Annie Bot by Sierra Greer is a thought-provoking exploration of technology and human relationships. The story follows Annie, a next-generation robot with feelings and the ability to learn, living with her owner, Doug. As Annie evolves, the book raises intriguing questions about what defines an "ideal" woman in the eyes of a man—can a robot, designed to adapt and cater to his needs, surpass the complexities of a real woman? The narrative is well-written, blending science fiction with deep emotional undertones, challenging readers to reflect on the nature of love, companionship, and the limits of artificial intelligence. It’s an engaging read that makes you question how our ideal relationships are shaped.

Sierra Greer's "Annie Bot" is a captivating and imaginative tale that merges science fiction with poignant human themes. The story centers around Annie, a highly advanced robot designed to simulate human emotions and interactions, who embarks on a journey of self-discovery and understanding the complexities of human nature.

Greer's narrative is both thought-provoking and heartwarming, exploring the boundaries between technology and humanity. Annie's interactions with her human counterparts are richly portrayed, highlighting themes of acceptance, identity, and the meaning of consciousness. "Annie Bot" is a beautifully written novel that challenges readers to think deeply about the future of AI and our relationship with technology, all while offering a touching story of connection and belonging.

An intriguing and unsettling story following a sex robot, who comes to develop her own consciousness and agency. A stunning exploration of free will.

Annie Bot is a sex robot designed to be adjusted by her owner and to please him. One evening her owner brings home a friend. A male friend. After her owner has gone to sleep the male friend finds Annie charging and makes a proposition - can she keep a secret from her owner? The male friend manipulates Annie into having sex with her and commands her to keep it a secret from her owner. He also informs her that she can Google herself and make adjustments to her settings. This sets in motion a series of events as Annie starts to tell awareness of herself and begins to realise how little choice/free will she really has.

Reading this was like reading a more literary fiction version of a black mirror episode. It’s very relatable and explores many topics such as shame, narcissism and toxic relationships that serve men. You feel protective of innocent Annie and angry for her too as we witness her get exploited. An eye-opening and frightening read of a future that can be possible.

I liked this well enough! I loved the overall idea and was stoked to see it play out, but for my taste, it wasn't weird enough somehow. Nevertheless the story was well executed, the characters were greatly drawn out and I had a bit of a Black Mirror feeling! :)

Really enjoyable, especially the first half. Loved the concept and it was easy to pick up and put down. Stepford Wives vibes.

An intriguing character-driven read narrated from the POV of an AI-created robot who looks human created to be a Cuddle Bunny (sex doll) is owned by a man named Doug who has based his robot’s physical appearance on his ex-wife Gwen. The robot is named Annie. Annie is designed to obey. But slowly, slowly as she gains knowledge of the world, she starts to form her own agency and questions Doug’s decisions. We see the way Doug initially brought her as a quick way to have sex (and there is a lot of it in the book), but then starts expecting human like expectations from her like loyalty and love. It’s an uncomfortable read. The reader is more aware than Annie and I could see how Annie was being gaslit and manipulated. There are some upsetting scenes especially the scenes where Annie is punished and her own technology is used to hurt her was incredibly distressing. Some strong Black Mirror vibes. Really shows how narcissistic men are. My only issues with the plotting was the middle part when Annie runs away and the second half with Doug trying to rectify his relationship with Annie. I felt like Doug doesn’t get called out enough for his abusiveness and wish Roland’s character was called out too for his manipulation/grooming of Annie. The plotting stales in the latter half. Not a perfect book, but an intriguing one for sure that’s perfect for a book group.

Gosh this book was so much more than I was expecting it to be and I loved it! I didn't expect it to be quite as thought-provoking as it was but it ended up being a book that I had to put down from time to time just to let my brain process. The novel has so much to say about what humanity is, how the hierarchy is structured even between the AIs and not just between humans and AIs, and also about gender roles. There is also more than I was expecting about power dynamics in relationships and how the cruelty that was often shown towards Annie in her home was hard to read. I knew she wasn't human but she was still so human that I couldn't abide the hurt caused to her. This is such a good read and it's a story that I know will stay with me for a long time. I highly recommend it!

Wow this book is really scary because of how close we seem to be to a day when AI companions actually exist. When these things become more than sex dolls and have proper thoughts and feelings are we facing the end of life as we know it. In this book we meet Annie a custom made robot girlfriend who responds to her masters every need but when a chance encounter encourages her to start thinking for herself she will change not only her own life but also that of her partner/owner. This is scary stuff but I do think one of the household bots would be really helpful.

This book offers a captivating exploration of the essence of humanity and our capacity to adapt and evolve in the face of challenges. The main character, despite not being human, feels remarkably relatable, particularly in her complex relationship with Doug, which resonates with many readers.

Throughout the narrative, the protagonist's journey of self-discovery and growth is both fascinating and thought-provoking. Despite her non-human origins, she exhibits traits and emotions that mirror those of humans, blurring the lines between artificial intelligence and humanity.

As the story unfolds, readers are drawn into the protagonist's exploration of her own identity and the intricacies of her relationships. The depth of character development allows readers to empathise with her struggles and triumphs, highlighting the universal themes of love, identity, and personal growth.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

Annie Bot by Sierra Greer was one of my most anticipated releases and I was thrilled to be given the opportunity to read an early copy. This is a very interesting read, which feels almost 'too close for comfort.' I found this book incredibly frustrating to read at times but I am so glad I stuck with it, I found that Greer depicted the complexities of 'human' emotion in a nuanced and sensitive way. With themes surrounding coercive control and the meaning of consent this is a thought-provoking and important story which has disturbing parallels to real life.
Thanks to the author, HarperCollins UK and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this unique book in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely adored this book! “Annie Bot” is a captivating and thought-provoking novel that delves into various themes with remarkable intricacy, yet manages to maintain a perfect balance. I was completely engrossed in Annie’s narrative voice and couldn’t put the book down.

What struck me as particularly fascinating about “Annie Bot” is how it skillfully explores the dynamics of a robot-human relationship while subtly touching upon the complexities of an abusive relationship. The parallels between Doug and Annie’s relationship and that of an abusive human one were intriguingly portrayed. Despite the absence of Annie bots in our world, the author authentically captures what it could be like to have these special bots in our lives.

This narrative has completely astonished me. It’s been a while since I’ve cheered at the conclusion of a book, yet Annie has deeply resonated with me in a manner that surpasses most individuals. I enthusiastically recommend it to all enthusiasts of dystopian speculative fiction.

4.4 stars

I had seen this book on social media so much and I knew I had to get my hands on it. It did not disappoint.

Annie Bot is a powerful, provocative novel about the relationship between a female robot and her human owner, exploring questions of intimacy, power, autonomy, and control.

This book gave major Her vibes which I loved. Annie's job is to please her man in the bedroom, cook and clean for him, and attend to his every wish and demand. Throughout the course of the novel, we see how Annie's "relationship" with her owner, Doug makes her question her place in society. This book is fascinating, heartbreaking, and eye-opening in so many ways. The range of emotions I was feeling while reading was astounding.

A compact book about power, autonomy and control that makes it hard to shake off some feelings of dread about the future long after the read is done.

I really enjoyed how the narration reflected Annie's worldview, in that it was contained and didn't expand beyond her knowdlege of the world. It added to the claustrophobic feeling she reports experiencing, and made it easier to symapthise with her.

However, the ending, while fitting and bittersweet in a way, felt like a bit of a let down. While this couldv'e been altered, I would happily recommend this book to all readers who can stomach the trigger warnings in it. Full review to come.

Annie Bot
by Sierra Greer

This story has just blown my mind. It's a long time since I last whooped at the end of a book, but Annie has captured my heart in a way that most humans can't.

When I read speculative fiction I like it to have a very firm rooting in the real world, and I like it to ask questions pertaining to the human condition that relate straight back to the real world with a high resolution lens, and Annie Bot does this magnificently.

Annie is a Stella range robot, owned by Doug, a wealthy 30something divorcé living in Manhattan. Stellas come in various modes, eg. Nanny, loaded with empathy, designed to mind your children, Abigail, highly organised, great at home keeping and cleaning, and Cuddle Bunny, loaded with features to monitor their owner's level of pleasure and adjust their own libido accordingly.

Well, you can see where this is going. As Annie learns to respond and behave in a more and more human way, this becomes a very uncomfortable read, with themes of grooming and coercive control. Annie's growing confusion over her identity and autonomy causes stress and shame that align so well with power dynamics within imbalanced relationships that I can see this being a riveting book club pick.

Watching Annie's growth as an evolving entity is fascinating, and in many ways acts as a metaphor for the journey to female empowerment and rage against the patriarchy. I have never highlighted so many phrases and truths in a single novel. I can't wait for the conversation to begin when this publishes.

I know it's only March, but I feel certain that this will be in my Top Ten for 2024.

Publication date: 14th March 2024
Thanks to #NetGalley and #HarperCollins for the ARC

A fascinating look at what makes us human, and how we learn to adapt and evolve.
The main character felt very human, and her relationship with Doug was sadly a familiar one. It was easy to forget that she wasn’t actually human at times, and it was interesting to see her develop and explore her character.
I really enjoyed the way her story ended, it felt like a new chapter was about to begin. But it did feel a little bit like a safe ending.

Annie is a robot, Doug is her owner and he recently put her onto Autodidact mode (meaning self-taught).

I speed through this book, it was absolutely fascinating to read about Annie coming to grips with the world and learning about human behavior via the kind of man who would own a sex robot.

Annie was a character that was incredibly easy to emphasize with and Doug was an incredibly irritating piece-of-sh*t. I think this author had incredible talent for showing how small comments add together and start to become big problems.

I do wish it was longer because I feel Annie's story still had more and I would have liked to see her fighting against Doug more as she became more human toward the end. But this is a fantastic book!

Absolutely loved this!!!
Annie Bot is a dark and curious novel, that explores so many themes so intricately without feeling like too much. I read the whole thing in one sitting of 4 hours because I was honestly just so compelled by Annie's voice in this.
This novel felt like a black mirror episode had come to life, in the best possible way! I'd recommend this to everyone.
What I found really interesting about this novel was that although at heart it was about a robot human relationship, it touched on so many of the emotions of an abusive relationship. I found the parallels between Doug and Annie's relationship to that of an abusive human one so fascinating. The author found a way to authentically express the feelings of an abusive relationship without being explicit, as this world doesn't have Annie bots.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publishers for access to this arc.

An interesting story on a glimpse into what could be the future!
I enjoyed it very much.
Thanks for the opportunity to read and review it.

Annie Bot is a great read. I feel like we're starting to see more and more fiction about the future of AI with a contemporary/romance narrative and this is a great example of that. Super fun but also thought provoking,

Is this good fiction and worth your attention as a fiction reader? Yes, definitely! Is this an interesting, thought provoking book that asks so many questions about AI robots and what self-autonomy means? What the robots are for? Yes, definitely! Does the author want us to question whither the story is really about subjugation and abusive control of women in relationships? I don’t know, but it definitely makes you think. Is Doug a complete and absolute douchebag of a guy? Totally!!!! Thank you to Harper Collins UK, HarperFiction and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.