TL;DR: What a WIERD book… in the best way.
Source: NetGalley, thank you so much to the publisher!
Plot: A dating app for corpses and humans (and this isn’t paranormal).
Characters: Very flawed but felt real in that way.
Setting: Definitely not the focus of this one.
Horror: This is the type of horror that’s a bit societal and a bit of ‘wtf am I reading’.
Summary:
Modern dating is dead.
Finding a human connection online has become impossible. Enter Liv: a dating app that matches people with dead bodies. Somehow, it has taken the world by storm. Millions of users are convinced that life with a corpse presents a better alternative to conventional relationships.
Flailing against Liv’s popularity, venture capital superstar Tom Williamson—whose company is funding Liv—isn’t buying it. Mostly because dating an embalmed cadaver, let alone monetizing it, is obscene.
Believing that Liv is the future, Auden White, the insufferable “visionary” behind the app begins demanding more and more funding, quickly making enemies with Tom.
It’s no secret that Tom struggles with people, dead or alive, but when he has a chance meeting with the woman who knows Auden (and his secrets) best, Mara Reed, he realizes everything is about to change for all three of them.
With Liv’s userbase growing by the day, the need for cadavers rapidly increases. Humanity might not want to connect with other living, breathing people anymore, but they do want to connect with something. What could go wrong?
Thoughts:
This has one of the weirdest plots that I’ve picked up in a while, and I feel like I pick up weird books! This one is set in a modern time, it could be tomorrow, and we’re following primarily Tom who works for a company that backs apps and other endeavors. They are pitched the idea of an app that matches people with corpses. For no other reason than ‘companionship’. Just… a dead body in the corner. Tom of course is appalled but he ends up on the board for this company and we watch it’s rise and horrible fall.
This one had me constantly either laughing or saying ‘what is happening!’ out loud. It’s wild and weird. There was a bit of a slog at about 45-65% where we focus in on the relationship that Tom ends up fostering with a related individual. But otherwise, I loved this. It was WILD.
If you are a fan of things with weird and wild premises? Go for this. There is a lot of interesting subtle statements here. Especially about dating, the newer generations, influencers, etc. So it’s well worth reading – just be prepared for the absurdity.
Sarah Evermotion's Reads 
Leave a comment