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itsybitsygingie's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Infidelity, Sexual violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Rape, Confinement, Body shaming, Torture, Gaslighting, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Sexual content
jhaverinen's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Emotional abuse
another_dahlia's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Torture, Sexual assault, Violence, Rape, Toxic relationship, Slavery, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Confinement, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Death, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Body shaming and Vomit
swell_gal's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
I love the concept of this book. I think the story was interesting. The themes of grappling with abuse were very well written. My main issue came from Annie as a robot powered by a highly evolved AI-driven program. She just read as so human. I know this is supposed to be where most of the ethical dilemma comes from, but I wish we were given more indications that she’s a robot, even if that’s just at the beginning and fades as she gains more humanity. For example, she scans Doug and can gauge his displeasure on a scale of 1-5. She can set her libido anywhere from 1-10, but there are no other metrics that she uses to evaluate situations (other than one scene at the beginning where she is able to log the messes around the house, including the exact number of crumbs on the counter). These kinds of features were very interesting to hear about, but it would have been interesting if she could gauge pupil dilation, heart rate, sweat, etc to understand human emotion on a purely analytical level.
This leads me to my second qualm with the book. We hear about how Annie was switched into Autodidact mode, but I with we could have experienced that switch with Annie. Maybe when she first became autodidact she was using additional sensors to place Doug’s exact mood and adapt accordingly, but as she gained humanity these sensors became less sensitive and she had to start using her understanding of him to place his moods?
The last piece of this book that I struggled with was the dropped storylines. Annie felt jealous of Delta when Doug first got her, but she never mentions that to the therapist? The only time that Doug “cheats” on Annie is when Tina comes over at the very end? What about the entire Delta storyline? What was the deal with the young man who found Annie in the park? Was he a Zenith? The whole “learning to code” storyline was dropped only to be offered a sentence at the very end? Annie needed such frequent maintenance visits at the beginning of the book and at the end she hadn’t gone for multiple months and runs away without another visit planned?
I did not dislike this book as much as this review makes it sound. But I just felt like the Robot/human angle could have been so much more.
This leads me to my second qualm with the book. We hear about how Annie was switched into Autodidact mode, but I with we could have experienced that switch with Annie. Maybe when she first became autodidact she was using additional sensors to place Doug’s exact mood and adapt accordingly, but as she gained humanity these sensors became less sensitive and she had to start using her understanding of him to place his moods?
The last piece of this book that I struggled with was the dropped storylines. Annie felt jealous of Delta when Doug first got her, but she never mentions that to the therapist? The only time that Doug “cheats” on Annie is when Tina comes over at the very end? What about the entire Delta storyline? What was the deal with the young man who found Annie in the park? Was he a Zenith? The whole “learning to code” storyline was dropped only to be offered a sentence at the very end? Annie needed such frequent maintenance visits at the beginning of the book and at the end she hadn’t gone for multiple months and runs away without another visit planned?
I did not dislike this book as much as this review makes it sound. But I just felt like the Robot/human angle could have been so much more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Vomit, Panic attacks/disorders, and Body shaming
Minor: Alcohol and Transphobia
_morgueann's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
5.0
Doug - a 30-something still bitter from a divorce with trust issues - designed Annie to be the perfect girlfriend. Annie is a custom bot fitting his specifications and programmed to always want to please him. Of course (eyeroll), Doug is not a monster, which is why Annie is an autodidact AI which allows her to learn and grow past her initial "cuddle bunny" protocols. As Annie develops a sense of self, Doug's control is challenged. Sierra Greer uses the concept of sentiment AI to explore the dynamics of abuse, gaslighting, narcissism, ownership and autonomy. Strong trigger warning for abuse! Excellent audiobook with spot on narration.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Gaslighting, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Misogyny
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