Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Hum.

The premise had an intriguing and timely topic; a city wracked by climate change and populated by intelligent robots called “hums,” a mother of two, May loses her job to AI.

To provide financially for her young family, she consents to an experiment that alters her face and makes her unrecognizable to digital surveillance.

The author wrote The Need, which I read and didn't enjoy despite the fact the narrative had a great premise.

It's the same with Hum; timely topic revolving around our Big Brother society and growing sentience and dependence on AI but what does that mean for humanity?

The story starts off almost in the middle; May is already getting the experimental treatment. There's no lead up or exposition as to her previous job and what she used to do.

In fact, character development is sparse; her husband is a minor, barely supporting character in the narrative since the reader is mostly in May's head.

Like in The Need, the narrative revolves around a mother and the struggles of parenthood, financial responsibility, and an ever changing world.

There's some world building, but not much. Maybe the author wanted to leave the descriptions of the hums to the readers' imagination?

For example, I didn't know what a 'bunny' was and it was never fully explained. I figured it out it was like an Apple watch but it took me some time.

Stuff happens, but it's not thrilling or suspenseful.

When I think AI, I think Terminator; you know, being chased or hunted by robots wayyy smarter than you are.

I didn't connect with the characters, least of all May. She seemed flighty and not mature. I didn't know her or Jem, and so I didn't care about them or what happened to them.

I understand the purpose of the narrative; AI, climate change, pollution, society breaking down, motherhood is hard (what else is new?) but what's the point?

Don't get me wrong, the premise had great potential as well as deliver a message but the story revolves around May and her boring family, people I wasn't fond of.

Whoa, this feels uncomfortably close to home! This family drama is set against the backdrop of a ravaged world that is not difficult to imagine: severe climate change has made the city inhospitable to humans, adults and children are slaves to their devices, intelligent robots hold nearly all jobs. Thoughtful, propulsive, and deeply unsettling.

May and her husband struggle financially in a world dominated by AI and we quickly find May feeling out of control of her familial relationships. Her children are dependent on their technology and May finds that in a world of ubiquitous surveillance, mothers cannot slip up.

I appreciated some of the themes, but none of this story was fleshed out enough. We receive very little background on the family's circumstance before May opts into a facial readjustment experiment, we first learn of some of May's climate anxieties but this does not really go anywhere, we don't really see how the Big Problem the family faces resolves in any detail, and we see a world of hums and bunnies but without exploring how those fit into larger society. This book has a lot of great elements, but I wanted more from pretty much all of them.

Thank you to S&S and NetGalley for the e-arc.

Wildly imaginative! Wonderful characters. Interesting plot. Vivid descriptions. Simply a GREAT read!

*I received a complimentary ARC of this book in order to read and provide a voluntary, unbiased and honest review, should I choose to do so.

This was a sparse, prescient book, set in a not-too-distant view of our future, but still grounded in what is essentially a story about a regular family of modest means going on a vacation. (Didn't get that sense from the promo blurb? Yeah. Me either.)

I loved how the author folded in current research and data into this vision of "the future." And I loved the annoyingly porous line that exists in this world between information and advertising.

I thought this quote in particular was on fire: "The goal of advertising is to rip a hole in your heart so it can then fill that hole with plastic, or with any other material that can be yanked out of the earth and, after brief sojourns as objects of desire, be converted to waste." (BINGO!)

I was a little annoyed that some things didn't get fully tied in or wrapped up into the story. I thought May getting the surgery at the top of the book was really going to drive the entire plot. But it does not, (it merely acts as a minor feature in the story.)

Similarly, while the idea of Hums (and Bunnies and Wooms!) were cool and well-executed, I'm not sure why there was so much build up at the end about the Hum's actions. The stakes seemed VERY high, and then were simply...not. That seemed awkward to me.

Again, these two things go back to the style of the book (which felt very Black Mirror episode to me). There isn't a ton of world-building here. There are no real tragedies. There is just a sense of dis-ease, of things not being quite right and this family being on the edge of being able to exist in this world.

Overall, this was an interesting read. Thank you to the author and NetGalley for granting me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

May Webb is a down on her luck mom who is desperate to get by after losing her job. Desperate enough to participate in an invasive — but paid! — trial to change her face ever so slightly to test a procedure for becoming unidentifiable to cameras.

We meet May as she undergoes the procedure and receives the precious money meant to help the family ride through her unemployment. We follow along as she immediately spends a large sum on a vacation that she does not discuss with her partner. During the trip, something bad happens, and we’re all (the Webb-Clarke family and the reader) left to absorb the aftermath.

Hum takes place in a city in the near future that feels both dystopian and familiar at the same time. Artificial intelligence has replaced many jobs, and beings called Hums now hold positions that once employed human citizens. Even those who worked on the development of the Hums — such as May — now suffer the effects of AI progress.

I wanted more world-building. We’re in a new-ish world but there’s not much to paint a picture. I was confused for far too long about what a “woom” was supposed to be. It seemed important though we aren’t given much to go on and when we get some description it’s way too late — after removing yourself from the story to flip back pages and pages to figure out where you missed it and deciding maybe it’s a typo? Turns out it wasn’t.

I loved the concept of this story. The blurb invoked a Black Mirror-esque tale of technology-induced horror, which I normally love. I will say that Hum was disturbing, but I’m not sure if it was all intentional. Maybe it was, and if so, it definitely hit the mark.

I did not like any of the 4 characters. We have the main — May. And her husband, Jem, and their 2 children — Lu (8) and Sy (6). They were all pretty awful — especially the kids. None of them seem to even like each other though the words on the page try to convince you otherwise. Perhaps that is part of the point here. They’re obsessed with their tech (the kids have never known anything else). They’re mean to each other. They’re mean to their mom. Jem is the most bearable of the family members. Unfortunately, Jem is barely present.

Hum is depressing and anxiety-inducing. This book is most definitely for readers who want to feel that underlying sense of dread the entire time. I normally like that quality in a story, however this one was just off, perhaps because I had no positive connection to the characters to ground me. I’m not sure what it says about me that I identified more with the humanity of the Hums than with the human characters. Again — maybe that’s the point?

A book that leaves me questioning after reading is not a bad thing in itself. I actually usually love that. But this one didn’t have any other payoff for me. I was frustrated the entire time reading. I also questioned why there was so much talk about the kids’ nakedness (body parts, underwear) when it didn’t do anything to further the story or the character development. It was just random. There are sex scenes as well, which I suppose were meant to help the reader feel the disconnect felt between the married couple, however they just felt random and out of place. They could have been removed and it would not have affected the story.

I waffled on my star rating, ultimately settling on 2.5. It has potential, but in the end I just didn’t like it. At only 272 pages, it definitely has room for fleshing out with world building and more character development. I would recommend this to readers looking for Black Mirror-flavored speculative fiction doused in anxiety.

Thank you NetGalley and the pubslisher for the ARC.

This book grabbed me and let me go a few times throughout my reading of it, even though it is short. I mostly liked the middle since they explore a botanical garden, an environment so far removed from their day-to-day reality. Exploring what came of that experience and all the things the author had to say about technology, motherhood, capitalism, climate change, among other things was very enjoyable for me. The end got a little too weird and some things were not answered, especially since the stakes seemed so high at one point and this world is awfully similar to present-time USA. This book has such a tense, uncomfortable atmosphere, which really puts you in May's head. I also liked the themes of nostalgia and what you would sacrifice to get away from the nasty arms of late-stage capitalism. I would recommend, but would have wanted a little more time with the story to really do it justice.

Vampires, zombies, and Cthulhu are fun terrifying because they can't possibly happen. Helen Phillips has written a terrifying book that is chillingly depressing because it is all too possible. Phillips' world is only a few steps in advance of our own - a world where AI robots ("Hums") have taken the majority of jobs, including May, a former computer programmer. She and her husband Jem, a former photographer, are struggling to eke out a living in the gig economy, while their two children are tied to their personal devices ("bunnies") to the exclusion of their parents. In desperation, May tries a new surgical procedure that makes her face invisible to facial recognition - and immediately spends more money than she should on a trip to the botanic gardens, now an exclusive private resort for the rich. May's longing for nature overrides her common sense to disastrous effect.

A world where a steady profession is no longer a guarantee, and desperately scrabbling for strangers' stars is the only possibility. A world where people no longer talk to each other but interact with their electronics instead. A world where nature is so non-existent it is a luxury item. This is a world I don't want to live in. It is a world that is almost here. The hum is around the corner.

To function in the modern world, we have to disassociate from the realities of invasive technology. From the way it monitors and extracts resources from us. Our money, our time, our attention, our very thoughts.

Hum masterfully puts a mirror up to that disassociation, in a way that is both uncomfortable and cathartic.

Often in "tech is bad" stories, the blame is placed on the lack of self-discipline of the people using the tech. Hum takes the higher (and more nuanced) road, by showing us a woman beaten down and just trying to provide a comfortable life for her family.

The backdrop is not over-explained, but you experience it largely through the children. Little tidbits, constantly dropped, about how casually they experience the trajedy of the world. Because it is their normal.

Written with a slight ethereal tone, this atmospheric story was easy to devour. It's one that will linger with me.

ARC provided by NetGalley.

I LOVE this book! The story completely enveloped my imagination and transported me to it's world, and I was anxious for the mother the whole way through. You're never sure what the Hum's intentions are, the entire way through, which grips your brain the entire journey of this story.
All of the characters in the story feel so real and that really helps you stay with the story.
The writing has a really nice flow. The story is creative and unique, while playing on an older theme on our future with AI and robots.

Thank you for letting me read this early. It was a treasure. I'll definitely want a copy of this one.
Recommend!

While I think this did a wonderful job providing a specific sense of dystopian unease, I left wondering if this story ever took a real stance on anything. Yes, it did explore our attitude towards mothers in this social climate, and capitalism/our constant state of being advertised to. But the chapters were so brief, that whenever I started to get any deeper sense of meaning, the chapter was over and we were moving on from there. The parts that alluded to our constant state of uncontrollable, shameful purchasing combined with unceasing advertisements were my favorite. With that said, I read this in one sitting, and the sense of anxiety is palpable through this, you cannot help but continue turning the pages and find out what happened.

Thank you to S&S and Marysue Rucci Books for a copy of an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Got half way through this one and couldn't finish it. Just didn't care about the characters or storyline.

May has lost her job to the artificial intelligence that she helped create, and forced with late bills and the increasing cost of living, she agrees to undergo a controversial surgery that will change her features just enough to make her invisible to facial recognition programs — and she'll get paid enough to do it to cover the bills for a while. When she gets paid, May decides to splurge on a couple of nights in the botanical garden, a walled, nature-filled resort that she would never have been able to afford otherwise. To fully appreciate the nature, however, she asks her husband and two children to be completely unplugged while they're on the short vacation — which starts out OK, but takes a disastrous turn when the kids wander off on their own.

It's not clear from the book when or where this story takes place, but while there is a bit more technology than we have today (the titular hums, for example, are humanoid AI robots), the prevalence of surveillance technology and the monetization of EVERYTHING seems disturbingly similar to what we're seeing today. May's experiences throughout the book (especially after the trip to the garden) are scarily relatable, and through her actions and reactions, Hum offers a meditation on technology and what it means to be a good mother. A fantastic, thought-provoking book, and I can't wait to recommend it widely.

I was such a fan of Helen Phillips' THE NEED that HUM was an immediately request when I saw it pop up. I just knew I was in for something unexpected. And I was right! HUM is a slightly terrifying look into a very possible near future, with climate change altering the face of NYC, AI robots taking over our day to day lives, and children become way too attached to their screens.

After May, our protagonist, loses her job, she goes to a company that will pay her a full year's salary to slightly altar her face in order to bypass surveillance devises. With this money, she splurges on tickets for her and her family to visit the city's botanical gardens. But these are unlike today's botanical gardens. In this time period, they are more like a theme park - with overnight stays, fully indoor lush forests, fake waterfalls, and AI robots in the middle of what seems like Times Square. This is because New York no longer has plant life, agriculture, or parks. It is a privilege for the wealthy, and this is just the tip of the iceberg for the almost horror story that is HUM.

When things go upside down and video of May looking like a bad mother goes viral, the plot takes off into almost thriller territory. I had such a hard time putting this book down as I had to know what happened next, and I was always surprised. Phillips is so amazing at rich, solid world-building and this is certainly where the book shines. I wasn't crazy about the ending though, I wanted a little bit more and it left me with more questions, but if I think what happened is what happened, it's a pretty bold move.

Due to be published in August, this is the “internet novel.” Phillips knows how to make her reader extraordinarily uncomfortable with familiarity, the call is coming from inside the house.

I read Phillips' previous novel, The Need, in one sitting; the book pulled me right in and I couldn't leave without finishing! Hum has a similar urgency behind it - short chapters and frequent line breaks encourage this feeling. As in The Need, the desperation and the fierceness of motherhood feature heavily in this book. I am not a mother and don't always jibe with these themes, but Phillips writes in such a way that you don't need to ever have been in the trenches to appreciate May's fatigue and her intensity. And while I may not have children, I was once a child who went on family vacations and am now an adult who understands how fleeting that family time is, which is to say that Part 2 in the botanical garden left me emotional. I'd like to think that May and Jem have another such excursion with their children in the future, where they experience both nature and togetherness, but May is clear that their expected finances won't allow it and I believe her. Still, even for those with the means for a vacation every year: your children are only the age that they are for a single day at a time. Whether the world is burning slowly or quickly, whether you're in a speculative fiction novel or 21st century America, whether you're camping in a walled botanical garden or in true wilderness, you get only 24 hours with your family as it is today. Part 2 brings this into sharp and heightened focus by making the vacation so desperately sought, so brief, and so expensive. But the underlying principle - the brevity of our circumstances, of childhood, of family life - remains true in our world too.

3.5 stars. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Positives: Extremely readable with a high "just one more chapter" factor. Timely themes with some interesting world building.

Negatives: I never really felt like I got to know the protagonist, so I was fairly unsympathetic to her quirks. I felt vaguely annoyed at her almost the entire time. Which maybe says something about me, but alas..

Also, the themes were a bit too heavy handed at times.

I really enjoyed Helen Phillips' other book “The Need,” so I was very excited to get a copy of this one to review! She’s a great writer. Every sentence feels well crafted and thoughtful. This story has some similar themes to the other one, (motherhood, identity), but is very unique and takes surprising turns. I'm typically not a big sci-fi reader, but I would categorize this as more of a thriller with sci-fi elements, and I love her prose.

Without spoiling too much, it involves a futuristic society that feels very familiar and real, as if aside from the robots most of it is already happening. (The ads catered to each individual, the face-scanning cameras, etc.) I generally love books or movies involving artificial intelligence and the robots in this, called Hums, came across as brilliant, sweet and patient. I loved them. (Of course, there are times during the story’s conflict when the Hums’ intentions can seem a little ominous.) I am clearly very influenced by video games when I visualize while reading, because I kept picturing the Hums as sleeker, more adult versions of the maintenance bots from “Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach.” IYKYK. People can also scan each other with their phones and know everything about their lives, like something out of Cyberpunk or Watchdogs.

May, the protagonist, is both frustrating and sympathetic. She absolutely makes some boneheaded decisions and she ends up paying dearly for them, but the author does a great job of explaining her thought process. I loved the concept of the heavenly Botanical Garden right in the middle of the trashy big city where people could vacation. (Of course, it costs a crazy amount of money to stay there.) But they check into their cottage in this gorgeous forest and one of the first things May's son says is, “This would be the perfect place to hide during a lockdown!” This was, of course, tragic, but overall I found the son, Sy, to be temperamental and selfish. I know he’s just a child but I was not a fan of him at all. I don’t pretend to know anything about kids, honestly, but both kids in this book were rude and had no respect for their mom. The husband, Jem, wasn’t exactly ideal, either. I was suspicious of him for most of the book, to be honest.

I'm not sure I completely understood everything that was happening at the end, specifically in the last couple of chapters and involving some of the deeper dialogue. So that's why I'm giving it a 4 instead of a 5. But I really liked this! Phillips has now won me over with two books involving heavy themes of mothers trying to protect their children, something I personally can't relate to, and I think that says something for her skill as an author.

I really wanted to like this more than I did. I've seen great things about other Helen Phillips books in review spaces, but really couldn't buy in to this one. This book is trying to say a lot, and while I enjoyed the world building and setting (and liked the real-world dystopian news that was used as a back drop) I ultimately felt like it never managed to tell me much?

There was a tension and ever-present dread, and the book was a quick read, but the pacing felt off and some of the character decisions just felt bizarre. It feels like the book had a lot of disjointed threads, and some of them never quite went anywhere. Maybe because I'm not a mother I can't put myself in the May's shoes.

Regardless, there are some cool elements, it didn't land for me, but may work for you.

If you are a fan of Dystopian stories, this is a great read. The thought that this could be in our future some day really makes you think. It made me even more interested in the story of May abd her family.