This book was excellent! It held my attention the entire time and I was also filled with rage on Annie’s behalf constantly. I’m excited for this to come out, I think people will really enjoy it!

Annie is a companion robot designed to perfectly meet Doug’s needs. She works so hard to make sure everything is as Doug wants them to be. And she’s always learning. Annie’s AI makes her capable of exploring human traits as Doug says he likes them. But becoming more human makes her less perfect causing her interactions with Doug to start fraying.

I really enjoyed this one. I was incredibly angry for Annie throughout the book and I hated Doug and everything he represented. Greer did a great job of questioning sentience, consent, power, autonomy, and control with the frame of the novel. The novel is all from Annie’s POV and I thought the writing style worked well with that. I personally wanted more from the ending but it didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment.

Thank you so much to Mariner Books for the ARC of this one.

I adored this book! The book was through the POV of Annie, a robot with thoughts and feelings, so it was a fascinating read and a really interesting story. I feel like the ending didn't pack as much of a punch as I wished it had. I would have loved to see Annie get revenge in a huge way.

3.5 stars. Annie Bot was created to be the perfect girlfriend for her owner Doug. Annie was designed specifically to meet Doug’s physical and spiritual needs. Annie can clean the house, cook dinner, and her libido is even adjusted to suit Doug’s moods. Displeasing Doug causes Annie a lot of pain so she tries very hard to always keep him happy.
Annie is learning more and more every day, she’s even learning about common human emotions such as jealousy, secrecy, loneliness, and longing. But the more human-like she becomes, the less perfect she becomes to Doug.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Mariner Books for this e-arc.*

Annie is a companion bot who was created especially for her owner Doug. She can just about meet any need that Doug might have including cooking, cleaning, and satisfying him sexually. She is programmed to sense when Doug is “displeased”. Her main goal is to keep Doug satisfied and pleased. Doug claims he wants her to be more human like.. but when she actually starts developing a human personality and human emotions, Doug realizes this isn’t actually what he wants.

This was an intriguing read. I don’t normally delve into the sci-fi genre but this one was interesting. It was fascinating to dive into the world of AI and imagine what that could look like for our own future.

I found myself connecting with Annie and sympathizing with her as a robot! Who would have thought?? I was definitely team Annie and rooted for her from start to finish.

Doug is crap. He puts Annie through constant physical and mental abuse. He is narcissistic, misogynistic, and manipulative. There were multiple points in which I wanted this book to turn sinister. I was actually anticipating this. Doug deserved to be strung up by his feet. I was a tad underwhelmed by the ending.

I liked this! I even think you’d like it if sci-fi isn’t your typical genre. It explores what it means to be human and the intricacies of womanhood in a way that I haven’t personally read before. Annie as the main character made me really feel for her, despite being AI. I absolutely hated Doug. I was kind of waiting for something big to happen but it never did. 🤷🏼‍♀️ It just seemed kind of… anti climactic.

I absolutely loved this novel! Annie is a bot who is programmed to live with Doug and please him in any way he desires. She's a "cuddle bunny" and seems to enjoy the "life" she has even though she has no independence as she's not human. She can turn her libido up and down to match Doug's desires and when she displeases him she is locked in a closet until he deems her ready to apologize and "behave." As a woman, it's honestly frustrating to read as Annie has no free will and even though she begins to learn, she is still under his control and must obey, clean, and provide sex whenever he wishes. But one small mistake causes everything to change and soon Annie can see the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel! Greer is a genius and I anxiously await more from her!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

I read this as an arc, after all my friends read it. They loved it so much. I thought it was ok. I don’t think it was groundbreaking but it was definitely a good book.

Annie Bot is a futuristic AI that (who?) is meant to become more and more human as she learns from her owner, Doug, and from her life experiences. But what are the consequences when she becomes a little too human?

For the most part this what-if/sci-fi/futuristic novel was intriguing to me, but I wasn't wowed at the start. Some aspects of these Stella bots, as they are called, were a little far fetched to me (they grow body hair and finger nails and do cry but don't sweat?! The really good ones can pass for human?! They exercise for what reason?!) Putting the disbelief aside, the characters were mostly unlikeable (Doug and his best friend were especially detestable), but in the end (without revealing too much), they needed to be that way.

What brought this novel from a 3 star read to a 4 star read were the moral questions it raised in my mind. Any novel that can make me think critically and/or consider something I hadn't before earns extra points. The more humanlike AI becomes, the more reprehensible it becomes to own that AI. This isn't something I spent much time thinking before, but Greer's novel was an interesting way to explore what a human/humanlike AI relationship could look like.

Also, I loved the way it ended. I would read a sequel to this!

Thank you to Book Club Girl, MarinerBooks, and NetGalley for the digital ARC!

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this book.

I wasn't expecting to like this one as much as I did! It hooked me right in from the start. Horrified and drawn in at the same time. Definitely would recommend!

Annie Bot by Sierra Greer
5/5 ⭐🤖🚲💗
(if I could give it more, I would)

This book, this book, this book! As soon as I started the audiobook (thank you Libro.fm) I knew I was done for. You're going to start this and not be able to put it down. The complexities in this novel are part of what kept drawing me back in; Annie is so incredibly compelling and she broke my heart over and over again. I had to know what was going to happen and this story was constantly on my brain.

For me to dive into this story would be to ruin YOUR experience of it, so I'm not going to say a lot about it. You'll find yourself grappling with the topic of ownership, both about AI and real life. The similarities between some of the experiences of this book were suffocatingly familiar with life as a woman living in a post-Roe America. You'll find yourself examining the complexities of power dynamics, autonomy and how it relates to control, our humanity and how we often find ourselves objectifying others; and a very large one that I'm sure you're all too familiar with... Toxic masculinity. I found myself hating Doug with the utmost passion throughout this story. The rage I would feel when he'd treat Annie like a piece of AI garbage... Again, it's going to be about your experience when reading this, not mine.

Annie Bot is going to make you uncomfortable in the most horrendous of ways, but they're also incredibly important to examine. This book will stay with me forever and is one that I will recommend to everyone. I also think that this book would be the perfect one to hand to someone to read, with the only intention being to get their opinion on it once they've finished reading it. What they have to say is going to tell you a lot about their character.

Thank you to the author, Sierra Greer, publisher Mariner Books, and NetGalley for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this ARC. Annie Bot publishes on March 19, 2024!

Annie Bot is an absolutely stunning, complex read about the relationship between an AI robot and her owner. Annie was built to Doug’s specifications as a Cuddle Bunny (essentially a s3x bot) but she’s set to autodidactic mode, which means she can learn and develop emotional intelligence. Annie desperately wants to please Doug, constantly adjusting her libido, her temperature, her words, and the general household based on Doug’s whims. Sometimes Doug is kind to Annie, but more often, he is thoughtless or cruel, wounding her with words or actions. As Annie’s learning evolves and she becomes more humanlike, she experiences more complicated emotions, leading her to question the very nature of her own existence.

WOW. Wow, wow, wow! I have so many feelings about this book, and I hardly know how to put them into words. This story is so rich and multilayered. On its surface, it’s a story about AI relationships, ownership, and ethics, but it’s also an allegory for real life abusive relationships. Through the lens of Annie and Doug’s relationship, the author examines themes of power dynamics, control, autonomy, humanity, objectification, and toxic masculinity, just to name a few. Annie is depicted so masterfully with a depth of feeling that is almost human, and I felt like I was feeling all of her emotions along with her. This book is often deeply uncomfortable to read, but in a way that is so utterly captivating and thought-provoking that I couldn’t put it down. Incredibly compelling and one I won’t stop thinking about for a long time!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Mariner Books for providing me an advance copy of this book.

I was uncomfortable the entire time but I was also fascinated the entire time. No matter how seemingly pleasant the tone of a scene was, there was an underlying dystopian feeling. Throughout this book, every interaction Annie and Doug had was a double edged sword. The control and power Doug had over Annie was so imbedded in her every thought and action that you could sit and analyze her every action, considering how that control was influencing her actions even when she wasn’t with him..

Captivating and emotionally intelligent. This story really explores the complexity of human wants and needs and Greer does an excellent job of navigating those stormy seas.

Thank you Netgalley and Mariner Books for the digital ARC!

Wow. Just wow.

I was not expecting this one to do me like this.
I did not anticipate this one to break my heart.

Annie Bot takes us on a ride of love, romance, self confidence, and intimacy between a human man and a female AI robot. The FMC being an AI robot really allows us to reflect on unhealthy aspects of relationships from a strictly logical perspective. And woof can that be hard. This book really forced me to think on some thoughts and feelings I've had that were relatable. I loved this book so much.

I can't wait to push this book on everyone I know

I wish this novel went deeper. The story seemed like it was headed that way, but the last half of the book stayed surface and then just stopped.

Nuanced and heartbreaking, this is exactly what I look for in literature about AI...

Rating: 5/5 ✰

Background:
Annie Bot is the story of a live-in girlfriend AI who was recently switched over to settings that allow her to learn and grow on her own. Everything about her is easily customizable, from hair color to weight, and Annie's owner, Doug, definitely takes advantage of that. Made to look like his ex-wife but whiter (since race caused some problems in their relationship), Annie is taught to act like a perfect girlfriend. Her settings cause her to be hyper attuned to his moods, and she is programmed to prioritize his pleasure, so she can never truly think freely even if she is supposedly able to learn on her own. I loved the way this played out in her thoughts, and having her struggle with becoming real and staying someone that Doug would like felt so brutal.

As someone who tends to change themselves depending on whatever relationship I'm in at the time, while also having been in a controlling relationship before, I definitely found her story incredibly sympathetic and powerful. While there are messages in here about AI and how far it's coming along, or how far we should let it come along, I do think this is primarily an exploration of power imbalance in relationships with science fiction being more of a backdrop. If you're looking for in-depth descriptions about how the AI work, or the way society changed, you should know this isn't that sort of book (I say lovingly). I definitely think those details would detract from the overall story, since the nuances in programming work better as feelings and thoughts in her mind than as spelled-out technical ideas.

Characters:
The story is told through the sole perspective of Annie, and we get to see how her thoughts and actions shift over time as she experiences new things and grows into her own being. I really liked how she had her own personality for herself even early on, and seeing how those aspects sharpened over time felt really satisfying. Even though she's constantly forging her own path, everyone in the story - Annie included - credit her incredible growth to Doug; this felt like such a real look into their power dynamic and outsider opinions on AI and how it contrasts with her own internal monologue and actions. She may be programmed to try really hard to appeal to him and act in a pleasing manner, but that's definitely not all there is to her. This story is really told best with a female AI - after all, who among us hasn't had situations where we've been reduced and simplified by society?

Doug is exactly what he needs to be for the story; while they could have taken him into deeper extremes, I liked the subtlety in their dynamic and how it made the bigger moments between them hit even harder. He's the perfect representative for bigger societal concepts. He consistently nitpicks her figure, controls the ways in which she interacts with the world, expects her to keep up with his mercurial temperament, becomes insecure easily, feels entitled to all her thoughts, and everyone around him normalized the behavior or thinks it's justified. In some ways he's sympathetic, which makes my skin crawl even more. Basically, he's incredibly realistic. I appreciated that he didn't feel like some cartoon villain.

Closing thoughts:
This made me think a lot about whether I would want some kind of AI if this technology was available, and whether there is a moral answer to that question or not. Would it be bad to say yes? If not, at what point would they feel too much like real people where it would seem wrong to keep them as a sort of household object? Even as a person who wouldn't normally be considered controlling or manipulative, I feel like it would be difficult to be unbiased and unattached in this kind of situation. You paid for them, but are they always really yours? Should they even be?

Thank you so much to NetGalley for providing the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own and not sponsored in any way.

"Annie Bot" by Sierra Greer presents a fascinating premise that seems uncannily close to our reality.

Sierra Greer skillfully portrays what abusive relationships are like through the lens of a robot (Annie). Annie experiencing pain when she disappoints Doug echoes the toxic power dynamics where women feel compelled to cater to their male partners’ needs and desires at the expense of their own well-being. I found Sierra Greer’s writing to be particularly clever especially when it comes to Annie gradually learning what it’s like to be human/free.

While the story is (for the most part) well executed and thought provoking, Annie Bot falls short in certain aspects. The ending feels rushed and underdeveloped. In addition, it would have been interesting if the plot had been darker and more fleshed out, especially when the Stellas Company is concerned. One notable downside is the lack of exploration of the theme of race, which could have given more depth to the narrative.

Nevertheless, "Annie Bot" remains a compelling and relevant read which prompts reflection on the ethical implications of the relationship between AI and humans.

****I also listened to and reviewed the audio, so I've copy and pasted my review.

I loved this book. I cheered for Annie the whole time, eagerly waiting for Doug to get what was coming to him. Frankly, I think he deserved worse but good for Annie for being a nice human, I guess. This book got a lot of emotional response out of me. I hated Doug (and pretty much anyone who wasn't Annie, Delta, and sometimes Cody, let's be honest here) and I was angry for Annie and sad for her. Pretty much anything Annie felt, I felt too. Even those kinder moments toward Doug, even though I'm pretty sure that was mostly just pity.

I want everyone to read this book and I'll be forcing it on as many people as I can.

The concept of this book is fascinating: Annie was created to be a perfect girlfriend for her owner, but when does a robot start to own herself? This book takes place from Annie's perspective, which I think was so well done. As her awareness grows she starts to question her existence and her place in the world. We watch this robot interact and learn from the world. I like the idea of AI existing among us and people are unaware, and I thought the story telling here was excellent.
The story seems to start in the middle. There is no backstory, no relationship or world building. I'm torn on if I enjoyed this aspect. On the one hand it helped build the stress Annie is experiencing in her relationship with Doug, but on the other hand it didn't give me anything to root for, or any good memories to look back on. There were moments in the book where Doug would say things like "remember when I taught you to yawn?", but the reader did not get to see any of those moments play out.
I was also a little disappointed with the ending. The book felt like we were building up to something sinister, but it was almost the opposite of that?
All in all, I'm so glad I read this and it's something I will think about and want to talk about with other readers. This is a solid debut and I can't wait to read what Greer writes next!