Author: Mike Chen
Publisher: MIRA
Released: January 25, 2022
Received: NetGalley
Warnings: Death of a parent, PTSD, dementia

I have learned that I cannot resist speculative fiction/science fiction by this point. Thus, I couldn’t turn down the opportunity to read and review Light Years From Home by Mike Chen.

Evie Shao’s family has never been perfect. For example, she and her sister were never best friends – they don’t even talk. The events of their past make their relationship all the more complicated. First, their father and brother vanished into the night. While their father returned days later, their brother did not.

Fifteen years later, Evie’s brother Jakob is finally back…but he’s different, and he won’t stop talking about an intergalactic war. Evie and her family must finally figure out how to work together to protect Jakob.

I loved the most about Light Years From Home because of how human it felt, despite the later dealings with aliens. Evie and the relationship (or lack thereof) she has with her family is something that I’m sure will resonate with many readers.

Much of the story is focused on these twisted and crumbling relationships and feelings. It’s oddly beautiful watching Evie and the rest work their way through it all. It isn’t an easy process, to be sure, but having a strong motivation to deal with it helps.

Okay, I say it’s beautiful, but I mean beautifully human. The whole thing is an actual mess if we’re going to be brutally honest here. Their relationship gets quite toxic at times, which may make readers uncomfortable. But again, that’s human nature in a nutshell.

I really enjoyed the way Mike Chen used Light Years From Home and a science fiction backdrop as a way of exploring human nature and relationships. I’m looking forward to seeing more from this author.

Thanks to MIRA and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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