“I had no idea about any of this. My only first hand knowledge of the outside world is the view from Ms Elena’s car when she drove me home when she first bought me. As life rolled past beyond the glass, I kept how wonderful it all was. The maze of old city streets and tunnels, the rag of sun shining through the tree branches, the rows of red brick buildings and people everywhere. Little did I know that so much of that amazing world hated me for simply because I excisted.”

I didn’t expect to get as attached to Eke and Kyp the way I did. How I have been rooting for the two to somehow make their own life out of the household they had stayed. And the story has made me so emotional that I am trying to find sufficient words. It was a beautiful story and Michael Crouch did a fantastic job in bringing their story to life reading it to us readers.

5 stars

Oh wow. I was not expecting the emotional rollercoaster that I went on with this story. It's sad but also heartfelt. Eke and Kyp really have to go through it to get to that much deserved HEA. This book is like the lovechild between the movie Bicentennial Man (1999) and Cinderella, but more gay.

I love Eke so much. He is so gentle and pure. He puts nothing but good into the world but doesn't receive it back. I was NOT expecting some of the darkness of this story, with Carson essentially being a budding psychopath. But it did intensify the emotions with Eke and Kyp. This story really addresses what it means to be human and its complexities. The physical journey Eke and Kyp go on is a not so subtle parallel to the Underground Railroad with them trying to reach the safety of California all the way from Boston, Massachusetts. They meet a variety of characters along the way, some good, some not so much. This just solidifies the story's goal of examining the differences amongst humans and what makes them tick.

I listened to the audiobook for this, and I highly recommend that experience. Michael Crouch does an amazing job of managing to exude so much emotion while also sounding somewhat robotic. He really portrays Eke's sincerity and deep emotions. We get both Eke and Kyp's POV, and Michael Crouch does an amazing job with both, but Eke's character seems to stand above the rest in every way.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this read. I loved it WAY more than I was expecting, too. This is definitely a new favorite, and I highly recommend checking this out.

goodreads needs a half stars feature like yesterday because 4.5 stars for my new favorite AI speculative sci-fi read (I even had to take a break because this book will wreck you)

Do you like Black Mirror? Boy, oh, boy- do I have the book for you!

I was absolutely gripped by this book.

Eke is the most wondrously sweet central POV anyone could ask for. Undeniably compelling, and far more "human" than the hideous human characters around him could ever be; lavish and affluent as are.

Set in a near dystopian-esque North America where outside the compound that Eke's family dwells is a dangerous world for an AI, we meet Eke. An AI programmed for cleaning and chores, but truly he is so much more than that. From his innocence of the world, to his sweet, kind, caring nature. To the friendships he makes with his flowers and fish friends, and his inherent, cautious curiosity in human emotion, paired with a desire to quietly experience the wonders of life.

In the beginning we experience Eke attempt to navigate the precarious household he occupies. Filled with a sadistic teenage son who delights in tormenting the AI endlessly (and using Eke as his personal punching bag), a daughter lost to the wills of her forgetful, drunk mother, and parents more interested in their work or pubic image than their children. Everything seems bleak for Eke, until one day the family bring home a new and improved Entertainment AI. An AI named Kyp who is beautiful and talented and programmed to do so much more than Eke ever could.

My heart has not been so consistently lodged in my throat whilst reading in a long time. This book is both unbearably nerve-racking and adorable at the same time. The romance is slow and beautiful and by the end utterly intoxicating. Eke and Kyp's relationship had my heart SORING.

Couldn't recommend it enough.

Oh man. Cinderella meets Fallout 4. I really enjoyed this one, but man, the first 60% is ROUGH. I would have happily read hundreds of thousands of words more.

Steven Spielberg’s A.I. but make it teen and make it gay.

Honestly, the set up for this book was so sweet. On the one hand, we have Eke, a second-hand AI model that’s not connected to the internet so he seems quite naive in a wistful sort of way. He loves plants and fish and Buster Keaton. But he only exists to help this family with any cleaning or chores they need doing. Then you have Kyp, a gorgeous AI meant to entertain and engage the humans. He knows so much, but there’s a coldness to him; the two become unlikely friends.

Such strong characters with a really interesting premise. I loved Eke so much and I loved this journey they’re on to find the Et Cetera, a world where AI can live freely. My only misgiving if that the ending felt very rushed compared to the rest of the pacing from the book.

But a very interesting read!

I would like to thank NetGalley as well as Sky House Publishing for providing me with an Audio-Arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

When the time of AI has stormed the U.S., humans often enlist the service of these AI for help in many things. But Eke isn't treated like family, he's simply the help-- almost a slave to the family that owns him. After years of living in the shadows and never being allowed to truly go outside, the Kensworths buy a new AI, one far more advanced than Eke. When an unsightly incident occurs, the two flee and set out for the meaning of freedom even at the cost of being hunted along the way.

I heavily enjoyed the narration of this story. I believe that it combined so many elements of movies and games that I liked and it brought to life a possible future within a fictional setting. I highly recommend this to really anyone who wants a queer romance, but also a queer romance where not only are the characters not human, but they are fighting for themselves and their freedom in a sense not unlike some moments in the past. This was a beautifully crafted story worth being appreciated!

This poignant sci-fi Cinderella story has been around for a while, and I'm so glad I finally picked it up!

Eke is a humaniod AI whose job is to keep the Kensworth house in order, despite their terrible treatment of him. Unbeknownst to the family, Eke is sentient. He sneaks old Buster Keaton films at night and has befriended the pet goldfish and his own reflection because he craves companionship. Then along comes Kyp, the shiny new household entertainment AI. As Eke and Kyp connect, they begin to learn the meaning of love and sacrifice. They are forced on the run as their situation at the Kensworth's becomes impossible. Most of the book is from Eke's POV, and as he learns more of the outside world, so does the reader. The country as a whole is angry at the AI bots, blaming them for the loss of human jobs. AI hunters torture and kill rogue AI, so Kyp and Eke must sneak their way across the country in search of "Et Cetera," the rumored safe harbor for AI runaways. The social commentary about the working class and marginalized people is hard to miss as this future society dehumanizes and enslaves the AI.

Eke is a cinnamon roll, and like Kyp, I would protect him with my life. His joy and eagerness, and his unwavering love for Kyp is endearing. Kyp, too, tugged my heartstrings as Eke's number one fan and protector. He learned to kill to protect Eke's innocence. His love, loyalty, and sacrifice make him oh, so very human.

The audio book was beautifully narrated by Michael Crouch. The slight robotic lilt to Eke's voice was genius!

This book strongly reminded me of Steven Spielberg's film A.I Artificial Intelligence with it's Pinocchio themes and rather melancholy tone. Eke is an overly innocent AI who achieves sentience while wishing he was a "real boy" and is exploited by the family that he works for. When Kyp, a newer and more human like custom model AI, joins the household, Eke is both very drawn to him and extremely jealous of his more humanoid features.

Eke's character is haunting - innocent but consistently melancholy, and ultimately suffering severe physical and emotional abuse. Kyp is the only one who sees Eke as an individual, and continuously saves Eke from increasingly threatening situations.

I really enjoyed the premise of this book and getting to know Eke and Kyp, however I found the second half of the book to be increasingly grating. Despite not being billed as a tragedy, the book is extremely bleak, with higher and higher stakes in every dangerous situation that Kyp and Eke encounter, and really no relief from the violence and brutality of this world to almost the very last page. I would've liked to see more beauty and hope in this story, even if just more time spent developing the tender feelings between Eke and Kyp. The constant violence with no hope in sight felt rather like trauma porn and I found it increasingly depressing to keep listening to this book.

It also covers extreme themes of physical and emotional abuse, extreme levels of violence, mass murder, and suicide, with insufficient content warnings.

I also was a bit put off by some of the depictions of AI, which are weirdly humanoid. The book described AI as experiencing emotions in a very human way (feeling their "core" drop, tears streaming down their face, cheeks heating with embarrassment) which made little sense for how the AI were described to be engineered, and they also interacted with each other in overly human ways (kissing on the lips, and taking their clothes off to have their AI version of sex) as well as the fact that the author decided to make all AIs (and in fact almost all characters) light skinned with a rather thin explanation behind it.

The one consistently good part throughout was the masterful audibook narration by Michael Crouch. I enjoyed his voice acting immensely and was quite impressed by the variety of voices he could do (each speaking character has a distinct voice.)

Big thanks to Sky House Publishing for the audio ARC.

DNFed because I don’t buy into the MC Eke being a robot at all; he keeps using feelings language (“panic swirled inside me”, “my anxious thoughts”, etc.) and I suspect it’s just going to get worse. All the human characters are like cardboard cutouts, thin and stiff. It’s my own fault cause I know Sky House Press is quantity over quality with no editorial oversight (they publish Woody Allen, ffs!) but I saw there was an audiobook on NetGalley and forgot myself for a second. The audiobook narration is okay but characters voices are limited and not well differentiated so didn’t increase my engagement.

Thanks to NetGalley for the audiobook (and my public library for the physical).

Thank you NetGalley and Sky House Publishing for the ARC of Us, Et Cetera by Kit Vincent.

Us, Et Cetera by Kit Vincent is an extraordinary exploration of identity, freedom, and connection in a world where AIs are treated as property. The story follows Eke, an AI living in a wealthy neighborhood, tasked with keeping the Kensworth home in order. Despite his efforts, Eke feels isolated and bullied by the very family he serves, longing for real friendships and the chance to experience the outside world.

When the Kensworths bring home Kyp, a shiny new AI who quickly becomes the family favorite, Eke’s feelings of loneliness deepen. However, a shocking incident at a party forces Eke and Kyp to unite, igniting a daring escape that sets them on a thrilling journey across the country.

Vincent’s writing is both engaging and poignant, capturing the emotional struggles of Eke and Kyp as they confront their identities and fight for their freedom. The bond that develops between them is beautifully portrayed, filled with humor, heart, and the blossoming of love amidst chaos.

With themes of self-discovery and the quest for autonomy, Us, Et Cetera is not just a gripping adventure; it’s a powerful commentary on what it means to truly live. This novel is a must-read for anyone who values the depth of human connection and the courage to defy the odds.

Overall, Us, Et Cetera is a compelling and uplifting tale that will resonate long after the final page.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the audiobook of Us, Et Cetera.

This was such a fun and interesting take on the AI/robot gaining consciousness. It followed much of the same beats I've seen in these stories before but that is not a bad thing! There's a reason these stories are so popular and beloved.

I would die for Eke and Kit, I want to say that. I adored the build up of their relationship with their growing humanity. This book had me so anxious for them all throughout the book, and Eke was such an amazing protagonist for us to view majority of the story through. A beautiful story through and through.

I ended up liking this book less than I hoped I would.

Reading about the constant abuse Eke experiences as well as the horrible actions of the family was rough. That family is severely dysfunctional and disordered. Every single one of them is in severe need of therapy.
Especially animal cruelty is very uncomfortable for me. I should have checked the trigger warnings before requesting this arc because I wish I could have spared myself from it.

Eke was a confusing protagonist. He is very naive and often acts like a child would. It makes sense for who he is, but it makes a story of rebellion seem rather odd. I am used to witty characters to manage such a thing and Eke kept making naive and bad choices. I have no idea how he survived anything in this book. To be fair, both he and Kyp would have died many times if not for the help of other smarter characters.

The story felt like a piece of something that could be much bigger. The plot is rather short while trying to do something bigger than it is. It made many attempts fall rather flat. The time at the family could have been cut shorter and instead more focus and time could have been spent on after, since I feel like it needed a lot more work to be impactful and so that the characters got the character development they needed from it. The world-building had potential, but now I am left a bit unsure what exactly it was trying to tell me.

Eke and Kyp’s romance was not very exciting. It did very little for me. I’m not sure why that is, perhaps it was Eke’s lack of knowledge about emotions, but I am not sure. I think I also expected a bigger romance focus.

I enjoyed Kyp’s chapters. They were always a highlight and tended to have the stories most interesting to me. I’m sad there were so few of them.

I leave this book not really knowing where to place it. I mostly think of it in quite neutral terms. I didn’t particularly enjoy myself but it’s also not like I didn’t like it.

This book was SOOOOOO GOOD! I am wrecked emotionally behind it but would absolutely do it again. You forget that you are listening to a story about 2 male humanoid AI's and get pulled into the story. The tension points are portrayed excellently, the tender moments are executed with class, and the thoughtful points are shattering.

This was everything I never knew I needed!

I really liked the narrator of this, but I was disappointed that there was no real differentiating between the characters - and with not a lot of change of time in the wording between them, not having a different voice made it sometimes hard to remember who's POV we were in.

The story was cute and sweet, though I didn't really get Cinderella or The Matrix vibes from it. It was a pretty standard AI gains a bit more humanity and goes on the run to find freedom story and I didn't feel like it really added much to that storyline.

Maybe the et cetera was the friends we found along the way?

Thanks for the ARC, Netgalley.

Us, Et Cetera offers a compelling and emotional exploration of artificial intelligence, human cruelty, and the pursuit of freedom. Set in a near-future dystopian America, this novel weaves a poignant narrative that is as thought-provoking as it is heart-wrenching.

Plot Overview
In a world where AIs have taken over most human jobs, the wealthy live in luxurious enclaves with their AI servants, while the rest of society grapples with the fallout. The story follows two AI characters, Eke and Kyp, who start as household servants in the affluent Kensworth family but eventually escape to seek their freedom.

Eke is a simple utility AI, deeply empathetic and full of childlike wonder, while Kyp is a newer, more sophisticated model designed for entertainment. The two form a deep bond, navigating the harsh realities of their existence and the brutality of their human owners. Their journey from servitude to self-discovery and freedom is fraught with danger, violence, and profound emotional moments.

Themes and Execution
The novel tackles themes of autonomy, human rights, and the ethical treatment of AI. The story's exploration of family dynamics and the abusive relationships within the Kensworth household adds depth and complexity. The Cinderella nods are subtle yet effective, providing a framework for Eke's character development without overshadowing the novel's original themes.

The narrative is gripping, blending elements of dystopian fiction, romance, and social commentary. The depiction of AI experiencing emotions and relationships challenges readers to consider the boundaries of humanity and empathy.

Character Development
The characters are richly developed and multifaceted. Eke stands out as a beautifully written character, whose innocence and optimism contrast sharply with the cruelty he faces. His relationship with Kyp is tender and deeply moving, providing moments of hope and warmth in an otherwise bleak narrative. The interactions between the AI characters and their human counterparts are nuanced and layered, highlighting the complexities of power, control, and resistance.

However, Danny's character arc feels rushed, and the youngest sibling, Lizzie, comes across as an afterthought. This lack of development is noticeable, especially during key scenes involving these characters.

Representation and Sensitivity
The representation of gay AIs is handled with care, adding a meaningful layer to the story. The intimate scenes between the AI characters are both poignant and tastefully done, enhancing the emotional connection between them.

Trigger Warnings
The novel does not shy away from depicting violence, abuse, gun violence, and the loss of limb. These elements are integral to the story but may be distressing for some readers. The depiction of abuse within the family and the brutal treatment of AIs are particularly intense.

Criticisms
While the novel is compelling, the pacing in the second half feels somewhat rushed. The abrupt tonal shift from the domestic setting to the escape and the outside world's dangers is jarring. Additionally, the youngest sibling's character feels underdeveloped, making certain scenes confusing.

Conclusion
Us, Et Cetera is a powerful and emotionally resonant novel that challenges readers to think deeply about the nature of humanity and the ethical implications of AI. Despite some minor flaws, the story's strengths lie in its rich character development, thought-provoking themes, and poignant narrative. Highly recommended for fans of dystopian fiction and anyone interested in the ethical dimensions of artificial intelligence.

Set in a future where AI have taken over many of the roles of humans, Eke is an older generation AI whose role is to keep the Kensworth house clean. Used, abused or ignored by most of the family he entertains himself by re-enacting Buster Keaton stunts for the family goldfish in the middle of the night instead of staying in his cleaning cupboard as instructed. Kyp is a new model AI who has been bought by the Kensworth’s as an entertainment model. Eke and Kyp are drawn to each other and due to a series of events must break orders and rely on each other to survive.

Narrated by the amazing Michael Crouch, whose ability to voice the inner turmoil of the character he’s portraying has already introduced me to many book’s I may not have otherwise found, was brilliant as both Eke, Kyp and the rest of the cast. Eke’s heart wrenching situations had me near tears thanks to Michael’s delivery, and I was genuinely scared during some of the chapters towards the end!

What I liked: I loved the futuristic take on Cinderella. The dystopian concept of what happens to the working class when the jobs are handed over to AI, while not new, was effectively examined. All the characters were well developed and the plot ran nicely.

What didn’t work for me: I found the Et Cetera part confusing, this is all I can say without giving away any spoilers. Additionally, some of the dark parts of the story were a bit too grim in places.

Final thoughts: A super sweet love story between two AI’s trying to find a place for themselves in a world that sees them as disposable.

Who would enjoy this book: People who enjoy dystopian sci-fi with a love story. Also note; themes are often dark and one of the humans does appear to be an undiagnosed psychopath.

This was a very sweet book with lots of feelings for the main characters. There were also many supporting characters that I absolutely hated. They frustrated me so much while I was listening to this audiobook. I still recommend though.

“Defying the whole world requires courage, but that is the only way to be free.”

This book destroyed me. From page one, I was overcome with both love and fear for Eke. I could see right away how an AI was viewed and I could also see that Eke was more human than the actual humans around him. A dread filled me– the tone was set; there was no way anything in this story would go easy for Eke, a beautifully optimistic and empathetic soul who I knew deserved so much better than what was coming.

Eke is so wonderfully written, I’m getting teary eyed just thinking about him. He’s easily my favorite character of everything I’ve read in 2024 so far. His kind heart and childlike wonder in the simplest of things really resonated with me and I truly admired him. After the first half of the book, after the cruelties he faced, I couldn’t help but cry when that kindness and wonder still held strong. Don’t get me wrong, I also adored Kyp with my entire heart, but it’s Eke who really portrayed what Us, Et Cetera was about: the nature of life and the pursuit of freedom.

This book was thought-provoking, heartbreaking, and so so sooo utterly beautiful. I highly recommend the audiobook because Michael Crouch does an amazing job, as always.

I think this has to be 5 stars. Set in a future were AI robots are used as servants and companions, we've probably read stories like this before. But, for me, this one was so well crafted, with the AI getting such great and believable character development. It was sweet, emotional and action packed towards the end. I absolutely loved it.

Not only was it looking to the future and what could happen, whether intentionally or not, I felt that it was giving commentary on slavery, and how privileged people act when they think they own someone or something. The parallels were there and it made it an evening more confronting and uncomfortable read at points.

I was given access to the audio by the publisher via Netgalley. It's interesting that I seem to listen to every audiobook that Michael Crouch narrates, we obviously have a same taste in books! He's an excellent narrator as always and perfectly pulled off the AI intonation.

So all in all I had a really great time with this book and it's highly recommended or all fans of sci-fi set in a near and slightly dystopian future .