A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor - Hank Green

⭐ 8.5/10

(Originally written by Rebecca)

I really liked this sequel to An Absolutely Remarkable Thing, but slightly less than the first book. I just found it a little slower, and a little less fun and whimsical. I think sequels are really hard to pull off, because you have to really make those reveals worthwhile, but also not too contrived. And I do think Hank did a really good job, but part of me was a little bit disappointed by the alien reveals. Sometimes, not knowing is more fun, you know?

Still, I did really love this duology, and I loved Carl so so much. As anti-feminist as it feels, Andy and Robin were my favourite characters in the first book, and I didn't love them as much in this book (Robin was just tragically under-utilized). But I loved getting multiple povs, and I was so impressed by the way multiple storylines were woven together. I loved the social commentary, and the touchingly optimistic view of humanity and the beauty of life. Again, so thought-provoking, though there were a couple things I wish had been talked about more.