Genre: Science fiction

Release date: September 15, 2026

Goodreads rating: 4.31

My rating: 5

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Station Eleven was one of the books that first pulled me into science fiction so I was excited to pick up Exit Party and read another Emily St. John Mandel novel. I had a feeling it would be exactly the kind of strange, immersive sci-fi I enjoy… and I was right!

I was hooked from the opening pages. Ari arrives at a party in a future Los Angeles just as California has declared itself a republic and the city’s curfew has been lifted. Then doppelgängers start appearing, the host of the party disappears, and suddenly something feels very wrong. I had no idea where the story was going, but I was completely in.

As the story unfolds, we follow Ari across decades and between Los Angeles and a future Paris, where she is still haunted by what happened that night. We encounter alternate realities and different versions of the same people.

The world-building was a highlight for me. I loved Mandel’s vision of a futuristic Paris and the creative ways people adapted to a changing climate. The dystopian elements and state surveillance added another layer that made the world feel both fascinating and unsettling.

One thing I’m still thinking about is one of the doppelgängers whose perspective isn’t explored. I found myself wondering what their experience of everything was and whether Mandel might revisit this character in another novel.

I loved this book. It’s strange, atmospheric, ambitious, and wonderfully thought-provoking.

Thank you to HarperCollins Canada and NetGalley for granting me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

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