I received a copy of this from Netgalley and the Publisher in exchange for my open and honest review.

Katie M. Flynn's newest story, The Companions, is described as a dystopic combination of "Station Eleven and Never Let Me Go set in an unsettling near future where the dead can be uploaded to machines and kept in service by the living." However, The Companions never hits the mark with either comparison.

The story is about a world that has been destroyed by a crafted, highly contagious virus. California is under massive quarantine, people cannot go outside or interact with other people for fear of contamination. Right from the start, this isn't a new idea. This kind of isolationism is widespread in science fiction. Humans are social creatures, and we start to act funny and do odd things when cut off from society. The dead can come into homes, however, in the form of "companionship." A deceased persons mind, intellect, and memories are downloaded in storage and uploaded into a new robot if "the company" deems it fit. This leads to so many questions that break the plausibility of this story. Why would a company be given so much power and ownership of what amounts to people's souls? What about this virus? What did it do? Why are some people outside, but seemingly ok? Is the virus a lie? and so on...

"Wealthy participants in the "companionship" program choose to upload their consciousness before dying, so they can stay in the custody of their families." This class system stratification could have opened up a ton of exciting avenues for the story, the wealthy versus the poor, where the wealthy love forever. But, it came off as more of a footnote—a bit of backstory rather than a propelling narrative for the plot.

"Sixteen-year-old Lilac is one of the less fortunate, leased to a family of strangers. But when she realizes she's able to defy commands, she throws off the shackles of servitude and runs away, searching for the woman who killed her."

The premise, at least in the blurb, is solid with this story. We have disharmony between societal classes, a vast plague that disrupts social norms, people stuck in machines, and more, which is why it saddened me around the 50% mark to see that this story was not going to go anywhere.

What was written where a series of character vignettes.

Each of the vignettes is interesting and well written on their own, but taken as a whole are an incohesive story. The characters that were very strong to start with, get lost. There is no real character that I could call a true protagonist. The story jumps in time and events with rapidity, but the reader is never given a chance to eternalize why some events are important and why others are not. What we end up with is a substantial character and emotional series of stories that take place in the same world, and might have some connecting thread between them, but not much else.

The Companions started so strong, the writing was excellent, but the lack of cohesive narrative and worldbuilding leave it muddy.

Thank you NetGalley for a Kindle eARC in exchange for an honest review.

dnf at 33%.

Unfortunately, I just could not get into this. I was very very intrigued by the premise, but I think it suffered from a lack of development to the characters and setting. Maybe it would have been more fleshed out the farther I got into the story, but not enough was explained in the first third to keep me interested to continue

I thought this was an interesting story and concept of the dead’s consciousness being uploaded into basically a computer and given a body then sent to live with either their own families or to people that request to have a companion. Sort of reminded me of AI becoming sentient beings. The story is told from 8 different viewpoints, some companions and the people they interact with. The reader gets a good sense of the challenges of the companion program, how different people feel about companions, how the companions feel about being companions. It is a relatively short book yet it spans around ten years. It was a very quick read and it gets the point across without a lot of extra “fluff.”

Billed as a blend of Station Eleven and Never Let You Go, The Companions by Katie M Flynn is a dystopian tale set in a believably sketched version of the future where the consciousness and memories of the dying can be uploaded into machines. In theory nobody can own such a consciousness, they cannot be bought or sold, but in practice they become the property of the Metis Corporation which owns the technology, and are often leased out as companions., and depending on the amount of money the client is willing to spend, they may end up in a deceptively life like body ,almost impossible to distinguish from a living person, or a basic rolling droid device. Lilac is one of these companions, following her death at the young age of sixteen she becomes the companion of a young girl living in San Francisco, a city under strict quarantine where the living cannot leave their homes. However something about Lilac is a little different , and when she manages to override the restrictions placed on her by the Metis Corporation she begins to remember more about her death and the moments leading up to it, and sets off on a quest for revenge that will take her across the world as she hunts down the woman who killed her.
While the central story is told from Lilac's perspectives, we are also given the perspectives of several other characters, both human and companion and as the book progresses to cover approximately a decade, we see how all these stories link together and become part of Lilac's .
This is a very ambitious debut, and while there were things that worked really well, including the central premise and the main plot, there were definitely some issues. Several of the subplots felt unnecessary, and really did not add to the book as a whole, and while I understood why some of the characters went through several name changes over the course of the book , it felt a little confusing at times. I also found that while the central premise was strong , the world building could have used a little fleshing out, e.g. more about the virus and the Metis Corporation
Overall it was a debut with promise and I would give this author another try
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

This read almost like a long streaming conscious - not my favorite writing style. You are introduce into a world quickly. Your first time frame is with a small girl and her mom. The mom doesn't trust you and you learn some of the world but also the people through this first story. The stories go on like this, giving you tidbits of time and information. They overlap and seem to want to teach you about being human and defining what that means. But it wasn't written in a style I enjoyed. I found myself easily distracted and, once the story was lost, I began to forget time frames and the current inhabitant of it. I lost their connections and quickly found myself bored. I wish I'd liked it more but this one just wasn't for me.

The premise of The Companions is intriguing: waves of plague isolate and terrify an overgrown population, and science has developed the technology to upload a person’s consciousness into a robotic “shell” allowing a life to continue past death. These shells run from the very basic (a plastic rolling can with hooks for hands and a slow processor) to high-end models that can grow skin and pass for human. These robots are Companions. They are owned by the corporation that created them and leased for use; Companions have no rights and no free will.

As a fan of dystopian fiction, I was eager to read this first novel from short fiction author Katie M. Flynn. For the most part the story follows Lilac, a Companion who was murdered as a teenager, and is told by multiple narrators with time-jumps. The years themselves are not actually identified, so there was no way to gauge when any part of this story takes place, although according to Lilac, the bombing of Hiroshima was already ancient history when she was in school.

I struggled with The Companions. I enjoyed the idea of the plot and I continued to think about it after I finished reading, but the execution just wasn’t what I expected. Too much of the action took place off the page during the time jumps, and a lot of time was spent on characters who had (in my opinion) nothing to do with moving the story along. Toward the end, I began to wonder if this novel was two plots smashed together; the later chapters felt disconnected from the earlier ones and I had a hard time figuring out why I should even care what I was reading about. Lilac’s story resolution was severely unsatisfying, as was the ending of the book. Finally, I was enormously disappointed that there was nearly no discussion on the morality of Companions. Why did no one in this book at any point question whether it was OK to pop a brain in a machine and treat it like it didn’t have feelings? Was it in there and I missed it? It seems this should have been an integral part of several parts of this book and the fact that it was missing really stood out for me.

Overall, I wanted to like this book more than I did. I’m giving three stars instead of my originally-intended two because the writing itself was excellent, and I continue to think about it days later; I look forward to seeing what Ms. Flynn does next.

Thank you to NetGalley, Gallery Books, and the author for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of The Companions in exchange for an honest review.

The idea behind this book is unique and frightening. People can upload their thoughts, or their brains, or their consciousness, whatever you want to call it, into computers in an effort to live forever. It's partly a classic story of the haves vs. the have-nots, with wealthy people using the resulting robots as servants and companions. The robots come in a variety of forms from almost-human to purely machine based. Aside from finding the technology interesting, I was caught up in the personal lives of the characters and the issues they faced as humanity came to terms with new possibilities and the unforeseen problems they faced..

I found the blurb interesting but the story failed to keep my attention even if it's well written.
I couldn't connect to the characters and I think this is not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

A dystopian sci-fi novel that is far too close to reality for comfort....

A pandemic sweeps through the US during which quarantines are mandated. Neither the living or the dead are allowed to leave. There are people trapped in towers who are both stir-crazy and lonely. Metis, a tech company, comes to the rescue with “companions.” Download the brain with all of its electrical currents, memories, and emotions, into a robotic body – some with skin for a more human like touch. These creations are pre-programmed not to harm or do violence and to operate only at the command of their human. One such “companion” – Lilac – goes off track when she learns that she is to be scrapped. Setting out on her own, she is in search of the person who murdered her human form.

Admittedly, this one of the strangest pieces of fiction that I’ve read in a long time. When I began reading I wasn’t sure if I liked it or would finish the book. But then I became invested in Lilac as she hops from body to body. We’re then introduced to more characters, some human and some are companions. Each of the stories seemed to be unrelated – until they weren’t. Going further into the book I realized that each of these “stories” was interconnected and relevant to the others. By the end of the book, I was all in and couldn’t believe how it ended, or possibly I knew how it would end before I even began reading.

What was so startling about The Companions is on this day, as I finished reading and am now writing this review, I’m listening on the news about quarantines being set up all over the world on the brink of what could be the early days of a Pandemic. In tandem, there is tech news about the first fully functioning AI who is frighteningly quite human. In light of those things, The Companions seemed more current events than “sci-fi.”

This is NOT a book for everyone. It is, however, one of the best dystopian tales that I’ve read in ages. It’s also a great sci-fi experience that does not involve other galaxies, fantasy or world building. If you do not like dystopian fiction or science fiction, then you will not enjoy this book. However, if you like new, different, quirky, dark reads then I can recommend The Companions 100%.

Thank you to @Netgalley, the author and #GalleryScoutPress for my ARC of The Companions.

This seams to be the year for dystopian novels, because this is the fifth one I read published in 2020 and there are just so much more coming out. Unfortunately this one falls short.

This story begins after a virus has gone rampant. The state of California is under a quarantine. The people who get this virus can upload their consciousness into other bodies, where they can become Companions.

That premise sounds very interesting, but the book just felt incoherent at times. There are so many characters and jumped time so frequently, it was very hard to follow. The saving grace was that this book was short.

The comparison to Station Eleven is completely unfair, as we all know that is one of the best books ever written. Read at your own risk.

Thank you NetGalley and Gallery/Scout Press for an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really loved the premise of this book. California is quarantined and the dead cannot leave. A company called Metis is manufacturing lives into companion robots. People are able to be transformed into companions at death and are able to live on. The book is separated into segments based on timing of the quarantine and after the quarantine is released. One companion is able to break free of the shackles of companion servitude and seeks to avenge her death as she still remembers. The book goes back and forth between people and companions as the world rejects the companions and seeks to destroy them after they are no longer needed. I really liked the different characters that were created and it was interesting to follow them from beginning to the end of the book. Thanks for the ARC, Net Galley.

I'm wavering between 2 and 3 stars. The book started strong, and the premise had a lot of potential. But as the book went on, it just felt more and more stretched for the sake of stretching. The plot lost a lot of focus for me, and it was hard to stay engaged with all of the changing story lines and time changes. The idea of people's consciousnesses being able to be "downloaded" after death, then inserted into a robot machine, is pretty crazy. I would've liked to stick with the original story line, following Lilac in her original companion role without the epic-style plot into different people and physical forms and timelines.

I really liked the premise of this book, but it lacked a lot of the depth I was looking for throughout the book. This book would be well suited for those that do not mind a loosely built world that leaves the reader guessing and plugging in pieces. Unfortunately, it was not for me. The Companions is a dystopian type story that takes place mainly in California. Scientists have figured out how to keep the souls or minds of the dead and place them in robots where they can then continue to live but with a catch, they are purchased by someone and are now a household companion. Their roles include being a friend, taking care of small children, or even acting in blockbuster movies. Going into this story, I was intrigued, but I think the story often got lost in multiple perspectives. As soon as I started to grasp one person, the story would quickly shift to another character. It was disappointing when the characters I did like are never really revisited except as an outside perspective, and it was hard to see who they were at the beginning of the story, especially with the main character Lila. Her storyline started really strong, but as time progressed, it was hard to see any of the hints of who she was at the beginning of the story. Overall, I believe this had the bones to be a great story but becomes lost with the lack of clarity and character development.

Dystopian sci-fi that does just enough world-building to make the society known, without getting bogged down in the details. The way the chapters are interwoven together works really wel.

The Companions is a novel about a world terrified of a virus that wiped so many people off of the earth. In response to this, people are quarantined, but there are the "companions" - individuals whose brain has been uploaded into a robotic body. Some of the body's look like tin cans, but if you have the money, you can get a body that looks very much like a human and some people cannot tell them apart. Companions are command driven - they do what they are told, even though they have a consciousness. One day, a Companion realizes that she can defy the commands, and does just that before escaping to find someone she needs to see from her past. This begins her journey, as well as the journey of so many other characters, both human and companion, and as the story is told, the author weaves those stories together in ways you would not expect.

I am not sure what to say about how I feel about this book. The book is certainly creative - a theme similar to other novels, but also unique with Flynn's point of view on it. However, it took a long time before I got a handle on all of the characters and how the pieces fit together. I also was very disappointed in the end, and how things were left. It didn't lead me to a place where I felt the book actually ended vs. it just stopping, which is how I would categorize it, leaving me wanting a better conclusion with everything making more sense. Despite that, it is a very readable and interesting story.

I was excited after reading the premise of the book, but upon reading I couldn't find enjoyment in the story. I didn't connect with the plot or characters. The story was a convoluted mess. Science fiction is one of my favorite genres but I had to force myself to read this book. I gave up after a few tedious chapters.

The mindless descriptions of sex was utterly tasteless and I love romance fiction. I wouldn't read another book by this author. Thank you NetGalley for this free book. See for yourself, you may love it. You never know unless you try right?

Thank you to Gallery/Scout Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Dystopia is not really my jam, but the premise of this book sounded so intriguing that I was eager to read it. Told through many different POVs, this is the story of our world after a lethal virus has decimated most of the population, survivors are sequestered in their homes, and - for a price - the one reprieve is the ability to upload one's consciousness before death into a 'companion.' What a fantastic jumping-off point for a great book!.

Unfortunately, there is a complete lack of "scene setting" or "world building" - beyond the bare bones of virus, decimation, quarantine and 'companions' there is nothing to give more flesh to those bones. No clues given as to where this virus started, how it affected the population (beyond, well, death), who or what Metis is, the corporation that owns and controls the 'companions', why interaction between humans and 'companions' is so fraught, and and and.

The many and varied voices are the second problem - too many characters are always a problem, and with the jumps in time, place and circumstance in this story, the narrative doesn't flow and is disjointed. Third, years pass and major events happen off the page, which are alluded to by one character or another, but much is lost because it's not clear why the character acts/makes the decisions they do.

TLDR: Lots of potential with this story, sadly unfulfilled.

I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review...

An okay read. It was almost ironic to read this now due to recent heath events. If you like sci fi, check this out.

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I just want to say, I can see why other people love this book.. but I also can see why some people do not.

I love character driven stories, and the characters just did not feel well put together. The writing was wonderful, but I wish the characters had more depth.

This was such a weird and eerie read. Bonus points to the author for creating such a vivid atmospheric world. I got lost in this chilling story.

The characters weren’t well fleshed out for me, but the writing was so good that it was barely noticeable.

I’m not quite sure how to review this one fully, but I did really like the book and will definitely read more by this author.