Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - Annie Bot

Annie Bot, created to be Doug's perfect girlfriend, starts questioning her identity as she evolves. Programmed to meet Doug's needs, her increasing humanity challenges their relationship's authenticity. Annie must now navigate her own desires and rights, questioning her role and seeking autonomy beyond her initial programming. Her journey raises ethical questions about AI's autonomy and its role in relationships.
***
I don't even know where to go with this one. Didn't love it, didn't hate it, just feel immense indifference. Listened on audio, and I did enjoy the narration done by [author:Jennifer Jill Araya|17992788] - I think it was on the shorter side, maybe 8 hours or so? With that said, it felt longer than that - but not to the point where it bothered me, or I felt like there were things that were totally irrelevant or unnecessary to the story. None of the characters were particularly likable either, which definitely adds to the lower star rating. I will say, I totally thought the ending was going to go in a different direction - and after reading some of the other 3 star reviews, I am glad to see I'm not the only one with the same thought. Honestly, I would have liked it a lot better if it ended the way I wanted it to go.

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fkshg8465's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense 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

5.0

This book was very different than what I’d expected. Every time I thought I got a bead on where it was going next, I found myself pleased to be wrong. It’s a science fiction Handmaid’s Tale (a nod included after concluding so). It’s clever, and even the characters I thought I would hate ended up invoking my empathy. The sad thing is, I actually can imagine a future just like this, especially if the current patriarchy continues to dominate the world.

I would love to teach this book at a college level.

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akswhy's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

A thoroughly thought-provoking book about autonomy, domestic partner abuse, consent, growth, and feminism. It was not a fun book to read, but I’m glad I did. The one thing that bothers me is that a rape scene is never called rape, even later, as the characters unpack the events.

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m_a_j's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective 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

4.0

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lauren_shilling'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? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

This book was good, but it wasn't a new favorite or anything. It was a very fast read, and I did enjoy it, but it wasn't groundbreaking to me. It had a great idea that invites a lot of questions and commentary on individuals and the control women have over their own bodies, and I did enjoy how the book made me think, but it didn't invite any new ideas into my life. I like when a book like this makes me think about an aspect I may not have considered before, makes me reflect on myself or the people around me, or gives me a perspective I haven't really thought about before. While this book did provide an interesting perspective of a robot, it didn't do so in a way that made me consider something new or reconsider something familiar. It presented ideas I had already thought about, and didn't really give me anything new to think about. I did really enjoy the main character. Annie was a great protagonist, and I did like that she isn't perfect 100% of the time, despite how hard she tries to be. She's still learning, and she's very sheltered too, so some things that seem easy and obvious to many people aren't to her. I thought that was handled and portrayed really well in the book, and I loved watching her journey. I also thought that Doug was an interesting character. He gave a very nuanced look at the men that are present in so many women's lives and how even someone who isn't pure evil can still be very bad for you. Doug is not the epitome of an evil man,

but that doesn't take away from the fact that he is not good for her, he is still oftentimes controlling, he is still abusive in a lot of ways, and that he does inhibit her growth.

He's a great character to explore through Annie's eyes. Again, I did like this book a lot, it just wasn't a new favorite and it is a bit forgettable. I would still recommend it to anyone thinking about trying it, as it does have a lot of interesting points and ideas.

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mandi_lea's review against another edition

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dark hopeful reflective sad 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? Yes

4.5

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