Just City by Olga Tymofiyeva is a winner for fans of science fiction that addresses social issues while featuring lovable characters on a mission. Twenty-one-year-old Nathan and his friend, Jack, desperately need money to fund their startup which would address the problem of missing shopping carts in supermarkets. Nathan's grandmother — a professor of Neuroscience and Experimental Philosophy — offers the perfect solution: pay the teens to test her new reality game called Just City. The game is designed to get people into others' shoes. Determined to win the $10,000 prize to fund his startup, Nathan gives his all in the game, but the fun at the beginning quickly cedes place to unnerving challenges. Nathan and his friends begin to understand human nature and how our choices can change when we are dealt different cards. As Nathan progresses in the game, he begins to question his values and the concepts of justice and merit. Will he find his purpose at the end of this struggle?

Olga Tymofiyeva writes like a pro, demonstrating a strong mastery of the first-person narrative voice that instantly arrests the attention of readers. The fluidity in prose and the clarity of phrase are among the strong elements of the writing. This voice, delivered in the present tense gives a sense of immediacy to the story and the events narrated in the book seem to unfold right in front of readers. Nathan's voice is irresistible and quirky and his outlook on life will have readers thinking and smiling. Readers find themselves helplessly investing in Tymofiyeva's characters and world-building. The science fiction elements are solid and the author identifies a real need that Nathan and his friend want to address with their startup. Apart from the compelling plot and the terrific characterization, the writing is infused with realism and humanity and the author puts characters in situations where they must make difficult choices. This novel is propelled forward by a very simple yet difficult question: What would you do if you were put in the shoes of someone else?