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knc123's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
brnreads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
thebaxter84's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
5.0
tsuntsun's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
kanipop's review against another edition
5.0
I liked this a lot more than I thought I would. At one point I actually cried- worth all 5 stars.
a_reader_obsessed's review against another edition
4.0
4 Stars
This is my takeaway regarding this story.
Was this super sugary sweet and sappy? Sure.
Was it a bit uncomfortable regarding the AI aspect, an entity solely designed 100% for the MC’s pleasure? Yep.
I admit I kinda balked, I kinda squirmed. However, not only was this a romance, but this also shined through as a meditation on what it means to be human, and I was bowled over by the well thought out and seemingly well researched topic.
So in and amongst the love story where there is an absolute guaranteed happy ending, there was a good amount of nice smexy smex, a lot of feels, and a fully fleshed out world where AI’s are the norm and the tough questions were not avoided.
I continue to really appreciate Walker’s works, especially her most recent ones. She has broadened her repertoire on a wide range of topics, never skimping on the emotions and thankfully upping the heat factor. Here she does all of that, while deftly exploring consent, free will, sentience, and the right to exist.
Again, impressive and thoroughly enjoyable!
This is my takeaway regarding this story.
Was this super sugary sweet and sappy? Sure.
Was it a bit uncomfortable regarding the AI aspect, an entity solely designed 100% for the MC’s pleasure? Yep.
I admit I kinda balked, I kinda squirmed. However, not only was this a romance, but this also shined through as a meditation on what it means to be human, and I was bowled over by the well thought out and seemingly well researched topic.
So in and amongst the love story where there is an absolute guaranteed happy ending, there was a good amount of nice smexy smex, a lot of feels, and a fully fleshed out world where AI’s are the norm and the tough questions were not avoided.
I continue to really appreciate Walker’s works, especially her most recent ones. She has broadened her repertoire on a wide range of topics, never skimping on the emotions and thankfully upping the heat factor. Here she does all of that, while deftly exploring consent, free will, sentience, and the right to exist.
Again, impressive and thoroughly enjoyable!
nicheromancememes's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
hellishlyawkward's review against another edition
2.5
The curse of Joel Leslie strikes again! I think so many audiobooks are given the completely wrong vibe with his narration. Hate that warbling, stressed voice he often does for one of the MCs, it’s distracting and takes away from the story. So, I'm unsure if it was down to the audio that this seemed a little slow, flat, and kind of clunky. But the idea was quite different, so I still found the story compelling enough to see through to the end.
Did have uncomfy feelings around the consent here, in that - there was none really. I mean Shaun is an android... but... is he? Further to this, I really didn’t warm to the fact that Shaun could only come when Lloyd did. I’m sure some would find that romantic in a way, but it irked me. It's not that Lloyd denied him - and orgasm denial can be hot for sure. But under these circumstances, where Shaun had no power to speak of, it just drove home the point that he really was only there for Lloyd's pleasure...which he was, I suppose. At least initially anyway. (Perhaps I should feel positive about this - that Lloyd could have denied him but chose not to? Urgh! Now I'm just chasing my own tail.) I just didn't like that aspect of it.
Did have uncomfy feelings around the consent here, in that - there was none really. I mean Shaun is an android... but... is he? Further to this, I really didn’t warm to the fact that Shaun could only come when Lloyd did. I’m sure some would find that romantic in a way, but it irked me. It's not that Lloyd denied him - and orgasm denial can be hot for sure. But under these circumstances, where Shaun had no power to speak of, it just drove home the point that he really was only there for Lloyd's pleasure...which he was, I suppose. At least initially anyway. (Perhaps I should feel positive about this - that Lloyd could have denied him but chose not to? Urgh! Now I'm just chasing my own tail.) I just didn't like that aspect of it.
pancaaakes's review against another edition
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0