Reviews with content warning for Domestic abuse - Annie Bot

I’m really torn with this one and keep fluctuating between a 3 and a 4. If you read this and accept it at surface value it’s not good and the amount of unnecessary sex scenes makes you roll your eyes. But if you read this and understand the depth and layers id the different themes explored (which I hope is what Greer was striving for) then it’s pretty darn good (still with a lot of unnecessary scenes and several inconsistencies. Thinking about the themes: women being demoralized to being used for cooking, raising children and sex but as robots that rich men could buy, emotional abuse, control, falling victim to the abuse mindset and having no control or understanding “who I am”, searching for freedom, finding identity, feeling isolated, being afraid to your true self, to name a few. Overall, I think this was delivered in a direct way that any critical thinker could understand the depth to this novel and ignore some of the holes. The ending was a bit anticlimactic and I really would’ve loved to know what happened next but I guess that’s for the reader’s imagination.

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lifewithjoce's review against another edition

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4.5

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gladiolus17's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense fast-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? It's complicated

3.5

3.5

I read this entirely in one sitting. It’s a difficult, claustrophobic, and sexy book about domestic abuse and manipulation. Damn! It was hard to read at times. I often have difficulty enjoying other books and their portrayal of domestic abuse, but this felt so real and nuanced.

The only complaint was the lack of setting and worldbuilding. I suppose that wasn’t exactly the point of the book, and it was supposed to focus on the domestic abuse. But I felt lacking in both descriptions and an exploration of AI.

As well thematically, I felt a bit disappointed at the ending when Doug grants Annie her agency back, and she doesn’t take it back forcibly like she did in the midpoint. I almost felt the midpoint should have been in the climax. The lack of agency does not bother me as a whole, because that’s what’s being in an abusive relationship is about. But I felt the narrative was setting up for Annie to become human and her own person, so I felt a bit off that it ends with her not tricking Doug, or using her programming skills, or any of her skills to regain her humanity.

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ginaelise's review against another edition

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challenging dark sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
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

3.75

There was a lot of abuse in this book and it was difficult to read some of it. I was really hoping for an ending that was more revengeful. What we got at the end felt rushed.

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viv_pcu's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

It feels like a pretty straight analogy to toxic relationships and grooming , diving into the question of ownership, power dynamics, and own identity. The trajectory of this book surprised me in a way. It was hard enough to read for some of the ways the guy treated her but I was invested enough in the main character I stuck it out.

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