states, the loneliest girl in the universe. Seeing as she is honed with skills taught by her parents since a young age, she is capable to run the spaceship after they are no longer with her. One day, she received news of another ship enroute to Earth II. She’s no longer the sole commander to Earth II. However, some things didn’t add up. The way the brief summary behind the book puts it was eerie and unsettling, “suddenly, there are worse things than being alone. . . .”. It is a good book in that it is an undeniable page-turner and leaves readers at the edge of their seats. The blurb (summary behind the book) leaves readers uneasy throughout the entire book as they quickly flip through the pages, curious about how it all ends. The blurb leaves room for interpretation and makes readers eager to know what actually happens to Romy Silvers. The book captures the essence of sci-fi together with the reality of psychological trauma. To me, this book is somewhat relatable. Not the the sense of the genres but rather the characteristics of the the protagonist. She faces psychological trauma from all that she went through at a young age. Although I have not experienced even a quarter of what she had gone through, I relate to the loneliness that she felt in her everyday life. Romy Silvers was a typical teenage character. She l...

Summary Alone in space, Romy Silvers is a teenage girl on an important mission to find the next home for humanity. The only contact she has with the outside world is with the NASA therapist Molly until they send out a new spaceship with another single passenger called J. They start to chat via email and a bond starts to form. Romy quickly falls for J but is there something that he isn’t tell her? Also will the upcoming news from Earth ruin their space mission altogether? I have only ever finished a book in one sitting once before which was Carry On by Rainbow Rowell and I can now add The Loneliest Girl in the Universe to that list! As well as that, this was one the same day that I received the book in the post so if that isn’t dedication then I don’t know what is. Review When I first read the synopsis I expected the story to be more of a sweet, soppy teenage romance set in Space but oh how wrong I was. This is another book that throws some surprises for the reader and Lauren laid them out perfectly! It’s been a while since I read a space story and I’m glad I have made a change to that with this. Lauren was able to describe the technical side of the spaceship and outer space (which the nerd in me loved by the way) without throwing the reader off. Despite some of the dark stuff that happened on the ship, you will still want to give it a chance yourself if you ever got the chance. From the very start I could sense that Romy was a very anxious and fearful person. She always pa...

Summary A surprising and gripping sci-fi thriller with a killer twist The daughter of two astronauts, Romy Silvers is no stranger to life in space. But she never knew how isolating the universe could be until her parents’ tragic deaths left her alone on the Infinity, a spaceship speeding away from Earth. Romy tries to make the best of her lonely situation, but with only brief messages from her therapist on Earth to keep her company, she can’t help but feel like something is missing. It seems like a dream come true when NASA alerts her that another ship, the Eternity, will be joining the Infinity. Romy begins exchanging messages with J, the captain of the Eternity, and their friendship breathes new life into her world. But as the Eternity gets closer, Romy learns there’s more to J’s mission than she could have imagined. And suddenly, there are worse things than being alone…. Now nominated as a YALSA Quick Pick!... I get why people dislike this story, but judging it based on dislike of bait and switch or because it contains horror elements is disingenuous. James wrote this novel based on a time dilation equation she was given at University. If you approach this story as science fiction, and not as yet another fluff romantic YA (for which i can point you to many terrific choices) it fits well into the genre. As YA though, it does function didactically in asking you to challenge government lies and to not be ruled by fear. It's supposed to make you think critically about space...

“On good days, which don’t come often, I love my ship and everything it represents. I thrill at the thought of seeing Earth II. There are going to be so many things there that have never been seen by human eyes before. I’ll get to study the planet using priceless, brand-new equipment that’s just waiting to be unpacked. I’ll discover things that might change the fate of humanity for ever. The Infinity is the biggest, most expensive scientific mission in history. I get to be the very first person to see the results. I’m so lucky. On bad days, I worry about my responsibilities until my gut cramps and my head feels full of knives. On my very worst days, I think of nothing but how vulnerable I am out here. I’m balanced on the edge of oblivion with only a fragile skin of metal separating me from the void of space.” ― Lauren James, “This whole journey is a balancing act based on faith. We're all just hoping the The Infinity will eventually be able to reach somewhere safe. And for what? To satisfy the great human spirit of exploration? My life is a gambling chip thrown carelessly across the universe in the hope it'll land somewhere my descendants can survive.” ― Lauren James, “Another ship. It’s the best news I could ever have imagined. Who are they going to send? Who’s coming? I stare out of the helm window, straining my eyes against the infinite blackness, pressing my fingernails into my palms so hard they sting. I can’t see anything except the silver pinprick stars. How long un...

A surprising and gripping sci-fi thriller with a killer twist The daughter of two astronauts, Romy Silvers is no stranger to life in space. But she never knew how isolating the universe could be until her parents’ tragic deaths left her alone on the Infinity , a spaceship speeding away from Earth. Romy tries to make the best of her lonely situation, but with only brief messages from her therapist on Earth to keep her company, she can’t help but feel like something is missing. It seems like a dream come true when NASA alerts her that another ship, the Eternity , will be joining the Infinity . Romy begins exchanging messages with J, the captain of the Eternity , and their friendship breathes new life into her world. But as the Eternity gets closer, Romy learns there’s more to J’s mission than she could have imagined. And suddenly, there are worse things than being alone…. Now nominated as a YALSA Quick Pick! **I don't respond to messages on here - email me at laurenjamesauthor[at]gmail[dot]com instead*** Lauren James is the Carnegie-longlisted British author of many Young Adult novels, including Green Rising, The Reckless Afterlife of Harriet Stoker and The Loneliest Girl in the Universe. She is a RLF Royal Fellow at Aston University and the story consultant on Netflix’s Heartstopper (Seasons 2 and 3). Lauren is the founder of the Climate Fiction Writers League, and member of the Society of Authors’ Sustainability Committee. She works as a consultant on climate storytelling ...

The Loneliest Girl in the Universe is a story of the unexpected passenger on the journey to a new Earth. For the longest time, she had been, as the title clearly states, the loneliest girl in the universe. Seeing as she is honed with skills taught by her parents since a young age, she is capable to run the spaceship after they are no longer with her. One day, she received news of another ship enroute to Earth II. She’s no longer the sole commander to Earth II. However, some things didn’t add up. The way the brief summary behind the book puts it was eerie and unsettling, “suddenly, there are worse things than being alone. . . .”. It is a good book in that it is an undeniable page-turner and leaves readers at the edge of their seats. The blurb (summary behind the book) leaves readers uneasy throughout the entire book as they quickly flip through the pages, curious about how it all ends. The blurb leaves room for interpretation and makes readers eager to know what actually happens to Romy Silvers. The book captures the essence of sci-fi together with the reality of psychological trauma. To me, this book is somewhat relatable. Not the the sense of the genres but rather the characteristics of the the protagonist. She faces psychological trauma from all that she went through at a young age. Although I have not experienced even a quarter of what she had gone through, I relate to the loneliness that she felt in her everyday life. Romy Silvers was a typical teenage character. She l...