Author: Elyssa Friedland
Published: May 2015, William Morrow Paperbacks
Format: Paperback, 400 pages
Source: Publicist
This unforgettable debut novel asks us to look up from our screens and out at the world . . . and to imagine what life would be like with no searches, no status updates, no texts, no Tweets, no pins, and no posts
Evie Rosen has had enough. Shes tired of the partners at her law firm e-mailing her at all hours of the night. The thought of another online date makes her break out in a cold sweat. Shes over the clever hashtags and the endless selfies. So when her career hits a surprising roadblock and her heart is crushed by Facebook, Evie decides its time to put down her smartphone for good. (Beats stowing it in her underwear—shes done that too!)
And thats when she discovers a fresh start for real conversations, fewer distractions, and living in the moment, even if the moments are heartbreakingly difficult. Babies are born; marriages teeter; friendships are tested. Evie may find love and a new direction when she least expects it, but she also learns that just because you unplug your phone doesnt mean you can also unplug from life.
My thoughts: This was a fun debut for Elyssa Friedland and the idea behind it - completely unplugging and going off the social grid definitely called to me. How many times have I just needed to take a break from all my social media sites, not that I am even on them 24/7, either to just refresh my batteries or just because I was so busy at work that I really needed to buckle down and stay focused? Well, Evie Rosen does that to the extreme - she unplugs completely.
I found Evies character to be refreshing, though at times a bit annoying. Not only does Evie decide to stop using Facebook and other social media sites, she goes completely off the grid, and stops using computers and the internet. This did provide for some missed updates from friends and family but in the end, it made her have to reach out to those she really wanted to stay in touch with. No longer able to rely on texts for updates on friends lives, she had to go the distance to find out what was going on with them. She had to have real conversations with people to keep up to date with them - what a novel concept!
I also loved Evies grandmother - what a pip! Even with her diagnosis of cancer, all she wants is for her Evie-le to be happy. But, boy oh boy can she be sneaky, too! The bond that Evie has with her grandmother, though, is really strong and this is one of the best relationships in the whole book.
This is a light-hearted, fun book that really does make you think about whether you can handle going completely off the grid...would you be able to unplug completely like Evie did - no texting, no facebook, no twitter, no internet? Do you put limits on yourself from time to time when it comes to social media or are you able to balance it all without being on it 24/7?
