How to Disappear
Author(s): Sharon Huss Roat
From the author of Between the Notes comes a story that shines a light on our love of social media and how sometimes being the person you think you want to be isn’t as great as being the person you truly are. Perfect for fans of Vivi Greene’s Sing and Susane Colasanti’s Now and Forever.
Vicky Decker’s social anxiety has helped her to master the art of hiding in plain sight, appearing only to her best friend, Jenna. But when Jenna moves away, Vicky’s isolation becomes unbearable. So she decides to invent a social life by Photoshopping herself into other people’s photos and posting them on Instagram under the screen name Vicurious.
Instantly, she begins to get followers, and soon, Vicky has made a whole new life for herself without ever leaving her bedroom. But the more followers she amasses online, the clearer it becomes that there are a lot of people out there who feel like her—#alone and #ignored in real life. To help them, and herself, she must stop living vicariously and start bringing the magic of Vicurious back to life.
Review(s):
“A witty, hard-to-put-down novel. Those who enjoy Laurie Halse Anderson’s works and Sophie Kinsella’s Finding Audrey will want to snap up this funny, important, touching, and, at times, profound title.”
“In this engagingly plot-driven crusade of kindness, Roat turns the voyeuristic isolation of social media on its ear to launch a community-building campaign that accommodates her message of kindness and acceptance. Just like the protagonist’s virtual foil, this should have wide appeal to the Gen-Z crowd.”
“The dichotomy between Vicky and her online persona will ring true to many teen readers. Roat explores both the impulse to create an enhanced digital self and the desperation of those seeking connection through online platforms. Recommend to fans of Zoe Sugg’s Girl Online.”
“How to Disappear is a heartfelt and heartwarming story for anyone who’s ever wanted to be someone else; for anyone who’s ever felt like they were on the outside looking in; for anyone who’s ever felt alone in a room full of people.”
“Through Vicky’s moving journey, Roat brilliantly captured everything beautiful and terrible about social media, and all the ways it can’t possibly compete with real life. If you’re a fan of Dear Evan Hansen or if you’re a human being living in the 21st century, you need to read this.”
“This book. THIS BOOK. It punched me in the heart in the best possible way, reducing me to a small puddle of feels by the end. Flawlessly plotted. Gorgeously written. Absolutely perfect.”
“Perfectly captures the agony and ecstasy of sharing who you are, whether online or IRL… how it feels to get attention, not knowing whether it will make you or break you. Powerful, tender, and real, Sharon Huss Roat provides a voice for every girl reaching out from the comments section.”
“A beautifully touching, relevant book about who we are and who we pretend to be to feel connected. It’s a tribute to anyone who’s ever felt invisible, yet aching to be seen.”
“Eloquently captures the feeling of fear and loneliness we all experience when we part ways with our first real friend. Readers will root for Vicky as she finds strength through her online persona. Uplifting, empowering, romantic-it’s everything you want in a contemporary read.”
“Hopeful, relatable, and deeply empathetic How to Disappear is a bighearted story for the Instagram generation.”
ISBN: 9780062291769