I really enjoyed this book.
I couldn’t help but root for the robots and I liked the sense of community they built.

When I realized this book was set in future that had California separated from the US in a long a bloody war, I was, understandably I think, a little wary. The world is looking very dark a full of terrors right now. Automatic noodle shows that there is hope at the end of the long battle. Whatever happens, there will always be delicious spicy noodles. Newitz brings together a cast of outsiders and societal cast offs to do something productive to better their situation. They respect the terrifying realities of war, the effect on sentient beings, and still manage to create a post war world that feels real and hopeful. I can’t wait to get this in the hands of my customers!

Thank you to Tor and Netgalley for an early e-copy in exchange for an honest review!

2.5/5 stars
Soo this one was just fine for me. For the most part I was enjoying this story in a passive way; I wasn't attached to any of the characters, I wasn't particularly enjoying the format of the story, but I could and did get behind the story itself of a bundle of robots pulling together a restaurant and building a community atmosphere around them.
But in the end, this book felt unfinished. Physically actually unfinished - like it ended at the 80% mark, not the 100% mark. We were gearing up with the conflict that had been plaguing the bots for the majority of the book - the negative reviewer tirade from anti-bot folks - was actually coming to a head, but after Staybehind decided to do what he did it just... ended. leaving SO many strings dangling, unsolved. And don't get me wrong, I can enjoy an open ending like the next person, but this felt TOO unsolved. Like we were missing the ending few chapters unsolved.

I would necessarily recommend this one, but if you like the idea of murderbot meeting the Kamagawa Food Detectives, maybe try this one out.

4.5 rounded up. I do love a cozy robot tale, and somehow making a post-war California a cozy setting is quite the feat. Following the robots as they carve their own cozy haven in this world was a fun time overall, and I am definitely craving noodles after this book! Charming and lighthearted, Automatic Noodle is an enjoyable and fast paced cozy science fiction! A huge thank you to Tor/Forge and Netgalley for the eArc in exchange for my thoughts!

In the fairly near future, a group of robots who'd worked together in the past come together to open a restaurant of their own, wanting to make food that is actually good rather than the corporate slop they'd been making at their previous jobs. Things go really well at first, but then someone (or something) starts one star review bombing them on social media. Will this crew be able to regain their initial popularity, or will the bad reviews put them out of business? Will they ever discovery who (or what) is doing this to them? Why doesn't time travel exist yet so I can try these noodles?

I quite enjoyed this book. It's an endearing story, cozy dystopian slice-of-life-ish sci-fi mystery-of-sorts, and if you're like me and do reading challenges each year, this fits so many common prompts! The characters are lovable and relatable, and I grew attached to them. The story is pacy and kept my interest; this is a quick, low stakes, cozy read that I'll definitely read again, and I'll be getting my own copy once the book is released.* I have no complaints about this book, so it gets five out of five stars!

*I received a temporary digital copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion, which you have just read. This book broke a reading slump, I'd definitely recommend it!

Automatic Noodle was such a delightful and refreshing read! A team of robot chefs wake up in an abandoned restaurant and decide to bring it back to life and give it a new spirit. This was cozy, heartwarming, and still timely and relevant. It's a must read!

This excellent sci-fi novella follows a group of Human Equivalent Intelligence (HEI) bots who start their own noodle restaurant when their bosses abandon them. A malicious anti-bot review bombing campaign threatens to destroy their business, but their skills-- and their community--help them win out in the end. I think fans of Becky Chambers will find a lot to love in this one. If you're looking for a fun, found family sci-fi novella, this is it.

My thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for an advance copy of this science fiction novella telling of a time in the not so distant future, where 4 bots, created to fight in a war, join together to form a restaurant, one that has far reaching consequences that none of them processed in their plans.

I have two nephews who are handsome, smart, funny, and love what they like. Unfortunately neither one likes to read. As the loving, cool Uncle, I try, but it is hard, and I don't want to make them think that reading is a chore, or something that needs to be forced on them. One of them loves to cook, so he will look at recipes. The other loves to eat, so he will seek out new places in his Brooklyn, as he calls it, and is willing to try anything. Well except crack a book. I'm always on the lookout for things that might interest them, and in this new novella, I think I have something good. Robotic AI, kids like that. A future that seems close to now, in more ways than one, maybe. Cooking and a love not only eating, but the feeling of companionship that food can give. Not only am I warm, I think I am at the proper temperature for both those boys. And for anyone who likes a light story, full of strong characters, interesting ideas, and well, hope. Automatic Noodle by writer, journalist and foodie Annalee Newitz is a story of a future, a last restaurant at the end of the block, a dream for electronic restaurateurs, and a love of food, and for each other.

The time is a future that is not that far away is seems. The great state of California has escaped the oppression of the country known as America, fighting a war that left devastation and many new social problems. Including what to do with AI bots who were created to fight a war, that left them behind. Four of this bots have been lucky to find a job, though business it seems is not good. Waking up after a long shutoff period, the four bots find themselves in a flooding restaurant, owned by a company who has fled their creditors. Working together they stop the flood, and with help from a stateless human acquire power to charge themselves, and power to run their business. Needing to work to save themselves from being sold as assets, the four decide to make a run at making real food, not stuff just sold under different names to different places. They choose to specialize in pulled noodles, and soon they are in business. Which is going well, until they start to get bad reviews which could lead to them being separated, or worst.

I'm not sure what I expected but I really enjoyed this story. Things have been so bleak, this story really came at the right time and lifted my spirits, and made me enjoy reading again. Though the story about breaking off from America seems a little too happening right now. This is a novella, but packs more character development and world building ideas than books three times the size. The characters are great, bots with a past, with failures, with loss, but found for the first time and united in a dream to make noodles. Noodles that change both the bots around them and the humans who share the neighborhood. The story is good, the depiction of technology, the world, the food, I really can't find a quibble with this in anyway.

We need more books, novellas short stories like this. Showing us stronger together, fighting the power or stupid anyway they can. Community science fiction. Call it what you will. A really good story, that is a lot of fun, with characters I want to read more about. Hopefully my nephews will join me on this adventure.

I absolutely loved this book and ended up reading it in one sitting. From the very first page, I was pulled into this quiet but powerful story of a postwar San Francisco and the robots who wake up and decide to build something new—not just a noodle shop, but a sense of purpose and community. What really stuck with me was how each robot character had their own personality and history, and how they formed a chosen family while figuring out how to exist in a world that didn’t exactly make space for them.
It’s a story about food, friendship, and resilience—but it’s also about what it means to redefine yourself beyond the role you were programmed to play. The writing is cozy and hopeful without being overly sweet, and there’s a lot of heart packed into this novella. Automatic Noodle was such a refreshing and emotional read, and I highly recommend it if you're looking for something that’s both comforting and quietly revolutionary.

Cozy and comforting- definitely fits into my wheelhouse and the wheelhouse of other people I know! Certainly something I would recomends to Becky Chambers fans or cozy fantasy fans who are trying to branch out into the sci-fi world. Pacing a novella is often difficult, but I found this did so particularly well. 100% recommended, but be aware that it will definitely make you want a good plate of noodles while you read it.

A cozy sci-fi novella that tackles themes of capitalism, identity and community against the backdrop of authentic pulled noodles and garlic.

Audiobook Stats:
⏰: 4 hours and 12 minutes
🎤: Em Grosland
Honestly, this audiobook was perfection. The narrator does an absolutely excellent job of the different voices needed and had great tempo. The narration was clear and concise. I did have to listen to this a little bit faster than my typical audiobook speed, but it was still done very well and clear. I really think this is going to be a new favor audiobook narrator for me.

Themes:
🤖: Capitalism
🤖: Building Community after war
🤖: Dependance on social media
🤖: Fighting for individuality and acceptance

Representation:
🥢: Cultural and authentic pulled 🍜
🥢: Queer coded characters (robots)
🥢: Immigrant coded characters (robots)
🥢: PTSD rep

Tropes:
💗: Found family
💗: Food porn 🤤
💗: Robots 🤖

🥵: Spice: 🚫
🧟‍♂️: Gore: 🚫
Potential Triggers: Homophobia, discrimination against immigrants, online bullying/attacks **check authors website/social media

Short Synopsis:
In a near-future San Francisco setting a group of forgotten robots pick up the pieces left after war in order to turn an abandoned building into an authentic pulled noodle restaurant. Despite numerous attempts to sabotage their new business against people who are "anti-robot" the restaurant thrives with the diverse and inclusive community that they have built around them.

General Thoughts:
This audiobook was absolutely adorable. I enjoyed this so much. I really feel like the synopsis does not give an accurate representation of just how much is packed into this short novel. This tackles so many important and relevant themes to today's society in a way that is super cute, zany and fun.

The characters and food were the stars of this show. The descriptions of the food were tantalizing. It definitely made me want a nice steaming bowl of noodles. So if you are someone who gets hungry when they read, beware this book will absolutely get you!!

The themes represented throughout the novel are extremely apparent to anybody paying attention to the novel. Watching the robots who are just trying to get by the best way they know how come up against all of these unfair and unwarranted attacks was definitely disheartening, but the grace with which these robots handled the adversity was so commendable. The rising of the community to surround them in love and support was absolutely inspiring. It sometimes does help to know that the voices that are the loudest are usually not the most numerous.

Overall, I really enjoyed the novel and I definitely will read anything else that comes out by this author.

Disclaimer: I read this book as a free audiobook through the Macmillan Audio and NetGalley . All opinions are my own. This is my honest and voluntary review.

I knew I was going to love this but wow! Such an emotional, heart warming story packed into a small package. All the robots were so fully developed with their own histories and motivations. The commentary on civil rights, social media etc were well done. Can’t wait to recommend this to customers!

Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz

Annalee Newitz is a favorite author of mine - I have enjoyed both her fiction and nonfiction in the past, and I also enjoy her podcast with Charlie Jane Anders.

After the masterful job she did creating the robot protagonist Paladin in her debut novel Autonomous, I was very excited to see what she would do in her newest book, Automatic Noodle, and I was pleased when I received a copy from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I was not disappointed!

This is a near future story about a group of robots that just want to open up a restaurant together. I wished the book had been longer because the ending felt a tad too abrupt, but I often feel that way with novellas. Although the plot isn’t particularly wild or groundbreaking, this story is rich and full of heart and I enjoyed every moment of it.

Things I liked:
-The characters were well written, unique, and had decent depth considering the short length. They read like robots but it was still easy to empathize with their struggles and feelings.
-The worldbuilding was interesting, though it was our world just a little in the future. Some events and the response of the world felt like they could really happen. I also enjoyed the cozy vibe of this small story despite it taking place in a post war setting.

Things I didn't like:
-The ending felt abrupt, like the story kept going but the book ended. I do understand why the book ended where it did though. This is a common problem with me and novellas so this may be a me thing rather than a book thing.

I finished this earlier today and have literally already recommended it to a friend. Automatic Noodle attempts to walk a fine narrative line between cozy sci-fi and political commentary, and I think it largely succeeds. Doesn't overstay its welcome.

A vibrant cast of robots open a noodle restaurant in a futuristic post-war San Francisco. What's not to love?

From the trials of running an indie business, to the dangers of social media, this novella delves into the beauty of immigration, and gender exploration.

I wish we had more time with these characters to get to know them even better. The ending felt cut short, I would've liked to see the team fully resolve the problems and connect further with the community they had begun to build.

Overall, really cute and enjoyable afternoon read. If you like Wall-E, Big Hero 6, and sci-fi novellas, this is for you!

3.5/5 stars or 7/10

Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz is a delightful story about a group of robots who collaborate to build a restaurant together. This book was a quick, cozy read featuring found family, food, and a group of misfits beating the odds. I loved the characters, and my only complaint was the ending felt abrupt. The book needed a little more time to wrap up the story entirely. There are trigger warnings for descriptions of war/PTSD and xenophobia.

I have such a soft spot in my heart for books about AI/robots making a place for themselves in a very human world while not losing themselves. I loved this cast of characters and the way they grew from both their far past memories and from the shock of realizing they'd been powered off for five months. Each one of them was so well rendered and made me love them so deeply. I absolutely loved this book. Annalee Newitz did such a wonderful job and I hope she writes in this world again!

CW: war (in the past), xenophobia

I really enjoyed this little book! A cosy story about robots that open a noodle shop, it has all the cosy vibes I love: found family, food, going up against the odds and beating them!

While this is a cosy story, it also discusses some pretty heavy topics. It’s taking place in 2065 (iirc), just a bit post war, where California has gained its independence from America. It’s interesting to see the parallels to what we’re currently seeing in the US in terms of attitudes towards “others”, and how that was a catalyst to California fighting for its independence. There are discussions of losing friends and loved ones, as well as PTSD, and the idea of people who are “illegal”.

I really loved how the small gang of robots (and one human) were able to use creativity to beat the xenophobes (robophobes, in the book) who were trying to shut down their little noodle shop. Overall, this is a story of love winning against hate and that haters are really brave when they’re sitting behind a screen, but it’s the people who actually show up that really matter.

I love a cozy robot book. This was sweet and quirky and suxh a quick read to brighten up someone's day.