The Loneliest Girl In The Universe

Amazon MGM Studios is developing The Loneliest Girl in the Universe as a feature film. Joe Roth and Jeffrey Kirschenbaum (“Anyone but You,” “Fast X) will produce the film alongside Katherine Langford.

Nominated for the 2019 Carnegie medal

One of Barnes & Noble’s Top 15 YA Books of 2018

Shortlisted for the STEAM Children’s Book Prize 2019, celebrating science in fiction

Can you fall in love with someone you’ve never met, never even spoken to – someone who is light years away?

Romy Silvers is the only surviving crew-member of a spaceship travelling to a new planet, on a mission to establish a second home for humanity. Alone in space, she is the loneliest girl in the universe until she hears about a new ship which has launched from Earth with a single passenger on board. A boy called J.

Their only communication is via email and due to the distance between them, their messages take months to transmit. And yet Romy finds herself falling in love.

But what does Romy really know about J? And what do the mysterious messages which have started arriving from Earth really mean?

Sometimes, there’s something worse than being alone…

First published in 2017

Word count: 60,000

Ages 13+

Available in Indonesian, Brazilian Portuguese, Polish, Turkish and French.

“Shocking and brutal and has the best twist I’ve ever read. The sinister realism of Romy’s situation is as terrifying as it is gripping, and I was rooting for her from beginning to end” – Alice Oseman

“Black Mirror-esque. A fantastic slow-build drama. Lauren James is a genius.” – SFX

“Gripping romantic sci-fi thriller.” – Wall Street Journal

“This slow-burning psychological thriller has a killer twist that will make you gasp.” – Bustle

“This slow-burn genre-blender has surprising twists and turns, and patient readers will be rewarded by the explosive ending” – Booklist

“Moves at full throttle from beginning to end. Lauren James isn’t just headed for the stars – she’s already there.” – Samantha Shannon

“The Loneliest Girl is a page-turning science fiction thriller with some terrific twists.” – Philip Reeve

“A satisfying sci-fi psychological thriller with a scary twist” – NZ Herald

• Read the first chapter on Wattpad
• Listen to a sample of the audiobook
• Romy’s blog on Wattpad 
• About the fanfiction
• Where I got the idea
• A podcast where I discuss the book (starting 30 mins in, full of spoilers!)
• How to research a book set in space
• Moodboard & fanart
• Playlist (on Spotify)
• 7 Times Studying Science Taught Me To Be Brave (my own experiences studying science like Romy)
• Academic citations of The Loneliest Girl in the Universe:
• ‘Special Relativity, Real-Time Communications and Vulnerability in Outer Space and Lauren James’s The Loneliest Girl in the Universe‘ by Jessica Aliaga-Lavrijsen
• In her recent feminist science-fiction novel The Loneliest Girl in the Universe (2017), Lauren James tackles topics such as the impact of the supremacy of technology in the realm of human communication in Transmodernity and space travel, as well as the transmissibility of digital information and what Rodríguez Magda has termed “static connectivity” (2004 and 2011)—which refers to new forms of relation and online interactions in which individuals relate to others without completely leaving their isolation. Furthermore, the novel’s innovative generic features—a space opera combining emails, fan fiction, diary entries as well as more traditional narration—invite readers to reflect both on the nature of delayed and instantaneous communication, as well as on the subjective nature of space-time in interstellar space travel, which inevitably transgresses our conventional spatial and temporal humanly limits. The homodiegetic narrator and focaliser of the story, a teenage girl, is traveling beyond humanly limits, as she is exploring a reality never experienced by any human being before, which leaves her with a deep feeling of disconnection and loneliness, as suggested by the novel’s title. As the analysis of the novel will show, despite universal longing for communication and connection, truth and real communication can be obscured even more by the mediation of technology, as it is not immune to the workings of power relationships. As the story reveals, it becomes clear that instantaneity, or the transmissibility of information in real time, is not the outcome of the creation of an ideal and global democratic network in which all the parts have equal power. Moreover, vulnerability is one of the key characteristics of the transmodern human who is trying to find a new planet in which future life could thrive. In short, James’s feminist approach to all these topics reveals that “static connectivity” cannot overlook the vulnerability present in all forms of relationality, and that gender relationships and equality are still issues to be considered and to be fought for.
  
  A Exploration into Progressive Themes of the Genre, a study of the works of Lauren James; discussing Women in Positions of Power, LGBT+ Representation & The Reclamation of Feminist Identity & Sexuality by Bronagh Hadley
• This study explores the Young Adult (YA) genre focusing on the novels of Lauren James. Young Adult novels are often dismissed as being a lesser form of literature, the genre typically ranked lower by critics and the general public as less serious fiction. This study aspires to explore the complex issues that the genre creates a platform for, discussing the progressive nature of the narrative that inspires social and moral values in young readers.
  The exploration of these ideas will focus on James novels; The Next Together, The Last Beginning, The Loneliest Girl in the Universe and The Quiet at the End of the World. The young adult genre has unique place in literature, exploring themes that are progressive and crucial for the development of moral and social beliefs in their readership. Using Lauren James’ novels as a case study, this dissertation aspires to provide evidence of the complexity of ideas explored within the genre.
  In addition chapter one will focus on the significance of women in scientific roles in James’ novels, providing examples of female characters who serve as standout role models for young readers, striving to achieve the goal of normalising women in roles traditionally occupied by men.
  In line with her feminist ideals, subverting gender stereotypes is a continuous feature of James novels, further evidence which will be discussed in relationship to James’ thoughts on writing for young women. To accompany this discussion, chapter one will feature thoughts from secondary sources in order to provide a wider post-feminist context, supported by sources from Rosalind Gill and Natasha Walter; providing further insight into the significance of a feminist identity in modern society.
  Chapter two will explore YA fiction and the LGBTQ+ community, citing critics including Michael Cart, exploring YA fiction and sexuality, introducing a symbiotic pairing that highlights the importance of the YA genre for LGBTQ+ readers. This chapter will argue for the importance of inclusion and diversity in YA novels specifically, tracing the change of attitudes and representation of sexuality. I will provide evidence of James’ strong beliefs on the subject of inclusion and discuss the progressive nature of her novels.

“As much psychological thriller as space odyssey” – Kirkus

“Impossible to stop turning the pages” – Irish Times

“A strange, witty, compulsively unpredictable read which blows most of its new YA-suspense brethren out of the water.” – Entertainment Weekly

“A story of loneliness and heartbreak blended with sci-fi thrills, it’s one of the most surprising books to arrive this year.” – Paste Magazine

Romy in the stacks by Alice Oseman

Aesthetics for the book

My calculations spreadsheet for the space travel

Illustrations by Beck Kubrick

Moodboard by abookin6pictures

Art by beantoreo

Romy inspired candle by @bookwormcandles

Moodboard by leahsburkes

Moodboard by neverlandvicki

Moodboard by abookeduplife

Moodboard by corneliaringss

Art by dorodotee

Moodboard by YA Bookers

Art by virtually_read

Edit by loskoped

Moodboard by mckayladebonis

Art by itsmelayo

Fanart by fandom.art.exe