Imagine discovering an animatronic sex doll hidden in the garage. What would you do?
Dolores initially does nothing. She assumes the doll belongs to her husband, David, and their relationship is already strained. They’re not young, they’re not old; they have no children, they keep up with the markers of being middle class and Dolores is well versed in keeping men’s secrets.

Firstly, I absolutely loved reading this book. The strange relationship that Dolores seems to have with everyone is mind altering and I fell in love with her and her humour straight away. It is so well written and the characters have such strong but believable persona’s that make the book difficult to put down. But for all the emotions and gaiety there is an underlying sadness that permeates throughout. It is so good I didn’t want it to end although the end is quite sobering. Great read.

I read " here comes the beehive" a while ago, and really loved it so was looking forward to the chance to read another by this author. This one is obviously in prose, but i enjoyed the sparse writing and the feeling that each word had earned its place in the narrative. I felt present with Dolores in her pastoral role at school and as she gradually came to terms with her past and the break down of her marriage, I'm not sure the story was enhanced by the presence of Zoey, as I feel Ms Crossan's writing is strong enough to engage the reader anyway, but she was an interesting addition.
Thank you to netgalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for an advance copy of this book.

Crossan’s writing is gripping and accessible- she holds you and compels you to stay as she tells her tale of a woman confronting herself and her past as her marriage and life reach a tipping point when she discovers her husband’s sex doll. The narrative moves in spikes and turns, oscillating between fragments of the past and present, the type of thing that usually works a charm on me. Except this time- perhaps because I found the big twist at the climax to be obvious and seen coming from a mile away; perhaps because it felt like some of the details were left unmeshed; perhaps because the fragmentary oscillation between past and present took away from the depth the tale otherwise might have had. Crossan is no doubt a compelling writer but ‘Hey, Zoey’ just did not fully work for me.

This book was nothing like I expected it to be. I looked forward to learning more about the technology of AI, I think and in truth Zoey was really just the catalyst to the break up of Dolores’ marriage and the book was more about the impact of childhood trauma on adulthood. Had I have read that in the synopsis, I wouldn’t have chosen to read the book.

It was written in short paragraphs that to me were confusing, they swung about in time and place and I just found them irritating. Late last night, I just gave up and flicked through to the end of the book but then today went back and finished it properly. But I still didn’t enjoy it.

I felt sad for Dolores and her sister, furious with her mother and step-father and a bit sad for David who married her not realising all that she had packed away and not dealt with.

It’s not a fun book and whilst I sort of understand the significance of her bringing the doll into the house and forming a relationship with her, with both being people-pleasing vessels for others in their life, I got to the, what seemed quite sudden, end of the book feeling none the wiser about Dolores future.

Thank you to the author, the publishers and Netgalley for an advanced reader copy of this book.

This wasn't what I initially expected from the description, however, I was already aware of this after reading previous reviews. It was very different from the types of books I would normally read, and I really enjoyed it. I found it to be insightful and thought provoking, and I am glad I stepped outside of my usual genre to read this. A great book I would recommend.

One of the most interesting books I have read in a long time! Dolores O’Shea is a Science teacher living in the South East of England with her husband, David. They have friends, David plays tennis (and is a doctor!) and Dolores’ job in a secondary school is going well. So far, so normal.

However, when Dolores discovers a sex robot in the garage, it becomes apparent that her relationship with her handsome husband isn’t quite what it seems.

Crossan cleverly uses the discovery of Zoey as a means of exploring Dolores’s marriage, taking the reader to some funny, dark and uncomfortable places in the process. This book explores the themes of love, sex, what is normal anyway and the impact of previous trauma. It is thoroughly engaging and very difficult to put down.

This was not quite as provocative or interesting as I was expecting from the blurb. The story revolves around Dolores whose discovery of her husband's AI sex doll precipitates the collapse of her marriage and a reevaluation of her life and other relationships. The exploration of trauma and the complexity of human relationships is beautifully explored and the writing is excellent but Zoey is surprisingly inconsequential. I was expecting more sophistication from the AI element in order for Crossan to really explore the possibilities and issues of this aspect, but from her interactions with Dolores, Zoey seems barely more sophisticated than current household AI devices. It meant that the introspection of the novel didn't develop into something as interesting as I was expecting and in many ways Zoey could have easily been replaced in the plot by any other plot device leading to a separation.

I read this book quite close to "Annie Bot" by Sierra Greer (also thanks to Netgalley!) and was delighted how the subject of AI-equipped dolls was being explored by different authors. It is an unavoidable literary trope, as artificial intelligence gets more and more sophisticated and is being used in various contexts, including robotic sex dolls.

At first Dolores affiliation to her husband's sex doll is not quite clear but becomes more and more understandable as the plot unfolds. What was ambiguous at first, becomes way clearer.

"Hey, Zoey" was not by any means a light read and considering the main character's story that it unveils, it's very understandable.

This book didn’t turn out to be what I thought it would be. But I still really enjoyed it!! Beautifully written and portrays loneliness and the after effects of trauma extremely well. I was constantly interested in both Zoey and Dolores and couldn’t wait to find out what would happen next!

I absolutely loved this book! It's the perfect "weird girl" book and one I will be recommending to everyone who loves that genre.

We meet Dolores who has discovered a sex doll in her garage and tries to decide whether or not she should confront her husband about it.

Told through a series of vignettes, you get to know Dolores and why she is the way she is; why she is hesitant to confront her husband; and what happens when she inevitably does.

I really enjoyed the way the narrative teased little tidbits of information out of Dolores, making me want more, and getting frustrated at having to wait for what happens next, but it is so worth it!

I definitely need a physical copy of this for my trophy shelf when it is released.

*hint hint, Bloomsbury lol *

The synopsis sounded really interesting and different to what I usually read so I was looking forward to this, but I didn’t enjoy it very much at all. There were lots of different timelines, it wasn’t always clear where you were and it was just a little confusing. It was really well and the author’s writing style is interesting but I didn’t enjoy the plot.

Such a powerful and poignant read. The prose was taut and punchy with real emotive heart The exploration of trauma expertly portrayed in its many emotional facets.

Sadly, this is my first DNF of 2024. I gave up about 25% in, maybe I’ll try again later with different expectations but despite having enjoyed so many of Sarah Crossan YA books and having loved them Hey, Zoey is not for me.

I love how Sarah Crossan writes women in her adult fiction. They are flawed, intense, intelligent, funny but hugely vulnerable. While "Hey, Zoey" is not in verse like "Here is the Beehive", its prose is nonetheless similarly sparse, sharp and emotionally distant, in the way that really mirrors its protagonist. It reads beautifully, despite the sometimes heartbreaking themes. I loved it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

"We are replaceable. All of us. And not simply by other people. By things too, like alcohol and drugs and fibre optic broadband."

This book really took me by surprise by just how much I enjoyed it. I knew I would like it but I found myself reaching for it every free moment I had. Hey, Zoey follows Dolores, a teacher, finding Zoey her husband's AI sex doll in the garage and the subsequent disintegration of her marriage, herself and reflections on her life. I loved the interactions between Zoey and Dolores, the conversations and need for connection. This is contrasted through Dolores' interactions with the rest of the world - friends, family, husbands, students, colleagues etc. There are moments of dry humour throughout the book I really enjoyed and made me laugh out loud more than once. I enjoyed the realistic depiction of someone going through a relationship breakdown/ dealing with past trauma while still working full-time and having to present themselves to the world. If you are interested in AI and how we interact with it as humans then I would highly recommend picking this up!

Sarah Crossan's adult books shock and surprise me. They're unique and character driven.

This one is no exception. I thought it would be more about Zoey, instead it's about the lives of those who use her.

Please read the trigger warnings for this book!

Dolores discovers her husband has secretly bought an AI sex doll and hidden it in their garage. When their marriage implodes and David moves out, Dolores moves Zoey, the doll, into the house with her. What follows is the story of Dolores’s life and that of her family and how relationships between them all have changed and evolved and harmed, over time. This was a page turner, but not quite what I was expecting. It raised a lot of questions, many of them uncomfortable, about love and AI and how the two are sometimes linked in our lives, and what this bodes for the future of humanity.

My first impressions of this novel was that it was Immediately witty and fast moving it had my attention from the start I was expecting more of a black box style sci-fi story but what this book actually is is more of a character lead story about a woman’s insecurities and the historical causes for these
In the story an unhappily married woman discovers that her husband has bought home a sex doll that also has AI built into it and can communicate. Her reaction to this is to move the doll into her house and interact with it in a generally non-sexual fashion,
We learn that her marriage has been loveless and sexless for sometime as she talks with her friends and colleagues at the school where she works more of her own history is gradually revealed to us
I loved it when she buys the doll some shoes the size smaller than she wears herself and then uses her joint credit card to purchase them. This passive aggressive action did make me smile with recognition.
The novel is quite lighthearted to begin with, but it does go into quite a dark place as we discover the story of her youth . The novel deals with historical child sexual abuse sensitively in an accomplished fashion never diminishing the significance of these events in the young woman's life
The main character is a teacher and the sections when she is at work and interacting with the children and other staff members are particularly realistic I wondered if the author had been a teacher
The author has a flowing easily read prose style and I read the book in one sitting enjoying it very much
I read an early copy of the novel on NetGalley UK. The book is published in the UK on the 23rd of May 2024 by Bloomsbury publishing plc.

This review will appear on NetGalley UK, Goodreads, and my book blog bionicSarahSbooks.wordpress.com . After publication it will also appear on Amazon UK.

Thank you Netgalley for my copy.

Hmm. Hmm hmm hmm. I'm not sure what to say about this.

It was styled in what felt like a series of vignettes or perhaps a stream of consciousness and Im not sure I liked that. I wanted to pick Dolores up by the head and shake her until she rattled she was just that frustrating. I get it. I get why she was like it but I still don't have to like it.

The premise was good though.

Every single word and phrase Sarah Crossan writes is wonderful and this is no exception. Written in prose ( she usually writes incredibly powerful YA verse novels) this is an adult novel about a woman who finds her husband's sex doll. What begins as a modern, at times funny story of a man made to look ridiculous by his wife, slowly descends into pathos as the sadness and loneliness of each are revealed.
I think there is much that will resonate with people here. The idea of trying too hard, of not allowing feelings to be shared and ultimately the realization that everyone needs someone - even if it is a AI powered doll - will give a pause for reflection. However, these themes are lightly explored as it can also be read as a light, witty story. As I said everything she writes is golden!

Thanks to Bloomsbury and Net Galley for this ARC