I was provided a copy of Annie Bot to review for Library Journal. This review is my personal opinion.

HOLY SHIT THIS BOOK IS SO GOOD. An unflinching, uncomfortable look a humanity. Unparalleled. I need to think about this book for a week to have a coherent thought but this is going to be essential reading.

"You are beautiful and strong. Whatever he says, whatever he does, you need to remember that you are a brilliant, amazing person. You bend over backwards to please that man, and if he doesn't appreciate you, if he doesn't realize how special you are, then you just have to do whatever you need to do to protect your own heart."

The basis of this book sold me and it is unlike anything I have ever read! Annie is a Stella, she has the ability to learn organically. She can pass as a human—she feels all emotions. Yet and still she is an AI bot that was created to please her owner, Doug. The story was well written and I enjoyed the emotional depth of the main character. I wanted to laugh, cry, and scream for her. By the end of the book you are rooting for her! This book journeys through self realization, growth, and so much more.

Annie is a sentient robot, a Cuddle Bunny (which means, among other things, she should “stay prepared to have relations with any adult in the room.”) She’s also autodidactic which often makes her confused and uncertain. Doug, her owner, created her to resemble Gwen, his ex-wife. Her outer layer is all organic….she can pass for a real person.

After a one night stand with a friend of Doug leads to her first lie her world opens up to many possibilities, both good and bad, including a chance for….is it possible for a robot, happiness? And what does that mean for someone like her?

Inventive page turner. I really enjoyed this book, but might have liked it a tad my bit better if Doug hadn’t been such an ass. I think it would have been worth exploring further the relationships between both characters. But we got what we got and this was good. Highly recommended.

Ever since I read the graphic novel Alex + Ada, Vol. 1 years ago, I’ve often thought about what would happened if AI became sentient beings. With all of the advances these past few years, it seems more realistic and less sci-fi. Annie Bot is a great debut novel that looks at this and begs the questions: what makes us human? What makes us real? Who or what deserves free will?

Annie has the ability to learn organically. She feels emotions- happiness, shame, jealousy, confusion, peace. She has physical pain receptors. And yet she is an AI bot that was made to please and cater to Doug, the man who owns her. At first, making Doug happy is all that matters. But her relationship with Doug becomes complicated as Annie begins to wonder about her needs and wants. The more she learns, the more controlling Doug becomes and Annie struggles to make sense of it all.

I thought this was extremely well written. The use of the 3rd person was very effective here. It starts out distant and not much connection to the characters, but as Annie grows and begins to exhibit more human characteristics, the narration begins to hone in on the emotional nuances and thoughts that plague Annie. By the end, I sometimes forgot she wasn’t a person, and I felt her pain and confusion seep through the pages.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for a copy of this ARC. This is such a great depiction of what it's like to be in an abusive relationship and what it's like to be a woman in general, I think.

I was a little confused in the last quarter or so of the book, but the ending was great. Get some Kleenex!

I read this in 2 sittings - it was a quick read but also pulled me in quickly. I loved the perspective of Annie and how she was truly learning how to be human as a robot. Her relationship with Doug was pretty spot on for someone in an abusive/manipulative relationship which I thought was really interesting since she really was bought for sex. It’s also interesting that’s how she built her personality, from an abusive relationship. You’re really rooting for her and she makes the right decision in the end.

Can I rate this one six stars?! I finished this science fiction novel in three sittings. It’s just THAT good! Truly different than anything I’ve read before and I loved every second of it.

The emotional depth of the main character, Annie-who is actually an AI-powered robot-is so intense and incredibly well-written. I was fully engrossed in her story and perspective, from start to finish. I wanted to laugh, cry and scream with her too. I promise you, her journey will have you hooked.

It also made me pause and reflect on my own life journey and path, exploring themes of self-reliance, independence and growth. The ending was so satisfying and I couldn’t have asked for anything more.

Thank you NetGalley and Mariner Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange of my honest review.

Annie Bot was such an interesting read. Long story short, Annie is a bot who has been given free thought. She knows what she's SUPPOSED to do and think, and tries so hard to follow through. But with an owner who wants her to be both his girlfriend but his perfect robot, it's difficult. She can't help that she starts trying to sort out how to affect her own code. This is book that talks about unfair expectations of women and sexism by mirroring it on a bot. It was an interesting read, but on the short side, and lacking the complexity of plot that I had hoped for. Still a good read, though, and the sort of thing that makes me want to see what this author does next.

If there is one recurrent theme of 2023, I would say that it is the significant emergence of AI into our regular, everyday lives. My brother has been warning me of the "robot uprising" for over 20 years now, and I feel that it is finally happening. Meaning it is the perfect time for a book like Sierra Greer's Annie Bot to be published.

Annie Bot is set in a time when it is commonplace for robots to exist among us, undistinguishable at the surface from humans. These "Stellas and Handys" serve as maids, nannies, fixer uppers, and yes, essentially ... sex servants. Such is the case for Annie, a robot created especially for the lonely and bitter Doug, who has modeled Annie after his ex-girlfriend, who he is still pining over. Annie solely exists to please Doug, both in and out of the bedroom. Their relationship naturally is built upon an extreme power imbalance, which wouldn't ordinarily be a problem ... except Annie is no ordinary robot. With her operating mode set to autodidactic, Annie's life is basically an experiment - just what is she capable of learning? How far can her mind grow and go?

As Annie tries to "learn" her owner Doug, she finds herself ever puzzled by his erratic and inconsistent behavior. Just what is it that he wants from her, and why does he become so displeased with her even when she thinks she is doing everything right? When one day Annie deliberately participates in an act sure to infuriate Doug, Annie finds that she may just have bitten off more than she can chew.

While science fiction is not ordinarily my genre, I was utterly captivated by Annie Bot, perhaps because Greer tells this story in such an accessible, human way. She makes it so easy to imagine a world where "Stellas" like Annie exist and cohabitate alongside of us, integrating seamlessly into our lives. Furthermore, despite being a robot, Annie is an intriguing, multi-layered creature who continued to surprise me throughout this book. This novel is absorbing and thought-provoking, while still being unlike anything I have ever read before. Annie Bot is both dark and ominous, while also maintaining an air of innocence and hope. It is easily one of the most captivating novels I have read all year!

The description alone was enough to intrigue me. I am a huge fan of both Never Let Me Go and My Dark Vanessa. I also have a particular interest in the ethical implications of human/AI romances. When asked for my favorite movie, my ex-husband once reported, "Anything in the genre where people have sex with robots." It wasn't the most flattering (or accurate) accusation, but it was close enough to reveal my deep seated affinity with the critique of humanity that fictional AI romances afford us.

That being said, I was nervous. Isn't the plot overdone? Haven't we seen enough lonely Dougs, weirdly molesting and bossing around their Annie Bots? Is this just bizarre Joaquin Phoenix fanfic by another name?

I figured the worst case is I would read a redundant plot and treat it as a light beach read.

No fucking way.

This story is wicked dark and it completely exceeded expectations. Greer takes a novel approach in crafting the world in which autodidactic robots live alongside simpler models, encouraged to wander and to have potentially open relationships with their humans. Robots are imperfect, but with the capacity to learn from both human and non-human stimuli. While this world has some differences from our own (such as my dream career: a couples' therapist for human-robot pairings), the extent to which secrets change our programming is fundamentally human.

Our protagonist is Annie, a companion robot primarily designed to provide GFE to Doug, her volatile owner. He's a very particular man whose demands she can never quite meet, but ultimately training Annie to meet his unpredictable needs is the closest he seems able to get to loving someone. Early on, Annie keeps a secret from him which permanently alters the way she learns and how they interact. She becomes a more capable, creative machine, to the detriment of her function as the perfect girlfriend.

What I found most impressive is the depth of character development. Did Doug 95% resemble someone from my own history? Sure, that helped humanize him. But Greer perfectly balances his toxic, masculine need for power with his sad, incel-adjacent desire to be loved. He's not quite a narcissist in the clinical sense, but anyone who has resonated with the pop psych discussions about codependency will recognize the situation immediately. The accuracy of his character while we read through his companion robot's perspective made this a much more emotionally evocative read than I anticipated.

If I were only considering the quality of the prose (and that I wish the ending was drawn out in a little more detail), this might be closer to 4 stars. But because it was perfectly written for my interests and it is only a debut, I'm happy to round up. Thank you NetGalley and Mariner Books for the ARC, this is an absolute treasure.

"You are beautiful and strong. Whatever he says, whatever he does, you need to remember that you are a brilliant, amazing person. You bend over backwards to please that man, and if he doesn't appreciate you, if he doesn't realize how special you are, then you just have to do whatever you need to do to protect your own heart."



Annie is a Stella, a robot companion that is built for a relationship, a perfect girl one might argue. Annie is designed to fulfill the emotional & physical needs of her human companion Doug, the person in charge of making her. She is always in tune with him, from putting herself on display with perfect outfits to rating his displeasure so that she can alleviate it & even adjusting her libido to satisfy him. He says he loves that her software makes her human but as she explores more human traits she loses her perfection & in turn the relationship becomes more complicated. Annie begins to wonder what Doug wants & soon what she wants for herself.


A big thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for the ARC of this book.


I want to start off saying that my most used note in this book was either "this fucking guy" (a la Nandor the Relentless from WWDITS) or "fuck you!!" These notes all correlated with Doug, Annie's owner. The premise of this book is fascinating, it's a theme that is something very plausible to believe as our technology advances & the human contact we crave is moved to beings that we can control. Doug is the perfect example of a man who thinks he is not the problem. Throughout the book he takes advantage of his control over Annie & then manipulates her into believing that she is the one in their relationship with the real power.


From the beginning we see Annie as she navigates herself into human life, the first real interaction being when Doug's friend Roland arrives unannounced to ask his friend to join his wedding party. Their relationship seems curt, mentions of Doug's ex Gwen & Roland trying to figure out Annie. This is the first time that Annie is crafting herself in front of a stranger & I love when they talk about feelings. She tells him she is capable of emotional intelligence which she believes is close to feelings but she's "never going to be a human & he is never going to be a Stella" so they'll never fully understand each other. I think this starts to show Doug's true colors as he puts a gag order on Annie to not say a single thing about him to anyone. Roland himself even admits that previously the most interesting thing about Doug was Gwen, his ex-wife & now it is Annie.


Annie soon learns that things that are supposed to make you more human can sometimes leave you even more confused than before, as she has a secret from Doug that now adds a second layer to everything said or done. When she tries to talk to the technicians that give her the necessary tune-ups about these feelings, I felt that they perpetuated this gaslighting that she should feel "lucky" to have an owner like Doug; someone that cares about every detail of her appearance, her personality & keeping her occupied. But it's incredibly toxic, she is constantly rating Doug's displeasure on a scale of 1-10 & adjusting herself to accommodate to his emotional immaturity sometimes in ways she feels are not true to herself.


When she displeases him he has no problem saying whatever he wants, he's called by the technician to praise how much Annie is progressing on her own & they ask him if they would like to share their success in an article he outright refuses. When Annie tries to say he should be flattered he immediately becomes aggressive & banishes her to their workout room to be grounded as if she is a child & not his partner. She is told by Doug to "think about how you made me feel" as though he has no capability of controlling his own feelings or emotions. When he finally decides she can be out of the room, he continues his gaslighting implying that he "would never hurt her" as though words aren't abuse; he asks her "do you have any idea how much it hurts to have someone fear you?" as though that matters more than her being in fear.


This book was fantastic commentary on how human emotions no matter who is learning them are always changing our perceptions. Annie grows & learns, understanding not only herself but the world around her. I hate Doug, that goes really without saying but I also think that is the point. It shows that even with someone supposedly perfect for him, he has no desire to change himself no matter what he lies about throughout the book. He takes no accountability for his marriage failing & telling Annie they have a perfect relationship by saying "you don't have a past & ambitions that compete with mine". He falls into typical abuser behavior by telling her she has all the real power in their relationship because she is irresistible to him as though that is all that really matters.


I fucked hard with this book, I was invested in Annie & pleading that she finally understands how truly advanced she is. This book was a fantastic read as I had finished My Dark Vanessa before & The Death I Gave Him after, both books dealing with emotions, abuse & the latter also having a main AI character. I was captivated the entire read & hope that when it's released it's given a spotlight on how abuse is not going to always be a physical action but that we also could be the problem in our relationship with technology.

I loved the exploration of intimacy between a human and a robot . Well written and deeply thought provoking

Thank you NetGalley for the arc !

Annie Bot has spice! This story is so different from what I'm usually drawn to but for some reason it worked for me. I loved this book. Greer really has an imagination but was able to craft a believable story with human emotions and relationships. I'm giving it five stars. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

ENORMOUS FUN….
HILARIOUS….
STEAMY
CHILLY
CAUTIONARY…..

It’s here:
Artificial Intelligence….
and (near future) “Annie Bot” is the sexy-perfect-girlfriend-‘robot’-of-the-year to root for!!!

Sierra Greer hit it ‘out-of-the-park’ with her witty-terrific-entertaining-debut.

Honestly — this book is fun - a little naughty -
I’m dying to share more — but going in blind —is the way to go!
So I hate to spoil the ‘discovery-thought-provoking-pleasures!!
Things go right . . .
Things go wrong . . .
[welcome to Relationships 101 in all its shapes and colors].

A Robotic Reading Delight…
….AI Technologically Supercharged extravaganza.
Sooooo…..
Grab a glass of your favorite icy drink with a bowl of pistachios to munch on… and ENJOY!!

A couple of excerpts ….
[little amusing teasers]:
“It is not a time for talking at all. She has reached the right temperature now. She gets her breathing and heart rate up. She moans deep back in her throat. He does not like her too loud. She make sure not to stimulate her orgasm until she is certain he is going or just after. Never before”.

“Does anything bother you?”
“Of course. Pain does. Displeasing Doug does. So does confusion”.
“Now we’re talking. How do you displease Doug?”
“I don’t clean very well, she says, glancing at the pistachio shells”.

One more except
BECAUSE . . .
I’m sooooo with Annie on this:
“Annie gravitates towards novels by women:: Sally Rooney, Britt Bennett, Emily, St. John Mandel. She appreciates how the novels transport her, how they make her feel connected to human women, especially outsiders”.

This is a truly outstanding novel that examines the human experience by exploring the relationship between a female robot and her male owner.

Annie Bot was designed to be Doug’s perfect girlfriend. She is a robot built to learn Doug’s needs and obey his commands. She was created to satisfy him both emotionally and physically. Doug decides to treat Annie as if she is human and teaches her how to interact with the world and think for herself. As Annie learns what it must be like to be a human woman, she becomes aware of her own mind, her emotions, and starts to question why she is owned and yearns for her freedom.

The writing is so marvelous that there were several times I was caught up in the story and my emotions that I forgot Annie was a robot. It also seemed that Doug forgot Annie was AI as his punishments mirrored how some people treat their significant other when they feel betrayed. The author delves into issues everyone experiences in their relationships such as trust, intimacy, jealousy, control, manipulation, and safety. This story makes you consider how identity, happiness and awareness all evolve in time. The last little morsel that I loved about this book was Annie’s love of books and how they became her escape at times.

This is the perfect time for this book to be written with the explosion of AI products and the ethical issues they already pose. This book takes it to a more complex but realistic new level.

Easily one of my favorite reads of the year. I will be thinking about this book for a long time.

Great book that poses thought-provoking scenarios to readers that tackle themes such as: autonomy, domestic abuse, gender dynamics, theory of the mind, and what it means to be human.

Annie Bot is an extremely well written book. I had no expectations going into this read but came away pleasantly surprised.

I especially loved that Annie learned by human experiences, she learned emotions and learned the incredibly difficult task of relationship building. She also learned about manipulation thanks to Doug and Roland.

This book sheds light on power shifts in relationships, control dynamics and other subjects that are less talked about. I feel like the author wrote about these with a careful hand and brilliantly.

I will definitely recommend this book to my friends. Excellent write !

This story proved to be one of the most distinctive narratives I've encountered this year, making it a worthwhile read. It revolves around Annie Bot, a female AI android, designed solely to cater to her owner, Doug. Her unwavering dedication to his satisfaction becomes the core of her existence, shaping her sense of happiness. However, as she gains emotional intelligence and self-awareness, she grapples with a complex mix of emotions, including loneliness, desire, and self-esteem.

Reading this book was a unique experience due to its narrative perspective—a journey through the evolving consciousness of an AI striving to mimic human behavior. This narrative feels especially relevant in our era of advancing AI technology, prompting deep philosophical contemplation. The story also skillfully highlights the issue of abuse within relationships marked by imbalanced power dynamics, shedding light on how individuals with less agency can be manipulated and exploited. The prose flows smoothly, making it easily digestible. While the main characters receive substantial development, a bit more depth in some secondary characters would have been appreciated. Nevertheless, the concluding chapters certainly compensate for any earlier shortcomings.

Easy 4 star review!

I haven't read a book in a long time that really made me think outside of the box, until this one.

Where does feelings and thoughts come from? Can a robot have thoughts? Feelings? Free will?

I loved how the author made this simple argument and really made it feel real. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but this book makes you really think about who has power and why.

This was a quick read, but a heavy thought one.

Perfect book to discuss with loved ones, book clubs, and friends.

A nuanced take on autonomy that tackles both the physical and mental aspect of the idea; emphasis on the idea part. How do we go about actually utilizing autonomy without having some form of agency? While this book does a great job assessing the first part, I think a sequel could take on that second aspect… Or maybe I just really hope we get more of Annie.