I read this directly after reading the memoir of a palliative care doctor and could not have been better primed for this near-dystopian exploration of (im)mortality and the value of both life and graceful death. It was interesting to see the same themes portrayed in fiction that I just read in non-fiction: family, grief, the medical push for life extension, community, health disparity, kindness and the struggle to know what is right. I enjoyed this much more than I thought - gripping and thought-provoking.

Loved the premise as a commentary on health and fitness culture - it felt like a very near-future version of the world we’re living in - and found the relationship between Lea and her father, and Lea and Anna, highly compelling. A thought-provoking read!

A brilliantly written debut that kept me turning the pages until late into the night. Lea is a genetically perfect 'lifer' until she spots her estranged father in the street and risks her life - and potentially her chance of becoming immortal - to pursue him. As the novel progresses, her relationships unravel and her perfect life slips further and further away.

There are certainly parallels to our current society, in relation to social class and status and western Instagram culture of presenting a 'perfect' life on the outside. This novel takes the impacts of this and pushes them to the extreme.

I could definitely imagine this dystopian concept as a black mirror episode, and in my opinion, Rachel's writing is vivid and strong enough to give it that cinematic feel!

This was such an interesting premise and I really enjoyed exploring the morality and concepts of what it means to be alive and the world's obsessions with perfection and living a long life. I felt the characters could have been developed further and I'd have rather the story wasn't so neatly resolved. But I still enjoyed this book and raced through it. I'd definitely recommend people should read this book.