I thoroughly enjoyed this. I love a story with a deeper meaning that on the surface level is dark humour and awkward laughs. When Vi is outside a club and stumbles across a blob with 'sad eyes', she decides, for reasons unknown to even herself, to take it home. Over the next few days, she realises she can shape the blob into a ma and teach him human ways via TV shows. I thought this was such a fun concept and so ridiculously funny, but also at times so sad. Because you might be able to create the 'perfect man', but can you force him to stay??? Vi's deadpan personality carried the story with everyone else just appearing as unpaid extras (no offence, Rachel). I'd recommend this to anyone looking for an easy read to tickle the funnybone.

Thank you Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for a copy of Blob by Maggie Su. This was very strange and I loved it. It’s such a creative and unique story about a woman finding a blob in an alleyway and all the issues that arise from her taking it home. On the surface this book sounds obscure and weird, but it actually explores family dynamics and relationships in a meaningful way through our messy protagonist.

BLOB: A Love Story is as strange and captivating as its title suggests. This offbeat tale combines heartfelt emotion with absurdity in a way that feels entirely original. The writing is sharp, clever, and full of wit, drawing you into a story that is as touching as it is bizarre. The characters, though unconventional, are beautifully crafted and full of life. Their vulnerabilities and quirks make them incredibly relatable, even in the most surreal moments. The exploration of love, loneliness, and acceptance is handled with surprising tenderness, creating an emotional resonance that sneaks up on you. While the pacing occasionally felt uneven, the charm and creativity of the story more than made up for it. The ending, in particular, was both poignant and satisfying, tying together the book’s themes in a way that left me smiling. BLOB: A Love Story is an imaginative and heartwarming read that balances the ridiculous and the meaningful with impressive skill. A solid 4/5.

3.5 rounded up. Thank you Harper/ Sceptre for the Advanced Copy in exchange for an honest review. A weird little "love" story about a woman who after a recent break up finds a blob on the street outside a bar. After she takes him home she quickly realises she could possibly mould him into the perfect man. The story centres on Vi - as much as this is marketed as a love story it's very much just fragments of Vi's life that explains why she is the way she is. Vi is extremely unlikeable but a great POV to read from. She's a storm of contradictions. A lot of this book is made up of flashbacks of Vi growing up, first crushes, life with her family and her ex. There was a really strong message about being human, what it means to be human. Especially how love can shape a person for better or worse. For me this story had a really strong start but at 250 pages there just wasn't enough of the Blob/Bob character and Vi having any sort of narrative that moved the narrative forward, with the story often going in circles until it felt rushed towards the end. This wasn't as weird or as romantic as I thought it would be - I'd definitely read future things from Maggie as her style of writing is gripping and I enjoyed her sense of humour.

Blob: A Love Story is a hilarious yet deeply moving debut book that blends humour with introspection, all while exploring what it means to love, be loved, and truly understand oneself. The story centres around Vi Liu, a twenty-three-year-old socially awkward young woman who has never quite fit into her small Midwestern college town. After a messy breakup and dropping out of college, Vi spends her days as a front desk attendant at a hotel, refilling cucumber water samovars and dodging her overly cheerful coworker Rachel’s attempts at friendship. Vi's life takes an unexpected turn one evening when she accompanies Rachel to a local drag show. She discovers a strange blob with beady black eyes in an alley by a trash can. After a moment of drunken whimsy, Vi takes the creature home with her. As she cares for it, the blob becomes sentient, obeying her every command. In a fit of desperation, Vi decides to mould the blob into her perfect partner, feeding it sugary cereal and inundating it with pop culture until it transforms into a handsome, movie-star-like man—whom she names Bob. As Bob takes shape, Vi’s desire to be loved unconditionally intensifies, leading her to confront her loneliness, childhood insecurities, and the racial marginalization that has shaped her relationships. But as the blob’s sentience grows, so too does its desire for autonomy. Bob no longer wants to be a mere reflection of Vi’s ideal partner, and Vi must face the truth about herself and her messy, self-sabotaging tendencies. The book explores themes of love, self-discovery, and the complexities of relationships. It cleverly deconstructs the idea of control in relationships, particularly the unhealthy desire to shape others to fit our expectations. Vi’s journey is one of growth and self-acceptance, and the story’s wit and humour are paired perfectly with its more profound moments. Vi is a character who feels deeply real—she’s abrasive, socially awkward, and tends to push people away, yet her vulnerabilities make her impossible not to root for. Her struggle to navigate her identity as a Taiwanese-American in a predominantly white town adds another layer of depth to the story, offering a perspective on how cultural marginalization impacts relationships and self-worth. The concept of the blob is both quirky and poignant, evoking modern-day Frankenstein vibes. Through Bob’s transformation, the book explores the tension between wanting control over those we love and the necessity of allowing them to have their own lives. It's a meditation on autonomy, identity, and the messy, often painful, process of becoming whole. Blob: A Love Story is a brilliant and unexpected exploration of the human experience, full of wit, heart, and a touch of absurdity. This is a love story in the most unconventional sense, offering a compelling look at what it means to love and be loved while learning to accept yourself and others in all their imperfection. If you enjoy stories with deep emotional layers wrapped in humour and oddball concepts, this book is a must-read. Read more at The Secret Book Review.