This was a clever mystery with a Sci Fi core. Imagine "The Bachelor" if one of the contestants was a synthetic robot that was created for the main person on the show.

This story is told from the perspective of the main female character, Julia. The book starts with Julia waking up groggy from a night with too much wine and a big fight with her husband, Josh. When he doesn't respond to her texts, she starts to get worried. He said he was going camping, but usually he would have checked in by now. Is he leaving her?

Julia isn't sure what to think and when the cops find evidence of foul play, she is the prime suspect. Can she figure out who killed Josh before she's convicted of his murder? Who else might have wanted him dead?

Thanks to netgalley for an ARC to review. I enjoyed it!

Interesting
I must not have read the description very well. When I started reading this and learned the main character is basically a robot, I groaned. That just isn't my cup of tea, unless it is written by someone like Stephen King. But, I stuck with it and actually enjoyed the book. Some parts were not very realistic. There are two companies making "Synths". One has made twins and another made Julia. The twins cost millions of dollars and were made to marry wealthy brothers. Julia was made to attract the contestant on what is basically "The Bachelor". These synthetic people act and feel like humans, including their ability to give birth and nurse their children. It seemed like there should be a lot of less-developed people before these three nailed their human-likeness. Also, the man behind Julia drove a beat up car and didn't seem to have much money. Where did the money to build Julia come from, and why did he/how was he able to basically give her away for free?

But, the plot was good and it made me consider some legal and ethical questions that hopefully won't need to be answered in my lifetime, but will certainly come up in a few decades.

This is my favorite book of the year so far!! I loved the idea of a synth, I love the Bachelor so those vibes were welcomed. I could not get enough of this one!!

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review. Made for You was fun to read and I absolutely loved it! I look forward to reading more from this author.

Made For You was auch an interesting book. We alternate between past and present chapters. In the past chapters,Julia, a synth, is created specifically for a reality TV bachelor, and she is a contestant on the show where she aims to win his heart. In the present, she's married her bachelor, has a young baby, and her husband goes missing. It was a mash up of a thriller, a mystery and a romance. This one is right on point with recent popular tropes: books set in reality TV shows and Bots/AI protagonists. I personally did not enjoy one of the twists, but other than that, this book was a fun read.

At 400 pages this was a fast and riveting read. The premise is intriguing and I was fully immersed and engaged into the story line immediately.

It’s about a synth with the ability to mimic human traits such as feeling pain and bearing children. She was specifically created to be the perfect contestant and match for Josh to star on the latest reality show much like The Bachelor. It’s told in past and present timelines in first person POV through the eyes of the synth, Julia.

It would have been a solid five stars for me but I had to dock one for its length. The story was a bit drawn out towards the end and the telling of Deborah’s backstory felt loosely opened-ended.
However the main issue for me is Julia’s attempt to soften the blows by over-rationalizing Josh’s actions. Although I can relate to some of Julia’s sad sentiments I’m not a fan of weak FMCs. I do like her motherly dedication and strong bond with Annaliegh but cannot justify Andy’s fate.

As a fictional debut, I enjoyed the author’s spin on a speculative future using synths and the ethics regarding them. Overall it was an easy to read page-turner with the right amount of suspense to keep me engaged. I look forward to what Jenna writes next!


Thank you HTP and MIRA for my digital readers copy of this book.

Wow. I absolutely loved this book! I’ve read two books about a girl going on a reality dating show recently. This one blows the other one out of the water, because it is totally original. Not only is this book unique because the main character is a synth, it was a new look at robots living among us in general. Julia, the main character, is the first of a new generation of synthetic women, and she’s even able to have children. She eats and sleeps and cries like us. She wins the heart of the man she’s after on the reality show, but shortly after they’re married he goes missing. She’s in a small Indiana town where bots aren’t exactly welcomed. With a sheriff snooping around, she’s on a race against time to find out what really happened to her husband before she’s arrested, or worse.

I’ve never read a book like this. A futuristic bachelor with a twist. I not only loved reading this, I was able to talk about the premise with my teens at dinner and they were actually interested 🤣. Is this what the future will look like? I was surprised to find myself rooting for a character who is not a human, but I was rooting for her. At times I wished there was a little more light in this dark tale, but overall I really enjoyed it!

Okay, this vastly exceeded my expectations. I am a devoted Bachelor watcher and reader of all books that involve a bachelor-type show, and this… might actually be the best one I’ve read? Maybe because it isn’t a romance, but using a robot woman whose life literally started the day she went on the bachelor (called “the proposal” in the book) turned out to be a really great lens for examining the power dynamics and emotional manipulation that take place on the show. I also felt like the other contestants were a lot more fleshed out than in other bachelor-show books.
Moving on to the plot: this was a totally bonkers ride with “WTF” moments at every turn. I don’t even want to give any detail about it because it’s honestly such an experience, which is kind of impressive given how many domestic thrillers have flooded the market since Gone Girl was published.
Finally, the aspect that boosted this from 4 stars to 5 for me was how feministly empowering it felt. The vibe kind of reminded me of Jane Doe by Victoria Helen Stone, a book I adored. Julia’s arc is ultimately about agency and about accepting the parts of yourself that make you unpalatable to others - and realizing the strength of those parts.

The Bachelor 🤝 Ex Machina

Julia is a synthetic human, otherwise known as a Synth. She was designed by WekTech to participate on the hit reality dating show, The Proposal. The novel follows two timelines. The first Julia’s experience on the show trying to get the bachelor, Josh, to choose her. The other is present day, where Julia is married to Josh and has a daughter with him. Julia’s life should be perfect, but her marriage is already being tested and the townsfolk loudly discriminate against Synths. When Josh goes missing and then is determined murdered, the police see it as a way to finally get rid of Julia. In order to protect her baby and her own freedom, Julia has to figure out who actually killed her husband before the police pin it on her.

Firstly, this would make an excellent TV show or movie. Secondly, this book is absolutely amazing. I couldn’t stop thinking about it when I wasn’t reading it, and when I was reading I was completely enraptured in the story. Not only does it pose high-brow intellectual questions and philosophical debates, but it does so in a way that’s extremely entertaining. Satterthwaite expertly peels back the layers of the plot through switching back and forth between the past and the present timelines. The reader’s feelings about every character in this novel change so many times. It’s a wild ride and shows how well this author is at developing her characters. The ending was perfect and I genuinely had no idea where this was going to go at any point. At the end of the novel, there are discussion questions that I would normally ignore, but I took the time to read them and they are incredibly thought-provoking. This would be a great book club read.

I hope I sold you to read this book, because you will not regret it if you do!

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A tense and twist-filled read. Julia is only the third synthetic woman in the US and the first to be made to compete on a reality dating show. Julia automatically gains a million social media followers after her debut but not everyone is comfortable with “Synths” becoming part of society. All Julia wants to do is love Josh but when he disappears, she must learn to think for herself…

I had no idea how the story would unfold as we get to know Julia and I was enthralled. The story moves back and forth from the present to Julia’s time on reality TV. The novel poses intriguing questions about technology, autonomy, agency, women’s rights and doesn’t necessarily explore them thoroughly and some of the characters are not fully fleshed out. Still, this is an entertaining read with a creative plot.

Thank you to Harlequin and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.

If you are a fan of the television show "The Bachelor" and/or "The Bachelorette," and you are intrigued by our new AI world, then you are going to love this book.

Made For You by Jenna Satterthwaite was such a fun book to read. She mixes pop culture with the future of AI, and then included the components of a good mystery. What first caught my eye was the cover of the book. Wow. The colors and images made me want to read the book right away.

Let's just admit that the future of AI is fun, scary, overwhelming, shocking, and exciting all at the same time. Now what if people were created as AI humans, known as Synths, and could be produced specifically for another human being? Josh, a mortal human being, was the bachelor on the show "The Proposal." Julia was a synth created specifically for Josh. Will he choose her? She looks human, can have a baby, and thinks and feels just like a human, but she was created right before the show. She doesn't have a family or memories to back on, nor can she cause harm to other humans.

Can a Synth be accused of murder if she is programmed to not hurt other humans?

This book was funny, mysterious, but what I liked most of all was that it made me think. What will AI be like in the future? Would you befriend a Synth? Should they be treated like everyone else?

I gave this book five stars because it is a book that I will remember for a while. This is my true test of a five star book. It wasn't deep, but it was fun to think about when I finished reading it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and MIRA Books for my free copy. This is my honest review.

I would recommend Made for You for anyone looking for an interesting premise that makes you think about what it means to be a woman. For example, Julia is marketed as being the first Synth to have the ability to reproduce, which makes her an "upgrade" from previous Synths (all who are, interestingly, female and also programmed for men). The beginning and the middle of the book moved slowly due to the repetition and lack of character development. I also felt that a lot of the content in the reality tv timeline didn't contribute much to climax, which is a big miss in a mystery/thriller for me. I was underwhelmed by the ending of the book, as it was slightly predictable and had conflicting messaging.

Thank you NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, & MIRA for the ARC copy of this book.

I want to start with saying that I absolutely love the cover – synthetic but yet so natural.
This book is a mix of sci-fi Bachelor reality TV, I Robot movie and murder mystery. It starts quickly and it never slows down. The story is told in two timelines – “then” – the Bachelor style show where Julie and Josh met and “now” their current post show life. Now is also where all the suspense and mystery unfolds. I thought this was a very unique take on a mystery. It was easy to connect with the characters and engaging story to follow. I also liked the ties to Indiana and Indianapolis. I highly recommend it. Publication day – July 2nd 2024.

Thank you NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing and the author for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A fun and unique premise that mostly played out well.

Julia looks like a woman, can do pretty much anything a woman can do, including have a baby, but she is a Synth — a robot — and she was made to love a guy named Josh, who might not be as lovable as he first seemed.

Julia meets Josh mere hours after being turned on (literally) a Bachelor-type show called The Proposal. Fast forward to the present and Julia is alone at home with the couple's baby wondering what has happened to her husband. He's missing, the anti-Synth sheriff is ready to arrest her for murder, and she can't remember what happened the night Josh left.

The story volleys between then and now revealing all kinds of twists and turns, from the next door neighbor who watches Julia and her baby through his binoculars to Andy, the many who created Julia. No one and nothing is as it seems, because it's a mystery!

I really enjoyed this story. It's a pretty traditional mystery with the added complication of Julia's provenance, which adds an ever-so-slight sci-fi element. The ending was not quite as good as I'd hoped. It kind of went in new territory that felt, on one level, unresolved, but overall I really enjoyed this imaginative mystery.

Part reality TV, part murder mystery!

The premise immediately grabbed my attention. A Synthetic woman designed to compete on The Proposal to claim the heart of bachelor, Josh LaSala, becomes the suspect in his murder. Although the book revolves around a murder, it’s written in an engaging way using dual timelines and the backdrop of a reality TV show which brings a lighter element to the overall story. I’m really enjoying books with AI themes and female robot protagonists at the moment so this one hit the spot.

The main characters were all interesting and I loved learning how their stories intercepted, and motivations unfolded between the dual timelines. My thoughts toward each of them shifted a complete 180 from beginning to end, and the climax was very satisfying albeit dark. The scene with the dog food was shocking but made me smile (IYKYK). I definitely rooted for Julia and felt frustrated that she couldn’t defend herself due to the ‘no harm’ coding that was built into her. She put up with so much and it felt exhilarating when she finally began unraveling the mystery and sticking up for herself. Josh was detestable and deserved what he got!

The story gripped me and held my attention throughout, especially the twist behind Julia’s creation. The pace was steady and amped up toward the end. Julia faced so many issues as a Synth that all women face in society, so it was relatable but also fulfilling when she overcame most of it.

4/5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
For readers who enjoy more of a popcorn mystery, a fun premise, and feminist revenge.

Made for You by Jenna Satterthwaite is an excellent book! It was smart, funny, interesting, and drew me in from the first chapter. I'm not always the person attracted to sci-fi/fantasy books, but the premise of this one - a future where we are just getting experience the introduction of synthetic humans (synths) into our everyday lives - was intriguing. Part sci-fi, part murder mystery, part relatable book where a new mom is dealing with everyday life.. this book does so much, and dare I say, does it well! As I read this book, I kept forgetting that Julia wasn't human - but she was limited as human is. This brings up so many thoughts and questions for me as I consider what it means to be human... and her baby (though this was not touched on in the book) - is that baby human? Or a synth? So many questions! It reminded me in a sense of Katie Williams' My Murder, where science was integrated so naturally into a thriller.

One of my favorite aspects of this book was that chapters alternate between now and then, so we learn things as they are happening but also are clued into Julia's story over the past year-ish of her existence. (Typing that is weird!) That, coupled with the ending (no spoilers here!), really makes me consider the outcome of this book. What does it mean to be human? What does it mean to have autonomy over yourself, your body, your reality? What if we could change ourselves? So intriguing! I especially loved the ending scene and the role Lars played.

I hope others I know read this book - would love to discuss with a group. I have to admit - part of the reason I read this book was that I "knew" Jenna back in her blogging days. We connected through the food blogging community, and I enjoyed her writing back in the day... and enjoy it in this format too. This book is fun and suspenseful - it would make a great summer read!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this eARC. All opinions are my own.

Overall, it was pretty good. Would have loved to see more expansion on the science end. Story was well done, interesting characters, I just needed a little more.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars (GIVE US HALF STARS, PLEASE, LOL).

Julia Warden is our MC. She is one of three synthetic women to exist in the world. She is very much like a real woman. She has her own thoughts, feelings, and emotions and feels pain, hunger, tiredness, etc. just as a real person would. She was designed to be on a show called The Proposal (basically The Bachelor) and was very specifically made for our bachelor, Josh LaSala. There are dual timelines for then (on The Proposal) and now (Julia and Josh married). Julia ends up winning (this is no secret; it's revealed pretty much right away), and they end up starting their life together. Julia and Josh welcomed a baby girl, and they are ready to start their happy ever after. However, Josh goes missing, and everything starts falling apart. Were things really as picture-perfect as we thought?

This book had such an interesting concept that I couldn't help but like it. There was nothing riveting, and I wouldn't call it my favorite book of all time, but I really did enjoy the ride it took me on. I really wish it would have taken more time to reveal the fact that Julia won The Proposal, though. I feel like that would've added more suspense to the story. I would have never guessed the ending.

This book was fast-paced, unique, and an interesting read. It was refreshing compared to all the usual thrillers with the same concepts that I read.

Thank you Jenna Satterthwaite, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

I think this book went right over my head. The premise was so amazing and captivating and yet, I felt lackluster and unsure about anything that happened within the story. Maybe I'll give it a retry when it's published.