Bryan VanDyke’s "In Our Likeness" is a gripping exploration of identity and reality in a dystopian setting. The story follows Graham, who is approached by his work crush, Nessie—a tattooed rebel—to help her "break" an algorithm designed to discern truth from lies. Initially intrigued, Graham begins manipulating Nessie’s social media data, altering her preferences and even photoshopping her image to erase her tattoos. When the algorithm runs, he discovers that it can actually change reality itself; the next time he sees Nessie, she appears tattoo-free, leaving him grappling with the chilling implications of his actions.

As Warwick, Graham’s boss, pressures him to exploit the algorithm for corporate gain, the narrative shifts into a high-stakes thriller. Graham and Nessie find themselves on the run in a world that rapidly descends into chaos, where nothing is as it seems. The tension builds as Graham becomes an unreliable narrator, struggling to trust his own perceptions amidst the algorithm’s manipulations.

VanDyke's writing is sharp and engaging, effectively blending elements of science fiction and psychological mystery. He raises unsettling questions about identity and authenticity in our increasingly digital age. While the story is fictional, it resonates deeply, evoking fears of living in a world where truth can be so easily rewritten. The atmosphere is thick with suspense, and the characters are richly developed, making their journey all the more compelling.

"In Our Likeness" is a must-read for fans of science fiction and mystery, leaving readers questioning the nature of reality long after the last page. This thought-provoking novel will linger in your mind, inviting you to reflect on the complexities of truth and the digital personas we craft.

Not for me. I got Blake Crouch vibes from the synopsis, but this didn't live up to my expectations. Found the plotline to be a bit messy in the second half, and just didn't feel super engaged.

I liked the narrator here. I liked In Our Likeness and how it dealt with AI and its interaction with human society.

A thrilling adventure with grey characters and questionable aspirations for the future at the hands of AI.

I enjoyed the premise of the novel, steering the use of technology when you’re not the person calling all the shots but also not an average joe. How do you navigate ethics when you have obligations to someone who doesn’t have the best interests of others in mind? The conflicting hopes and goals across the characters were interesting, as I think they ring true to our reality and the conflict of prioritizing what technology can do vs. how can people profit from it.

I admittedly really enjoyed the novel and the unguessable direction it moved, but was a bit disappointed with the wrap-up. The characters' respective reckonings felt a bit heavy-handed, especially given how gradually the plot built itself up.

Regardless, it will be a book I’ll recommend to friends who prefer sci-fi novels that hit a little too close to home, warping our world instead of building a new one.

I listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed the narrator. This was one of those books that make you feel a little confused all the through but by the end it totally makes sense and was tied together perfectly. Loved the AI and algorithm storylines, it really held my interest. Highly recommend!

I have really mixed feelings about this book! On the one hand, I love the concept of In Our Likeness and I think that we're going to be facing more and more issues with AI like this in our future. Even though that feels a little unbelievable. On the other hand, I feel like this story got a bit confusing and there were so many potential issues/unanswered questions that left me needing more.

In the book, Graham Gooding is working for a tech-start up that's developed a piece of technology that can detect lies told on the internet. Graham quickly discovers that the algorithm actually has the power to "edit" the real world. His co-worker and crush Nessie is the main creator of the algorithm and the person Graham first experiments with altering.

Things get even more wild from there with nobody really knowing what's real and what's AI. As I said, the book gets a bit confusing and ends in a way that didn't feel totally satisfying to me.

Still, I found it to be an interesting book and enjoyable enough to listen to on audio.

In Our Likeness is a novel by Bryan VanDyke about a modern/near future world where humans are discovering the capability to alter the physical reality of the world using AI. Main character Graham is an AI engineer for a large company that is pushing the boundaries of AI. Graham creates a way to change the training data of an AI chatbot, and in doing so he ends up changing the physical reality of the world. In fact. he creates a physical representation of a person. I think the biggest question to ask while you read the book should not be, "what is actually real here?" but instead, "what makes something real?"

I've never read a book by this author before, and I first noticed this title on Amazon First Reads. I have a math background and know an AI engineer personally, so the premise of this book caught my attention. The author has a smooth writing style, and I was able to complete the audiobook quickly.

It annoyed me that the characters in the book kept calling an algorithm and "algo"... I don't think anyone in real life uses that abbreviation. I also didn't like how Graham called his mom by her first name. It created a more detached relationship that was contrary to the sweet relationship he described having with his mom. Overall I had a hard time connecting to the characters and the storyline.

Without moving into spoiler territory, I will say my final impression of this book is one of confusion. I ended the book with many questions left unanswered, and upon reflection, I think it has more to do with the philosophy/purpose of the book, not my lack of reading comprehension. The scientific facts in this book are slim compared to many science fiction / AI books. In fact, I would say the genre of this book is half philosophy, half science fiction. I think it's a book that forces the reader to stop and consider the ethicalness of AI, and is not a book with the purpose of an entertaining/satisfying plot. I prefer the later, so this book wasn't a hit for me personally.

Notes on audiobook: The novel was written in first person POV with a male lead character. The male narrator did an excellent job of creating unique variation for each character, and helping the AI chatbot voices sound like one would expect a robot to speak. The narrator's voice was pleasant and not distracting in any way.

Content: No romantic scenes, and intermittent strong language.

Thank you to Brilliance Audio and NetGalley for the complementary copy of this audiobook. My review is my own opinion and in no way influenced by the author or publisher.

This ARC was an intriguing read with some real mindfucks regarding the power of AI and it's effect on reality! As the story develops you really start questioning what's real and whether or not this would actually be possible. The pacing was absolutely perfect which also contributed to making this a thrilling read from start to finish.

The characters were hard to get to know due to the premises of the story, but they were still interesting and brought the story forward in a captivating way. I liked how there were some parallels between the main character Graham and Victor Frankenstein from Mary Shelley's classic, and I'm very glad I read Frankenstein recently!

Definitely recommend this read if you're into technology and AI or if you're disappointed with how power is used to control people.

Audiobook!
Graham is a peculiar sort of man. He is a thought leader at a famous tech start up - sort of an assistant to the brilliant David Warwick whom he has worked with for ten years. When a coworker that he has feelings for shares a new algorithm with him, Graham is excited to help out due to his overall interest in the project and his romantic interest for his colleague. For whatever reason, Graham spends time changing a portion of the algorithm and realizes that he isn't changing a virtual reality - he is actually changing REALITY.

Lots of craziness ensues as he wrestles with conscious and his obsessive compulsiveness. The ending wasn't as amazing as the premise but still very enjoyable! a new great author to follow! #BrillianceAudio #inourlikeness #bryanvandyke

4 stars...first off thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this audioARC of the book. I enjoyed the narrator and the storyline was out there and kinda creepy in an AI changing every little thing about you in the click of a few buttons kind of way. I thought it was very thought provoking in a "what if" way. The characters were all well rounded and likable also. I would definitely recommend it if you enjoy the sci-fi stuff.

I really enjoyed the first of this book but somewhere a bit after that, the story fell off for me. I didn't like the ending and I feel like I was confused as to what happened. I finished the book thinking huh? What? This is definitely a thought provoking book and I loved that about it but the story as a whole was only a 3 star read for me.