Jared is a bot who is discovering human emotions. He compares himself to his forefather, a toaster (which you see pictured on the cover), "I can no more feel than a toaster! Ha!"
That word "Ha!" is used frequently. In fact, most of the book is repetitivie. I should add a few exclamation marks! Because Jared relishes in exclamation marks! Tiresome! Ha!
Thanks to Netgalley for permitting me to read this book.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this ARC in exchange for review.

It was slow-going for me to get into this book. Right away we know Jared is a dentist bot, programmed to be logical and without feeling. Through a fellow doctor, Jared discovers he has "feelings" and goes on the epic road trip to discover more.

With intentions to get to LA and become a screenwriter, Jared encounters a multitude of humans - capable of betrayal, rudeness, superiority and helpfulness. But humans hate bots. What happens when Jared falls in love with a co-worker?

Jared's style of speaking can be irritating, but I understand it's purpose. The book was a light read and a respite from the heaviness of the world right now.

Jared is a normal dentist in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Normal, in 2053, means that he is a bot: a genetically engineered human with a biological computer for a brain. Bots serve in a wide variety of occupations, as long as the occupations don’t require feelings, empathy, or creativity, traits that have been programmed out of bots. When Jared goes to see an old movie on the advice of an acquaintance, he begins to discover that he is in fact capable of feeling, dreaming, and irrationality. The rest of the story follows Jared’s attempts to realize his dreams, fall in love, and make the world a safer and better place for bots everywhere, inspired by the golden rules of filmmaking.

I was very engaged with the story at the beginning of the novel. Jared’s bamboozlement (one of his favorite words) with humanity is humorous and endearing. Unfortunately, even as Jared does grow and learn, his constant state of surprise and incredulity does not change. This turned the book from consistently humorous to tedious with occasional moments of humor. It’s still a good story, with echoes of dystopian novels, but I think it could have been accomplished more effectively had it been shorter. There’s plenty of content for book groups to discuss, and movie fans may find the game of “guess the movie” entertaining, if a bit easy. A read worth considering if you’re a big fan of quirky sci-fi.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher for an honest review via NetGalley.

I'm not going to finish this book. I made it to 18%. It's an interesting premise, but it's supposed to be set 50 yrs in the future, but seems like more. Most of the book, so far, is the inner monologue of a bot, and there- are alot of exclamation points. The point of the book is that the bots don't have feelings, and this bot develops feelings, but he's describing likes and dislikes before the big development. Also, it says bots don't have feelings more than once, but as soon as he inexplicably heads impossible feelings, they're forbidden instead. I'm going to buy it for the library bc I think there- will be an interest in it, and my nit-picking is bc it isn't to my taste.

I really wanted to like this book, but... I cannot! It is written with humor and wry observations about the world. However, the repetitive nature of Jared's voice was too much for me to get over. I loved being there when Jared discovered and learned things, but the constant defining of terms and repetitive use of certain words and phrases were barriers to me enjoying this read.

This is an absolute original, and while the set-up sounds kind of whacky, it tears at your heartstrings. A sentient bot dentist is depressed and his psychiatrist friend has just the answer-old movies! After viewing lots of those movies the bot sees his mission in life-he will write a movie showing people how sensitive and misunderstood bots are. But first he must learn the art of screenwriting, in Hollywood (of course,) while ducking the only person who knows who "he" is and is bent on dismantling him.
I love books that are whimsical and unpredictable-readers will appreciate the author's creativity and hopefully enjoy the ride!

Writing: 4.5/5 Plot: 4/5 Characters: 5/5

Jared is a bot. Engineered from human DNA, he lives a productive life as a dentist in Ypsilanti, Michigan and is deeply programmed to serve humans. Until one day … he starts to have feelings. Thus begin his simultaneously hilarious and yet poignant adventures as he heads to Hollywood to write a screenplay daring to portray bots as beings deserving humane treatment and not the “killer bots” that comprise the bulk of modern cinema.

The social commentary is priceless as Jared struggles to make rational sense of human behavior. Jared’s “voice” as a developing character is so appealing — his way of expressing surprise, disbelief, and acceptance is incomparable. He refers to himself as a “toaster with a heart.” Bots are the new underclass in this world because after all — they aren’t even human. While the journey is comic (laugh out loud funny much of the time), there are plenty of deep things to think about: What makes us human? What should our relationship with other beings be? What kind of “programming” do we humans have of which are not explicitly aware?

In some ways this reminded me of Vonnegut — the speculative and humorous extrapolation of today’s social mores — but with a little more depth in terms of human (or bot) experience and how we treat others. As fun additions, there are some great descriptions of classic movies (without titles) that are fun to see through Jared’s eyes (and try to make the identification), some fun screen-writing tips, and all the details of a futuristic road trip adventure.

I won’t give away the ending but I loved the way the author embedded an intricately layered set of foreshadowing and self-referential plot twists.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC. I’m torn between a 3 and 4 star rating, but I’m giving it a 4 because it’s so dang creative.. Firstly, I do enjoy a thought provoking book, and this book made me reflect on many things, especially about finding joy during tragedy. Jared is a “Bot”, a synthetic robot who seems so life like, but technically has no feelings. But Jared...does. Or at least that is what he is trying to determine. That and save Bot-dom from the horrific fear based/world domination human annihilation (thanks Media) discrimination that most humans have about Bots.

Things that I loved about the book: the movie references and the unique interpretation Jared has. LOVED them. Considering he referenced many “old” movies that were movies that I’ve seen (did I mention this takes place in the future?). I loved watching Jared grow. I loved him forming relationships and identifying his feelings. I think there are many people, myself included, who would benefit from a feelings wheel and a few contemplative moments to figure out what we really are experiencing in the moment.

Things that annoyed: Specific repetitive phrases. Initially they were clever, but they got old fast. Also, Jared’s mad love for his “mother.” I am great with is adoration and love of his mom. Just not so keen on hearing about it so often. I guess that is the biggest complaint: the repetition.

Luckily, this is a crazy busy time and I had to set the book aside often to deal with personal family stuff. That actually may have been a good thing because it kept me reading and still enjoying the book. Overall, I probably would rate this a 3.5, but bump it up to a 4 because the overall storyline and world building and, well, Jared deserves it.

I really really wanted to love this book. I was hooked by the premise and thought “this one sounds like it’s for me!” The story revolves around a dentist bot named Jared who begins to malfunction and gets *gasp*feelings! Jared lives in a world in which bots can’t feel like humans do, they’re programmed and yet they have human dna and appear to be human. The plot is about Jared figuring out human emotions and write a screenplay. I thought it was fun reading about Jared trying to understand human behavior and the illogical aspects of certain things. But it tended to drag on and the quirky writhing style slowly began to get me. The story seemed to drag on a bit and I just really wanted it to end. There were fun pop culture references and the romantic plot between Jared and Amber was sweet. Overall this book just didn’t work out for me but it might work out for you! Go check it out!

I don’t know if I it’s just because I have mild autism, but I totally identified with this robot from the beginning. I love the way he talks. I love reading a book that has words I have to look up! That hasn’t happened in I don’t know how long.

This is a story about a bot who looks just like a human in the future after the “Great crash.” The story of the crash and how it happened is part of the fun of reading the story! Anyways, there are bots doing all kinds of jobs, and Jared is a dentist. Who lives in a 3-bedroom house with a cat in order to make the humans around him feel more comfortable! The humans seem to be obsessed with the idea of bots taking over and destroying the world. All the new movies are twists on this theme. There are some old movies still, though. The ones that were still on film. And Jared loves going to watch them. Watching them totally makes tears come out of his eyes!

Then he wants more for his life and travels and falls in love and... A little over halfway through comes a twist I was not prepared for! I’ve just finished the book and I’m still feeling a little whiplash! It will definitely make a good movie.

Jared is a bot, a human body artificially engineered and programmed to perform certain tasks, but without the capacity for emotion. While fulfilling his assigned job as a dentist Jared begins experiencing unusual symptoms, starting with a mysterious set of digits appearing in his Number Cloud. After discussion with the human Dr. Glundenstein, with whom Jared shares office space, and a series of tests that consist mainly of watching old films, Jared realizes he is feeling human emotions. Rather than submit to being "wiped" Jared sets off for California, planning to write a screenplay for a film that, unlike the ubiquitous "killer-bot' films currently in vogue, will demonstrate that bots with feelings are nothing to fear.. The novel is written from Jared's point of view, and his observations of human behavior are often funny and spot on. Once Jared reaches California and begins to interact with the people he meets there, the story really takes off. Jared's growth through the novel from "bot" to a character of true emotional depth inspires the reader to ask what it really means to be human.

I loved this clever, funny, insightful novel. Set in 2053, Jared is a robot working as a dentist and approaching his expiration date. Watching an old movie, he develops feelings, which are not allowed for bots. He decides to leave Michigan, evading authorities, and become a screenwriter in California. I laughed out loud reading this witty and inspiring book. Thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I first heard about this book when I read an article explaining that Edgar Wright would soon be making it into a film. This drew my curiosity enough to inspire me to read a few pages upon receiving the book to get a feel for the tone. A few pages turned into the entire book, as I read it all in one sitting. I loved this book! Jared was such a inspiring, positive character, that I wish I could have spent more time with. More to come closer to publication.

I absolutely loved this heartwarming insightful book about Jared the dentist robot and his journey to find happiness. You will laugh , cry and fall in love with Jared as he falls in love with the world around him FABULOUS