I have to say I was excited to discover this book. I personally really enjoy anything with a dystopian feel when it’s done in a way that isn’t 100% obvious. While some of this book might have relied on your suspension of disbelief a little too much I thought it was well written and kept my attention all the way through.

Our main character, Mae, has some relatable qualities for any young millennial fresh out of college and looking to land a job with the tech company of their dreams. Mae is sucked into the life “The Circle” provides for their employees, full of unimaginable perks and cutting edge advances in technology and safety. Some haven likened The Circle to Facebook, Google, or Apple but really it is all encompassing and appears to be much bigger than all of these combined.

Without giving too much of the story away, what I really loved was how realistic, yet unrealistic, these technological advances were and the perspectives of both the good and the evil of it all. The decisions Mae was forced to make between the ones she loved and the things she believed were beneficial on a larger scale helped her appeal to both sides of the coin. Whether you think all of the technology (Facebook, Google, Apple, etc…) is an amazing advancement for mankind or is merely transforming us all into drones that must be connected at all times, there are things that will appeal to you.

One reoccurring theme that clearly was more harmful than good was the idea that “privacy is stealing”. There are never good reasons to keep anything secret or private, you and everyone around you should remain 100% transparent at all times. Our obsession with “reality” TV really proves just how much our culture loves voyeurism. The book found an interesting way to play into this obsession.

I was actually a bit surprised by the ending, not sure it was good or bad, just not quite what I was expecting. Overall I really enjoyed it and would recommend giving it a read.

Rating: 9/10