This book wasn't really for me, but I don't typically read sci-fi. I was very interested in the cover and even thought the synopsis sounded interesting. However, it fell short for me.

This book poses a lot of big questions that it doesn't necessarily see fit to answer but man I enjoyed the ride. I just liked the narrator SO much, which is not necessarily a requirement for me, but felt like such a standout thing because so often thrillers like this can feel kind of like Any Woman in a Situation. I really felt for Julia throughout, which is a feat when you're writing about a character who by nature lacks the essential shaping structures of a normal human.

Although it ultimately bit off a little more than it could chew philosophically, I'd definitely recommend this one to fans of the genre looking for something a little different.

My thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC.

First, the writing is excellent—polished without being over-written. Second, like any great mystery, the story cleverly scatters clues, inviting readers to piece things together. Just when I thought I had it figured out, the author threw in unexpected twists. Finally, the main character is an AI/robot, and thankfully, the author avoids convoluted (an inaccurate) technical explanations designed solely to prop up the plot. Instead, the focus remains on the character, allowing the “scientific magic” to be accepted as magic.

Thank you to @htp_hive @htpbooks for my copy!

A synthetic woman, Julia Walden, created to win the love of Josh LaSala on a reality dating show, finds her dream life turning into a nightmare when her husband disappears during a hiking trip and the case quickly escalates to a full-on murder investigation with her as the main suspect.

This was sooo good and deserves all the love! Super unique and fun. Give this one a shot! Bingeable and a gorgeous cover as well!

Made for You by Jenna Satterthwaite presents a unique premise, blending artificial intelligence, reality TV, and murder mystery. Julia Walden, a synthetic woman designed to compete on The Proposal, wins the heart of bachelor Josh LaSala, and it seems like she’s living the fairy tale. Fast forward to their small-town life, and things take a dark turn when Josh goes missing, with Julia as the prime suspect. The plot is driven by Julia’s search for the truth, uncovering secrets that challenge her own identity.

While the premise is fascinating, the execution doesn’t quite hit the mark. Julia’s character, while intriguing, can feel a bit too robotic at times, making it difficult to connect with her emotional journey. The dual timelines add some suspense, but the pacing is uneven, and the twists, though engaging, aren’t as shocking as expected.

Made for You is an enjoyable, quick read for fans of tech-driven thrillers, but don’t expect to be completely swept away. It’s like watching a reality show with potential—fun, but with room for improvement.

I love a good reality show and a good mystery book, so this book was FOR ME. This was a fun book that kept me engaged throughout. Thanks so much for the gifted copy of this from HTP--i never would have found this w/o your program!

Fantastic, fantastic premise. I was so psyched to read this. But it stays pretty surface level and is more murder mystery than any deeper examination of these relationships, and the worldbuilding didn't quite feel fleshed out enough to make me believe in Synths.

Made for You is a mix of futuristic sci-fi, reality TV satire, and psychological thriller. The concept alone is intriguing: Julia Walden is a synthetic woman, created to compete on a dating show, The Proposal, for the heart of bachelor Josh LaSala. After winning his affection (and a fairytale wedding), she’s living her “happily-ever-after” until things take a dark turn—Josh goes missing, and Julia is thrust into a web of suspicion and danger.

The book alternates between two timelines, offering glimpses of Julia's initial rise to fame as a reality TV star and her present-day struggle to clear her name after Josh’s disappearance. Julia is a fascinating character—caught between being a machine and a person, constantly questioning her own worth and humanity. The writing is suspenseful and the plot is twisty enough that my attention never wavered; however, I was so infuriated by some of the secondary characters and their treatment of Julia that I had to keep putting this one down, which is why it took me so long to finish it. I'm glad I came back to it, as I enjoyed the ending.

The market is starting to feel a bit oversaturated with these AI-adjacent thrillers, but the addition of the social media and reality tv critique made this one stand out for me. It's definitely worth a read if you like twisty, fast-paced mysteries with some social commentary.

I downloaded this one by accident as it is not a genre that I typically read but the cover caught my eye, and the blurb looked interesting, so I thought I'd give it a try. The premise was definitely interesting and not one I've seen before. The writing did grab me and I liked Julia as a main character. That said this was definitely my genre and I had a hard time really getting into the story. Because of that I'm not going to rate the book but if the premise interests you I definitely recommend trying it.

This was a hyped up one in my opinion, I wanted to love it but the story / pace fell flat for me. I would definately try this Author again.

I really liked this! It was like science fiction, women's fiction, and reality tv all thrown together. And there was kind of a thriller vibe?? Idk it was really interesting and thought provoking!

I was so excited for this - it’s supposed to be giving bachelor meets Westworld.

And while that’s technically accurate, the amount of subplots and random plot points is overwhelmingly distracting. It gives this very meta feeling of KNOWING the author is trying to throw you off but not in a good way, if that makes sense?

Wasn’t for me, unfortunately.

Julia is a synth (like an AI woman) who is made for a The Bachelor-like show. Josh is the man whose heart she is trying to win and she does. But almost a year later, things take a turn when she discovers Josh missing and then dead.

This was an episode engaging story with lots of twists and turns. In moments it hits on the morality of AI. It also hits on how people treat those they see as outsiders. I enjoyed it a lot.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review an advanced copy of this novel. I highly enjoyed it and will be recommending it.

From the second I read about this book, I knew I had to read it! I am a huge bachelor nation fan! I have always wondered though, about what happens after. This book gives such a wonderful image of the after! If you love any aspect of bachelor nation, you have to read this!

Made for You by Jenna Satterthwaite is a science fiction thriller novel. The story in Made for You is one that is told in a dual timeline in about a year and half ago in the past and in the present time. It’s also narrated by a synth (synthetic human) character.

Julia Walden was designed and created for one reason, to win the heart of Josh LaSala. Josh has been cast as the latest lead on the reality television program The Proposal (The Bachelor) and among the women vying for Josh’s heart will be Julia, a synthetic human.

Fifteen months after the show aired Julia is now married to Josh and has given birth to their child when Josh leaves on a weekend trip and he doesn’t return. The local small town Indiana sheriff already didn’t trust Julia in his jurisdiction and now is sure she has murdered him on his watch despite Julia’s do no harm programming.

Made for You is a debut novel from author Jenna Satterthwaite and well worth taking a chance on reading. I was completely hooked on this scifi thriller from the opening pages with my love for reality tv pulling me in and then mixing that with a unique murder mystery to keep the pages turning. Having an AI synthetic leading the narrative certainly gave a new twist to unreliable narrators and then there were plenty of twists and turns one would expect along the way to really keep one guessing. Definitely an author to look out for again in the future.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

For this being a debut novel, I was very impressed and thought it was really well written. I was truly riveted by this book and had a hard time putting it down. I literally got mad the first night I was reading it when I couldn't keep my eyes open to keep reading. I guessed the ending pretty early on but I was still hooked until the very end. There were plenty of twists and turns and surprises that kept me going and I thought they were all wrapped up nicely. I was also very intrigued by the overall plot of and AI being made specifically to compete in a reality romance show similar to The Bachelor.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for an advanced reader copy of the eBook in exchange for an honest review.

Made for You by Jenna Satterthwaite – 3 stars

Made for You is an intriguing mix of sci-fi, reality TV, and mystery. Julia, a synthetic woman, was designed to compete on The Proposal and win the heart of Josh LaSala. Fast forward to their small-town life, and things take a dark turn when Josh goes missing, leaving Julia as the prime suspect.

Told through dual timelines, this story kept me engaged with its unique concept and twists. If you enjoy thrillers with a sci-fi twist, this one will keep you guessing until the end!

Made For You had an interesting concept, but the execution left a lot to be desired. The plot felt like a patchwork of disconnected themes and ideas, with the central message—why is God playing games with my life?—getting lost in the noise. The book jumped from one idea to the next without tying them together, like the serial killer subplot that was heavily referenced but then completely dropped. The characters were flat, and there were too many unanswered questions about the world-building, making it hard to suspend disbelief. While the concept of a human-Synthe relationship was intriguing, it lacked depth, and the handling of serious topics like domestic violence felt surface-level at best. Overall, the book seemed to be trying too hard to be philosophical but ended up being “just vibes” with no real substance. Despite a promising start, it couldn’t maintain momentum, and I was left feeling disappointed.

What an absolutely unique read! Told from the perspective of a synthetic human – it made me think of what makes a person A PERSON. What does it mean to be human at all? Although that was not the point of the book though, it made me think of it a lot.
It was a very well-told mystery thriller, but I think my own favorite part was the other things that it made me think of a lot!