Very reminiscent of Becky Chambers, but brings a near-future twist to the cozy sci-fi genre. Enjoyable, thought provoking, well-paced. Would recommend!

I have really mixed feelings on how to rate Automatic Noodle. On one hand, the writing is technically sound, but on the other… it just felt heavy-handed to me. The dialogue felt childish and unnatural. I mean, sure, they’re literal robots, but it just didn’t quite work for me!

Thank you NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was really excited when I first saw that I have been approved for this ARC. The cover is gorgeous and the concept sounded like a perfect cozy read. I want to really emphasize here that while my rating was a bit lower, I genuinely believe it is due to taste and not at the fault of the book itself.

So let's get into it. This book is about a world where California has split from the USA and there are a lot of HEEI (A type of sentient robots). A group of robots previously managed by a human, are awoken months after shut down to find that their 'boss' has fled for crimes. The robots decide to take matters into their own hands and open a noodle shop to pay the bills.

All in all, this sounds exactly like the type of book I would pick up. Its a short book but packed full of commentary on the government, immigrants, and community. However, it fell a little too much on the sci-fi side for me. I found the descriptions had simultaneously dragged on and not given enough. I couldn't picture this world or its characters very well and because of that I felt a disconnect to it. On top of that, I felt that the 'commentary' being made was incomplete. Obviously there is a message in this book, and I think its an important one. Maybe it's due to the fact that as much as I value the message here, it doesn't resonate with my life; however, I felt that I just needed a little more wrap up to the message. That goes with the plot as I feel like the ending was not very satisfying. I was expecting more from it, some sort of larger picture being summed up. It almost feels incomplete as a book in general.

I loved the sense of community created and the way the robots worked through their problems together. It was a very creative book and I enjoyed the concept of it a lot. I just felt like if this book had about 200 more pages to it, this book could've been monumentally life-changing but instead it fell a little flat.

I would still recommend this read if you're interested as, like I said before, I think most of this was personal preference. I feel like when I sum this book up, it still feels like a good novel, it just didn't live up to my expectations of it.

Again, thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for the ARC.

There wasn't much to this one, but it was charming all the same. Quick read. Found family. Super sweet, but not treacly. I thought the world was nicely thought-out and enjoyed the wry/sad vision of the future of the US, Cali, food delivery apps, how late stage capitalism affects individuals, and robots/robot rights.

The characters were a little forgettable. I felt like there were a bunch and I'm not sure I could distinguish between them all the time. They were all different, physically and in terms of their characters, but their characterizations didn't follow them through dialogue and action. It had that, 'any line of dialogue could have been spoken by any one of them' vibe, you know?

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor for the ARC

"I never want to make that mistake again -- letting humans decide how valuable we are."

Four robots quietly declare their independence, and open a noodle restaurant. Robophobic malcontents bombard the internet with one-star reviews. How does one fight an invisible enemy . . .

Though I had trouble visualizing the robots, and the tale was not as lighthearted as I had hoped, this was still lots of fun.

Don't read on an empty stomach."

Automatic Noodle is a story that begins with sentient abandoned bots. It's a story that explores rights, choices, and discrimination. I love how it balances a cozy story about robots who just want to cook, while also discussing their treatment and worried about their own future. This novella has plenty of robot snark and attention to food. I have been a fan of Newtiz in the past so I knew I'd enjoy this one, but I had no idea how much. There are plenty of tender little moments of finding memories of food or changing their appearance.

Thank you Tor & NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

This was an endearing delight of a novella full of warmth, tender moments, and of course, cozy bowls of noodles. Following a mismatched band of robots who are rebooted in a post apocalyptic San Francisco, following the collapse of their previously crumbling door dash-esque restaurant, they rally together to create something of their own. The themes of “robo-phobia” and a botless world, mirror our own. And while an overall light and warm comeback story, it does touch upon some dark themes, with care and humor of course. An easy and thought provoking read that’s guaranteed to garner some laughs.

Robots deciding to take over their own restaurant when the human owners skip town is just the tip of the iceberg in this amazing story. Newitz does a fantastic job of immersing the reader in the story immediately and getting them to empathize with these bots who just want to continue their work without being enslave into some other position. The characters were delightful to meet and all of their shenanigans to get the restaurant running were just chaotic enough to keep me holding my breath for them. I love sci-fi novellas because of the skill it takes to build just enough world to tell one's tale, and Automatic Noodle's California/USA split was a brilliant way to frame everything happening in-universe. The writing was smooth and so full of hope even as the bots found reasons to despair and this has definitely lifted this book to one of my favorite reads of this year

I received this as an eARC via Netgalley.

This is a delightful, thoughtful novella. Set in post-war/post-apocalypse California (which is no longer part of the US), San Francisco to be precise, a group of intrepid robots start a restaurant serving biang biang (hand-pulled) noodles.

Come for the discussions of sentience, survival, and mutual aid. Stay for the delightful autonomous robots working through their trauma and creating a community where humans and robots alike are valued and can thrive.

This is exactly the kind of story we need right now. And, also, hand-pulled noodles.

Highly recommended. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This novella packs quite the punch while being light on the surface. In the forefront, we have a story about robots who are trying to run a noodle restaurant, which feels very cozy and lighthearted. However, as I read I realized this book has a deeper story. The author also weaves in commentary on discrimination based on race, sexuality and social class while also touching on the effects of climate change, war, and PTSD. There is so much packed into this story including world building and many different character perspectives. However, the story still had a cozy and comforting feeling and did not overwhelm me. The author balanced details and explanation very well and I enjoyed this novella very much.

It's me and my cozy science fiction novella against the world, y'all! I loved this sweet read, with a cool diverse set of robots and such more heart. A really nice read, felt like having a warm chocolate chip cookie.

Fans of cozy fantasy need to pay attention to this heartwarming SF story of abandoned robots who decide to open their own noodle shop in a near future, post-war San Francisco. The four sentient robots with unique body shapes, personalities, and backgrounds, along with a pot-smoking human assistant, make this a wonderful story full of humor, a bit of intrigue, and a lot of mouth-watering noodle descriptions. I really adored the crew of Hands, Staybehind, Sweetie, and Cayenne, and would love to have a follow up story to see how they are doing six months later!

My thanks to Netgalley, the author, and publisher for this early read opportunity!

If you're looking for a cozy sci-fi tale about some abandoned robots opening a restaurant to pay off their indentures, then have I got the book for you. The plot might be predictable, but that's part of what makes it cozy. Relax and sit back as our ragtag crew of underpaid and semi-exploited machines explore menu ideas, deal with storefront flooding, engage in social media, and learn how to make a signature dish they can be proud of. This is character focused, and Newitz's casually solid world-building gives each of our robotic restaurateurs unique bodies and backstories, from a taciturn military veteran to a cheeky octopus. Their camaraderie and personal journeys are the point, everything else is secondary. The ending was a bit abrupt, but perhaps I'm just fated to want more from Newitz. 4/5 stars, and if there's a sequel, I'll be coming back for seconds.

3.5 stars! A wonderful novella following a group of abandoned robots as they navigate their future based on what they want, not by who made them or their assigned “purpose.” This book follows four robots who, at the start of the story, wake up, seemingly abandoned by their “employers” and left to carry the burden of their debt and contracts they were forced to accept. We follow along as they figured out who they are and what they want to be, as they open up a hand-pulled noodle shop in San Francisco, following a war for California’s independence.

For such a short story about robots opening a restaurant, Newitz raises a deeper conversation regarding who gets to decide what kind of person you get to be. This book explores how the state seeks to control people based on their identity by using “robot” as a fill in for conversations regarding the marginalization of people who don’t fit the white supremacist ideal of who a person is “meant” to be. At times, this comparison felt a bit heavy-handed and lacking a bit of nuance (like with the consistent use of the term “robophobe”) but I appreciate what the story was attempting to do.

Overall, this is a sweet story about robots figuring out where they belong in a society that doesn’t seem to want them to be fully themselves. If you are looking for a cozy story of robots trying to navigate personhood, dealing with some of the worst parts of humanity, and a mini-exploration into San Francisco biang biang noodles, this is a book worth picking up asap!

Thank you @macmillan.audio + @tordotcompub for the ALC + digital galley ♡

Read if you love:
🍜 aromatic recipes
🫶🏽 themes of belonging
🦾 quirky loveable robots 🤖
🥟 relatively low stakes

In the aftermath of a near future war between California and the United States, former indentured robots slaves are just trying to make a living while flying under the radar.
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Anti-bot sentiment ain’t no joke. Will review bombs put them out of business before they even get off the ground?
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This was so cozy and I loved the trans rep and depth in parallels to real issues including PTSD. The first half pacing was slower than my normal preference, but the second half made up for it!
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The spicy noodles made my mouth water, but the cherry on top was getting to meet Annalee at Comicon! 🥰🫶🏽

▶︎ •၊၊||၊|။||။‌‌‌‌‌|• 🎧 Audio format was fun, Em Grosland did several different robot voices that were each distinct and unique. This little 4 hour gem can be finished in one listen.

I loved this novella from Newitz that feels like a sister-work to Becky Chamber's Monk & Robot duology. I'd love to visit Automatic Noodle - the story made me crave comfort food but also the experience of visiting a welcoming space like their noodle shop. I loved the way this book grappled with tough topics but with a light touch.

A ragtag group of robots opens up a noodle shop in post-war California.
Automatic Noodles is a quick, cozy read interwoven with a bit of social commentary. This was exactly what I was looking for, and I really hope to read more cozy/solorpunk sci-fi novellas in the future. Loved the fact that it was set in a futuristic Bay Area, and I loved just how hopeful and happy the whole story was. This is an easy recommendation for anyone looking for a quick, happy read with a loveable cast of found-family robot characters. Thank you to Netgalley and Tor for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

AUTOMATIC NOODLE - ANNALEE NEWITZ

Let's start with a brief synopsis: a team of abandoned and leftover robots decides to open a noodle restaurant.

I was already sold when I read that, so I was very happy to get this ARC. At 164 pages, Automatic Noodle is a speedy read but it manages to do a lot within that amount of pages.

The characters - the ragtag group of robots - are at the heart of this story. Set in the near-distant future, San Francisco (and California) is recovering after a brutal war with America. Most of the robots had their own role to play during the war and they then had to find a new purpose afterwards, often being contracted out to all sorts of everyday jobs.

Abandoned, the team takes over the venue they once worked in, opening up their own noodle restaurant. They meet immediate success, only to have their restaurant attacked by a spate of one-star reviews.

As the story progresses, I guarantee that you'll end up falling in love with these robots, each of these having their own past and personality. Automatic Noodle is heartwarming, cosy, witty and unique. I loved it.

Thank you to Annalee Newitz, the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this eARC.

Release date: 5 August 2025

Review score: 4.5/5

A heartwarming story about taking robots taking their future into their own hands and building a community of bots and humans from scratch.

A small business drama with robots, Automatic Noodle has a great balance of cozy and serious.

There is an impressive amount of worldbuilding in this small novel. We have a succeeded California trying to rebuild after its break from a war with the United States and the state of robot personhood and what that looks like in terms of rights they have. And the robots are all different types, one is a standard humanoid type who was used in the war, another resembles an octopus, a third has a humanlike upper body but legs on servos, and the other is built into the ceiling. They are very fun.

If you read Legends and Lattes, this is a good comparison because there is the cozy found family element between the characters a well as the trials of new business owners opening and operating a business for the first time, which is complicated by groups trying to prevent this (in this case, of robot-haters).

While the characters in Newitz’s The Terraformers were almost too cutesy, they belied the seriousness of the story; the characters in this one are well-balanced. Each has something that they are working through in conjunction with the restaurant. The way they felt like robots was really well done because while every aspect of their being relates to being a robot, they still have personality and are bound by their programming, as we are by our psyche. How and when robots developed this level of sentience isn’t really gotten into, as that’s not the point, but the after effects on how they are treated by society as second-class citizens without the ability to do certain things (essentially without citizenship) very much mirrors how humans treat one another, and thus felt very realistic. Clearly, this book isn’t really about robots at all, but how humans Other one another and how displaced citizens sometimes exist in a limbo area in terms of their rights.

Anyway, the characters are great. They play well off one another (including a little romance) and all of them are likable. You really want them to succeed and be happy, and it’s lovely to watch them build a community despite the odds.

The writing flows really well, and the descriptions of the food were immersive. If you enjoy cozy stories with found family and people overcoming odds stacked against them, you’ll enjoy this one.