I received and eARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars rounded to 4.

Move over cozy fantasy, cozy sci-fi is coming for you!
This little novella was a lot of fun to read. It’s the perfect mix of relatable-to-today’s-world issues, found family, food, and some complex emotions and trauma.

While I did like the characters and found them all to be delightful in their own way, I didn’t really gel with them. I felt like something was missing? Everything felt so serious with them and I truly think there could have been more humor involved in what is unapologetically a silly book (I mean come on, despite the serious topics, it’s robots making noodles. That’s silly!)

This was a cute, cozy novel about found family and community, and a quick read! Despite the short length, I felt like the characters had time to develop and confront some of their own issues and biases as they grappled with the problems in the world around them. Overall, a fun read with bonus points for being LGBTQ+ friendly.

Refreshingly sweet, this short tale of a group of AI machine people band together in friendship to support each other and along the way they make a wonderful little restaurant. It is the hopeful kind of science fiction we need right now.

Whoa, this was a cute novella that just touched on a found story element on surface level but also made a lot of allegories and good references to the current climate. Seeing California vs. America made me laugh a bunch but was an interesting take that worked well. I really enjoyed the build up and how we watched them go through the whole ordeal of restarting something that isn't necessarily "authentic" but making something better than what they were made to make before. It made me wonder if cooks can still cook when they dislike something on the menu. Although the robots can't taste the food, they still know it's crap and feel bad for serving it that way. Also, the restaurant serves as a community staple, which we say many times with how often people show up and show out for the food (pre and post review bombing).

One of the funnier scenes was poor Cayenne, having to constantly remember the taste of a sewer. I think, I too, would not be able to get that taste out of my mind...forever and would probably wake up at night hunted by it.

The review bombing was something I've seen happen a lot and it felt nice to see a perspective of beings who actively want to solve the problem versus everyone shutting down and giving up. A majority of them had their livelihoods and freedoms at stake. Since this was a novella, I enjoyed the pace of it and seeing them get into things fast.

Overall, I really enjoyed this read and (per usual with many of my reviews) would love to see this either animated or made into a film.

Thanks to Tor and NetGalley for the DRC~

What an unexpectedly charming read! I devoured it over the course of one evening and the next morning. Being a novella, it had snappy pacing, but the four main robot characters were well developed and had me cheering for them as they tried to get their restaurant going. Set in a postwar version of San Francisco, this book takes a very dim view of our current political climate (some hateful characters are criticized for acting like they wished it was still the 2020s), but offers a hopeful vision for avenues by which society may survive and even thrive after years of political tumult and climate change.

For fans of character-driven, robot-centered novellas, this one has more teeth than the Monk and Robot series and less action than Murderbot. It occupies a unique and (dare I say it?) authentic place in the subgenre, as Newitz is clearly writing from their heart and from their deep but open-eyed love of San Francisco.

Thank you so much to Tor and Netgalley for the invitation to review this eARC! I don't know that I would have picked it up without the suggestion, but am so glad I did!

Did not expect this to be in the running for my favorite read of the month! Not sure how anything will top it though...

Quick question: Can I stop looking at videos of biang biang noodles long enough to write a review of the sweet, cozy, heartwarming novella that is Automatic Noodle? Maybe, maybe.

Do you want a quick read that shows off the best of humanity in a post-Californian Independence setting using robots as the stand-ins for queerness and civil rights? You should!

Every character jumps off the page and right into your heart.

I LOVED THIS SO MUCH!! Hoping with all of my heart that this is not the only story we get about the beautiful found family of Staybehind, Sweetie, Hands, Cayenne, and Robles.

This wasn’t exactly what I’d hoped for. I am sure this is one of those deep allegory sort of stories about America’s political and social climate and the prejudices against immigrants but I don’t like to read those. The real world sucks enough on its own. The world building and characters were ok but there is no humor whatsoever in what could have easily had some. Overall, it was just really dry for me.

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this.

I devoured this novella almost as fast as you can eat a bowl of noodles. It was bright and warm, and all of the characters had such vivid and delightful personalities. It's a fast read, but a heartwarming one, that felt very real.

I really enjoyed the worldbuilding in this title. The idea of this story picking up after the events of a war (specifically between the U.S. and California) really brings home the importance of the Noodle Shop and it's role in rebuilding a community after a disaster. I also enjoyed the different ways that conversations were reflected in the text (chat vs, verbal, vs. "wired").

This was wonderful cozy futuristic read!

'Automatic Noodles' is a timely and heartwarming story about a group of robots who take their lives into their own hands after the human they were working for abandons them. While none of the robots can actually eat, they are bound by a shared interest in food, as well as their loyalties to each other. After the noodle shop they open comes under attack by an anti-robot group, they have to decide whether to close up shop or fight for the life they've built. At times funny, heartbreaking, and anger-inducing 'Atomic Noodle' is a much needed addition to the not-quite-cozy genre. Not only will I recommend this book to readers, but I will also be buying a copy for my own bookshelf.

I didn't really enjoy this, which is a shame. The allegory was very heavy handed and I didn't like the writing style, or any of the characters. It took a very long time to get to the actual running of the restaurant and then a large part of this short novella was about a bad yelp review. I work in restaurants and thought this novella might be amusing and charming and unfortunately it just didn't do it for me.

This was a book I devoured in one sitting. As delicious a story as the noodles it describes, it was immensely enjoyable to the last line. The settings were rich and the characters lovable. I would gladly return for more!

If you need a story of chosen family and hope and good food, Automatic Noodle absolutely fits the bill. This is a delightful novella of a near-future where California has split from the United States after war, and part of California progressiveness was to give civil rights to human equivalent embodied intelligence (HEEI) robots. But those rights are limited - they’re not able to use a bank, own property, and there’s lots of prejudice against robots (very allegorical to American attitudes towards immigrants and marginalized groups). When a group of four robots - Staybehind, Sweetie, Hands, and Cayenne - find themselves in an abandoned storefront after being suddenly shut down five months ago and learn the company that owns the restaurant has abandoned them, they decide to become a proxy for the company on their contract in order to earn money to cover their leases so they won’t be permanently decommissioned.

Overall this is a very warm hug kind of book full of hope and possibility. I love the community the crew of Automatic Noodle builds and the ways they keep managing to survive, but also finding joy along the way. There’s a lot of trauma and pain because several of the robots were involved in the war, and even the ones who weren’t have experienced prejudice and harassment. Learning Staybehind’s backstory was especially heartbreaking, but in contrast I love Sweetie’s arc. It is a very trans story as she is changing her appearance to be more authentically herself, and her expressions of that experience hit my heart in such good ways.

I do think there’s something to be said about how California is independent from the rest of the United States, especially as there is sometimes an attitude of people living in red states deserve the situations they find themselves in. I do wish this could have been delved into a bit more, because California isn’t an oasis of perfection (and, to be clear, the world in the story is not presented as some bastion of good experiences, but there’s still politics in the world building) and the attitudes expressed towards the U.S. do hit a bit sideways.

All in all, though, I loved this book and I might have to try more from Annalee Newitz cuz the hope and community they write about is so good and warm-hug. I definitely recommend picking this book up!

The way this cozy, sci-fi novella had me in my feels. Robots scare the hell out of me but this politically charged and the array of respectful representation of these bots…impeccable. It’s a feel good book with a lot to say. And I adored it.

A group of robots get together to run a noodle shop in a post-war San Francisco. What is there not to love? These AI robots awaken and realize they have been abandoned by their corporation so they must try to find their own way in this new landscape. While short in page length, this book is heavy with complex emotion. world-building and friendship dynamics. Not to mention the delicious sounding food descriptions. Automatic Noodle is cozy and lighthearted, and I loved it. Do not miss this! Thank you to Tordotcom and NetGalley for the ARC. Give this a read when it publishes August 05, 2025!

Sometimes all you need is a cosy book about robots opening a noodle shop, am I right? Automatic Noodle is my first book by Annalee Newitz and I thoroughly enjoyed it! Combining cosy found family tropes with discussions of autonomy and dismantling hate, Automatic Noodle is a great sci-fi novella.

Set in the near-future after a war that sees California split from the rest of the United States, this book focuses on a defunct restaurant and the bots that ran it. This setting allows Newitz to explore the ways in which the world is unsafe for ‘othered’ communities and how to survive when your community is under attack. It also has amazing friendships, a found family, and the determination to carve out a piece of the world to make a home. It's a little book that has a lot to say, and it's incredibly relevant to what many communities are experiencing right now across the world.

I loved all the characters in this book - they're the heart of the story and it's hard not to fall in love with them. The robots -who have all experienced war, traumas, and the looming threat to their autonomy - have such wonderful interpersonal relationships and Newitz creates such sympathetic characters. They may not be human, but they are incredibly relatable and loveable. Personally, I would die for Hands.

Automatic Noodle is a cosy, slice of life novella that also has a lot to say. I’d highly recommend this if you are a fan of Becky Chambers’ Monk and Robot books. Beware: you’ll be craving noodles by the end.

Wow, what an fun and imaginative read! This Sci-Fi Novella had me laughing, sentimental, and reflecting on society and our cultural reactions.

The pacing of this book is fantastic, and I absolutely adored the characters. Robots are so fun!
The book touches on soft themes such as:
*Body positivity
*Chasing your dreams
*Xenophobia (in robot form)
*Culture
*Found family
*Trauma/PTSD

This book got me thinking and tackled some genuine issues that could definitely arise in the future. I loved how supportive the robot crew turned out to be; it was quite heartwarming! However, I did find myself pausing near the end where there was a slight fixation of portraying humans (especially white ones) in a rather one-dimensional way. I understand the author leaning into a perspective shaped by today's cultural conversations, and I appreciate the intent to change the norms. It would be preferable to see a broader view of humanity instead of focusing so much on race, highlighting that we all have our flaws and are constantly evolving no matter out background. That said I absolutely recommend this book! I am curious to see how others interpret it too.

Thank you NetGalley and Tor Publishing for the ARC read in exchange for my honest review.

I love short stories, but novellas often land weirdly because they're long enough for me to feel completely immersed in the world but not long enough to tell a compelling full story. I liked the world building and the characters but this felt very light.

Review going up on Youtube in Friday Reads for April 4th
Amazon and Barnes & Noble reviews will go up at launch
Imgur link goes to Instagram graphic scheduled for August 2
Blog post goes live August 1st

TL;DR: Cozy and bright, I really enjoyed this one.
Source: NetGalley, thank you to the publisher!

Plot: A crew of AI bots create and run their own noodle shop in a post-war California.
Characters: Unique and fascinating take on what AI could be like one day.
Setting: San Francisco but make it post-war with America.
Science Fiction: It’s light on the details besides the AI existing.

Thoughts:

I absolutely love new takes on the idea of AI and robotics. We have seen so much fear driven fiction that leads to the conclusion it will all be bad and terrible. Yet more and more we see authors say ‘What if they really are more like us than we think they will be?’. The idea that they’d rather watch their shows (thanks Murderbot) or in this case cook. It’s my favorite trope.

Automatic Noodle follows a group of bots who wake up after being abandoned by the corporation that owns their contracts. After speaking with the AI’s that control the contracts they get themselves setup as an independent shop and they being making noodles.

Each has their own unique personality, and each voice is clear. Not only that but each has their own history, likes, dislikes, etc that leads you to just loving them as characters. I especially adored the way we peeked at love between these characters. All of this was fantastic.

It’s cozy, low stakes and I would 100% gobble up anything more in this world or setting if Annalee Newitz decided to write it. I can’t recommend this enough for my fellow cozy readers, and in general if you want something with these vibes. What a great read.