kiwialexa's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
soggymoth's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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
rasmuspekkala's review
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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
4.75
thebradking's review
5.0
If Penn & Teller's magic act was a book, it would be Set My Heart to Five.
[a:Simon Stephenson|4954868|Simon Stephenson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1588879790p2/4954868.jpg] has pulled off an outstanding trick in his novel. A former Pixar screenwriter, Simon both deconstructs how stories are put together and followed that format to tell a beautiful, heartbreaking that explores in its deepest level what it means to be human.
Adding to the degree of difficulty: He's told the story through the eyes of robot that has accidentally evolved the ability to feel human emotion. (I don't want to ruin any surprises in the book, but we see this evolution on the pages as much as we see Jared—or Brad Smith—change through his actions. This will only make sense once you've dug into the book.)
This is a wonderfully fast-paced science-fiction story that isn't science fiction at all. And, by the end, you have fallen in love with Jared, er, Brad Smith.
My interview with Simon at The Downtown Writers Jam Podcast.
[a:Simon Stephenson|4954868|Simon Stephenson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1588879790p2/4954868.jpg] has pulled off an outstanding trick in his novel. A former Pixar screenwriter, Simon both deconstructs how stories are put together and followed that format to tell a beautiful, heartbreaking that explores in its deepest level what it means to be human.
Adding to the degree of difficulty: He's told the story through the eyes of robot that has accidentally evolved the ability to feel human emotion. (I don't want to ruin any surprises in the book, but we see this evolution on the pages as much as we see Jared—or Brad Smith—change through his actions. This will only make sense once you've dug into the book.)
This is a wonderfully fast-paced science-fiction story that isn't science fiction at all. And, by the end, you have fallen in love with Jared, er, Brad Smith.
My interview with Simon at The Downtown Writers Jam Podcast.
jomoone's review against another edition
4.0
What a funny and insightful book into human behaviour through the eyes of a bot! It’s both clever and smirk-worthy, and taking a step back to see the world through Jared’s eyes was both enlightening and humorous.
At first, I didn’t think this book would be for me. The “bot-written-style” through me off, but as I continued, I fell more in love with each page.
The nods to pop culture were refreshing, the original dismissiveness of Jared being like humans was brilliantly done. “Ha” and “I cannot” still tickle me even now.
A fun read, would recommend
At first, I didn’t think this book would be for me. The “bot-written-style” through me off, but as I continued, I fell more in love with each page.
The nods to pop culture were refreshing, the original dismissiveness of Jared being like humans was brilliantly done. “Ha” and “I cannot” still tickle me even now.
A fun read, would recommend
manu_ela's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
It is a beautiful read about appreciating all the experiences in our human lives that gives us a feeling of awe.
raeleechoins's review
4.0
“This was cute,” is probably not what the author was going for. It’s cathartic and emotional and a good book, but I don’t do emotions well. I’m sure people will like this, but not me.
sanmeow's review
emotional
medium-paced
3.0
set my heart to five is a novel that follows a bot called jared, who resembles a human, and has a job as a dentist. jared goes through a rollercoaster of emotions, literally, when he discovers that he has feelings. in his world, bots are programmed without emotion or empathy, and people generally aren't fans of bots.
he then decides to go on a journey of discovering all his emotions. his doctor helps him by giving him a feelings chart to aid him in naming what he's feeling.on his journey, jared falls in love with a woman, and she feels the same, but he's confused about how to go about it. so, he decides to go find his mom (the scientist who programmed him) to ask for advice.
something that immediately comes to my mind is how creative, quirky, and original this story is. i've truly never read anything with this concept before, so i was thoroughly entertained. i thought the exploration of human emotion was well done, and so was the analysis of how people treat those who experience emotions differently. i sometimes saw it as a metaphor for neurodivergence, though i don't know if that was the author's intention or not.
my only complaint is that i feel like this book would've worked better if it was shorter, i don't think it should've been 400 pages long. i understand jared is supposed to be repetitive due to how he's been programmed, but the repetition gets a bit irritating when it goes on that long. this story also didn't hit me in the feelings that hard, but that's just because i'm not the biggest fan of robots and ai in media. i still think it's cool that this author had me enjoying a robot story.
he then decides to go on a journey of discovering all his emotions. his doctor helps him by giving him a feelings chart to aid him in naming what he's feeling.
something that immediately comes to my mind is how creative, quirky, and original this story is. i've truly never read anything with this concept before, so i was thoroughly entertained. i thought the exploration of human emotion was well done, and so was the analysis of how people treat those who experience emotions differently. i sometimes saw it as a metaphor for neurodivergence, though i don't know if that was the author's intention or not.
my only complaint is that i feel like this book would've worked better if it was shorter, i don't think it should've been 400 pages long. i understand jared is supposed to be repetitive due to how he's been programmed, but the repetition gets a bit irritating when it goes on that long. this story also didn't hit me in the feelings that hard, but that's just because i'm not the biggest fan of robots and ai in media. i still think it's cool that this author had me enjoying a robot story.
dpj's review
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
4.5