Review: All The Lonely People by David Owen

Publication Date: January 10th 2019
Publisher: Atom Books
Source: Review Copy from Publisher

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Blurb: 
Everyone tells Kat that her online personality - confident, funny, opinionated - isn't her true self. Kat knows otherwise. The internet is her only way to cope with a bad day, chat with friends who get all her references, make someone laugh. But when she becomes the target of an alt-right trolling campaign, she feels she has no option but to Escape, Quit, Disappear.
With her social media shut down, her website erased, her entire online identity void, Kat feels she has cut away her very core: without her virtual self, who is she?

She brought it on herself. Or so Wesley keeps telling himself as he dismantles Kat's world from across the classroom. It's different, seeing one of his victims in real life and not inside a computer screen - but he's in too far to back out now.
As soon as Kat disappears online, her physical body begins to fade and while everybody else forgets that she exists, Wesley realises he is the only one left who remembers her. Overcome by remorse for what he has done, Wesley resolves to stop her disappearing completely. It might just be the only way to save himself.

A huge thank you to Atom Books for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for my full and honest review. This is one of my most anticipated releases of next year and let me say, David Owen has done it again!

I absolutely adored The Fallen Children when I read it, so I was looking forward to this but I was also apprehensive as I was scared it wouldn't live up to the previous novel. Thankfully, All The Lonely People met every expectation I had and surprised me in lots of ways. 

The novel centers around Kat, a girl who lives her life on the internet, who then becomes the target of a hate group. As a result, she shuts down all her social media and online presences to avoid the bullying. Slowly Kat begins to change, physically disappearing until no one can see her anymore or remember her! The only person who remembers her is her bully, Wesley. 


The characters in the novel were so well written. I loved Kat. She was the typical teenage girl who feels slightly isolated by those around her in school and has to find her own online community. I really enjoyed reading from her perspective as she threw in lots of pop culture references, and her "Doctor Backwash" obsession which I assume was Doctor Who- was something I could relate to as I love Doctor Who! I really enjoyed seeing her character progress over the course of the novel as the change allowed her to see what was really important in her life and what she had been missing out on. 

I also loved Wesley's character. At first he seems very one dimensional, fitting into the antagonist profile. Yet as the novel progresses and we delve deeper behind the surface of his character, we see his more vulnerable side. He has a difficult home life and has never felt a sense of belonging anywhere. I really loved his character and his developing relationships with the Lonely People group and his stepdad Dave. 

I really loved the Lonely People club members and how they developed. Safa was also an interesting character and I loved her friendship with Kat...would love to read a short story about them set a few years after the close of this book! 

The plot of the novel was so well paced. At no point did I feel a lull in my interest, I was engaged throughout the novel from the get go. I really enjoyed the themes the novel discussed such as being increasingly lonely in a more connected world, feeling like you belong on the internet, alt right hate groups, the power of influencers and how vulnerable young people are being increasingly targeted by internet groups and exploited. The novel also explores feminism and the threats women face online really well. 

I also loved the theme of family in the novel and the portrayal of different family types and issues. I absolutely loved the character of Dave, Wesley's Stepdad. 

Overall, such a wonderful engaging, fast paced, thought provoking novel. This novel will leave you with lots of questions about internet culture and its affects on young people but also fill you with warmth too. David Owen has done it again. I think I will need to automatically pick up anything he reads in the future!