LOVE AND OTHER SIMULATIONS

In Stewart’s YA SF novel, a teenage hacker falsely accused of murder races to prove her innocence—even if it means dismantling reality as she knows it.

Seventeen-year-old Valé Consequence is known as “the Bountess” on the dark web, where she helps make ends meet by accepting various hacker jobs while trying to prove that the world itself is simply a computer simulation. But after she accepts a high-paying job from a user named “DeathDealer” that results in the murder of pop star Odie Sykes—and Valé herself is blamed—she realizes she has made a grave mistake. Alongside her best friend, Charlie, Valé goes on the run to establish her innocence by finding evidence to prove once and for all that reality itself is fake: “If we’re just code, then our code exists somewhere…I find the simulation. Access it. I reboot Odie. I bring him back to existence, and all this goes away.” But DeathDealer (whose real identity is soon uncovered) has his own agenda and will stop at nothing to prevent Valé from discovering the hidden truth about the world and herself. As secrets are revealed and the dead seemingly return to life, anything seems possible—if only Valé believes. Stewart has crafted a riveting SF thriller that embraces the best qualities of YA fiction: The characters learn to be true to themselves while navigating (and, more importantly, questioning) the world around them. Realistic dialogue helps endear the spunky Valé to readers as she finds herself facing outlandish situations (such as an encounter with a toy that may or may not be a sex doll and can only communicate via song lyrics) and moral crises with very real consequences. The novel delicately tackles such wide-ranging themes as drug use, single parenthood, and the very real human costs that come with technological advances. The result is a dazzling, adrenaline-pumping thriller with plenty of heart.

Crisp writing and irresistibly complex characters make this twisty futuristic novel a must-read.