Review: Oona out of order (ARC)

2/5 stars 

Hello, if you're new here, I am the one with unpopular opinions. The one who seems to hate books everybody else enjoys, and love books everybody else hates. That's a big generalization, but kind of true. 

Oona out of Order is a grand example of that. I look at all those 4 and 5 stars on Goodreads for this book, and I just can't relate. 

​Oona out of Order is a good example of why you should leave sci-fi concepts to sc-fi writers. Time jumps in this book  are muddy at best, and very much tailored to fit the story, and not the other way around. Want a beautiful mind bend? Read Dark Matter by Blake Crouch, the man knows his craft. 

---

Oona is a very unlivable character, which does not help, she makes horrid decisions and is basically on the mission to sabotage herself throughout the whole book. Was this meant to inspire compassion and pity from the reader? Didn't work on me. 

She's also incredibly rich, how convenient, and once again - can't relate. Time travel is easy when you're loaded. Try being an average middle class citizen who can't hold a job because of time travel, now that's something worth reading. Reading about Oona traveling Asia for half a year because she's depressed - well, didn't make me like her any better, let's leave it at that. 

​The book, while being 320 pages long, does not offer much of substantiality. Everything is trivial, and frankly, boring to read about. I've also had no emotional interest or connection to any of the characters, well maybe Kenzie, but that's it. The ending message feels generic and very much a cliche - enjoy every day, never take anything for granted. 

And lastly, New York's late 80's/early 90's party scene - hard drugs, flowing booze, uninhibited decision making - is not something I enjoy reading about. So, me not enjoying this book is very much a case of "not my cup of tea" . It is apparently many other people's cup of tea, so pick your pick. 

Big thanks to Flatiron Books for a copy to review. All opinions are my own.