Published almost exactly one year before Covid shut the world down, the author started with the premise of wondering what would happen if people couldn't go outside for an extended period of time. (surprise!) Instead of a pandemic, aliens have come to Earth to kill off the human race. The story focuses on a small neighborhood having a BBQ when the attack starts. But, not only are these neighbors fighting aliens, there is a whole lot of infighting going on as well. I found myself actually hoping a few of the characters would be the aliens next victims! For a short book, 250 pages, there is a lot packed into this book. The writing felt a little YA but some of the content definitely wasn't for younger readers. While the title really makes no sense, this was a relatively quick read and made for a great escape.

A very well-written imaginative story that sounds unreal, but yet you can't put down until the very end.

The characters were well-developed and believable, and the overall storyline had me cheering for a positive outcome.

This is the first book I've read by this author, and I hope to read more in the future. A job well done!!

I very much enjoyed this book. It has a good story and excellent main characters. I would definately recommend this book.

An interesting take on alien invasion and the end of the world from the average survivor. No great heroics but what would be the normal, mundane acts of survival. It's strength in this respect is also its weakness as at times it fails to deliver a punch due. Interesting.

*Received via NetGalley for review*

I definitely assumed this would be a younger kind of book - imagine my surprise when the carnage and death started right away! And, ordinarily, this is something I have no problem with. But for some reason this novel feel flat for me. I'm not sure if it was the bland characterization (the cheating wife, the domineering dad, the misunderstood and angsty kids...).

But what was really well done, for me, was Liz and her mom. The dynamic felt right, and it's something that happens under everyone's noses.

My Rating: 4
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Kindle e-Book/ Netgalley/ January2020
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<i>Thank you so much Netgalley for the e-copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are y own and not influenced in any way. </i>
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This book follows our main character Matt along with his family and friends during an apocalypse where you die a painful death if you step outside any shelter. I was really interested in reading this book after looking at the title and the cover. I thought it was going to be a funny, feel-good thriller and boy-o-boy did it prove me wrong!
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<b>Trigger Warning:</b> : Apocalyptic setting/ Death of family/ Blood
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First, I really loved plotline and how the book cover and the title had nothing to do with the actual story!! It really adds to the thriller aspect of the story that is happening and the stakes of every decision hit you in the face. The structure of the story was really well done and how each character reacts to a sudden terrible situation gives depth to them all.
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Second, I loved that this story had multiple points of view. We get to see how each character is doing and how their mind works during an alien invasion. This book starts off really well and in a happy setting, and then you are hit with aliens in the middle of a happy scene! That just pulls the rug from under your feet and I was definitely surprised at the placement of the scene.
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Now coming to the character and the storyline, even though you have multiple characters narrating their side of the story, it was not difficult to understand the perspectives. You get to experience the invasion from a lot of different angles. The family dynamic and how it changes when it happens is really good to read about. The conversations and the simple banter to divert the attention helped with the situation as well. The relationship between Matt and Heather was really cute. I think my favorite character has to be Heather!. I mean, jumping out of the safety of a roof to go, help a friend while there are aliens hovering over the streets with laser killing beams is just batshit crazy and really courageous. She is my new bestie and I am not taking a No for an answer! The tone of the book, even though the setting is sad, gives a wholesome experience. Being a fan of Stephen King's books and lover of horror movies, I didn't find the blood and the killing queasy. But keep in mind it has a lot of blood spilling in it.
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Overall, this book has the perfect amount of characters, storyline was simple yet really gripping, the tone of the book delivered the thriller aspect of the plot, loved the humor and the simple banter that was in-between was refreshing. If you want to read a book with an apocalyptic setting but with a good family dynamic, character development, I definitely recommend you pick this book up!

Loved this book, original and really really engaging. Story was great, characters were great, just a great read. Would really recommend!

3.5 stars of wacky fun. Alien, sci-fi is not my usual read however, the synopsis sounded good and it really was a fun read.

It was semi eerie with the aliens and the different nature of the aliens certainly added to the book’s features. Otherwise I was super bored. And didn’t really connect with the characters. But this book had many dimensions and it entombed cheating spouses, abusive parents (but protective still in the face of danger), crushes and the freshness of the beginning of relationship—survival being the core of it all.

It emboldened the moral that human will, brains and strength can help overcome any hardship. Plus hope that you can and will survive.

Special thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for this review copy.

This was right up my alley: it was weird, speculative, carefree, weird, fast paced, oddly funny & did I say weird? And I'll answer that whole 'how long could you stay indoors' thing: my current best is 2.5 weeks.

The writing style was unique in a way that might make this an acquired taste, and I'm okay with that. I'll most certainly be picking up more from the author.

Well that was a pleasant surprise, I really didn't expect to enjoy this book as much as I did! The first couple of chapters I was a little unsure and wondered if it might end up being a bit shallow but before I knew it, I was flipping those pages like mad. The characters were well rounded and likeable (except for one who's an absolute tool, just like real life I guess, there's always going to be at least one arse who messes it up for everyone) and I enjoyed rooting for them, there were some genuine heart-in-my-mouth moments, I was even moved to tears at the demise of one of the characters. The ending was a little abrupt so I think I feel a series coming on, and though I prefer standalone stories, I enjoyed this one so much I'd definitely read a follow up. Thanks to the author and netgalley for the arc.

Too many aliens, not enough ice cream.

The beginning was set up really well. Just an average day with everyone going about their business, not suspecting that everything as they knew it was about to change forever. The aliens were intriguing. Very unique and scary. They were uncaring, nondiscriminatory exterminators.

I don't want to give away anything but will just say, the last maybe quarter or so of the book was not for me and was what brought my rating down. The way the story progresses and the paths of some characters was taken in a direction that disagreed with me. It is something that I can't stand in books. Sorry for the vagueness but like I said, I don't want to give anything away for anyone.

There is no conclusion at the end of this story which I saw as a major cop out. I suppose it could be seen as a positive if this turns into a series, but as of now it is a stand alone so it is just infuriating.

Thank you Netgalley for throwing me a copy. I've had this book laying around in my kindle for a few months and wish I had read it before now. This is a really awesome alien story and I hope there's a sequel. Loved the pure violence and character build up.

After reading the synopsis and title, I thought this was going to be a middle grade book. It isn't. Matt is an 18 year old (not a pre-teen like I thought) and the POV switches from kids to adults, covering things like adultery pretty openly and vulgarly. This didn't affect my personal rating at all, just something I wanted to point out to potential readers.

The alien invasion starts on a sunny summer day, when the sky rips open and a bunch of alien pods come swarming our skies. Thousands of them dot the sky like stars, and immediately kill anybody who hasn't taken shelter. As soon as somebody steps out of their house or car, they're murdered within seconds.

Matt, Heather, and Abby are stuck in a treehouse with very little food and water. Others are stuck in houses with limited resources, and it's only a matter of time until the electricity gets turned off and the water stops flowing from their taps. They're all doomed..

Or are they?

One issue I have with books like these: why do people still care about such mundane things? Having crushes, first kisses, cheating spouses... you'd think those would take the backseat when you and your children are on death's door. At least for the first few days, right? There's literally an alien invasion, nearly everybody in the world is dead (including the adults' parents and siblings, who they apparently don't care about because I can't remember anybody calling other family members or even mentioning them), and their kids are stuck in a treehouse with no way to get out, but yeah, let's put all our energy on who had sex with who. Because of that, there were a lot of scenes that had nothing to do with the alien invasion and I had no shame in skimming over them.

Overall, the writing was good, but this story wasn't really for me.

Whoa, i honestly expected this one to be like all the other alien invader books. I didn't expect a lot but wow it sucked me in from the very beginning. I loved the complex character stories along with the action. I love the not apparent solutions they come up with. I highly recommend this one! Great read!

My thanks to Books go Social, the author and Netgalley for the Arc🐙
I loved the first 80% of this book! I was meh, about the last. This is not a complete book. It's at least a duology, maybe even a trilogy. This isn't a deal breaker with me, but I like to know beforehand.
I mostly loved the characters in this story. The kid's, from 4 to 18 were the main draw. The adults however were a damn soap opera. I hate soap.opera's. Cheating neighbor's. Big manly guy, who is a misogynistic arse, yet believes he knows best. To be honest, the kid's are the story here. The grown ups, we're to me a bit like the adults in a Charlie Brown cartoon. Background noise. Mwa, mwa, mwa! I cried in the last half of this book. One death in particular, especially after all they had gone through, just broke my cold, little, frozen organ that I call my heart!
These aliens are some nasty stinkers. Worse, they are just the beginning. I don't know what's coming, but it's not going to be pretty. These Aliens have a plan. And that plan is not the destruction of Earth, just the end of humanity.
Fun times ahead, folks! I personally can't wait!
Now, I wouldn't be me if I didn't point out the major bummers of this tale of woe! Wrong word usage! Bad spelling is sure to get my dander up! But, using words that sound alike or somewhat alike, messes with me! It does. I'll spend 20 minutes just thinking about how the hell someone missed that! Then think of many different ways that both words can be used!
The dying alien shuttered? No, it shuddered. There were around 4 egregious errors like that. What is truly amazing to me is how the author always thanks their Beta reader's, and the editor! It's just a fact that if I had the talent to write a book, I wouldn't let that thing be released until it had been gone through with a fine toothed comb! Still, except for my own "word traumas," this is book that I enjoyed the heck out of, and would recommend. If you're looking for science, maybe not. If you want a good time. Maybe not. If you're looking for some claustrophobic, bloody, and w.t.f. is gonna happen, type of book? Then this might be your groove!
I'll be back for more!
Please though. Please! Find an editor, or someone who knows words! So annoying!

I was torn when deciding if I wanted to read this book. The title, the cover, the description... it felt a little campy, which isn't my thing. But I found the premise to be interesting, so I wanted to try it. I was hoping to like it, and I did. A lot! I liked it much more than I thought I would.

It was fun, suspenseful, engaging, and it had aliens. What more could you want? Characters you like and root for? Check.

I liked the writing style, and felt that as the point of view changed, so did the voice of the author.

This was a fun enjoyable read!

Despite the title suggesting a comedy, Aliens and Icecream is a small scale end of the world survival narrative. The grisly descent of the aliens on the neighborhood, while destructive and bloody, quickly shows a mechanical, programmed approach to the problem. This narrative explores the approaches of the different surviving groups in trying to work out how to survive both the invaders and their own problems.

The relations ships and emotions Rogers shows us are genuine and allows readers to identify with the different characters and to understand their plight, both with the aliens and the other people around them. The action is constant and the tension will mean you won't be able to put it down!

Even though I looked up this book on goodreads before requesting it, I did not realize that this book is YA. I personally don't enjoy YA science fiction so I don't review it since I think my opinions are unfairly critical so I will be dnfing it and will not be reviewing it publicly.
I thought the writing was good, but I just have very little patience for teenage protagonists.

Crazy good concept and amazing writing style. Such a fun read with questions I had to have the answers to that kept me reading well past bedtime.