This was an interesting book, that at it's core, is a bit of a commentary about our constantly plugged in world today, and how many things have changed now that we have social media and the internet at our fingertips 24/7 via cellphones. I enjoyed the duality at play - the same two people, but two vastly different worlds (technologically speaking). I won't spoil anything (is the 90s or the modern world better for their relationship), but I will say this was a unique story that makes you think.

I did not really care for the writing style of this book so don't want to give a bad review on Goodreads Thank you to Netgalley for the free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to booksgosocial for sending me a copy of unplugged in exchange for an honest review. I went into this one with minimal expectations as I am very picky about stories that re-tell a time like the 90's or 80's. I actually loved it and fell hardcore for the nostalgia moments I found myself roaming page to page. It s a novella so, I spared the need for deep character development and extreme worldbuilding for another book and thought that this one brought on a lot of thought provoking questions. Like, who would I have been if I was born in a different time period. Would I be who I am today? And the truth is no, I wouldn't and none of us would either. Technology shapes so much of who we are today, what we decide to listen, who we decide we are, etc. I recommend this book to anyone interested in a short book in a time ago place. :) 3.5 stars

I'm sorry to say that I DNF this book.
I was at chapter 4 but it wasn't involved me into the reading.
I like the double pov but I was stucked for almost a month on the same chapters.

Un-Plugged-In is two stories, which are almost the same but in two different time-periods, about 20 years apart. It is an interesting attempt to reflect on one’s life through two generations. It is fascinating how life could change within mere 2 decades.

Quite an easy read, no deep philosophy as I imagined. Un-Plugged-In gives the reader a scenario, but does not make any conclusions. On the one hand, it is good as the readers might draw their own conclusions. On the other hand, it felt a bit unfinished.

I cannot believe that I am going to say now but I do think that a mini-series might be better.

Thank you Negalley and BooksGoSocial for e-ARC Un-Plugged-In by David Greis in return of my honest review.

Thanks NetGalley for the preview!

Unfortunately, this was not the book for me. Around 55% of the way through I considered stopping reading because I could not get into the story and found the chapters a little redundant. I think the alternating timelines idea is great and fresh but the repetition of story in the chapters was overboard. I would love to see this story with more character development and less of the same story over and over.

Un-Plugged-In by David Greis has an alternating protagonist, Bryan and his girlfriend Jamie, living and acting in both the '90s and the current decennium. For the reader this twisted plotted love story with an abundance of details of artists and bands, actors, and technology may sometimes be overwhelming, especially in the first part. Where am I? Did I read this before, or is this set of alternative versions of the truth what's really happening in the analog or digital world?

Are we dealing with bipolar syndrome patients? Is Bryan stalking Jamie? Or is Jamie over-exposing herself on Instagram, while enjoying the attention by male followers on Tinder and cheating on Bryan? And then there's the unsolved mystery of a campus scandal, in which a certain Smearhead targets Jamie as well suggesting that she paid with sex for getting a position. Will technology or true love survive? My advice: leave out a ton of details and deepen the character development instead.

This is a book about the relationship between an under ambitious would be musician and an overambitious aspiriing actress. It is told in alternating chapters one in which the action takes place in a world before we all became social media obssessed and the other which takes place in a world after. It is fascinating to see how the world of social media affects the interactions and the relationship between these two people and those around them. However, at times neither of the two main characters is all that likeable and if you like a book that wraps up neatly in the end you will be disappointed. All in all, although the book is worth reading for its very unique and interesting premise, it would be better if the story were better developed and one or more of the characters were a little more likeable.

The same characters' stories are told in two different timeframes - one embracing the modern use of technology and the other in the 1990s. Having attended university (and met my husband) in the late 1990s I was particularly interested in what the author perceived were the differences between building relationships in the two different times. Unfortunately the book didn't really deliver as much as I had hoped. It seemed to lean towards technology (or lack of) doesn't matter as much as human character but I really only finished the book because I had started it.

Some formatting issues let this book down a lot, footnotes appearing in the wrong place and the ending was so abrupt I genuinely wasn’t sure if it had been another formatting error but the page count checks out so I don’t think so.
I really enjoyed how this book executed the concept and felt that the characters were incredibly realistic, I simultaneously wanted it to be shorter (which editing could easily do by removing a lot of the repetitive elements, they have their use but I feel they could’ve been cut down a lot) and wanted more for some resolution.
The SmearCat plot I definitely preferred to the study abroad parts of the book and I wish it had focussed on that a lot more.

Depeche Mode said it best... "People are people so why should it be, You and I should get along so awfully."

This....this could have been a long read article, not a 300 pages book. While the idea - two timelines - comparing the same relationship is creative - it really comes down to the actual people. Regardless of technology - some things aren't meant to be.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

How much does technology affect our lives and our relationships? This book explores the relationship between Bryan and Jamie in two different time periods- the 90s and the present. In the present the two are very connected to technology and social media where as in the 90s it was a very different time without the instant digital connections at our fingertips. The novel explores how the technology or lack of it affects their relationship. This is a very interesting concept and an entertaining read. Thank you to Netgalley and BooksGoSocial for an ARC copy exchange for an honest review.

Neat concept, literary juxtaposition of the same characters in different times to explore the meaning modern technology has on relationships. So I went in for the concept. But…well, first off the official description states this is a thought experiment turned novella. Two things…thought experiments don’t always make for compelling fiction and this is very much not a novella, it’s a novel of about 326 pages. I wouldn’t have read it knowing the page count, really I only had enough interest in the concept for a novella length read, but anyway, I’m a completist, so read it all I did. The story follows two college kids in their romance, alternating timelines from 1990s to present day. The technology does have a significant effect on how they meet, interact and so on, but seems like the message is that in the end of the day, no matter how tech savvy or analog you are, relationships take their own course irrespective of the levels of digital connectivity one might establish. In fact, things turn out surprisingly similar in both storylines, although popular culture and mode of communication change dramatically. So I suppose the message here is that people are what they are, no matter the gadgets. It is my personal opinion that people have become considerably sh*ttier to each other as the technology progressed and communication has been reduced to lines of improperly spelled text and emojis, but maybe I’m just a grouchy luddite. I completely appreciate having a wealth of information at your fingertips at all times, but the interaction aspect of social media turns me off immensely. I’ve pondered the significance the modern technology has had on my own relationship…but never wanted to write a book about it. The author did, though, and kudos to him, it’s a pretty well written book, especially for a random unknown debut. The pop culture sprinkled throughout is fun, although the foot notes might be too much. But in the end of the day I didn’t care about either of the characters, some of which might be due to them being so young, some of which might be due to them being not very interesting. The thought experiment aspect got tiresome after a while (it seemed that it was more interesting for the author to conduct it than to entertain the readers with it) and the novel didn’t really deliver on its own merit as being demonstrated by the lackluster ending. So it didn’t really seem worth the time. Should have definitely been a novella. Thanks Netgalley.

I loved the interplay of characters and the literary approach this book took. The narrative unfolded well and I appreciated a fresh approach to storytelling.