When you add my two big loves food and books together, you get this story. Automatic Noodle is breathtakingly well written. The cozy vibes are everything, but the deeper topics are still very important and well done. I love cozy sci-fi and this sweet novella did not disappoint. The food descriptions were great as well! Narration by Em Grosland is so well done! Absolutely loved this!
Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for giving me the opportunity to listen to this alc.

this book is absolutely worth reading its quick and uplifting while also being set just outside a fully dystopian hellscape, but that just means that there are stakes to the things that happen. In this story its not just about a cozy feel good atmosphere it’s about surviving hardship and how and where you find the strength to do so

*Thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan audio for early copy for review*

This is such a cozy and comforting novella that reminded me of Monk and Robot. I was able to invision the world very easily. I really enjoyed the world building.

I listened to the audiobook and all the voices for the robots. This was such a relaxing book and I would love more in this world.

I was not expecting to love this novella so much.

We follow four robots who work in a restaurant who find out, after being rebooted, that the restaurant was abandoned. Following a war that separated California from the United States, robots were promised more rights but it quickly became clear that they are still treated as second class citizens. With their owning company having left them behind and no legal way for robots to own a restaurant, the four bots hatch a scheme and decide to run the restaurant the way they want to.

This story was so full of heart. All four of the bots were such wonderful characters, I can't even choose who my favorite was. We have Staybehind, an ex-military bot trying to deal with his painful past, Sweetie, a bot that's trying to find her own identity outside of humans, Hands, who has always wanted to be a chef and create perfect noodles, and Cayenne, an octo-bot who wants to create a successful business, but most of all wants to stay wherever Hands is. I truly cannot express how much I loved these characters and how this short, cozy sci-fi about found family felt like a warm hug

This cozy little sci-fi story really surprised me. It’s silly, sweet, and somehow made me think deeply about robot rights while also craving noodles.

In a near future where California has broken from the U.S., robots (some of whom literally fought in that very war) have been “freed”… but it’s giving ✨indentured servitude✨ vibes. When their human boss disappears, a group of sentient robots is left to run a ghost kitchen on their own. What follows is part workplace chaos, part found family sweetness, and part commentary on capitalism. But in a super accessible, adorable way.

Watching them navigate business ownership (despite being very much not considered people), deal with review bombs, and try to figure out what freedom actually means? Honestly… it got to me. But also, the group dynamic is so good. They support each other, they make mistakes, they grow. It’s honestly what we wish humans acted like.

This story was just over 4 hours on audio and the narration was great; fun, playful, and easy to follow. Perfect for a cozy weekend listen or something light-but-smart for a road trip.

Recommended if you like:
🤖 artificial intelligence with feelings
🍜 cozy food-core vibes
🫶 found family
💭 lowkey existential robot ethics
🧼 clean-ish, feel-good sci-fi

Thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Tordotcom for the ARC!

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan audio for the chance to listen to this story early! This audio was great! The narrator did a fantastic job of bringing this story to life. This story was cozy, sweet, and powerful for being so short. I think this novella did a good job of tackling some real world issues in a cozy quirky way. If you are in need of a palate cleanser read, Automatic Noodle will be perfect for you!

*Thank you to and Macmillan Audio NetGalley for the ALC! All opinions are my own.*

This one will be a difficult one for me to review. Because here's the thing, I didn't like it. BUT I can absolutely see why everyone else did/will. It is cozy, absolutely. If you're looking for something cozy and lighthearted with no stakes at all, this is the one for you! If you want a large cast of characters, here's the books you need! If you like sci-fi, alternate reality-type settings, this novella has that!

The issue is.. I am not at all a sci-fi person. I was hoping the cozy addition to the genre would help ease me into it in a way that would make it more palatable for me, but it unfortunately took *too much* plot away and instead of too overwhelmed, I got too bored! And while I usually love a merry band of characters like this, I didn't feel like any of their personalities were particularly developed enough for me to care about any of them in the time I spent with them. This book *is* absolutely for people. It's for a lot of people, even. It just wasn't for me, and it was entirely user error. :/

I loved this book so much. I could not stop talking about it while I was listening to it! It is clever, fun, and just a good time. It provides a break from reality while also giving you food for thought (hah!) and some thoughtful cultural commentary. I loved the characters and their eccentricities and differences. I think the world building was done so well for such a short book. I highly recommend this book if you need a brief break from reality that will make you smile. The narrator was lovely and made the book come alive as well. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to provide my honest review.

I enjoyed Automatic Noodle from start to finish and the Em Grosland’s narration is perfection! This cozy novella about a crew of left-over robots starting their own noodle shop is well-paced and entertaining. I highly recommend this uplifting story of survival and community!

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.

Set in a future San Francisco--post-Civil War California is no longer part of the United States, but the US is still a threat.

Robots of every type are a vital part of the city--these are not the robots/machines we would recognize. They think, can learn, and are wily. And they want citizenship. This is a speculative future, somewhat post-apocalyptic and dystopia.

This story, though, is a sweet and cozy book about a group of robots and one human they choose to trust, as they set to start their own restaurant. Which us hard to do when only one of the robots can "taste" (via chemical sensors) and none of them can eat. And, of course, robots are not permitted to own a restaurant--but there are loopholes to every rule.

I love post-apocalyptic and dystopian novels, which this is. But really this story is about friendship, trust, smarts, kindness, found family, and dreams. The "cozy" descriptor is accurate. This is also fully appropriate for older (and likely some younger) YA readers.

I was provided an ALC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

This was delightful. I'm a huge fan of cozy scifi and cozy fantasy and this fits more of the cozy scifi bill. This follows a found family of robots who were abandoned by their humans several months ago. They were all contracted to make mediocre food for takeout, but now they have no purpose. They put their heads and coin together and decide to open their own restaurant making food they want to serve as their head chef has always wanted to make noodles that humans would actually want to eat. They each have talents to support their venture and when the their noodle business starts becoming a success they are all elated. Then the negative reviews come in threatening their hard work. The robots have to band together again to save their beloved noodle shop and thrive in a world that despite having rights for robots, still doesn't love them.

This was so wonderful. For being a novella, this packs in a ton of social commentary while still having a great storyline about found family and hope even if the characters are robots. The author's choice to use robots as metaphor for humans in this post-war San Francisco was brilliant.

I really enjoyed the narrator, they did voices for each of the characters which was important to distinguish which bot was which. If you are a fan of Becky Chambers or Travis Baldree I highly recommend this.

This was so cute! The narrator did a really great job of giving each robot a distinct voice without going over the top and the stakes were just high enough to keep me interested while remaining cozy.

"How would we hide the fact that robots are running the restaurant?"

AHHHH I have been so STOKED for Automatic Noodle since it was first annoucned. I love novellas, robots, and cozy stories. I'm so happy cozy sci-fi is taking off a bit. I'm always in need of audiobooks that are easy to fall asleep to. For me that mean interesting enough to shut up my brain but calm and low stakes so it's easy to drift off. So this ARC was literally a gift. (tysm NetGalley and Macmillan Audio!)

As soon as I received this audiobook, I put it on. I almost listened to the entire thing in one sitting haha. I found the story fairly peaceful and relaxing but still got the satisfaction of seeing characters overcome challenges. The author manages to work in touches of serious themes without weighing everything down, like a brief mention of one of the robots, Sweetie, being able to frown because robots' fought for the right to make facial expressions. That balance can be tough, especially in a novella, and I feel like like the author nailed it.

And, man, I just f&^%ing LOVE robots so much. In general. And the characters in this story were fun. I thought the writing really shined when it came out the physicality of the robots. Tight, accurate descriptions that remind you these aren't human characters but without bashing you over the head. (Example: one of them "flushed turquoise with approval")

There are portions of the book told through "group chats." This could have been difficult to do in an audiobook and I imagine the book-book may have character tags on each message. However, the narrator did a fantastic job of giving each character a distinctive voice and staying consistent throughout his acting. One of the robots, Staybehind did kind of sound like it had a stuffy nose though? But I got used to it lol. The narration was good, very appropriate for robots!

This book was so many things that I love and the audio format worked perfectly. Easy 5-star for me!!

In this cozy, near-future novella from acclaimed sci-fi author Annalee Newitz, a crew of forgotten robots awakens in a derelict ghost kitchen and decides to chart their own path—by serving up the best hand-pulled noodles in post-war San Francisco.

While I’m usually not drawn to novellas—I often crave more depth and backstory—Automatic Noodles completely won me over. The story stands solidly on its own, with characters (yes, even mechanical ones) that are richly drawn and emotionally resonant. As the bots face the pressures of running a business and a smear campaign of one-star reviews, they come together like a little found family, encouraging one another through every challenge. I couldn’t help but root for them every step of the way.

Automatic Noodles is a gentle reminder that even in a world not built for you, community—and a good bowl of noodles—can make all the difference. Special thanks to netgalley and macmillan audio for providing an ALC.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for an eAudio ARC of this work in exchange for my review.

Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz with Em Grosland as narrator is a cozy yet dystopian sci-fi that explores freedom, civil liberties, racism, self ownership, concepts of gender expression, propaganda, PTSD, immigration, social media, individuality, community, found family and food culture, among many other things.

For a novella, it serves up a relatable, compelling and thought-provoking read that leaves readers wanting second or third helpings from the author.

The audiobook narration is excellent and adds to making it a worthy and delightful feel-good read.

Was lucky enough to score an advanced copy of this and continue my streak of cozy reads and this did not disappoint. The coziness and wholesomeness are at an all time high but there are just as many heavy and even dark parts. For some that may ruin the cozy vibe but I thought it worked and would even be down for more in this universe.

This was an incredibly fun listen and made me think a lot about AI and robots. It is a lighter read but has some deeper themes all within a shorter book. Absolutely enjoyed the audiobook and kind of outside my typical genre.

Automatic Noodle is Annalee Newitz's cute and clever story about 'bots' fitting in to the northern California society in a post war, near future, world.

I enjoyed how Newitz fit in the concepts of figuring out how to establish a business and online reviews, and how the bots would exist alongside the humans and try to make a life for themselves here.

The audio version of Automatic Noodle is nicely performed by Em Grosland.

I have read and enjoyed this author before so I eagerly requested this one. The premise of a cozy science fiction story set around a noodle shop sounded amazing. However, I struggled so hard with the audiobook narration because the narrator gave such a flat dry performance. I would be open to trying to the physical copy because this very much felt like a case of the wrong format.

I requested this one because it might be an upcoming title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book does not suit my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one.