I just finished this moments ago and am in a whirl of Oh My's. Holy twisted crumpled tales of love, hate, and robotics.  I LOVED IT. Mr. Kristoff, what was that ending ?  Oh you are good, cruel but deliciously good. This is why I read all your books, you challange my expectations. 
The beginning of the book was a slow start, the slang slowed me down. It was different enough that I couldn't flow through it. It was a short struggle, to maybe 15 % and I got it. The story never slows, never goes where you expect, it's an unknown path ahead in this book.

The story follows Eve, who as a young girl loses her everything in a violent event. She is a being raised by her grandfather, surrounded by her best friend, and robots.  Everything is going as well as it can till a reviled being is found in a crash wreckage. This is a world or radiation, gangs, androids, love and hard core everything. It had moments that reminded me of many moves and TV series. It was Thunderdome, Mad Max,  and Westworld. Speaking of Westworld, wait till you met The Preacher, and hold on when you do he's a...well you'll see.

Romance, it's there, unexpected in such a story but fits so well and twists the heartstrings in all the bleeding places. Rocky, filled with pain and sweetness, it's a hard one to walk away from when the book ended.  I was so invested in these characters I was left feeling gutted at the ending. Mr. Kristoff, leaves us hanging off the side of a thousand foot cliff lined with broken bones and scrap metal.

I received this book from the publisher for a non biased review.

I really wish I liked this one more than I did. The summary was intriguing and I usually like Kristoff’s work but here the characters just didn’t really connect with me too much. I’d be willing to give the second one to go to see if that improves and I did like some of the references along with the world building.

This book was pretty amazeballs. Such a delight to read. Great characters, snappy dialogue, and actions scenes up the ying yang.

In my opinion, the entire book could have merely consisted of conversations between Eve, LemonFresh, and Cricket and I would have been a happy camper. (Note for future books? Please give us MORE LEMONFRESH.)

This book offered such a truly unique version of the future. Each scene is full of indelible images--from blizhounds (cyborg dogs) to an entire city made of beached shipping vessels (the result of a tidal wave when California fell into the ocean.) There's also a hero who not only appears to be brave and beautiful (like most YA books), but also sports synthetic parts. (I kept thinking to myself, "If they ever made this into a movie, would Hollywood follow through and actually give their ingenue a cyborg eye?")

I found the discussions about AI/robots and other sentient beings fascinating and timely (young readers will have to contend with these very issues in the not so distant future). In particular the book wrestles with one central question: "What does it mean to love?" Can love be programmed, or does it only occur naturally? Could it be transferred from a person to a replica of that person?" These questions really elevated this book from typical YA fare.

I have only two small quibbles, neither of which marred my enjoyment of the book that much. First, I didn't love the way it ended (but that's about my personal preferences, not the writing.) Also, I get that this is YA and our hero is a teen girl, but the constant descriptions of Zeke's manly beauty got a little old. (We get it, he has amazing olive skin and brilliant blue eyes.) I'm sure this mooning over the cute boy passages won't bother the target audience for this book. It just didn't appeal to me.

Thanks to the author and NetGalley for granting me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

5+ Out Of 5 "just what I needed" STARS

I loved this!!! Thank you, to whoever decided I was worthy of an ARC of this. I seriously wondered if I would like something by Jay Kristoff without Amie Kaufman involved…but, I totally did.

I was thrown off by the dialogue, for the first few chapters, which I would say is somewhere between Dust Lands Series and the Illuminae Files. The world in this is fantastic, fleshed out perfectly, with just the right amount of world building. The pacing is intense. The action is top-notch, non-stop and depicted in a way that's easily followed. The characters are possibly my new favorites. The twists at the end were unexpected and I can't wait for book #2. Oh, and I'm for sure doing a re-read/listen on Audio of this before that second book comes out.

๏๏๏๏๏๏๏๏๏๏๏๏๏๏๏๏๏๏๏๏๏๏๏๏๏๏๏
~MY RATING~
☆5+☆STARS - GRADE=A+
๏๏๏๏๏๏๏๏๏๏๏๏๏๏๏๏๏๏๏๏๏๏๏๏๏๏๏

~~~~~~~~~~~~~๏~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~BREAKDOWN OF RATINGS~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~๏~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Plot~ 5/5
Main Characters~ 5+/5
Secondary Characters~ 5+/5
The Feels~ 5/5
Pacing~ 5/5
Addictiveness~ 5/5
Theme or Tone~ 5/5
Flow (Writing Style)~ 4.3/5
Backdrop (World Building)~ 5+/5
Originality~ 5/5
Ending~ 5/5 Cliffhanger~ Yes…a "to be continued"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~๏~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Book Cover~ Awesome
Publisher~ Random House Children's, Knopf Books for Young Readers
Series~ Lifelike #1
Setting~ Yousay (California)
Source~ I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~๏~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Eve lives on the fringe with her inventor Grandfather. To makes ends meet, she participates in what is basically robot fights. She has her friends, human and android, and life is ... well not predictable, but one without a lot of intrigue. That is, until she crossed paths with a Lifelike, androids based on humans. She soon discovers her life (and past) is not what she thought it was.

There is absolutely no reason why I shouldn't love this book. I adore androids and the implications of building them built on human prototypes. And there are really fun steampunk elements too! I just didn't feel that connected to Eve. And when I don't feel a connection, books automatically lose a star.

For me, the futuristic jargon also took me out of the book. I spent a lot of time, especially during the first few chapters, saying "What does that mean?" and then trying to figure it out. It didn't make for a seamless reading experience, unfortunately.

That said, I am interested to see what will happen to Eve and her motley crew of friends.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.

What’s better than a semi post-apocalyptic dystopian future controlled by city-state corporations and gladiatorial robot fights? I don’t know you tell me, because I can’t think of much—at least as long as we’re talking about a fictional world.

This book has so many excellent things going for it. Really exceptional and well-developed worldbuilding. I’m always a sucker for world-specific dialects and slang and this book has a lot of it, true ‘cert. The categories of different kind of machinery and robots was really fascinating, and several of the robots were my favorite characters. All of the characters were really great, actually. Strong, interesting personalities and complex characterizations.

I’m always here for a good found family story and this book has a really excellent one. Some families are an old scientist, two teenage orphans, a tiny robot, and a cyborg dog—deal with it. I also loved the futuristic Anastasia Romanov-inspired storyline (but can’t go too much into that without spoilers) as well as the star-crossed love story. The love story reminded me a little bit of aspects of Daughter of Smoke and Bone, in the best way (but, again, can’t say much about that because spoilers).

It also deals with some interesting questions of where / how to draw the line between human and machine. When you’re dealing with artificial intelligence, with constructs that can feel and experience pain, can they really be differentiated that much from humans? Or, perhaps more aptly, should they really be controlled and treated as second class citizens? That idea—and particularly how that plays out with Asimov’s laws of robotics—is a pretty important element throughout the book.

Overall, just really, really excellent sci-fi. Honestly the only part that brought the rating down a bit for me was the ending. Without giving any spoilers, all I will say is that while I really liked the twist (and most of the ending), I felt that it was handled a bit abruptly and the fallout of it didn’t completely feel in-character because of that. I think it’s one of those situations where if we’d been given a little bit longer to understand the characters motivations, it probably would’ve felt a bit more settled. It is the first book in a series, though, so I’m not too upset about it—yet. We’ll just have to wait and see where the rest of the series goes. But believe you me, I am all in for this series and excited to see just where Kristoff takes us next.

Whoa. What. A. Ride. I might be vaguely creeped out by androids forever, but WORTH IT because THIS BOOK you guys. It’s EPIC. That’s about all I’ve got right now, because my brain almost exploded. So. Freaking. Good. Go read this book!!!! Now I need a Cricket. ❤️

Just color me awestruck! Jay Kristoff’s LIFEL1K3 (LIFELIKE) tells an incredible story of life in a devastated, post-apocalyptic world that borders on a living Hell. Strap yourselves in tight, this journey is a gut-clenching and jarring trip into a world where robotics are LIFELIKE and one girl becomes entangled in her past, present and an unknown future. Who is Eve? What makes her different from those around her? Why does she remember a past where she was called Anna?

Her life is sent into a whirlwind of turmoil the moment she found Ezekiel, an android boy and her ragtag group braves the horrors of the remnants of civilization that saw fit to exterminate itself.
Prepare yourself for the chaos and trials that lay ahead, you have been warned, you may find it difficult to learn that there is more humanity in technology than in the humans that remain.

This is my first foray into the writing and world of Jay Kristoff, (and I admit, it took a few pages to get my balance), but I promise you, it won’t be my last. Intense, vivid scenes barrel across each page as these characters’ actions, interactions and reactions come alive in messy, emotional and unpredictable ways. Expect the unexpected, you will believe the unbelievable!

Fabulously frantic reading!

I received a complimentary ARC edition from Knopf Books for Young Readers!

Series: Lifelike - Book 1
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (May 29, 2018)
Publication Date: May 29, 2018
Genre: YA Scifi | Dystopian
Print Length: 416 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews, Giveaways, Fabulous Book News: http://tometender.blogspot.com

YOUR MIND IS NOT YOUR OWN.
YOUR BODY IS NOT YOUR OWN.
YOUR LIFE IS NOT YOUR OWN.

So I've been a fan of Kristoff's ever since I read Nevernight. And thank you to publishers for again providing me with a copy to read and review before publication.

Honestly, almost the whole time I was reading this book, I thought it was going to be three-star read at most. Because everything seemed pretty standard and by the books. But then the last 25% or so came along and just changed the game. And I, for one, am here for it!

This book has a little bit of everything, friendship, romance, action, adventure and heartbreaking betrayals. It keeps you guessing until the very end. It hooks you, and it's nearly impossible not to wonder how this all ends.

Everything about LIFELIKE’s synopsis just called to me. I love the sound of a girl with a mysterious past and the ethical struggles of artificial intelligence and androids. I think this struggle is very related to today as well, especially as the robotics industry is advancing every day. Kristoff explores these concepts through the rough roads of a land ravaged by both natural and artificially-made disasters. Told from the main perspective of Eve, LIFELIKE follows her journey to save her grandfather and, in doing so, also discover the truths of her past.

“Grandpa said it’s always better to be shot at for who you are than hugged for who you aren’t. Most days in Dregs, someone was bound to be shooting at you, anyway.”

The book starts with action, as Eve almost dies fighting a robot gladiator. Instead of getting crushed by it, however, she fritzes it with her mind, making her the target of a religious sect that calls this kind of power an “abomination.” Along the way, she and her ragtag team also picks up a Lifelike - an android who is extremely close to being a human. His name is Ezekiel and her and her team doesn’t really trust him until he saves them quite a few times.

Along for the ride is Lemon Fresh, a younger teen who became Eve’s best friend but whose past is unknown, and Cricket, a small (but don’t call him little) sentient robot that was programmed by Eve’s grandfather to protect her. Eve’s adventure takes her to dangerous, radioactive wastelands, and dusty roads with sharp tornadoes that could cut you up. The comparison to the atmosphere in MAD MAX is pretty fair! I think Kristoff wrote a very intense dystopia that really comes off the pages.

There’s a bit of an ANASTASIA storyline weaved into everything, and overall it made for a very fun and emotional journey. Something about Kristoff’s writing came off as a bit dramatic for this lighter sci-fi, but I think it just added to the storyline. I wasn’t quite surprised by the “twists” happening, but appreciated them nonetheless to keep the plot exciting. And it really was! I think sci-fi readers will really like where Kristoff is heading with the next book. (There is a slight cliffhanger.)

“It was okay to be afraid.
You just couldn’t let that fear stop you.”

There was a light romance in LIFELIKE that I appreciated, but wasn’t 100% on board with. The romance is the relationship between Ezekiel and Eve, and I thought that it came on rather quickly and built on a loose foundation. Nevertheless, the romance became a large part of the bigger overall plot and that’s all I can really elaborate on it. I guess, just don’t come in with high expectations for the romance in mind.

“‘It’s your flaws that make you beautiful, [redacted]. It’s the imperfections that make you perfect. Being what I am, I can’t help but see them. Or love them.’”

Overall, LIFELIKE was super fun and a science fiction YA book I would recommend to readers! I particularly enjoyed the ending, and the exploration of what makes a human, well, human. Especially since there are Lifelikes out there that feel as much emotions as a human would - or more. Readers get ready for a non-stop adventure where pasts get revisited, loyalties get tested, and the definition of a “human” gets rewritten. I for one am ready for the next book!

Content Warning: heavy violence, blood/gore, abuse

Thank you Netgalley and Knopf Books for Young Readers for the review copy!

JAY KRISTOFF HAS DONE IT AGAIN, EVERYONE. Lifel1k3 is full of twists and turns that will make you gasps in awe every time! This post-apocalyptic dystopian is a unique thing in its own genre. For one, and this factor might bother people, there is an evolution of language present in Lifel1k3. We are so used to old/ancient/medieval languages being used but it's rare to see what the future might be. I won't be detailing the plot and characters so as not to spoil anything but they are worth your time! And you'd be cheering them on! This includes cyborg dogs and logikas so really get your heart ready for this adventure.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review. This book was a fast paced thrill ride from start to finish<br /> We meet Eve who lives with her Grandpa Silas and is fighting machina to try to raise money for his medicine. The world is a wasteland full of radiation and trash so there are scavengers who fight each other for anything worth money. Lemon Fresh is Eves best friend and gets pulled along for the ride. One day during one of Eves fights something unexpected happens and the brotherhood comes to kill her. The story was full of twists and turns and I didn't see the ending!

Well, I certainly wasn’t expecting all of that. I had some good guesses but even my guesses hadn’t taken into consideration other clues that were dropped.
Set in a dystopic future America the world is built off the back of servant robots and like any good story addressing the idea of robots designed to take care of humans well, eventually humans overreach themselves and the robots have enough.
Eve is raised by her grandfather, living with her best friend Lemon Fresh, robot dog Kaiser, and bot minder Cricket living on the edge of society but scraping by. One day she and Lemon come across an android, a lifelike, named for how closely they resemble humans, Ezekiel and what started as a bad day continues to go downhill as Eve starts to question just who exactly she is and just how much she knows (answer, not much, not much at all.) Next thing she knows, Eve finds herself returning to the place where the worst day of her life took place and finds more truths than she knows to handle.
The book moves fast, it’s written in a way that keeps dragging you along, heading to the secrets being kept and the answers you’re unsure you want.
Ultimately the book is about identity (again, as books about robots tend to be) and also love. The love Eve has for her family, her best friend, the robots created to protect her and the love she has for Ezekiel. It’s a great story, a fast read, and with that ending? I really need the next book fast, please and thanks.

[did not finish]

it is with a heavy heart that I announce that I just don't care about this, at all. it's a fun read and quite fast-paced, but I am not invested in any of the characters, the romance is straight-up boring [instalove, and not enough character development to remain believable], the whole forced-slang thing is getting on my nerves, both of the plot twists so far have been incredibly obvious, and it just overall feels very lightweight? I think if I weren't in a slump, I would've finished and three-starred. but this kind of lightness is not what i need in my current state.

full thoughts to come on goodreads and blog.

An interesting futuristic android tale. The 'What makes us human' question has been posed often enough, however, to not ring as something fresh and innovative. I liked the characters and the story, though.

It took me a little while to really get into this book, but once I connected with the characters, I was hooked and didn't want to put it down.  I'm always a bit slow with sci fi and fantasy, so this wasn't surprising to me.  The story actually starts off pretty exciting.



There is so much to love about this book and there are twists that I can't giveaway.



Eve lives with her grandpa, Silas.  Her whole family was killed by the lifelikes that her dad created.  Lifelikes are artificial humans that look so much like a person that you probably wouldn't know they weren't.  Eve really doesn't remember much about her life previous to the past two years.  She was shot and almost died, but Silas implanted her with a memory chip.  There are still a lot of blanks.  She starts remembering things, but she is called Ana in the memories, but that is not her name...



Lemon Fresh is Eve's best friend and my favorite person in the book.  She is snarky and sarcastic, but super loyal.  She and Eve are so close and stick together through everything.

"Stronger together, together forever."



There are different types of robots including Eve's dog, Kaiser, and her protector, Cricket.  They live in the Dregs, which used to be Kalifornya before the last great war.  The war destroyed so much of the land.



Eve and her crew find a lifelike and bring it back.  They thought he was dead, but when he came to, he started calling Eve Ana and knew her very well.  Eve started to remember some of her past life, including falling in love with Zeke, this lifelike.  He was everything to her before her family was killed.   But she still has trouble trusting him.



Another lifelike shows up and takes Silas.  Eve and Lemon decide that they need to go rescue him and they both find out secrets about each other.



As usual, Jay likes to totally break his readers.  There are deaths and betrayals, plus some pretty big twists that I can't share.  All I can say is that it ended in a way that makes me want book two right now.



I gave this book 5 stars.  Thank you to netgalley for giving me the chance to read it early.  I also pre-ordered a finished copy and I'm looking forward to adding it to my collection.

My head is still spinning from all the revelations and twists in the last part of this book - like being put in a blender and turned on puree.

Think a big dose of Mad Max setting, a splash of Pacific Rim robots, and an overwhelming hint of Russia's royal Romanov family, and you'll have the feel of this book.  From the first page, the world is dark, gritty, dangerous, and heartbreaking, and the pace is seriously mind-blowing.  Eve may be the protagonist of this story, but Lemon Fresh steals nearly every scene and deserves a spin-off of her own, in my opinion.  The supporting cast is one of the strongest I've read.  

The romance is sweet and powerful, but not a heavy presence, and for that I'm grateful.  But, and this is just a personal peeve, if I had to read 'little logika' one more time, I probably would have smacked the closest person. 

If you're a YA sci-fi fan, I can't stress enough how much you need this book.  One of the best I've read in this genre.  

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC.

In typical Jay Kristoff fashion, LIFEL1K3 delivered one hell of ride. It took me a while to put into words how blown away I felt by this book without rambling incoherently. Set in a post-apocalyptic America, the blurb's description of "Romeo and Juliet meets Bladerunner meets Mad Max" is absolutely accurate. LIFEL1K3 is an action-packed story featuring amazing characters, secrets and lies, betrayals, romance, and a whole bunch of plot twists.

This book has such a fun cast of characters! Besides a sassy sidekick named Cricket and Kaiser, a lovable cyborg-dog, there's also Lemon Fresh, Eve's best friend. I loved her wittisms and jokes, and her friendship with Eve is so amazing. The only complaint I had was that while I liked her as a character, I really could have gone without her POV. Then there's Ezekiel, the Lifelike Eve and Lemon Fresh stumbleupon. I may or may not be slightly in love with that loyal, sweet cinnamon roll of an android. Jay Kristoff forewarned us of a doomed romance, and yet I couldn't stop myself from becoming emotionally involved. I'm still upset about that ending and I think it's pretty rude of him to pull that kind of stunt with no regard for my emotional wellbeing. 

One of the best parts about LIFEL1K3, besides the non-stop action, is that the book constantly keeps you guessing from all the twists and reveals. I really should have seen it coming because of who the author is, but that last revelation just about damn near killed me. I went through all five stages of grief with that twist and the cliffhanger. This was such a fun and entertaining read and I have no idea how I'll make it until the sequel!

This book was everything I was hoping it would be. As I love Jay and everything he touches, I just had to read this. I could not put it down! The mystery surrounding Eve (Ana) and was happened to her in the past hooked me in. Never-mind the side players, Lemon, Cricket and Zeke. I loved all of them. Seeing as it's early and I am currently typing with one hand (arm injury to the left one) I will write out a full review when I can. Just know that even though I have already read this title, I pre-ordered it and told all of my bookie friends. Thank you again.

Lifelike is a crazy, Mad Max style story with androids, robots, and lots and lots of secrets. I’m still trying to figure out exactly where I stand with this book. For the most part, I really enjoyed it. It’s super fast paced and action packed and I liked it a lot. Lemon might be one of my favorite characters and I loved her friendships and relationships with the other main characters. And there are so many twists that did take me by surprise, though I’m not usually the person who guesses twists correctly anyway. But while I like the twists, the way some of the characters reacted to those twists made me like them less. I have a hard time enjoying a story if I can’t like the main character and there was just something about Eve that didn’t quite work for me. I didn’t expect to feel so conflicted about this book because of how much I was liking it for the first 75% or so but I think it’s just me and my personal preferences not quite clicking with the choices made near the end.