As AI becomes more mainstream, this YA novel takes a look at what some of the implications of that might be from the perspective of a teen looking to get to know the billionaire tech mogul father she never knew.

Hoping to learn about the father she has never known, a wealthy tech mogul, Eleanor snags a summer job as a nanny for her half-brother. Confiding only in her best friends, she is eventually discovered as an impostor. A predictable ending with characters that don't ring true.

I really enjoyed this book! The premise was interesting and so I was excited to have the opportunity to read and review it. I wasn’t expecting the superhero plotline, but was so happy to have it. Eleanor was a great example of a flawed character, and had some really interesting internal dialogue. I felt that most of the characters were really fleshed out, and unique. However, there were a few moments where I was confused about who Elenaor was talking to or about.

I also give points to the author for making me cringe with embarrassment - her suit was INSIDE OUT! While making me so nervous in others - stop sneaking around! In fact, my only criticisms are that it was hard to always keep the characters straight, and I found it a little hard to believe that Hugo, the genius billionaire, would be so lax with his security.

Overall, I really enjoyed this. I think it has a lot of timely subject matter and a lot of things that we as people just sometimes need to hear. I took the ending to mean that, as in life, there are not tidy happy endings. But you can still be happy. I also really enjoyed the message that people are complicated, not all bad and not all good. However, is it too much to hope for a sequel where we revisit Hugo, Greta, and Eleanor’s mom? I’d love to see them grow in some way.

Thank you to Netgalley, Random House Children's, and Labyrinth Road for this advance reader copy of True Life in Uncanny Valley in exchange for my honest review! This book came out last week and is an absolutely fantastic YA read!

Eleanor is your typical teenager being raised by a single mother. She has a sister, also know as mom's favorite, and almost lives in both their shadows. Eleanor is also obsessed with celebrity Hugo Harrison, but not for the reason you may think...you see, Eleanor's mom had an affair with him and he's her dad. In her spare time she enjoys spying on him and his family and wonders what could have been.

Fast forward to Eleanor running into his new wife and small child and landing a nannying job for the summer. She's finally going to see what he's like, but can she keep her true identity under wraps? How will she keep this from her mom?

I think any pre-teen/teen will absolutely devour this book. It has the perfect amount of teenage angst and I never found Eleanor or her friends to be annoying. It was overdone, it was just the right amount. I think at any point in time as teens we can feel lost and ignored and the author did a beautiful job at writing this story just so. I think a lot of teens will be able to directly relate to this story.

Even adults will find this story unputdownable as what will the outcome possibly be? I really enjoyed this one and this should be at the top of your list if you love reading YA!

Eleanor is a teenage girl who knows her father - he's that millionaire, hot-shot tech genius with the huge house in town, a pretty social media influencer perfect-wife and his perfect son. But her father has had nothing to do with his daughter since he walked out on her life.

All she wants to do is get to know him and her half-brother, but her sister and mom hate the guy. So she secretly gets hired on a the live in nanny but her dad is not the man she hoped he would be.

For me this was a little slow paced. The plat was good but there is a lot of comic book and AI talk. I liked that every character was flawed and she finally comes to terms with the type of man her father is. YA audience would probably really like this one.

What if you were given an opportunity to know the father who never had anything to do with you? What if by doing that you will have to lie to your mother? In her new novel Caletti tackles this impossible situation. Eleanor's father is a famous, outlandishly rich tech guy who lives not too far from her. Problem is , her mother has forbidden any contact whatsoever, and well she loves her mom even if they don't really get each other. When she gets an opportunity to nanny for her half-brother she jumps at the chance despite the cloak and dagger routine she has to establish to keep her mom in the dark. Witty and insightful.

Eleanor is an interesting character. She knows that she is the daughter of the famous Hugo Harrison. At first, she watches the family from afar, but when an opportunity arises where the family is looking for a nanny, Eleanor can’t resist trying to get the job. I like the fact that this book tackles expectations vs reality. From the outside looking in Hugo is a brilliant man who is loving and kind, yet appearances are not always what they seem. More importantly, the life that people live online, or social media are not always direct reflections of their true selves. I personally didn’t fall in love with this book. I can’t quite put my finger on what I didn’t love, but I also didn’t hate this book. For me it was just an okay book. Not bad, but also not outstanding.
Thank you so much to Random House Children’s and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

I really enjoyed this read! While the characters felt a bit younger than their actual ages, it didn’t take away from the overall story. The protagonist’s journey to meet the father she’s never known was both touching and surprising, as she discovers that he—and his family—aren’t what she anticipated. I think teens will especially appreciate the AI and tech aspects of the plot. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this advanced reader’s copy.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Children's | Labyrinth Road for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I loved this book and read it in one day. I loved the storyline and the characters. I thought the characters had great growth in the book. I would definitely recommend this book.

*Thank you to the publisher, Labyrinth Road, for providing me with ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own*

4.5<⭐️

Heartwarming and inspirational.

I love Deb Caletti's novels. I've been reading her books since 2011, and there hasn't been a single one that I didn't love. True Life in Uncanny Valley was no different, and don't you love the title? The title will interest you even if you've never read her books. This book was unlike any of her other books, which was one of my favorite aspects. The first few chapters were slow as the characters were introduced, but interesting enough to keep me reading since I wanted to know what happened to Eleanor. Once Eleanor moved in with her father, I couldn't get enough of the story and found it difficult to put down. When I wasn't reading, I thought about what would happen next. I feared what would happen if the truth about Eleanor came out. Eleanor's character development was my favorite; she matured significantly from the beginning of the novel. I wanted to see more of her and see what happened to her afterward.

I tried to like Eleanor's mother and sister but couldn't tolerate them. I despised the way they treated her. Both made her believe that it was her fault, that she was the one who was doing something wrong, even though it wasn't true. Eleanor was better off living with her father, even if he wasn’t aware that she was his daughter. I felt that Eleanor was more appreciated there. Even when Eleanor did something kind for her mother and sister, it wasn't enough. I'm happy Eleanor had her best friends, Clementine and Arden Lee, who, in my opinion, have the most interesting names. I loved how supportive and sympathetic they were and how they were always there for her. With the way that her mother and sister treated her, she needed friends like them. The connection the three of them shared; I sensed it would last a lifetime.

I admired the relationship that she developed with her half-brother, Arlo. I smiled throughout most of their scenes together. It was evident from how she acted and everything she did for Arlo how much she loved him. I also loved the friendship between Eleanor and Aurora. Aurora needed someone like Eleanor, someone who would treat her nicely. I was not fond of how Hugo treated her. He was another character I didn't care for. I had an uneasy feeling about him. I love the small comic strips about Miss Fury at the beginning of each chapter. There was so much I loved about this book, and I'm still feeling a lot of emotions after reading it. This is the book that will stay with me. I’m excited to see what adventure Deb Caletti will take us on next!

True Life in Uncanny Valley is certainly a YA book that I believe many teenage and readers would connect with. The stream of consciousness writing was great for young readers because I am sure they would easily relate to the thoughts of our FMC due to understanding what she is thinking each step of the way.

I personally did DNF this book because with this style of writing, I as a 28 year old woman had a hard time following the story and connecting with the main character. To me, the thoughts felt over-the-top and misplaced, but for a less mature reader, that would likely be something that keeps them engaged.

Overall, I am very grateful for the opportunity to receive this ARC and I know the storyline is one many readers will enjoy!

Loved Eleanor’s natural curious tendency which lead her to apply for the nanny position for her father’s younger son. Her famous father has no idea who she is.

The beginning of the book didn't hook me the way I normally love for books to do.

Overall a good book.

Thank you to #netgalley for the ARC! While I'm constantly looking for books to share with my student book club, after finishing this, I really liked it for ME. The ending was more than satisfying. Sometimes we need a book where it all goes sideways, but everything rights itself. This will be an excellent choice for my Book club.

Caletti takes on the dangers of AI as her protagonist, Eleanor, tries to secretly learn what it would be like to know her father, a famous tech giant who she hasn’t seen since she was a baby. When the opportunity to become her younger brother’s nanny lands in her lap, she can’t resist the lies she has to tell to make it happen. Caletti is, as always, clever in her craft as she weaves the tension between the lies, the hopes, the truths, and the danger of getting caught in a poetic ebb and flow throughout the story. This is a beautiful exploration of how we come of age by understanding how both from whom and where we come as well as from whom and where we’ve been excluded shape us. The juxtaposition of personal awakening to the development of AI and its ethical limitations is fascinating, and creates space for long lasting reflection and discussion. Caletti has her finger on the pulse of the concerns of today’s teens, and this book will be one that not only encourages them to read but to think deeply about decisions we made in seeking ourselves and how we use technology now and in the near future.

Thank you to Netgalley and Randomhouse Children’s, Labyrinth Road, and the author for early access to another powerful novel by Deb Caletti.

I found this novel hard to classify. There's thoughts on AI and technology, feelings about broken families and found families, and ideas about self confidence and self knowledge. It took some time to get involved in the story, but I liked Eleanor's voice quite a bit. She is very funny and insightful sometimes, and silly and ridiculous at other times. I felt like the ending was a bit abrupt, I suppose because I was looking for more resolution with all of Eleanor's problematic family members, but it does feel more realistic and even healthy to find peace with the people you care about than to have big dramatic scenes with people who don't care about you.

I have to be honest and say I struggled in the beginning. Eleanor, to me, was very immature and I didn’t feel like I was reading about a realistic 16 year old. I’m glad I stuck it out though because it did get better and the underlying messages of the book are so important.

I could relate to her experience regarding her father and that paradox of wanting to know who he is and still be a part of his other family, while also feeling loyal to her mom and sister. However, her family was horrid to her and I wish we got a more conclusive ending where that was concerned. The real discussion though was AI and its harmful impact on artists, media in general and social connection. I found myself highlighting a lot of poignant quotes and I was super pleased with the way things turned out in the end.

Thank you first and foremost NetGalley and Deb Calleti for allowing me to read this book early n exchange for an honest review. My review is linked below.

Deb Caletti’s just hit different, each book is its own unique gut punch.

Caletti tries to tackle a lot in this novel and some of it works and some of it falls flat.

I think she highlights the need for real community well. Humans are messy and make mistakes, but we are intrinsically built to love and desire to be loved. Caletti captures this desire in Eleanor so very well.

I did find the first half of this book to be a struggle narratively. I think the plot in the first half is weak and I’m not sure that it will actually resonate well with her intended audience. I don’t know, I think teens are a lot more tech and AI literate than she gives them credit for in this novel. This has the first time that I’ve been sceptical of a narrative voice of hers. Eleanor just didn’t read like a real teen for a lot of this book and to me that seems like a problem for a novel intended to resonate with teens.

Also, we get certain satisfying solutions, but I found the lack of resolution with her mother and sister to be very, very frustrating to the point where I leave this book still feeling a touch anxious for our protagonist.

Thank you to Random House Children’s and NetFalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

To be honest I was extremely uncomfy for the entirety of this book. So much lying, people treating each other poorly and strange situations. To begin with, of course we know our main character is dealing with daddy issues but man her mom is just as terrible. The way her mom was speaking to her & about her was not right. And then just letting her HIGH SCHOOL daughter just go live at someone’s house the mom knows nothing about and go to Mexico with them with very minimal questioning just felt insane. The mom was more annoyed with and put out by her daughter than concerned for her well being. Then all the wild AI, creepy dad, catatonic wife stuff, random side characters that feel important but aren’t. It just all felt like a mess to me. Nothing felt connected or flowed well. It felt like a fever dream. Maybe you need to actually be a chaotic young adult to enjoy this one.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.

Digital life can be alluring, sure. But where are the messy families, the awkwardness of a summer love, the beauty of a backyard picnic? True Life in Uncanny Valley by Deb Caletti brings these questions into sharp focus.

Eleanor Diamond has grown up knowing her father is the tech giant Hugo Harrison without actually knowing him, as a person. She has no memories with him, no photos. Just a lot of knowledge (probably too much, actually) thanks to her bitter, spurned mother. Eleanor is a little too curious about Hugo and his 2.0 family, drawn to their home, desperate to know the half-brother she's never met.

Until she does meet him, at a pool. Where his mother-- her unknown step-mother-- offers her a job. A nannying job. To the little brother she wants so much to know. Eleanor's own mother would forbid it, yet Eleanor accepts. Thus she begins her double life: during the week as live-in nanny Eleanor Drake, and back home on the weekends as Eleanor Diamond.

There is so much to love in this hope-filled YA novel. Sixteen-year-old Eleanor is caught in that place between still being a kid and about to be an adult—a state Caletti captures in exquisite, agonizing detail. From the tug-of-war about becoming who you want to be versus who you are expected to be to the challenge, to seeing your parent as they versus who you wish they would be, Eleanor's hopes and fears collide in relatable ways.

Eleanor isn't the only one of her friends struggling with a challenging family dynamic. Her two best friends, Arden Lee and Clementine, each have their own family troubles. The way they show up for one another, a living support system in ways both quiet and loud, is a core component of the story. Their community is at the heart of what it means to be human, a topic Caletti addresses much like this core friend group, in ways both quiet and loud.

True Life is a love letter to art and the humanity it takes to create art, in all its flaws and all its glory. Eleanor is an aspiring artist herself, torn between the 1940s comic she idolizes and the problematic representations it also holds. As she examines this dichotomy, she's faced with more of the same in her uncanny valley life, from AI art programs to a strange, life-like robot Hugo is working on. Yet amidst all the AI versus art thought-wars, Eleanor finds beauty in small moments: water droplets on her brother's eyelashes, a faithful dog, the prickly grass of a backyard picnic. Moments she's noticing her tech-genius father failing to see.

The novel itself offers discourse on AI, how it can hurt and how it can help, alongside holding art and artists accountable. If we can hold our authors and artists to high standards of being good humans, why can we not do the same of the artificial, digital realm?

All in all, this lovely YA novel has it all: a tender romance, breathtakingly beautiful friendships, an engaging voice, timely themes that are part of the plot without overtaking it, and, at the core of it all, well developed characters with real depth and realistic flaws.

This is one of those books that'll stay with you. That you'll want to re-read for its beauty, intelligence, whimsy-- all the parts that create an unforgettable whole.

Thank you to the author, Random House Children's, and NetGalley for an E-ARC such that I could share my honest opinions.

True Life in Uncanny Valley will be available March 18, 2025.