Review Detail

Girl Gone Viral was pitched for Warcross and Black Mirror fans. Now I haven’t read Warcross yet, but I’ve seen most of Black Mirror episodes, enough to draw me into this book. Arvin Ahmadi is more like a household name to bookworms now, especially with Penguin Teen’s antics to drag him online. Plus, we loved Arvin’s debut novel, Down and Across!

I haven’t read a YA sci-fi in a very very long time (two years), for some reason, I just fell out of love. So when I heard about this book, I figured why not try again? And I did, and it didn’t disappoint at all! I went into this book without really expecting anything, mostly hoping to spark my interest for sci-fi again.

Girl Gone Viral centers on Opal Hopper, a 17 year old whiz kid. With her father disappearing on her tenth birthday, Opal has a chance to find out the truth as she enters a contest through WAVE, the worlds biggest reality platform.

This book is set in the near-future, which is easier to digest because there were still pop culture references that are relevant today such as mentions of Jimmy Fallon and Dear Evan Hansen. Ahmadi’s world-building doesn’t really stray far from the present times, which I enjoyed as someone who’s sort of walking on eggshells with the genre.

I love how the main character, Opal, was written really well and fleshed out. Although, I didn’t really relate to her on a personal level. The supporting characters had a fair share of the craft as well, three-dimensional and with amazing dynamics.

The book also tackles grief, personal relationships, and even morality. These topics were totally the gamechanger for me as regards to this book. I can’t really go into detail because I’m afraid to spoil things, but this was truly a satisfying read.

Overall, Girl Gone Viral captured the reality of the social media craze and fast technological advancements that, if I may say so, we’re having right now. That really hit the Black Mirror spot for me.