Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - Annie Bot

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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m3lwar3's review against another edition

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emotional reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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nicdoeswords's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This one won't be for everyone but it 10000% was for me. Loved it. Devoured it in two days. The line between love and ownership! The allegory that becomes self aware! The sheer vitality of being able to access and express rage! So much good stuff in here, it had me hooked all the way through to the end.

Also because I've now looked at other reviews, I understand how people could believe the plot to be underwhelming or to not explore the full potential of the premise (a critique I've had of other books in the same genre!) but to me this was a masterclass in subtlety. It WAS exciting, and there were certainly tense moments, and the ending led exactly where I personally hoped and thought it should. It's a taste preference! But I don't think it was a flaw in the writing.

Bonus points for a very well written therapist, which is hard to come by in fiction!

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alite428's review against another edition

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challenging emotional tense fast-paced

3.75

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linnybear's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

She is not human. She is Annie, a Stella, her own star. No more and no less

Reading this book wasn't a pleasant experience by any means but I'm glad I've decided to finish it despite such heavy themes. I definitely expected more of a sci-fi story, instead got a heartbreaking tale about autonomy, abuse and control in very human relationships. It was a rollercoaster of emotions, a lot of anger and genuine sadness for Annie's situation but I found the ending almost cathartic and satisfying enough to make up for it.

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cherieamour's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.0

I found this book to be a really interesting reflection on what it means to be a person and on womanhood and gender roles. it does a great job demonstrating what controlling and emotionally abusive relationships can look like and the ways that people can easily excuse things or write them off.

there were a couple of things that bothered me like the linger ng question on the young guy who thought he knew Annie and the random comment about the therapist being trans, it just felt awkwardly stuck on and I wasn't sure exactly why it was there, and the final third of the book felt so much slower than the rest of it had. I personally wanted to spend more time exploring Annie's freedom after she left as I kept thinking about how she would learn to really be herself and what that would look like. maybe it wouldn't have felt earned if she got away too easily as she had to earn Doug's trust again but I wasn't as interested in that aspect. I did also find the ending a bit huh? it felt a bit weird that Jameson's son would be so happy to take her in, he seemed nice enough but i wasn't sure how realistic it was. one last thing that I wasnt sure about was the relative lack of other futuristic tech. like if we've advanced enough to the point of creating sentient robots with essentially human skin, what else have we developed? there's no other fancy tech I can remember beyond the ai people Annie calls

I did have an interesting thought after finishing it that I'm not sure other people have discussed. I think it could be interesting to view the book through the lens of Annie as an analogue for a trans woman. more specifically the experience of being a trans woman in a relationship with a cis guy who doesn't want people to know his partner is trans. the way he fetishises her while also being ashamed to the point of feeling rage at the thought of people knowing they're together. the fight after she says "no one will know you're a fraud", the way that she's hyper vigilant when they're out about people knowing she's a bot. with this lens I could imagine the comment about the therapist being somewhat apt on the knowledge that you may get clocked as trans and while nothing happens to her, there's always a threat that looms with this. this is just my thoughts and it's not a perfect 1-1 obviously but I think it's an intriguing way to interpret the book

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pineapplebunnies's review against another edition

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dark reflective tense fast-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

This is for all y’all who are too attached to their roombas.

This book was a SURPRISE. I honestly felt like the AI girlfriend trope was so overdone, there was no way Annie Bot could infuse something fresh into it… but damn. I was HOOKED.

Though the story went the direction I expected it to, the journey we took to get there just… worked. For a book about a robot, Annie Bot felt unfortunately similar to the TradWife experience, with a sprinkle of Frankenstein (Also, I see you Miss Greer with the My Fair Lady reference). It was like watching Her from the AIs perspective.

I was actually kind of getting brainwashed by The Doug Experience. Then, the sudden “wake up” moment Annie has when Doug frees her… literally chills, it was SO creepy. And then her immediate rage afterwards?? Holy shit it was so freaky. For a moment, I was convinced she was going to murder Doug.

Idk man, I know it didn’t do anything CRAZY original, but I can’t lie that the story got me SO HOOKED. Waiting for a sequel where Annie = Robot Jesus lets goooo.

TLDR: feminist rage but make it Frankenstein’s monster?? Okkkk.

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desdoesbooks_'s review against another edition

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emotional inspiring reflective tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

This is the best book I have read in a long time. I meant to start it and read a few chapters before bed - I couldn't put it down and was up until the early hours of the morning first reading it then thinking about it. I have never known such realistic feeling characters in sci-fi. They are such a reflection of the experiences I (and so many people) have had that they are immediately relatable/identifiable. Heartbreaking, exhilarating, hopeful - I love this book.

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