Reviews with content warning for Death - The Cybernetic Tea Shop

This was absolutely lovely. I wish it had been the length of a full novel, with more incidental stuff to go in between the main story beats to develop the characters and ideas further. But I'm a sucker for books about sentient technology, and this was really sweet. I thought that Sal's character worked well as a trans metaphor, and the asexual rep really made me smile.

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toopunkrockforshul's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Really enjoyed this! Short and sweet and I like that we got both Sal's and Clara's POV

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lackyducks's review

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A gentle love story alternating perspectives between Clara - an AI specialist who never stays in the same place for long - and Sal, one of the last robots that has manned a coffee shop for nearly three hundred years. The stories intertwine as they discover they both have something to teach each other.

The worldbuilding is beautifully detailed, exploring issues surrounding AI and ownership and what that could mean. The differences between different kinds of AI were interesting and the legal ramifications that were explored in the story. Similar to the prejudice a robot could experience.

I also greatly enjoyed Sal's POV for the exploration into how robots work and develop their identity! The world of this book holds a lot of charm and creativity in it.

I felt some of the plot beats were predictable, but set up well to move things forward. Some aspects I might have preferred developing in other ways. This didn't detract from my overall experience of the book, though. I found the ending wrapped things up well!

The love story also feels realistic, if a little fast-paced between the characters. But it makes for a fun, short read between two very vibrant characters that are a joy to experience.

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jstamand's review

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emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Cybernetic tea shop is a sci-fi novella that has Ace and sapphic representation.

Clara Gutierrez an AI repair technician who's constantly moving to New places. After moving to Seattle; Clara meets Sal an autonomous robot who continue to run a tea shop after the passing of the pervious owner. Tea store has been open for two hundred and seventy-eight years ; Karinne (the previous owner) dreamed of having the store open for at least three hundred years.

The more time Clara and Sal spend together, they start to wonder if they could change and begin to move in from the past.

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jayisreading's review

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hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

4.0

There was a particular gentleness to this novella that made for a rather cosy read. It was nice to find a story that centered wlw and asexual characters, and despite the shortness of the book, they were relatively well developed. I felt there was something left to be desired, especially when it came to the plot and worldbuilding, but that would require fleshing this book out into a novel.

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tinyjude's review

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emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

A cozy, adorable and emotional read for a rainy afternoon. I loved the take on AI and the characters, as well as the atmosphere they created in this novella. Instead of being worried about how to become human, Sal's story is concerned and centered around love, grief and growth, especially in terms of agency, which I think is fantastic. I felt like it was the perfect length to fell in love with the characters and the world, fell angry at the problems encountered and just enjoy an asexual sapphic science fiction story that leaves you warm and fuzzy

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wickedgrumpy's review

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emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

3.5

I enjoyed this.

In saying that, I wish there was more world building since it was a little light on it. Is there a reason why Clara uses trains/buses when in a futuristic setting? It kinda felt like present day, but there's also robots and "raises" (non-AI, usually animal shaped), but no other seemingly meaningful differences in a technically advanced reality.

I also would have loved a bit more depth to the characters.

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sarahluann's review

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emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective relaxing sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

This was a fun quick read, I did enjoy it! I found myself skimming in some parts though—I felt like it could have been edited down to be a bit shorter and flowed better as a result. Still, it was a fun read!

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