⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children’s for sending me an ARC in return for an honest review.

"True Life in Uncanny Valley" by Deb Caletti follows Eleanor Diamond who spies on her famous yet absent father Hugo Harrison and ends up nannying for her half brother in order to try and get to know her father better. But, when she spends the summer with the Harrisons it turns out there are secrets that the 'perfect' family is hiding.

All of the characters Caletti wrote felt so real. My favorite parts of the novel had to be when Eleanor was interacting with her friend group. They were such a fun and cozy bunch that just loved and supported each other no matter what. Eleanor was written in a way where she could feel grateful for the opportunity to get to know her father more but also feel bad that her sister and mother don’t get the same chance. The experience of going through multiple and sometimes even conflicting emotions at the same time is such a universal feeling but sometimes isn’t portrayed as well. Caletti did a wonderful job of portraying real people for not just her main characters but the supporting characters as well.

The only downfall of this novel I think was the plot. It was extremely character dominant so when the focus moved more to the plot it felt rushed and a little bit boring. Especially with the ending, it was so rushed and seemed to come out of left field that I didn’t feel satisfied.

I think "True Life in Uncanny Valley" is perfect for teens that might feel a little out of place and looking for a small part of the world that will accept them as they are.

I really liked the concept of AI and robots, but this book almost felt like two different stories. The first part was us getting to know Eleanor and her dysfunctional family including her elusive and famous father (think Elon Musk). The second part was a mystery involving her stepmother, little half-brother, a robot, and her dad. I actually think I liked the second half better because of the intrigue. This is definitely a quirky, yet thoughtful, book.

The book shows Eleanor who wants to know about her father. She used her spying by working as a nanny for her father’s young son. Eleanor has to lie her way while working as a nanny. This book is also showing how Eleanor can learn more about her father’s inventions, secrets, and other things. Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for giving me an opportunity to read this book and do a review.

It was a middle grade book. The writing was super easy to get into. And the plot was very clear. Overall I gave it a 4 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

A very fun YA read about the downsides of AI and a girl longing for her estranged father. Had some romance, some laughs, some mystery - a little of everything!

This book was a very interesting, engaging and heavy At times. I found the main character to be very relatable. I was intrigued the whole time to find out what would happen next. I did not expect the ending, so that’s always a good thing.

Rating: 4/5 starts
Spicy Level: 0
Genre: YA

Eleanor and her older sister are being raised by her mother. She's always known that her famous, genius father, Hugo Harrison, abandoned she and her sister after having an affair and then leaving their mother. Her mother harbors a great deal of resentment towards him and has never shied away from letting her daughters know about how he has abandoned them and betrayed their family.

Despite this, Eleanor has always had a natural curiosity about learning more about her father. She latches onto an opportunity to unbeknownst to her father and his new wife, become a live-in summer nanny to their young son; her half brother. After moving in with the family, Eleanor finally is able to get insight on life with her father, stepfather and half-brother. It brings her up close and personal on some exciting and disturbing aspects of their lives that has her questioning fake from reality.

Overall, I found the book very interesting. The beginning dragged until around Chapter 7, when Eleanor moved in with her father. So if you're struggling at the beginning, I would suggest forging on. It gets better. There were some unresolved details mentioned several times within the book that were never explained like Eleanor's rash and pool sensitivity. I felt like this was a missed opportunity. I also wish we could delve deeper or reach some type of resolution in Eleanor, her mother, and her sister's relationship. The ending was a surprise, but not in a "unsuspected twist" kinda way. It was in a "Wait! That's the last page?" kinda way.

I would like to see more by this author because there are some passages and quotes that I actually highlighted and I think will stick with me. I actually would like her to have a Book 2 of this book so I can see how Eleanor's relationships develop and grow.

So much happens in this book about self-discovery, secrets, family, robots, and romance. Eleanor ends up being a nanny for her father (who ditched her mom when she and her sister were little and doesn’t know who she is) and his new wife. Eleanor doesn’t tell her mom she’s working for her dad. What happens when her mom finds out what she’s been doing? Did her dad know all this time who Eleanor was? So many surprises at the end.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Thank you for allowing me to read this book!

Just wanted to start off by saying that I think the idea of this book is great for teens! The beginning was fun and cute, brings out the best in the book. There were some things that felt were dragging or just made me lose interest.
Overall all, the book was great! It’s a book for a good summer read and definitely something more for teens than adults!

First of all, thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for access to this preview copy of True Life in Uncanny Valley. This one was a lot to take in. I enjoyed virtually all of the book, especially the found family and the idea of not quite fitting with the family you're born into. I wish some resolution had come regarding some threads like the idea of Eleanor having rashes in the pool.

Overall, I have positive feelings about the meat of this book. I'll recommend it to my students who enjoy found family stories, fish out of water stories, and stick it to the man stories. However, there were parts that felt a bit repetitive for me, and I struggled with how much Eleanor faulted people for being imperfect, though that could have been me bringing too much of my adult perspective to the reading. Teens will likely resonate with that struggle more than a 43-year-old mother of two.

The author has created anentertaining, well written and yet thought-provoking YA novel. Highly recommended; I'd love a sequel!

Caletti is so good at creating entertaining and yet thought-provoking YA literature. Highly recommended; I'd love a sequel!

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.