4.5 out of 5 stars
The main story in Open Primary follows Mia as she is trying to get funding for her site Ameritocracy – a site where anyone can run to be President in 2020 as long as they are not currently (or have ever been) affiliated with a political party. The user can log on, create their profile, upload videos, and let others know what they stand for. The winner, chosen by a popular vote, will be given campaign donations to run for President as an Independent against the Democratic and Republican parties.
This easily would have been a solid five stars had the book had a proper ending. It was just kind of over – no real story or character arcs completed. Mia’s arc may have been about two-thirds completed but it wasn’t done. The actual site was really just getting started and we have absolutely no idea who is going to win (or if they win in 2020).
Now, that’s fine because the rest of the book was fantastic. I devoured Open Primary – honestly reading it in about 2.5 days. Fuller is a great author who really captured what he was going for in this one. Mia as a character was brilliant – she was real and full of all the emotions and feelings that everyday people have. Mia had flaws and didn’t do everything perfect. She was easy to forgive in some instances and hard in others.
The technology written about and utilized in Open Primary wasn’t anything ground-breaking or new. Fuller writes about a website and some algorithms. There isn’t too much technology to turn the average reader away – but there’s just enough to keep a sci-fi/technothriller reader like myself intrigued.
Overall, I thought that Open Primary was a great read with an interesting message. One that I also thought when I watched the results in 2016. Add onto that the performance by Annie Ellicott, Jeff Hays, and the Soundbooth Theater crew – this was a fantastic audiobook. I can’t wait to get into the next book.