If you enjoy Legends and Lattes or the video game Stray, this is the book for you. We have robots who just want to own and open their own noodle shop. Found family galore! I loved it.

This book immediately gave me the same cozy-yet-thoughtful vibes I got from Becky Chambers’ Monk & Robot duology. It’s quiet but powerful, blending sci-fi with big philosophical questions about what it means to exist, connect, and create meaning in unexpected places.

What I loved most was the balance between humor and heart. The worldbuilding is sharp without being overwhelming, and the characters’ relationships drive the story forward in a way that feels both tender and real. It’s not about flashy action, but rather about sitting with ideas — memory, identity, and what makes a life worth living.

If you enjoy reflective sci-fi that lingers after you close the book, Automatic Noodle is a gem.

An excellent little visit to the (possible) future where robots just want to live freely, feel their feelings, modify their bodies, and not have to serve humans… unless they’re serving noodles.

I was utterly charmed by this cast of machines, and I enjoyed Newitz’s way of giving us commentary on the “now” while presenting us with ideas from the future. Clever writing, engrossing story, and more robots to love?? I’ll tell everyone to read it.

Annalee Newitz’s Automatic Noodle is one of those books that feels both playful and quietly profound. The premise is both simple and unique - a group of deactivated robots wake up in a post-war San Francisco—now a country of its own—and decide to do the one thing they know best, cook food, more specifically, make noodles. What starts as a quirky business venture turns into a story about resilience, belonging, and the strange, beautiful ways communities form.

The robots themselves are easy to love—each with their own quirks, insecurities, and surprising warmth. I found myself rooting for them, which is not something I expected when I started reading a story about a robot-run kitchen. And while the challenge of surviving a wave of one-star reviews sounds like satire played for laughs (and it is funny), Newitz turns it into something sharper and more resonant: a clever metaphor for what it means to survive in a world stacked against you.

I also appreciated the story's setting. This version of San Francisco, scarred but rebuilding after a devastating war, mirrors the resilience of its robotic noodle-makers. Newitz captures both the heaviness of history and the lightness of everyday joys—especially in the mouthwatering descriptions of hand-pulled noodles. The food writing alone could carry the book, but it’s the way it ties into themes of care, labor, and connection that sticks the landing.

I listened to the audiobook, and Em Grosland’s narration added wonderful texture. It strikes a perfect balance: imbuing the robots with warmth and humor while keeping just enough of a mechanical edge to remind you of who (or what) they are. It’s subtle, charming, and makes the story even more immersive. If you’re torn between print and audio, I vote audio.

In the end, Automatic Noodle is about purpose, found family, and the joy of making something together—even if the world isn’t set up for you to succeed. It’s cozy sci-fi with bite, satire with heart. By the end, I was left both hungry for noodles and a bit more hopeful about the future.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio, NetGalley, and the author for the audiobook ARC.

Rating: 5 Cozy Robots

Do you like robots? Do you want more Monk and Robot by Becky Chambers? Did you love the audiobooks for the Monk & Robot books? Well here it is, the audiobook you've been waiting for!

This is so good. I love the characters (robots) and cozy yet dystopian world in this novella. It is well-narrated of course by Em Grosland, who gave audio life to the Monk & Robot characters (Mosscap!! <3 ).

Brb gonna go buy this audiobook and listen again.

I'm a huge fan of Newitz's and this book did not disappoint. I loved the characters and storyline. Recommended for fans of cozy scifi reads.

This was good, but maybe a little too cozy. I was pretty invested in the characters and wanted to see more of a concrete resolution to some of their problems. Everything at the end felt kind of rushed or like the book was a set up for another story. The story shines in the character work. you want to cheer the robots on, but unfortunately we don't get much resolution.

Unlike in the real world, I am absolutely LOVING the AI protagonist surge we're enjoying in Sci-Fi! If you like Murderbot, Monk and Robot, Monsters and Mainframes, etc, you are gonna fall for this rag tag group of robits just trying to make a decent cup of noodles. Found family is a trope I will ALWAYS return to, and this scratches that itch perfectly. In today's world, it's actually pretty easy to imagine that the human's are the monsters and the automatons are just trying top survive (and dare they hope it: thrive). The fast pace and short length make this book so easily accessible to those unwilling to dive into multi volume or lengthy stories. I loved it so many and want so many more stories just like this one.

I think it will come as no surprise that l, a person who loves the Monk and Robot books, also really enjoyed AUTOMATIC NOODLE. I really love a picking-up-the-pieces-after-the-bad-times tale, and if you throw in some robots with PTSD and some delicious food, you've basically made a little summoning circle just for me. I liked all these guys, from the chef to the ex-military bot to the self-driving car and everyone in between. I felt the explorations of grief, war, and mental heath were done with care, and I would recommend this for a hopeful interlude in these scary times.

3.75

This was a charming, cozy sci-fi novella that takes place in a near future San Francisco post independence from the United States.

This felt like if Becky Chambers’s Monk & Robot duology was combined with Travis Baldree’s Legenda & Lattes. I loved the little tidbits of this near future California, and I loved all of the food descriptions. I don’t think using robots as a way to talk about othering is unique, but I thought it was well done here. But I’m also not sure Annalee Newitz was trying to go for unique. Their books have always had something to say about the time we are in and I think they do that successfully here while also providing coziness and warmth and hope that is so desperately needed.

Honestly, this book really just made me want biang biang noodles.

I generally really like Em Grosland’s audio narration, but in this novella I had a little bit of a hard time differentiating voice and I’m not sure if that was due to the narration or to Newitz’s writing style.

Cute little scifi story, but I did find the audiobook a bit hard to follow along with. I definitely couldn’t multitask when listening to this one. Loved the quirky characters and cool cover!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, the narrator, and Macmillan Audio for a copy!

Automatic Noodle is a heartfelt story of four robots from different backgrounds starting and growing a noodle restaurant in a post-war San Francisco. Annalee Newitz adeptly gives us all the world building we need to introduce us to our robot restaurateurs, their individual histories and what brings them together to start and thrive as restaurateurs. The story frequently gives similar vibes to Legends & Lattes for its largely cozy story of found family and creating community while facing the struggles of building a seemingly unlikely business. Em Grosland’s narration of the audio edition expertly captures our robot protagonists.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for providing an audio review copy of Automatic Noodle. Full review is available in episode #319 of Narrated podcast: https://narratedpodcast.com/episodes/319

A Warm Bowl of Hope in a Futuristic California! This charming novella blends the best of cozy science fiction with a heartwarming tale of perseverance, friendship, and of course, noodles. Set in a near-future California where robots are treated as second-class citizens, the story follows a determined group of mechanical friends who hatch an ambitious plan: to run their own trendy noodle shop.

What could have been a simple “robots lean to cook” plot becomes something much richer. The author uses the restaurant as a microcosm for societal change, exploring prejudice, community, and the quiet ways we can challenge injustice. The kitchen scenes are as comforting as the broth the robots simmer, with sensory details that make you almost smell the miso and hear the clink of the bowls.

Automatic Noodle is a very creative book about a group of restaurant worker robots that reboot/awaken in a dive establishment in an independent California. Some have scars of fighting alongside humans against America. The robots, lacking a human master, decide to reopen the restaurant with much more concern for palatability and quality than their owner ever had, and leverage reviews and human educators and intermediaries to learn noodle making. The title is a slur an anti-robot gives their "Authentic Noodle" establishment.
The "person"alities are entertainingly quirky and interesting and it's a great way to see the mechanics of the restaurant business from a unique perspective. The technologies is not at all far off as there are numerous real world demonstrations of robotic pizza and burger makers, delivery bots, etc. The business dilemmas of selling through an app vs their own website and other marketing and review/reputational issues is very true to life, and the worldbuilding is entertaining and compelling.
A great, brief read.

I thought this book was so incredibly cute and I am so glad I picked it up. I also wished it was longer so I could visit with these characters in their noodle shop longer. This novella focuses on four robots with levels of AI intelligence who want to run a restaurant which seems to have been abandoned by the previous owners. Since they each have various bills or services to pay for to keep them in operation and want to feel useful, they turn to making food as a familiar job they can do.

Staybehind is an ex-military robot who seems to be the general manager of the shop. Sweetie is the face and the one who takes orders for walk-in customers. Cayenne seems to do most of the tech such as their marketing, while Hands is the chef and makes the hand-pulled noodles. The story is light-hearted and fun as the robot friends navigate the waters of what it means to run a noodle shop. Their biggest hurdle is trying to figure out who is review bombing their shop and trying to get them to stop. The reviewer doesn't even seem to be a real customer but rather someone who simply wants them to fail.

It's one of my favorite cozy, sci-fi books of the year so far. There is a bit of depth to the story and social commentary which brushes on familiar topics, but the dialogue is fun and witty, and the friendship between the robots and others is well done.

This was cute and cozy while also addressing the culture of review bombing and racism. Each robot had their own unique personality, and they were such fun ones. I loved the passion of each of them and the relationship that each developed with each other.

The idea of this was fun, and now I really want some noodles. I think this was an interesting take on robotics and humanity in a time where AI is (sadly) being used often. (If you're using it-- stop, please. The earth is begging you!)

I liked this, and wish it was a little bit longer!

The book was such a comfort to listen to while I did my work and chores at home. The narrator did a fabulous job capturing each character and presenting a comforting atmosphere. It's hard to find a good cozy sci-fi book, so I'm glad I stumbled upon this one. My library went ahead and purchased the physical copy, so I'll make sure to recommend the book to others too. Thank you netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to such a wonderful book.

This is a book I've been looking forward to for a while, and it was great to be able to get this from the library (and via audiobook in parallel). We get the story of a group of robots starting up a noodle restaurant in San Francisco in the aftermath of war and gig capitalism, and dealing with a review bombing in the aftermath of their success. There's absolutely commentary here on people behind irl review bombings and the scamminess of companies like GrubHub, and also just generally about generating actual community. Em Grosland also does an amazing job narrating and invoking various voices for the bots. Highly recommended read this summer.

This sweet Audiobook was such a delightful listen. If you like cozy stories about found family, robots and food, this book may be for you

Murderbot meets Kamagawa Food Detectives in a delightfully cozy yet dystopian sci-fi! I quite enjoyed this story from the premise down to the individual characters. I definitely recommend reading it!