Loved reading this! I wasn't sure what to expect, but this book is so much more than I first thought! So good!

I didn't find the writing particularly riveting, but Rebecca's narrative as a whole was relateable and believable.

I expected a lot more science fiction and not this kind of love drama that went on through the whole book. Becca isn't really sympathic and has too much feelings and yeah... nothing really happens but her inner monologues carry on for several pages...
So yes, quite a disappointing read!

3.5 Stars
This was the most science-y sci-fi novel I've ever listened to or read. I thought I was getting a fast-paced action about robots and a government conspiracy theory...which I did. But oh the science. When it comes to science, I'm a lot like Penny from The Big Bang Theory.

There were a few parts of the book where the author just dumps a lot of scientific terminology and theories on you. I had a hard time keeping up. I got to the point where I just listened and trusted the author to explain whatever part I was listening to in simpler terms later on in the novel.

Science aside, the plot did keep my attention enough for me to finish the book. The beginning was a little slow, but about 25% in, the plot picked up. I kind of zoned out when Becca would obsess over Andy. She had this extremely wealthy, good looking, smart guy who is interested in here right in front of her face and yet she insists on mooning over a skinny college student who doesn't really show any interest in her life at all. It was frustrating.

I must give credit to the author. There was a part of the story that I did not see coming and it definitely made me write down book 2 on my Books to Watch Out For list. The ending was a bit abrupt and I was left with several questions. Another reason book 2 is on that list. I kind of saw the cliffhanger coming but it definitely was a good addition to the story, in my opinion. There was zero romance in this book. Yes there were obvious hints that Liam was interested in Becca, but otherwise, nada. It was kind of refreshing actually. If you enjoy movies like Eagle Eye and iRobot, then I recommend you give Uncanny Valley a go.

-- I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for a honest review. --

I'm torn about this book. It is a gripping tale telling of a chilling future in which robots could be poised to take over the world and research into giving bots emotion and free will is highly encouraged. This is a story about propaganda, realizing deception and resistance, and ends on a very unexpected cliffhanger.
But it is also full of clichés and superficial characters, and much of the rest is rather predictable. I was especially frustrated by the main character, who was just perfect at everything but at the same time frustratingly inept to put two and two together. As an academic I also found it frustrating that she was able to supposedly do groundbreaking research as a BACHELOR student and being given quite a bit of responsibility in that environment, while also having a social life, theatrical success, and other hobbies. (Not a spoiler, as this becomes clear during exposition)

This book is set in the future where due to "bots" filling many job rolls humans are able to relax and enjoy life. However that is not the reality people with no purpose become angry and resent the bots filling in for them. This story follows Rebecca's journey for university student to member of the renegades trying to stop advancement of bots and trying to discover the truth about what happened to her father (also a renegade member).

I struggled for the longest time to really fall into the story Rebecca is just such a difficult character to root for. And although I thought the story was good the pacing seemed to drag. Ultimately I fell in and then the story took off tons of twists and turns and shocking plot twists. Rebecca became a full character and I wanted to see her through to the end. I am really looking forward to the next book and recommend this to anyone that enjoys futuristic set books, filled with suspense and mystery.

I rarely encounter a book I can't finish. I got about halfway through before deciding to DNF it. Nothing against the author, The writing was on point. I just couldn't get into the story itself. Not everything is for everyone. I am positive there are others who enjoyed this book very much.

As a sceptical reader of futuristic novels I found the technical explanations helped to make this more plausible. Although the developing relationship between the two main characters seemed inevitable it strengthened the storyline and gave this book a feel-good factor. I would recommend this as a believable plot and easy read.

A dystopian future where robots have replaced a large portion of workers, there are no countries and those in charge aim to give robots more human-like emotions. We follow Rebecca, a college student studying brain chemistry , who gets drawn into a counter revolutionary group, the Renegades. What follows is a fun romp interspersed with interesting thoughts on morality. I found Rebecca super naive and irritating at times With what she had lived through and her level of education, she comes off as pretty fumb, though she is supposedly smart. Overall, I tolerated her because I enjoyed the story as a whole. Set up for book 2, so only minor issues wrapped up. I enjoyed it enjoy to plan on reading the follow-up to see what happens next.

A Girl and Her Bot

This book tries to do and to be a lot of things, but I came to suspect that many of its best moments were unintended and ancillary to the main plot thread. That's not necessarily a criticism.

On its face this is a pretty standard tale. Robots have advanced to the point that they support and maintain the economy, provide basic services, and indeed have come to dominate more advanced fields, (medicine and so on). Utopia, right? Well, maybe. On the one hand are those who believe that robots will continue to lead the way to a world of peace and plenty. Others, (the underground Renegades), fear that robots that are focused solely on their "primary goals and functions" will eventually get to the point that they conclude that humans are irrelevant, or even obstacles. This is all very Asimov and the Three Rules of Robotics.

The action starts when the world Republic leader announces the goal of mastering "synthetic creativity" in robots. Again, will this be good or bad? We get into free will, art, emotions, morality, and all of those issues that Lt. Commander Data struggled with in the Star Trek series. This part of the book is written with some rigor, and the discussions are interesting. Gray, (who is a Naturopathic Medical Doctor), seems to favor a chemical basis as an integral part of emotion, which adds an interesting angle.

Anyway, you can sort of see where this is going. We have the Renegades versus the world leaders. Things start to get violent. There is a budding romance between our heroine, Rebecca, and her hot conspiracy theorist boss, Liam. Rebecca has a backstory that includes her dead Dad's heavy involvement in the Renegades. How and why did he die? What's the deal with Mom?

All of this is handled pretty smoothly, although the romance seemed a bit tennagey. Indeed, to the extent that this feels like an introduction to robot dystopia sci-fi, and given the crushy parts of the romance, this struck me as mostly along the lines of an early YA sci-fi/conspiracy/dystopia sort of story.

Anyway, here's the best part, at least to me. Rebecca's best friend is a companion bot she's had since she was a young teen and her Dad died. As part of the unfolding of the story, and as part of the examination of free will and emotion and emotional attachment, Rebecca has to parse out how you can have a robot "friend" if that robot has been hard programmed to really like you a lot, no matter what. That is, if the robot has no choice but to like you and be your friend. There are scenes that consist solely of Rebecca talking to her bot about the bot's programming and free will, and these scenes are remarkably insightful and touching. Indeed, the bot, (Madeline), seems at some level to understand her own emotional limitations and the conversations are bitter-sweet and somewhat melancholy. To me this part of the book, much more than the romance, conspiracies, action, and so on, is what elevated it beyond the usual.

So, if you like robots, robot issues, a bit of conspiracy, a touch of action, a hunky guy romance, and heart-to-heart conversations with your companion bot, this is a nice choice.

(Please note that I received a free ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)