Thank you to Net Galley and Random House Children's for the ARC. I found the premise of the book exciting, but the plot dragged and was too infodumpy and wordy in a weird way.

Eleanor has no personal memories of her father, but she knows who he is. He is Hugo Harrison … the tech genius. She has started spying on her father’s new family and ends up being hired as the summer nanny for her half-brother. She now has an opportunity to learn more about her father, his family, and the life she didn’t have. Unfortunately, she must lie about who she is. Can Eleanor keep this secret from everyone, including her mother? What will she learn about her father and herself?

True Life in Uncanny Valley is a realistic fiction story that immerses readers in the thoughts and actions of a teen coming to terms with her own identity. The main character is also a comic fan who dabbles in comic art and each chapter begins with a comic panel. Although there are a few scenes that deal with sex, those sections are not graphic and would be appropriate for most teens. True Life of Uncanny Valley is a fun read for those who like realistic fiction, but it is not a quick read.

I love Deb Caletti's books even though I am an old woman and most (all?) of her books are YA. I loved the characters in this book and I think it is good for young adults to see that not everything on blogs, instas, or the Internet generally is true.--Eleanor quickly found out that Aurora was something way different than how she was portrayed online--she (her husband) even had a doppelganger to show how wonderful her life was, whereas really she was just like everyone else with highs and lows in her life. I particularly liked Eleanor's relationship with her little brother. It was so true--I could almost smell his baby smell! I also liked the references to The Agony and the Ecstasy a really old book that I read in high school or so and have always loved, maybe by making it cool more kids may pick it up and read it? The only thing that I really didn't like was the double story with the graphic novel, although I think that might be an age thing as I do not read graphic novels and a 16 year old might like the parallel story. I will definitely be buying this for my library and recommending it to my students.

thought-provoking and interesting piece of YA literature with a very dramatic main character. 4 stars. tysm for the arc. would recommend.

True Life in Uncanny Valley is a YA novel.

I was drawn in by the cover design and I like a good YA once in a while. I had not read books by Deb Caletti previously. (One of my favorite things about NetGalley is that it introduces me to new-to-me authors).

Eleanor's father has been missing from her life (for as long as she can remember). He is a tech celebrity and within driving distance. Eleanor has been spying on him. She is in the right place at the right place (or in the process of spying) and finds herself babysitting/nannying her 1/2 brother and working with Aurora (her step-mother).

Of course, being on the "inside" is completely different from what she had been observing at a distance.

The fabulous part of True Life in Uncanny Valley is how the characters are described, I really fell in love with several of the characters and would highly recommend this book.

416 pages (and it really didn't feel like it) with a publication date of March 18, 2025.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children's for approving my request to read the advance read copy of True Life in Uncanny Valley in exchange for an honest review.

Eleanor and her sister have never known their father. Sure, they know who he is, since their mother has been very open about the long-term affair she had with tech genius Hugo Harrison. Eleanor's mother and sister are connected at the hip, often leaving Eleanor feeling left out and somewhat unwanted. Always curious, she follows her father and his new family (including a sweet toddler stepbrother) who are active on social media. When a chance meeting opens an opportunity for Eleanor to become her stepbrother's nanny for the summer, Eleanor accepts without considering future ramifications.

As Eleanor bonds with her stepbrother and stepmother, she catches glimpses and has chance encounters with her father. As she sees more of her father's world, she is also exposed to his current technological advance: a realistic robot who can be a perfect parent. Eleanor wrestles with feelings of loyalty, morality, honesty, and must confront her personal barriers in order to decide the future course of her life.

I loved this book! Many of my librarian friends immediately recognized the author's name, but this is the first book of hers I've read. I"m a fan! I love the topic, the realism of Eleanor's conflicting emotions, and the gentle confrontation of the question "how much tech is too much tech?" I also like that this books explores blended family dynamics and shows the conflicting emotions children have. I hope to see this on high school state reading award lists and highly recommend it for high school library collections.

This was SO GOOD!!!! I can see this story being made into a movie. This was not my usual genre but I really loved the story. It was quick and I couldn't out it down. Def read it if you have a chance.

I really enjoyed this book. It kept me engaged and it only took a few days to read. I think this is going to be a good book club option for several clubs. I plan recommending to my book friends and I look forward to reading more by this author.

While this was an enjoyable read, it felt too rushed in the end. The allegory of the comic books was way too on the nose. Also, the lack of allergy explanation? Was it just to show that the female lead didn’t belong at home? If so, are her allergies returning?

I would definitely read others by this author in the hopes that they grow as they write. It felt like a debut.

I just finished True Life in Uncanny Valley, and wow, what a ride! Eleanor is trying to uncover the truth about her famous dad, Hugo Harrison, a tech genius whose AI creations are changing the world. She takes a summer nanny job for his son (her half-brother) in hopes of getting close to him, but she has to lie her way in.

This book really digs into identity, family secrets, and the blurred lines between reality and tech. Eleanor’s journey of self-discovery was so compelling, and I couldn’t put it down. There are plenty of twists, and the romance was an added bonus!

If you love books about family drama and figuring out who you really are, this one’s definitely worth checking out!

This book had a lot in it and I would have liked to see more character development with the friends and their book reviews, however the main storyline had enough going on that the friends were a nice support. Lots of gotcha moments that didn't happen the way they typically would, which I really liked. I really wanted the narcissistic behavior of the mom to be addressed better, but it was accurate. Overall it was an interesting story and I was satisfied with the ending!

I was really excited to read True Life in Uncanny Valley based on the description but I just couldn't get into it. I've read some of the other reviews so far and I think maybe it gets better but the beginning is just too wordy. I feel like it's providing too much into Eleanor’s thoughts and is just taking too long to really get started, losing my interest within the first 15% of the book (according to my Kindle).

I am going to try and finish in hopes that it gets better but if I'm having trouble staying interested, I doubt students will.

I enjoyed this and I think teens will connect with the technological ethics issues raised here. I had like...some questions...

but overall a solid contemporary fic with some fun friendships, and I think it will definitely hit in this current era of Elon Musk etc....

Enjoyable read. Original idea and I liked the 40’s style comic panels at the beginning of each chapter. The main characters were interesting but not thoroughly developed I felt the whole thing was a little scattered and somewhat sketchy like a high school girl really. However it kept me reading and turning pages.

Thank you to netgalley, Labyrinth Road and the author, Deb Caletti for this ebook ARC to read. All opinions are my own.

4.5. Wow! This book is so timely. Eleanor gets a nannying job for the summer. Nannying her half brother, in the home of her dad who abandoned her. But dad is a tech genius, like Elon and Gates, because Seattle. Eleanor is like so many of us, trying to figure out who and what kind of person she is. There’s a friendly dog, a little brother, a scary robot, a cute window washer, and so many surprises. These characters are teenagers in the best sense of the word, finally captured correctly. I love them, I love this book, and I love all the big important things blended into it. So good.

True Life in Uncanny Valley tells a compelling and relatable coming of age tale that tackles questions around family, personal identity, and the advent of AI.

Eleanor, the protagonist, has always wanted to know her father, a tech genius who had an affair with her mother and abandoned them all years ago. When a live-in nanny position at his home becomes available, she applies, seeing it as the perfect opportunity to get close to him and to know her half-brother, Arlo. The only catch is this: she must keep her true identity a secret.

With a few white lies, Eleanor is thrust into a world of money, power, and ego, and soon finds herself caught between blurring lines of reality. Not only is her father not who she thought he would be, but the new invention he's working on could change how humans interact with technology forever. Will she be able to do the right thing? If the answer is not so simple, what will she learn about herself along the way?

I liked how this novel explored the layers of parent-child dynamics, the haunting desire that so many feel to belong, and the power of found family. Eleanor is a timely character who experiences both the pangs of adolescence as well as the impetus to grow, learning more about herself, her family, and her place in the world in the process. The ending was a tad abrupt, but I appreciated that it wasn't wrapped up in a tidy bow that resolved everything because that's not how life works. Worth a gander!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC in exchange for my review.

You already know I love a fun book more than anything, and boy lemme tell ya this book was FUN!!!!! It had mystery and drama and adventure and a deeply relatable and painfully flawed MC with a 10/10 found family dynamic and a perfect level of realistic resolution at the ending.

I really really enjoyed Eleanor’s internal struggle with figuring out who she is and how her parents play into her perception of self. I loved seeing her relationship with Aurora, her unknowing stepmom, develop. That was my favorite part of the book hands down.

I also really enjoyed the writing style of this book. It was unusual but in a really approachable way that felt like how a sixteen year old might write her story. I felt like it added a lot of depth.

ALSO THAT ENDING. There was a twist at the end that I had NO idea was coming but made me SO happy. That was so well played. Incredible.

Bottom line: yes I’m gushing I don’t care I loved this one

Very much enjoyed this timely and tender story. This is the first book I've read by Caletti, but I will be on the look out for her work from now on.

I was not expecting this YA book so be so dang good! I am a first time reader of Caletti and only requested the ARC because I thought that the premise seemed entertaining. Boy was it ever! From the characters, to the prose, to the twists and turns I didn't see coming, I could not stop reading! I'm so thrilled that a book I thought would be just a fun time between chunky fantasy novels, turned into such a relatable, entertaining and thought provoking book! I will definitely be buying a copy for each of my book buddies!

I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of this book from Netgalley. This review is honest, unbiased, and completely my own.

I am having a hard time reading this and don't think I'll be able to finish. The voice this is written in is too surface level and doesn't really speak to the situation at hand in a realistic way.