Thanks to Sky House Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC.

I first wanted to thank the author/publisher for the list of TW prior to first chapter. Recommend going over them before reading.

I really enjoyed the writing style, it made for a fast and engaging read. I was first intrigued by the gorgeous cover and description of Us, Et Cetera. An LGBTQ+ story about a pair of AIs? Count me in!

I enjoyed Eke's kindness and optimism. He was able to find joy in even the smallest things and worked to make his own existence better. I related to Kyp's cautious nature and need to think everything through. I loved them together and enjoyed reading the growth of their relationship.

I personally felt the book was more violent than I was anticipating. I have a hard time with animal abuse and bullying in general, but it all helped reflect on what a kind soul Eke is.

The world building was interesting, especially as you learned more and more about the state of the world the boys were living in. It was great to see the kids in the home grow and change. The book really started to pick up in the second half and I found I couldn't put it down around the end. I enjoyed the hopeful yet ambiguous ending.

Great story, I would recommend!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5632239446

Really enjoyed this!!
Was hooked from beginning to end. So interesting to read a book from the point of views of AI characters and I loved them so much!!! (as someone who is incredibly freaked out by AI, that is a huge achievement!)

Eke was so lovely, I adored the way he found such joy in things like flowers, fish, rain and stars. I wanted to give him a big hug.

Kyp took me longer to warm up to, but the way he cared and would do anything for Eke was beautiful.

Really interesting world vision and pretty believable as a glimpse into a possible future. Fascinating and surprisingly moving read!

I received an ARC from NetGalley.

The premise of this book grabbed me right away and I was intrigued and excited to read it. There were definitely parts of the story that lived up to my initial expectations, but unfortunately the story fell a little flat for me. For one it felt needlessly violent at times. I get that that the family the AIs lived with were supposed to be portrayed as bad, but some of it just felt a bit over the top forced simply for the sake of having violence. Another thing I didn't care for was that the first part of the story really slow and was incredibly depressing without enough happy moments to balance it out. I almost just gave up because it just felt like the story was dragging without really moving forward and honestly just made me feel super bummed. (The chapters from the three humans were okay, and I can kind of see why they were in there, but they threw off the flow and pacing a little.) Once the book hit about 70%, it picked up and got a little better, but, unlike that first part, the last 30% almost felt rushed. And there was a lot more violence than I felt like the book needed.

I will say that I loved the relationship between Kyp and Eke. I liked how they grew together and got to know each other. Their romance was sweet and I loved how protective they were. I would've like to see a lot more of them connecting and less of the abuse and bullying and violence (both to them and by them).

Either way, it was a fairly decent with a relatively unique storyline. If you're looking for a Sci-Fi romance that features Artificial Intelligence and don't mind a bit of violence, this book may very well be the one for you.

3.5 Stars Rounded Up

I loved this book. Our two AIs fell in love and battled many foes in an engaging story that kept me coming back for more every time! Interesting perspective that had you constantly rooting for the AIs and never the humans. I’d like to read more by this author.

I have received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review, thank you!

This is a sweet sci fi romance between two AI androids that belong to the same, horrible family and develop feelings for each other. While Eke is an older model and had been kept inside by the family, doing chores and babysitting their kids, Kyp is a new one they get to impress their guests. He is everything Eke isn't and yet the two establish a bond, helping each other survive the whims and cruelty of their human owners.

The premise itself is good, although not groundbreaking. I don't read that much sci-fi, not to mention stories with androids so it was fresh to me but for someone who is more into the genre, it would probably feel familiar. It is also not a light story by any means - Kyp and Eke are often met with reconsideration at best and downright cruelty at worst from both the family that owns them and the other people they meet. It can be brutal and upsetting at times, so don't expect a carefree cozy romance.

When it comes to plot and worldbuilding, I feel like the second part of the book when the world really expands is too little. The reader isn't able to grasp the nuances of the clearly complicated world the author built. We are left with information that doesn't get expanded upon very much and the book doesn't even consider the existence of any other place besides the US. The characters themselves don't know very much and because of that, their journey feels like it lacks a destination. In the first part, everything is well-fleshed out. The scarce information we get about the outside of the family's suburban bubble contributes to the feeling of isolation and being sheltered. I do feel there should be a little bit more puzzle pieces for the reader to put together, though because the shift between the first and second part of the book feels a bit extreme. I also wasn't a fan of the ending. It felt very open and for a moment I thought the book was going in a sadder direction, which made me upset but after finishing the book I do feel it would somehow feel better than the actual ending. The ending doesn't give us any answers and just leaves us with more questions. It doesn't feel satisfying.

Now onto the characters. I liked Kyp a lot. The charm, the readiness for violence, and the calculating mind were all very appealing. It worked well with the sweet and naive Eke that could keep him softer. Eke, however, while I see how he may appeal to many people, was absolutely not my type of character. I didn't dislike him and I felt for him but he wasn't my favorite. This is, however, a completely personal preference so I won't say it's a fault of the book.
I also really enjoyed how the author portrayed the family. Each of the kids gets their own POV in just one chapter and it shows how the dysfunctional relationships in the family, as well as the privilege and wealth, affect their behavior.

The writing style was good and the book read quickly and easily. It was mostly Eke's POV with occasional chapters from Kyp and a single one for every kid in the family.

All in all, I enjoyed this book but I wasn't obsessed with it. If someone is looking for queer sci-fi with AI an androids, this is for sure a position I'd recommend.

Oh, my precious Eke.

I don't think I've ever wanted to squish a characters cheeks so often during a book as I did with Eke. He's just the cutest ever. What makes that particular impressive to me is that he's an AI - an author who can make me feel so much towards a character who's not even human must have some real skill.

This story is set in a world where humans have managed to create AIs that are so realistic, they're practically humans themselves. A lot of humans are disgruntled that they've come and stolen their jobs, that they're taking over, while others are using them as servants. This means they get a pretty raw deal, and they generally get treated really badly.

Eke is the main narrator, with occasional chapters narrated by another AI, Kyp. Eke was fabulous as a narrator. He's so innocent and pure and adorable - he loves animals and flowers and just wants to see the stars and the ocean. In the few chapters that Kyp narrates, he's loving, but fierce and powerful - as well as being insanely protective over Eke.

I don't want to spoil the story, but what I'll say is that the plot is really unique and really interesting. The constant conflict between AIs and humans creates some really clever moments. That's not to say I disliked all of the humans - Dani, for instance, had a lot of potential, and I'd loved to see more of her story and what became of her.

Next, steam. Again, I don't want to give much away, but I can't not talk about this. There isn't really any steam in this story - which wasn't a surprise, they are AIs, after all. And they don't have 'parts' in the conventional sense. The intimate moments in this story are rare, and much more about the connection. They were beautiful and I think came across well - although I do think that concept could've been explored more deeply to help it pop out of the page better.

Overall, I completely enjoyed this, and would definitely recommend.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC. This is my honest review

A sweet , adorable love story brimming with humanity. The central character is so likeable that you feel everything with him and can’t help but root for him , and when the story reaches the final stage it has enough thrills to keep you on the edge of your seat. I really liked this book, and will certainly look for others by this author.

[I received a free ebook copy from Sky House Publishing and Netgalley. This review is done freely, honestly and without payment].


Summary
Eke lives in a nice house, in a wealthy neighborhood, with an upstanding family: Mr. and Mrs. Kensworth and their three children. But Eke is not family; Eke is property. He’s an AI whose job is to keep the house clean and organized, and no matter how much Eke secretly wishes to be allowed outside to see the stars or to make a real friend, he’s either ignored or bullied by the family that owns him.
To make things worse, the Kensworths purchase a shiny new AI named Kyp, who quickly becomes everyone’s favorite, leaving Eke feeling more isolated than ever. That is until a terrifying party incident brings the two AIs together, sparking a chain of events that forces them to commit the unthinkable: defy human orders and run away.
With AI hunters hot on their trail, Eke and Kyp set out on a perilous journey across the country, fighting for their lives, searching for the true meaning of freedom, and even daring to fall in love.

.

I still don’t think I can fully comprehend what I read. This book was beautiful, powerful, poetic, magical, painful, and sad. It was angry and despising ... full of hope.

The subject of AI is presented here in such a sensitive and approachable way that I don’t even know where to begin.
Kit has made even the smallest emotions so big with their language that I couldn’t help but let Eke and Kyp into my heart.
In this book we get to know two AIs who go about their daily lives (their work) in a family and gradually discover what it means to live ( to really live). What it means to feel. I think this point was the most emotional for me. Experiencing joy and sadness for the first time. Or anger. I felt like a child experiencing things for the first time through the eyes of Eke and Kyp. Good and bad and everything in between.

The pacing of the book is very fast, there are a lot of scene changes and I think that would have bothered me if the book hadn’t been so ... character-driven. I didn’t care at all how much in-book time passed while reading because I was just completely swept away by the emotions of our protagonists. It’s like a strange kind of magic that Kit has created. It sparkled and glittered inside me, only then to thunder. (I almost threw my ebook reader across the living room).

And the book asks many questions:

At what point do we have value?
At what point does our life have value?
What is a value and who defines this?
At what point are we human and at what point do we have rights?
At what point are we granted emotions and how much can we bear before we break?
What is freedom and who is in possession of it?
What do we do for freedom and who says who may be free?
Is it okay for me to have hope too?

Perhaps the book cannot answer all the questions and perhaps more will emerge. Between the lines, on them and also behind them. The book makes you think and maybe leaves you to be a different person than before your read it.

One also wonders where our future (that of human beings) is taking us and how we want to become.
One wonders what we are capable of, what compassion is and ... maybe you also think about politics. (I have, anyway)

A book like dark chocolate with fruit filling. A book ... that goes deeper than the writing on the paper.
A book that I think many people should read.

I think I just don’t have the right words.
This book simply triggers a lot.

I absolutely loved Us, Et Cetera!
This book has an absolutely beautiful cover which I have to admit is one of the reasons i wanted to read it but the book also did sounded amazing!

It was so good and I couldn't put the book down a i needed to know what would happen!
It was beautifully written and at times quite an emotional read.
I also really loved both Eke and Kyp, they deserved the world!

I definitely highly recommend this book.
Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is kind of quietly devastating. There's so much that happens with Eke, Kyp, and the family they serve that is heartbreaking and at points hard to read, but something about Eke's point of view and the beautiful, smooth prose makes it so captivating.

There's a lot of social commentary on the disparity between classes, capitalism, the potentials of a future where machines replace workers. The revelations come slowly, just hints at first, and then broaden into a wider view of the world Vincent has created.

I was afraid I wouldn't like the ending. There's a lot of despair, and I've read too many classic novels that would simply leave the reader's to contemplate an unhappy ending. But my only problem with the ending is actually a lack of closure on some things with the family. Without getting into spoilers, that arc felt incomplete.

Content Warnings: eating disorders, physical and emotional abuse, parental neglect, animal abuse and death, suicidal ideation and attempts on page, some religious fervor.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sky House Publishing for approving my request to read an arc of this book

The first thing that drew my attention to this book was the absolutely stunning cover art, then the fact it was lgbtqia+ and the plot just sounded right up my alley and I was hoping so much that it would live up to my expectations. Well, it completely exceeded them! This book might just be one of my top five books of the year so far, it was such a page turner and I loved Eke from the very first page.

The story was well paced and very well written, it was one of the best sci-fi books I’ve ever read! Eke and Kyp were amazing main characters and I was rooting for them so much. Despite the dark and cruel world that they lived in, the love they felt for each other was so bright that it was enough to make them want to live, not just survive.

While I’d like to say I would recommend this book to everyone, it does contain topics that were very upsetting so I will list some of the most prominent just as a warning- abuse, bullying, animal cruelty (none of this is from the main characters) psychopathic character, violence, suicidal thoughts and attempts (these are not successful), alcohol misuse and scenes where minors are flirted with by older women.

Us, Et Cetera is a beautiful story about two AIs owned by a human family, and the way they meet, become friends, and eventually fall in love with each other. I thought the different POVs were very interesting as it explored what each character was feeling, even the humans through the occasional interlude chapter. This added depth to the story and made it much more emotional throughout the various challenges the main characters faced as AIs in a world not accepting of them. I really enjoyed how the story ended and want to see lots more of these characters, and I thought the book was very well-written. I’m a big fan of AIs and androids in fiction and thought these ones were really interesting, especially the differences between more advanced AIs like Kyp and older models such as Eke. It was fascinating watching them evolve throughout the story and aspire to become more human. I loved this book, and would definitely recommend this to a friend!

In the world of Us, Et Cetera, AIs have taken over most of the work formerly done by humans; rich humans live in luxurious, closely guarded enclaves with their AI servants. Non-rich humans ... don't, and the world outside the wealthy enclaves is more or less at war with it (though this is referred to rather than happening on-page).

Eke is "one of the simple Utility AIs," bald and unmistakably a machine; Kyp is a fancy new model, with beautiful auburn hair and green eyes, entirely mistakable for human apart from being perhaps too good-looking. Eke cooks and cleans for the Kensworth family (Mr. K, Miss Elaina, and their three children -- Dani, Carson, and Lizzie). He's never allowed to go outside except to do chores. Kyp is an entertainment model, with command of seven different languages and 200 cocktail recipes.

They have affections and fears and dreams and hopes that their programming can't account for: that is, though not human, they are persons, essentially enslaved; and they fall in love. From those premises everything else follows.

I really, really liked this book. The passages in which Eke, especially, cobbles together scraps of privacy, joy (Buster Keaton!), and love (his flowers; three goldfish) might be almost too much but they certainly are endearing, and they reflect his particular kind of courage. Most of the narration is his first-person POV, with a few chapters in Kyp's and one each for Carter and Dani. Kyp is rather in the dashing-revolutionary mode; he finds a way to get untrammeled access to the internet, and it's he whose researches enable him and Eke to escape after a particularly horrific incident.

... So, there's more than one horrific incident, and note I tagged this as dark. Eke attempts suicide at one point, and the escape entails significant violence. It becomes obvious quite early on that Dani has an eating disorder. And Carter is a monster who [among other things, kills Lizzie's puppy, though this happens offstage (hide spoiler)].

There's one mystical aspect of the story, and I'm dinging, say, 3/4 of a star for that just because I don't much care for mysticism. I also caught a couple of holes in the worldbuilding but eh, I just found Eke and Kyp and their whole love story so compelling I don't really care. I am pleased to report, too, that Eke and Kyp are able to experience each other in an AI equivalent of sex, which is surprisingly hot. Really got to give Kit Vincent a lot of credit for conveying the emotional and, well, electric intimacy so movingly.

4.25/5 and I will 100% be checking out this author's other work. Thanks to NetGalley and Sky House Publishing for the ARC.

This is a beautiful tale of 2 adorable AIs and the journey they share.

The author does a great job writing the AIs and having them learn and experience emotions / feelings / concepts that we just take for granted at this point. The story moves along at a good pace and there was sections where i was on the edge on my seat, worried about what was going to happen next to the endearing Eke and Kyp.

Overall it was a good read and i will be keen to read future work by this author.