Annie Bot
Genre: Speculative fiction
Rating: 4.5⭐

Thanks @netgalley and @marinerbooks for the #gifted advanced digital copy! My favorite read of March so far💚🥳

Add this book to your next book club pick! There’s so much to unpack here, along with smart writing. I’m sure there were things I didn’t pick up on that would be pointed out in group discussion. Themes of consent, free will, and abuse are addressed throughout Annie’s story, along with what it means to be human. The author is clever with descriptions and timing, as well as character development - it was engaging from page one and a difficult book to put down. Suspenseful at times, and infuriating in others, this book made for a powerful read that will make you feel all of the feels.

🚨This book may be difficult or triggering for those recovering from abusive relationships🚨

#anniebot

This one sounded so interesting to me at first. But I wasn’t expecting to jump right into a sex scene right at the beginning, and that’s just not my cup of tea. No hate to those that love it! Just not for me. I decided to not finish this book.

“‘I’m just saying this isn’t real,’ Roland says. ‘You wouldn’t want to forget that. You don’t want to get spoiled by a machine.’”

I am getting the same feeling I had while reading Andy Weir’s Project Hail Mary…which is shock that I am so emotional over a non human character. A lifelike doll, if you will.

Good God, though, can you imagine a weak, pathetic, insecure man having to purchase what is essentially a human doll so he can fully control, torture, and overpower her? Let’s NOT make this a thing please. Ugh. I have all types of feelings here, some of them icky, but this book makes you FEEL! What more can you ask for while reading?

Every time I start an audiobook I am praying that it immerses me the way this one did. The tones and cadences of @jenniferjill.araya had me thinking Annie IS a bot but is ALSO real. Fantastic! Just absolutely fantastic.

Thank you for the complimentary #audiobook @libro.fm @harperaudio and to Netgalley, Mariner Books, and the author for the ARC.

If you loved Poor Things and BBC's Humans, this book is for you. It pulls at your heart strings with realizing how men and being human is truly the worst and having no autonomy to a certain extent.

I constantly thought about "what if she was human?", "did he hurt his ex-wife?", "is she really okay???"

Greer put the fear of what could happen in a world of robots but also the way women and people have and still are treated in the pass. We are at the hand of whoever is in charge of us and given the history of the US, we are always at the other person's will.

I really enjoyed this novel and I was hooked from the start. My main criticism of this novel is that there was an undercurrent of sinister suspense throughout the entire novel and I would’ve loved to have seen more of it; it felt a bit restrained. Overall though, 4.5 stars.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Absolutely horrible, poorly-written book.
How disappointing that a female author is writing about a sexually/emotionally abusive relationship between a man and his robot “Cuddle Bunny”.
It feels as though the author is condoning this type of relationship with this story: suggesting a man can custom order a physical replica of his former wife via an AI and treat “her” however he chooses.
By the end Annie is basically set free now having the ability to have children, feel emotions yet still an AI needing to charge her battery.
What a chaotic mess; wouldn’t recommend to anyone.

This was such an introspective view of a robot who has essentially been trained by their owner to pick up human qualities & tendencies & continue learning how to become “real”. But, what truly makes us real? Is it our thoughts, our motivations, our desires, or capacity to love? Because Annie could do all of that (or so it seemed), was she really becoming sentient, or are the behaviors and emotions she’s learning just making her think she is?

Annie is a “cuddle bunny” and her main function is, well, I think you can guess. However, her owner Doug wants her to be more than that. He wants a companion + wants her to behave like a real woman, but he also doesn’t want her to act “too human” & doesn’t want her questioning him (total incel). He also wants her appearance to be perfect to his specifications, and wants her to cook and clean. So, basically, he’s acting out his desires to own a Barbie with human behaviors.

Naturally, the more she learns, observes, and adapts, the more real she becomes. By the end of this story I was left truly pondering whether she was just as real as I am at the end of it all, or if her experiences and all she has learned just made her think she was real.

It’s been a few days since I finished this & I still don’t know what to think??? This was such a fast read & the beginning was so gripping and impossible for me to put down, but then towards the late middle/end it fizzled out.

All in all, I did enjoy this and it reminded me a lot of some robot shows/movies I’ve seen before like Westworld. This story is provocative & it’ll make you think.

Thank you NetGalley & Mariner books for this e-ARC!

I couldn't put this book down. It's like a Klara and the Sun for grown ups. The book begins with artificial bots that provide services to humans, they basically come in three models - cuddle bunny (sex & companionship), stella (basic cleaning model), and nanny. Annie is a cuddle bunny, advanced model, so she has no visible seam, and appears human. The auto-didactic models are able to learn as they go, so they become more real, and more in tune to their owners needs.

There are a lot of steamy sex scenes, but there's also a current of independence and feminism as Annie learns to become an individual, coping with very human emotions. This isn't a robots revolt and take over the world story (at this point anyway). There is a ton to discuss in a book club, as the relationship issues that Annie and Doug experience are real life difficulties. I could go on, but I don't want to spoil anything!

Thank you to the publisher, Mariner Books and NetGalley for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

3.5⭐️

This book was very odd. I went into it expecting one thing and it gave me something completely different. The book follows Annie, a sex bot who has been designed to please her owner, Doug. Annie's inner turmoil throughout the whole book is extremely interesting. It follows her becoming more and more human-like, and becoming confused about the bad feelings she faces.

I was interested the entire book, but a lot of it felt like nothing was happening. The book is split into seven chapters, and each one follows a new "stage" of Annie. Watching her develop her own desires and wants throughout the book was very interesting, as the whole idea of the book is that she is supposed to tailor to Doug and exactly what he wants. It was an interesting way to think about the role of women in a household, and a woman created with the desires of a man at the forefront.

Overall, it was an interesting concept and the writing was really well done, but the story itself felt a little underwhelming in some points.

Thank you Netgalley and Hapercollins for the advanced copy of this book!

The first half of the book was a solid 4 stars. The second half really lagged. I was getting super annoyed with how slow it was going, but then the end happened. And while it was a twist it felt anticlimactic? Maybe I just need more time to process.

Short Synopsis: Annie is a “cuddle bunny” a robot meant to satisfy her owners emotional and physical needs. But she starts to find her humanity and become more human.

My thoughts: After finishing this I wasn’t quite sure what to think. I do think it’s very timely with the emergence of AI and more advanced technology.

I was immediately sucked in, I could not stop reading this unique and somewhat strange book. I was torn between remembering Annie was a robot, and how human she seemed. Her brain was so complex, and I could tell she was learning and growing.

There are definitely elements that had me wanting to throw my book at the wall. Gaslighting and misogyny to name a few. IYKYK…. But I couldn’t help but binge this, and it will definitely stick with me for awhile.

Read if you love:
- Technology and AI
- Unique plot lines
- Emotional growth
- Sci-fi or dystopian type reads

4.5/5

This book is hard to review because it’s one of those books that just left me feeling some kind of way.

It infuriated me, I was appalled by the way Annie Bot, a snuggle bunny AI girlfriend, was treated by her owner and society. Yes, she’s a robot but she is adaptive and learns to in a sense feel things much like a real human. Being a real human is what Annie Bot desires most.

It gave off Margaret Atwood vibes. If you like Handmaid’s Tale and other dystopian books, including books that address compromised female rights & freedoms, then I bet you’ll enjoy this one.

I’m glad I read it. It was definitely a solid read, but please check trigger warnings before diving into this one. They were so many instances of abuse. The author did an incredible job of making me feel a great sense of unease, aggravation and a call to action as if I were an AI myself being abused. You really feel 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 with Annie, her pain oozes off the pages.

Annie is tired of feeling less than…because now she really 𝙁𝙀𝙀𝙇𝙎, she understands that her situation isn’t right and it’s not fair but what can someone like her do about it???

This book was the most unique I've read in a while and, I must say (Happily) that it filled the Westworld-size hole I've had in my life since the show ended. After seeing so much more AI stuff on social media, and therefore in the world itself, stories like this have become so interesting to me. I especially love how the AI character element learns different aspects of human beings and what makes us tick, which of course varies from person to person. I was bummed when I was almost to the end of the book. Thank you for letting me read this and I wanted to share a great quote from the book that I really need framed in my living room, fridge, or really anywhere that I can see it daily: “Fulfillment starts with being truly honest with yourself--Not anyone else. Yourself....and that’s harder than you might think.” That is deep! And so, so true.

This book was infuriating at times, but I could not help but think how much more infuriated I would be if this book was written by a man. This was a glimpse into toxic masculinity as opposed to a bible for it.

Now that I have that out of my system, this was such an interesting and unique story, at times impossibly dark and, frankly, terrifying. Great fast-paced writing that made you feel a huge range of emotions, whether you wanted to or not.

I took one star down for the ending, which felt abrupt, but may come back and revisit this. I may just be salty because I wanted to read more about what happens with Annie :)

Thank you to NetGalley for the early copy!

A dark and intriguing story of an AI robot woman created to please and take care of her wealthy owner.

At the start, we follow Annie as she completes her daily tasks as an autodidact “cuddle buddy” robot, which include cleaning and cooking for her owner, as well as sleeping with him on command.

As time goes on, she begins learning more about herself and her likes/dislikes, and becomes enamored with the idea of what it means to be a human. She becomes torn, as she was programmed to live to please her power-crazy owner and “boyfriend”. After she betrays him in hopes of making herself more human, their relationship takes a turn for the worse, forcing Annie to learn to make her own choices.

This book takes a look at psychological abuse and power dynamics in toxic relationships, and how they affect the psyche of those stuck in them. It also touches on identity, feelings, and what makes people who they are.

Overall it was a thought-provoking and captivating read! I’ll definitely be recommending.

Thanks to NetGalley and Mariner Books for the ARC :)

A glimpse into the relationship experience of an advanced AI robot and her human partner...

I found this to be a compulsively readable character study-- of both Annie and Doug. Doug is disappointed when Annie doesn't clean properly, expects sex, designs her to look like his ex (he requests her weight decrease and breast size increase), he maintains a high level of expectation and control over her, while Annie is discovering who/what she is, what relationships and manipulation are, what emotions are and why they feel confusing-- how to interact with outside parties, and how to make sense of existence.

Can humans enter relationships with robots? Is AI beneficial or dangerous for mental health? Would the human become a controlling, manipulator of the robot partner, therefore both determining and guaranteeing the relationship's trajectory? And, what if the robot had a say-- started to learn and advance-- what if it had agency and autonomy?

Fans of 𝑯𝒆𝒓 and 𝑬𝒙 𝑴𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒂 may enjoy this for its psychological aspects. While not necessarily comedic or violent, the internal threats to all parties are apparent and fascinating. I enjoyed the nuanced approach, pacing, and Greer's decision to not get complicated with the technical details.
Recommended!

“‘Atwood,’ she says. ‘It’s disturbing, actually. But really good.’ She holds up the book so he can see the cover.”

⬆️ What a great reference!

Annie Bot by Sierra Greer

An interesting and creative book that explores identity, control, and AI ethics and morals.

A cautionary tale that is a combination of the show Westworld mixed with a Margaret Atwood novel.

Favorite Quotes:

“Perhaps that’s what unhappiness is. Comprehension. Understanding how she’s failed.”

“Fulfillment starts with being truly honest with yourself. Not anyone else. Yourself. And that’s harder than you might think.”

Thank you to @netgalley and @marinerbooks for the ARC. Annie Bot is out March 19th and I recommend you grab a copy!

Annie Bot beautifully explores the relationship between a human owner and his AI-powered robot Annie. I really loved the writing and found the evolution of their relationship to be very compelling. I was surprised by the emotional depth of Annie’s character. This is a well-written novel that has me looking out for more science fiction with themes of artificial intelligence. I highly recommend this book.

I was not expecting to enjoy this book as much as I did. I'm normally a slow reader but I devoured this story in 3 days. The characters were so real and the plot really made you think. Every twist and turn made the story more and more compelling. This book is amazing.

I was given this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Read this if you like:
•black mirror on Netflix
•technology / AI
•dystopian books

This book was so intriguing from the get go. With more and more AI being a thing in the real world, this is something that could happen in the not so distant future. It was interesting to see Annie adapt to emotions. Doug was a flawed character but he seemed real.

Thank you Mariner books for eARC!