Thank you to #netgalley for the ARC! While I'm constantly looking for books to share with my student book club, after finishing this, I really liked it for ME. The ending was more than satisfying. Sometimes we need a book where it all goes sideways, but everything rights itself. This will be an excellent choice for my Book club.

Caletti takes on the dangers of AI as her protagonist, Eleanor, tries to secretly learn what it would be like to know her father, a famous tech giant who she hasn’t seen since she was a baby. When the opportunity to become her younger brother’s nanny lands in her lap, she can’t resist the lies she has to tell to make it happen. Caletti is, as always, clever in her craft as she weaves the tension between the lies, the hopes, the truths, and the danger of getting caught in a poetic ebb and flow throughout the story. This is a beautiful exploration of how we come of age by understanding how both from whom and where we come as well as from whom and where we’ve been excluded shape us. The juxtaposition of personal awakening to the development of AI and its ethical limitations is fascinating, and creates space for long lasting reflection and discussion. Caletti has her finger on the pulse of the concerns of today’s teens, and this book will be one that not only encourages them to read but to think deeply about decisions we made in seeking ourselves and how we use technology now and in the near future.

Thank you to Netgalley and Randomhouse Children’s, Labyrinth Road, and the author for early access to another powerful novel by Deb Caletti.

I found this novel hard to classify. There's thoughts on AI and technology, feelings about broken families and found families, and ideas about self confidence and self knowledge. It took some time to get involved in the story, but I liked Eleanor's voice quite a bit. She is very funny and insightful sometimes, and silly and ridiculous at other times. I felt like the ending was a bit abrupt, I suppose because I was looking for more resolution with all of Eleanor's problematic family members, but it does feel more realistic and even healthy to find peace with the people you care about than to have big dramatic scenes with people who don't care about you.

I have to be honest and say I struggled in the beginning. Eleanor, to me, was very immature and I didn’t feel like I was reading about a realistic 16 year old. I’m glad I stuck it out though because it did get better and the underlying messages of the book are so important.

I could relate to her experience regarding her father and that paradox of wanting to know who he is and still be a part of his other family, while also feeling loyal to her mom and sister. However, her family was horrid to her and I wish we got a more conclusive ending where that was concerned. The real discussion though was AI and its harmful impact on artists, media in general and social connection. I found myself highlighting a lot of poignant quotes and I was super pleased with the way things turned out in the end.

Thank you first and foremost NetGalley and Deb Calleti for allowing me to read this book early n exchange for an honest review. My review is linked below.

Deb Caletti’s just hit different, each book is its own unique gut punch.

Caletti tries to tackle a lot in this novel and some of it works and some of it falls flat.

I think she highlights the need for real community well. Humans are messy and make mistakes, but we are intrinsically built to love and desire to be loved. Caletti captures this desire in Eleanor so very well.

I did find the first half of this book to be a struggle narratively. I think the plot in the first half is weak and I’m not sure that it will actually resonate well with her intended audience. I don’t know, I think teens are a lot more tech and AI literate than she gives them credit for in this novel. This has the first time that I’ve been sceptical of a narrative voice of hers. Eleanor just didn’t read like a real teen for a lot of this book and to me that seems like a problem for a novel intended to resonate with teens.

Also, we get certain satisfying solutions, but I found the lack of resolution with her mother and sister to be very, very frustrating to the point where I leave this book still feeling a touch anxious for our protagonist.

Thank you to Random House Children’s and NetFalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

To be honest I was extremely uncomfy for the entirety of this book. So much lying, people treating each other poorly and strange situations. To begin with, of course we know our main character is dealing with daddy issues but man her mom is just as terrible. The way her mom was speaking to her & about her was not right. And then just letting her HIGH SCHOOL daughter just go live at someone’s house the mom knows nothing about and go to Mexico with them with very minimal questioning just felt insane. The mom was more annoyed with and put out by her daughter than concerned for her well being. Then all the wild AI, creepy dad, catatonic wife stuff, random side characters that feel important but aren’t. It just all felt like a mess to me. Nothing felt connected or flowed well. It felt like a fever dream. Maybe you need to actually be a chaotic young adult to enjoy this one.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.

Digital life can be alluring, sure. But where are the messy families, the awkwardness of a summer love, the beauty of a backyard picnic? True Life in Uncanny Valley by Deb Caletti brings these questions into sharp focus.

Eleanor Diamond has grown up knowing her father is the tech giant Hugo Harrison without actually knowing him, as a person. She has no memories with him, no photos. Just a lot of knowledge (probably too much, actually) thanks to her bitter, spurned mother. Eleanor is a little too curious about Hugo and his 2.0 family, drawn to their home, desperate to know the half-brother she's never met.

Until she does meet him, at a pool. Where his mother-- her unknown step-mother-- offers her a job. A nannying job. To the little brother she wants so much to know. Eleanor's own mother would forbid it, yet Eleanor accepts. Thus she begins her double life: during the week as live-in nanny Eleanor Drake, and back home on the weekends as Eleanor Diamond.

There is so much to love in this hope-filled YA novel. Sixteen-year-old Eleanor is caught in that place between still being a kid and about to be an adult—a state Caletti captures in exquisite, agonizing detail. From the tug-of-war about becoming who you want to be versus who you are expected to be to the challenge, to seeing your parent as they versus who you wish they would be, Eleanor's hopes and fears collide in relatable ways.

Eleanor isn't the only one of her friends struggling with a challenging family dynamic. Her two best friends, Arden Lee and Clementine, each have their own family troubles. The way they show up for one another, a living support system in ways both quiet and loud, is a core component of the story. Their community is at the heart of what it means to be human, a topic Caletti addresses much like this core friend group, in ways both quiet and loud.

True Life is a love letter to art and the humanity it takes to create art, in all its flaws and all its glory. Eleanor is an aspiring artist herself, torn between the 1940s comic she idolizes and the problematic representations it also holds. As she examines this dichotomy, she's faced with more of the same in her uncanny valley life, from AI art programs to a strange, life-like robot Hugo is working on. Yet amidst all the AI versus art thought-wars, Eleanor finds beauty in small moments: water droplets on her brother's eyelashes, a faithful dog, the prickly grass of a backyard picnic. Moments she's noticing her tech-genius father failing to see.

The novel itself offers discourse on AI, how it can hurt and how it can help, alongside holding art and artists accountable. If we can hold our authors and artists to high standards of being good humans, why can we not do the same of the artificial, digital realm?

All in all, this lovely YA novel has it all: a tender romance, breathtakingly beautiful friendships, an engaging voice, timely themes that are part of the plot without overtaking it, and, at the core of it all, well developed characters with real depth and realistic flaws.

This is one of those books that'll stay with you. That you'll want to re-read for its beauty, intelligence, whimsy-- all the parts that create an unforgettable whole.

Thank you to the author, Random House Children's, and NetGalley for an E-ARC such that I could share my honest opinions.

True Life in Uncanny Valley will be available March 18, 2025.

Eleanor is the secret teenage daughter of a tech billionaire. When she (conveniently) gets a job as the nanny for his young son, she moves into his house and discovers that things aren't always as they appear. Although this book is a great discussion starter on the influence of technology in our lives, this had too many plot holes and too much going on to find it enjoyable.

5 plus Where to start. Uau. This was such a clever, wonderful read. There are so many layers. Let's go from general to particular: and YA story of a girl who wants to meet her father, who wants to know who this horrible person who made two daughters may be who never cared. She starts stalking the house and analyzing what she sees and understands through the lens of comic books and comic book language: heroes, villains, zip, zap onomatopoeia, and action lines. Her dad is a big shot, famous, and he is working on a project that will revolutionize the future, going deeper into AI, under the misunderstanding and false presence that AI is the solution to never make mistakes again. This is a novel that points out how dangerous AI is. Not just learning and stealing from artists and authors but taking all the good from it to deliver an easy, fast, adulterated product.
This novel shouts out: are we letting our children and the future be taught and educated by AI? Where is the freedom of being oneself, true, happy, and joyful?
The plot gets even more interesting when she accepts to be hired as the nanny of a two-year-old who is, in fact, her half-brother.
I love her relationship with the family Where she works (her dad's) I love how relatable it is when she has to go back home and her mother and sister always make her feel like she doesn't belong so there's a feeling of in between (she doesn't belong at home anymore, but she won't belong with her father)
Towards the end, she becomes more confident, an artist, a hero, someone who appreciates the imperfections of life, and she will do good for those who need her help, and she will punish those who reveal themselves to be villains after all.
There's just so much to it. It's thought-provoking.
I loved this novel. I will recommend it over and over.

I have few YA books that I really like, and this one exceeded my expectations. Eleanor is literally the best type of teen ever, not only has she been spying on her dad who she never met, her mom was the “other woman” AND she had 2 kids with this man, ANYWAY, she is literally infatuated with wanting to know more and more about this amazing man. Hugo is a successful man; he’s a genius and Eleanor finds more of him in her and vice versa. So, when his much younger wife posts that she needs a temp nanny for the summer she goes for it, lying about her identity, just to get closer to her dad. And little did she know she will end up falling in love not only with her half-brother Arlo but also with Hugo’s wife Aurora.

I did not know how this book will end, she has amazing friends who are hilarious, she has been lying to her mom and sister who hate Hugo, and she finds love which is the cutest thing ever. I love how everything unravels towards the end, it was funny, it was REAL, we are dealing with her dad who is into AI and the way Eleanor stands up to this invention that Hugo is obsessed with was FUNNY!! Overall, I loved this book so much that I still feel very sad that its over.

True Life in Uncanny Valley, by Deb Caletti, was engaging enough to keep me reading, but I found it quite challenging to get into. I continued reading in hopes that something would resonate with me, but it was merely okay. I appreciate NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the ARC ebook that I read and reviewed. All opinions are my own.

Everyone is eager to know what Hugo Harrison’s next invention will be except for Eleanor Diamond. Hugo is Eleanor’s father, but he abandoned her, her sister, and her mother. When Eleanor finds out that her father’s wife, Aurora, is looking for a summer live-in nanny for Arlo, Eleanor’s half-brother, she decides to apply for the gig. She ends up getting it. Now she’s hoping to learn more about the family she’s never known. As she gets to know her family, however, she become more and more uneasy about the top-secret work her father is doing. Juggling a web of lies and half-truths, she tries to navigate a sea of contradictions about her upbringing and her father’s legacy. Will her summer turn out the way she wants it to?

The plot is well written, engaging, and at times thrilling. The characters are well developed, authentic, and easy to relate to. The on-page sexual content feels inserted and doesn’t fit well into the book. Readers who like mysteries, realistic fiction, and coming-of-age stories will want to pick this one up. Due to on page content, this book is best suited for high school and public libraries. Recommended for most library collections. 4 stars, Gr 9 and up.

Eleanor has always wondered what her father is like in real life. She sees him every day on the news and in magazines being praised for his contributions to AI. She wishes she could spend time getting to know him away from her overbearing and judgmental mother and sister who never understand Eleanor's quirkiness. When a job is posted to work as a nanny to her half-brother, Eleanor jumps at the opportunity to live in her father's house and get to know him on a deeper level. Maybe living in a fantasy world will become her reality. But can she keep up with the lies and will she still admire her father the more she learns?

This was a very relatable book to any teen who struggled to find their identity within their own family. When her home life sucks, Eleanor escapes into the world of comics, female superheroes, and her friend group of book nerds. I also used books as a form of escapism and always wished my parents and sister were different than who they were. It's a great story about being stuck with the family you got and either accepting them as they are, or creating your own found family. Eleanor has to accept the fact that the green is not always greener on the other side.

*** I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. ***

I just finished True Life in Uncanny Valley by Deb Caletti, and wow I didn’t expect to get so hooked. It’s a YA novel, but it dives deep, way deeper than I anticipated. The story follows a young woman caught in a tangled mess of deception as she tries to uncover the truth about her family and herself. What really surprised me was how layered and thought-provoking it was. I went in expecting an entertaining read, but I got so much more.

I usually love Deb calletti, but I could not get into this book. The whole situation is just completely unbelievable and unhinged honestly. Judt confusing.

Despite the audiobook being narrated by Brittany Pressley, this book was a miss for me. I just couldn't connect with the plot or the characters.

True life in uncanny valley , I can not begin to explain how much I did not like this book.

I did not like the characters especially the MC I did not like how she was basically stalking her biological dad in order to get a job babysitting her half brother and how she felt entitled to be around him.

I DNF’d this book at 25% because of how uncomfortable it made me to read.

Thank you Netgalley Random House Children's | Labyrinth Road for the arc

Maybe I didn't fall in love with the story, but this is a memorable book for its style.

3.5 rounded up to 4.

Eleanor never felt close to her mother and sister and maybe that's why she's been stalking the famous father who never really treated her like a daughter. Suddenly, a big chance to be even closer to him; his new wife finds her at the pool and hires her to nanny her son with Eleanor's father without knowing they're actually siblings.

I love Eleanor's voice, her friends, her universe. The descriptions of her father's mansion also invite a lot of curiosity, even without the plot of his secret project. In general, I loved each character the author wanted me to and despised all the ones she didn't want me to like.

I think one of my problems with the read was the tone. It derives from Eleanor's personality but it also made it childish, while the themes were much more mature than that. This always made me frown. I would have loved it for a story with the content it makes you expect, though. My biggest problem was probably how the book made me expect more of the development. It wasn't even that I had any big guess that never came true; I just wish it didn't bring us to such a simple conclusion. The eeriness behind all Hugo's inventions and life story made me sure something much bigger was coming, and also excited to know what it could be. Where will all these fun elements take us: the title, the ever-present technologies, even Eleanor's voice. I would have gone crazier, that's what the story had been telling it would do from the beginning. Too bad it didn't.

It's still not only an interesting read but one that keeps you there with the story, thinking, wondering. Here's waiting for more from this author.



Honest review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.

THOUGHTS

Sometimes you pick up a YA book and think Wow, this author hasn't spoken with the youths in a bit. Unfortunately, that was the case here. While this book contains an interesting bit of social commentary on AI and tech "innovations," I think this commentary is more suited to an older generation that has been beguiled by this new tech. The younger crowd is a bit more skeptical, irreverent, and (frankly) informed. Was it a bad read? No. But I don't know that it will strike any chords with the intended audience.


PROS
Balancing Act: This book does a very good job of balancing the real beauty of an insanely wealthy life--the pools, the yachts, the personal chefs--with a more insta-curated lifestyle (a lifestyle made to be photographed, not lived). I liked this peek-behind-the-veil of celebrity life, even a life as "public" as an influencer's might appear.

Young Love: If there was one aspect of this book that did scream "teenage," it's Eleanor's exploration of her sexuality. Which is entirely age-appropriate. It's not like teenagers aren't curious or exploring and experimenting, and that's exactly what Eleanor's romance in this book is: experimental and new. Not every parent or reader will like this, but I don't think this content goes too far. It's like a John Green book: controversial but important.

Supporting Cast: There are a lot of characters happening in the background of this book, but Deb Caletti doesn't neglect any of them. I loved each of these side characters. Eleanor's friends Arden Lee and Clementine are great, well-rounded and very tangible. It's nice to have those best friends as her support system while she navigates this new world (and the lies she has told to access it). And I love her little brother Arlo, who could easily have been a plot device but is instead a whole, bumbling toddler character. And her relationship with Aurora, Arlo's mother, is nicely developed as well.


CONS
AI Angst... Or Not: There is no world in which I buy a teenage artist (or aspiring artist, as we might have it) being this uninformed about generative AI. Eleanor just doesn't know anything about generative AI, even though she supposedly knows all about Hugo Harrison and does in fact use generative AI. The art community is very vocal when it comes to copyright infringement in AI, and there's just no way a teenage artist, one who spends time in online spaces, wouldn't be informed and (most likely) up in arms about this new technology and it's artistic plagiarism.

Background Check?: There are some plot reasons nobody runs Eleanor's background check. But even with the reasons, it felt... weird that there was no background check run on Eleanor. She's working with a child. A rich man's child. And nobody's running a background check? I know she's our POV character, so we know she has no ill intentions, but I just can't imagine anyone hiring a stranger to work with their young child 24/7 without doing some pretty thorough vetting, especially not those living such a high-profile life.

Irredeemable: The background characters are well-developed here, as I said, which means that it is easy to love those who Eleanor loves... and hard to like those who are failing her. Even when she justifies it (poorly, in my opinion). Eleanor and her mom are often at odds, which is pretty standard for a teenager-parent relationship. But at the same time, Eleanor has the right to ask questions, to be curious about who she is and where she came from, and her mom's absolute inability to entertain her daughter's questions was really hard to read. Her mom is irresponsible. She doesn't keep great tabs on her youngest daughter (read: she has an obvious favorite). Eleanor gets excluded and belittled in her own family, and it is more than just differences in taste or regular teenage angst. Some of this was the point, to be sure. That's what spurs Eleanor to grab this job with her half-brother. But I don't know that this tension at home was supposed to read so brutally toxic. I think it wasn't, given Eleanor's consistent rationalizing of this treatment of herself at home (and the utter lack of resolution when it comes to this particular issue in her life). So, it was hard to read. Realistic, maybe, but hard. Irresponsible,


Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
7/10

Fans of Emma Lord's When You Get the Chance will like this soul-searching quest for a birth parent. Those who loved Deb Caletti's The Epic Story of Every Living Thing will like this complicated look at life, family, heritage, and learning to live on your own terms.