A fun story that will appeal to geeks and beachgoers alike.
Gorgeous, thoughtful, intelligent, sexy, supportive—Ethan is everything Kelly has ever wanted in a man. Too bad he’s a robot.
Pressured to find a date for her sister’s wedding, robotics engineer Kelly Suttle stumbles upon the perfect solution: She builds her own. Like Victor Frankenstein, Kelly cobbles her creature together from mismatched parts, but hers are found in a highly advanced lab whose real goal is not to offer parts for Kelly’s private project but to market the first caregiver AI: a robot intended to provide meaningful companionship to lonely or ill people and even pass for human in close interactions. The trouble starts when Kelly is too good at her own job: She not only gives Ethan access to the entire internet, but also spends every day with him—with nearly fatal repercussions: She falls in love with her creation. In her debut novel, Archer concocts an endearingly unlucky-at-love heroine, although one beset with the social awkwardness of the stereotypical engineer: Relentlessly reminded by her mother that, at 29, her marriageable days are waning fast, Kelly dreads every family dinner and blind date. And although her best friend, Priya, is a man magnet, Kelly is more likely to get pickpocketed than picked up at a nightclub. With Archer’s wry tone, Kelly’s social flubs set up her fall into AI love. And while she is surprised to find herself falling for Ethan, the reader spotted it long ago, when Kelly chose the fancy lavender eyes instead of the utilitarian brown for her plus one. Indeed, reading between the lines reveals that in assembling Ethan, Kelly has attended to rather intimate details, making some of the scenes between the two a bit uncomfortable. But the real question is: Will Kelly be able to turn Ethan off after the wedding? Or will robot love spiral out of control?
A fun story that will appeal to geeks and beachgoers alike.Pub Date: July 2, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-525-53917-9
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: April 13, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
Anyone who believes in true love or is simply willing to accept it as the premise of a winding tale will find this debut an...
True love flares between two people, but they find that circumstances always impede it.
On a winter day in London, Laurie spots Jack from her bus home and he sparks a feeling in her so deep that she spends the next year searching for him. Her roommate and best friend, Sarah, is the perfect wing-woman but ultimately—and unknowingly—ends the search by finding Jack and falling for him herself. Laurie’s hasty decision not to tell Sarah is the second painful missed opportunity (after not getting off the bus), but Sarah’s happiness is so important to Laurie that she dedicates ample energy into retraining her heart not to love Jack. Laurie is misguided, but her effort and loyalty spring from a true heart, and she considers her project mostly successful. Perhaps she would have total success, but the fact of the matter is that Jack feels the same deep connection to Laurie. His reasons for not acting on them are less admirable: He likes Sarah and she’s the total package; why would he give that up just because every time he and Laurie have enough time together (and just enough alcohol) they nearly fall into each other’s arms? Laurie finally begins to move on, creating a mostly satisfying life for herself, whereas Jack’s inability to be genuine tortures him and turns him into an ever bigger jerk. Patriarchy—it hurts men, too! There’s no question where the book is going, but the pacing is just right, the tone warm, and the characters sympathetic, even when making dumb decisions.
Anyone who believes in true love or is simply willing to accept it as the premise of a winding tale will find this debut an emotional, satisfying read.Pub Date: Oct. 16, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-525-57468-2
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: July 30, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK TO SCREEN
With frank language and patient plotting, this gangly teen crush grows into a confident adult love affair.
Eleven years ago, he broke her heart. But he doesn’t know why she never forgave him.
Toggling between past and present, two love stories unfold simultaneously. In the first, Macy Sorensen meets and falls in love with the boy next door, Elliot Petropoulos, in the closet of her dad’s vacation home, where they hide out to discuss their favorite books. In the second, Macy is working as a doctor and engaged to a single father, and she hasn’t spoken to Elliot since their breakup. But a chance encounter forces her to confront the truth: what happened to make Macy stop speaking to Elliot? Ultimately, they’re separated not by time or physical remoteness but by emotional distance—Elliot and Macy always kept their relationship casual because they went to different schools. And as a teen, Macy has more to worry about than which girl Elliot is taking to the prom. After losing her mother at a young age, Macy is navigating her teenage years without a female role model, relying on the time-stamped notes her mother left in her father’s care for guidance. In the present day, Macy’s father is dead as well. She throws herself into her work and rarely comes up for air, not even to plan her upcoming wedding. Since Macy is still living with her fiance while grappling with her feelings for Elliot, the flashbacks offer steamy moments, tender revelations, and sweetly awkward confessions while Macy makes peace with her past and decides her future.
With frank language and patient plotting, this gangly teen crush grows into a confident adult love affair.Pub Date: April 10, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5011-2801-1
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2018
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