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A review by me_alley
Made for You by Jenna Satterthwaite
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
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? Yes
5.0
Julia is a synth- a humanoid manmade woman. She is the third of her kind, the other two twins being celebrities purchased by men in silicon valley. They cost $300 million each. They can feel pain, even give birth (through implanted human eggs), have feelings, learn, and age. Julis was specifically created to fall in love with Josh, the current bachelor, giving out roses on that hit show The Bachelor, The Proposal. All of the other contestants are women, and we can assume the show is very typical. This guy is a sales manager from Indianapolis. Julia wins the competition, gets the rings and the man, they get married and have a daughter. Then the walls start to crack.
The book goes back and forth between current time (Josh is missing) and "then" (The season of The Proposal). We get to know Julia, the creator at the automation company that made her (Andy), her best friend Cam from the show. Then we accompany Julia as she is charged and tries to uncover the truth of what happened to Josh on his business trip.
ABSOLUTE MASTERPIECE. This is a true sci fi mystery. There are layers here about toxic masculinity, gaslighting and abuse, the ethics of technology, how women alter themselves in order to be acceptable to men. It explores greater themes while being extremely readable.
Another great book I can compare this to is 2024's Annie Bot. This universe is different in that A. No smut in this one. B. Julia and the Synths are WAY more human than Annie and the bots in that book. C. There are bots in this book, an "early generation" of what the synths become. It is nearly impossible to tell the difference between Julia and an inexperienced beautiful girl. Her inner dialogue is so rich, in this particular world you would have no way to tell the difference. Also, the "feeling pain" thing makes it easy to ethically side with the idea that they are people. If I am believing the science in the book, they really are people, in the same way that people conceived by IVF are "people".
One thing Annie Bot and Made for you have in common, is that the Synth/Bot element is used in a manner to expose gaslighting, toxic masculinity, abusive relationships. The "moral" of the story is practically identical in both cases, but this is a mystery while Annie Bot is more pure sci-fi, heavier on the sci.
It truly makes me think... why is a story about a synthetic female being created for men's use and pleasure SUCH a strong vehicle to expose the dangers of patriarchy. I don't think that is an accident. If I have any criticisms of these books, I wish that the men in them had SOME redeeming qualities. They are both pretty clear-cut bad and shitty dudes. Abusive types always have so much charm, charisma, even caring. But the foil character in both of these cases are one-dimensional characters, the kind you easily root against.
Overall, this is a huge page turner. LOVED this story and theme exploration.
The book goes back and forth between current time (Josh is missing) and "then" (The season of The Proposal). We get to know Julia, the creator at the automation company that made her (Andy), her best friend Cam from the show. Then we accompany Julia as she is charged and tries to uncover the truth of what happened to Josh on his business trip.
ABSOLUTE MASTERPIECE. This is a true sci fi mystery. There are layers here about toxic masculinity, gaslighting and abuse, the ethics of technology, how women alter themselves in order to be acceptable to men. It explores greater themes while being extremely readable.
Another great book I can compare this to is 2024's Annie Bot. This universe is different in that A. No smut in this one. B. Julia and the Synths are WAY more human than Annie and the bots in that book. C. There are bots in this book, an "early generation" of what the synths become. It is nearly impossible to tell the difference between Julia and an inexperienced beautiful girl. Her inner dialogue is so rich, in this particular world you would have no way to tell the difference. Also, the "feeling pain" thing makes it easy to ethically side with the idea that they are people. If I am believing the science in the book, they really are people, in the same way that people conceived by IVF are "people".
One thing Annie Bot and Made for you have in common, is that the Synth/Bot element is used in a manner to expose gaslighting, toxic masculinity, abusive relationships. The "moral" of the story is practically identical in both cases, but this is a mystery while Annie Bot is more pure sci-fi, heavier on the sci.
It truly makes me think... why is a story about a synthetic female being created for men's use and pleasure SUCH a strong vehicle to expose the dangers of patriarchy. I don't think that is an accident. If I have any criticisms of these books, I wish that the men in them had SOME redeeming qualities. They are both pretty clear-cut bad and shitty dudes. Abusive types always have so much charm, charisma, even caring. But the foil character in both of these cases are one-dimensional characters, the kind you easily root against.
Overall, this is a huge page turner. LOVED this story and theme exploration.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Suicide, and Gaslighting