Made for You is a mix of futuristic sci-fi, reality TV satire, and psychological thriller. The concept alone is intriguing: Julia Walden is a synthetic woman, created to compete on a dating show, The Proposal, for the heart of bachelor Josh LaSala. After winning his affection (and a fairytale wedding), she’s living her “happily-ever-after” until things take a dark turn—Josh goes missing, and Julia is thrust into a web of suspicion and danger.

The book alternates between two timelines, offering glimpses of Julia's initial rise to fame as a reality TV star and her present-day struggle to clear her name after Josh’s disappearance. Julia is a fascinating character—caught between being a machine and a person, constantly questioning her own worth and humanity. The writing is suspenseful and the plot is twisty enough that my attention never wavered; however, I was so infuriated by some of the secondary characters and their treatment of Julia that I had to keep putting this one down, which is why it took me so long to finish it. I'm glad I came back to it, as I enjoyed the ending.

The market is starting to feel a bit oversaturated with these AI-adjacent thrillers, but the addition of the social media and reality tv critique made this one stand out for me. It's definitely worth a read if you like twisty, fast-paced mysteries with some social commentary.

I downloaded this one by accident as it is not a genre that I typically read but the cover caught my eye, and the blurb looked interesting, so I thought I'd give it a try. The premise was definitely interesting and not one I've seen before. The writing did grab me and I liked Julia as a main character. That said this was definitely my genre and I had a hard time really getting into the story. Because of that I'm not going to rate the book but if the premise interests you I definitely recommend trying it.

This was a hyped up one in my opinion, I wanted to love it but the story / pace fell flat for me. I would definately try this Author again.

I really liked this! It was like science fiction, women's fiction, and reality tv all thrown together. And there was kind of a thriller vibe?? Idk it was really interesting and thought provoking!

I was so excited for this - it’s supposed to be giving bachelor meets Westworld.

And while that’s technically accurate, the amount of subplots and random plot points is overwhelmingly distracting. It gives this very meta feeling of KNOWING the author is trying to throw you off but not in a good way, if that makes sense?

Wasn’t for me, unfortunately.

Julia is a synth (like an AI woman) who is made for a The Bachelor-like show. Josh is the man whose heart she is trying to win and she does. But almost a year later, things take a turn when she discovers Josh missing and then dead.

This was an episode engaging story with lots of twists and turns. In moments it hits on the morality of AI. It also hits on how people treat those they see as outsiders. I enjoyed it a lot.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review an advanced copy of this novel. I highly enjoyed it and will be recommending it.

From the second I read about this book, I knew I had to read it! I am a huge bachelor nation fan! I have always wondered though, about what happens after. This book gives such a wonderful image of the after! If you love any aspect of bachelor nation, you have to read this!

Made for You by Jenna Satterthwaite is a science fiction thriller novel. The story in Made for You is one that is told in a dual timeline in about a year and half ago in the past and in the present time. It’s also narrated by a synth (synthetic human) character.

Julia Walden was designed and created for one reason, to win the heart of Josh LaSala. Josh has been cast as the latest lead on the reality television program The Proposal (The Bachelor) and among the women vying for Josh’s heart will be Julia, a synthetic human.

Fifteen months after the show aired Julia is now married to Josh and has given birth to their child when Josh leaves on a weekend trip and he doesn’t return. The local small town Indiana sheriff already didn’t trust Julia in his jurisdiction and now is sure she has murdered him on his watch despite Julia’s do no harm programming.

Made for You is a debut novel from author Jenna Satterthwaite and well worth taking a chance on reading. I was completely hooked on this scifi thriller from the opening pages with my love for reality tv pulling me in and then mixing that with a unique murder mystery to keep the pages turning. Having an AI synthetic leading the narrative certainly gave a new twist to unreliable narrators and then there were plenty of twists and turns one would expect along the way to really keep one guessing. Definitely an author to look out for again in the future.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

For this being a debut novel, I was very impressed and thought it was really well written. I was truly riveted by this book and had a hard time putting it down. I literally got mad the first night I was reading it when I couldn't keep my eyes open to keep reading. I guessed the ending pretty early on but I was still hooked until the very end. There were plenty of twists and turns and surprises that kept me going and I thought they were all wrapped up nicely. I was also very intrigued by the overall plot of and AI being made specifically to compete in a reality romance show similar to The Bachelor.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for an advanced reader copy of the eBook in exchange for an honest review.

Made for You by Jenna Satterthwaite – 3 stars

Made for You is an intriguing mix of sci-fi, reality TV, and mystery. Julia, a synthetic woman, was designed to compete on The Proposal and win the heart of Josh LaSala. Fast forward to their small-town life, and things take a dark turn when Josh goes missing, leaving Julia as the prime suspect.

Told through dual timelines, this story kept me engaged with its unique concept and twists. If you enjoy thrillers with a sci-fi twist, this one will keep you guessing until the end!

Made For You had an interesting concept, but the execution left a lot to be desired. The plot felt like a patchwork of disconnected themes and ideas, with the central message—why is God playing games with my life?—getting lost in the noise. The book jumped from one idea to the next without tying them together, like the serial killer subplot that was heavily referenced but then completely dropped. The characters were flat, and there were too many unanswered questions about the world-building, making it hard to suspend disbelief. While the concept of a human-Synthe relationship was intriguing, it lacked depth, and the handling of serious topics like domestic violence felt surface-level at best. Overall, the book seemed to be trying too hard to be philosophical but ended up being “just vibes” with no real substance. Despite a promising start, it couldn’t maintain momentum, and I was left feeling disappointed.

What an absolutely unique read! Told from the perspective of a synthetic human – it made me think of what makes a person A PERSON. What does it mean to be human at all? Although that was not the point of the book though, it made me think of it a lot.
It was a very well-told mystery thriller, but I think my own favorite part was the other things that it made me think of a lot!

I enjoyed Made for You, even as it also left me wanting a bit more than what it provided. Told from the perspective of a synthetic woman, I hoped it would delve more into the moral and ethical questions around AI, but it ended up somewhere closer to a straight mystery thriller. Still quite entertaining, just not with the same level of depth I’d desired.

Thank you Jenna Satterthwaite, Harlequin Trade Publishing, MIRA, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

This is a really well written and engaging near future sci-fi/mystery mash-up. I've seen it characterized as "romance," but I think that's kind of misleading, and based on maybe the "Bachelor" aspect of the plot. I've read romance, I know romance, and this is not a romance. Told in Now/Then vignettes by the most unreliable narrator ever, this is a thoughtful and entertaining exploration of the blurry line between "reality" and fantasy in media and in "real life," in an age where everything is scripted and crafted until suddenly it isn't. Julia is a deeply charming character, and the author really "brings her to life." To say the plot is twisty is an understatement. It's more like the twists are plotted, lol, and the successive layers of revelation are startling, fun and not always predictable, at least to this dumb old reader. I enjoyed this fresh, relatable and well crafted take on classic sf themes of identify, reality, and of course, love. (Hey, maybe that's where the romance comes in after all?) It will call to mind "The Truman Show," [book:Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?|36402034], "Blade Runner" and maybe even [book:The Book of Job|82241]. Not bad company to be in, for sure. Thanks to NetGalley for the e-Arc.

The story follows a protagonist who receives mysterious messages from a stalker, setting off a chain of events that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. Satterthwaite's carefully crafted characters and intricate plot twists ensure that the reader is constantly guessing and eager to uncover the truth behind the chilling messages. With a compelling narrative and unexpected twists, "Made for You" is a must-read for fans of suspenseful and atmospheric storytelling.

There’s drama. There’s suspense. There’s Bachelor-sequel reality television references. There’s wetting your feet into sci-fi without being over the top. Julia is a synth-created to woo and love Josh and have his children. However, Josh goes missing and suspected to be murdered and the journey to find out what happens is a twisty one that is told in a now and then format from Julia’s single point-of-view. The ending was a shocker and tied up many loose ends.

Just fifteen months ago, Julia Walden was the standout on the show The Proposal. As the only synthetic woman on the show, her appearance scandalized some and delighted others. Her fairy-tale ending is far from complete when Josh disappears in small-town Indiana, leaving Julia to raise their child and desperately try to find her husband.  While the police begin to circle Julia, believing her to be responsible, she finds herself reflecting on her existence and whether or not she is really a person. 

Jenna Satterthwaite combines existential questions and a murder-mystery in the book Made for You. Even as a "Synth", Julia often feels far more real and human than the flesh and blood versions of the other characters that surround her. It is very easy to feel her desperation and confusion, while also contemplating what in the world it really is that makes us human. 

Made for You is now available.

A book that will keep you from putting it down is Jenna Satterthwaite's thrilling sci-fi, Made For You. The story follows Julia Walden, a synth (super evolved feeling robot), who was created to compete in The Proposal, a reality show that mirrors The Bachelor, to win Josh Sala's heart. She was built with Josh's interests in mind. And after stealing his heart, all Julia wants is to live her happily ever after. Though only months after filming the show, things take a turn and Josh has disappeared leaving Julia as the prime suspect for his disappearance. The story is told back and forth between moments of the past and present. We see Julia and Josh's time on the show to present Julia trying to find the person who has possibly murdered her husband.

This story is intense and I'm reeling from the way Julia is written with such sensitivity that leaves me rooting for her the entire time. I just want her to get that happy ending she longs for. As common for stories about robots, she questions her own being constantly and weather or not she can have full agency of herself including getting what she truly wants and not just settling for what she was made for. There were some aspects of the story that felt rushed and could have been flushed out more but, the story as a whole is still a thrill to read.

I absolutely loved this book! How fun. It was different and thought provoking. The twists were crazy and unpredictable.

The main character Julia is a synthetic person. More than AI but not human. Julia learns to navigate life as close to a real person as she can be. Julia can feel, bare children and has independent thought. Made specifically for one man- Josh, Julia awakens and finds out that she is in competition for Josh on a game show. When Josh ends up dead secrets start spilling and this book gets wild. I think it was a good choice to not go too in depth with the details about Julia's making as it would detract from the story. The ending was fantastic and wrapped up nicely. There was only one detail I thought was extraneous and I wasn't sure where the author was going with that angle. I was a bit confused by the serial killer aspect as it didn't play out as I'd thought.

All in all I cannot wait to read more from this author!