What do you think?
Rate this book
True Life in Uncanny Valley
From the acclaimed author of A Heart in a Body in the World comes the gripping story of a girl living a lie in order to find the truth about her family and herself.
Eleanor, like so many others, is used to watching her famous father from afar. To the world, Hugo Harrison is the brilliant and charismatic tech genius whose AI inventions seem to create a new, better reality. But to Eleanor, whose mother had an affair with Hugo years ago, he is something even more intriguing, and dangerous—a secret.
When Eleanor’s spying leads her to a posting for a live-in summer nanny job for Hugo's young son—her half-brother—she knows she has to apply. This is finally her chance to learn about her father, his family, and the life that could have been hers. She only has to do one become someone else. With just a few well-placed lies, Eleanor is catapulted into an unfamiliar, intoxicating whirlwind of money and ego, and into a new romance with a cute boy who works for Hugo. But in a place where image is everything and reality can be rewritten, is anything real—even the Harrisons themselves?
Caught between her own secrets and the ones she’s uncovering about her father and his latest invention, Eleanor faces a question that technology can't what is your true self, and how do you know when you find her?
Eleanor, like so many others, is used to watching her famous father from afar. To the world, Hugo Harrison is the brilliant and charismatic tech genius whose AI inventions seem to create a new, better reality. But to Eleanor, whose mother had an affair with Hugo years ago, he is something even more intriguing, and dangerous—a secret.
When Eleanor’s spying leads her to a posting for a live-in summer nanny job for Hugo's young son—her half-brother—she knows she has to apply. This is finally her chance to learn about her father, his family, and the life that could have been hers. She only has to do one become someone else. With just a few well-placed lies, Eleanor is catapulted into an unfamiliar, intoxicating whirlwind of money and ego, and into a new romance with a cute boy who works for Hugo. But in a place where image is everything and reality can be rewritten, is anything real—even the Harrisons themselves?
Caught between her own secrets and the ones she’s uncovering about her father and his latest invention, Eleanor faces a question that technology can't what is your true self, and how do you know when you find her?
408 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 18, 2025
26 people are currently reading
488 people want to read
About the author
Deb Caletti
37 books2,277 followersDeb Caletti is the award-winning and critically acclaimed author of over twenty books for adults and young adults, including Honey, Baby, Sweetheart, a finalist for the National Book Award, and A Heart in a Body in the World, a Michael L. Printz Honor Book. Her books have also won the Josette Frank Award for Fiction, the Washington State Book Award, and numerous other state awards and honors, and she was a finalist for the PEN USA Award. She lives with her family in Seattle.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews
March 25, 2025
Eleanor, like so many others, is used to watching her famous father from afar. To the world, Hugo Harrison is the brilliant and charismatic tech genius whose AI inventions seem to create a new, better reality. But to Eleanor, whose mother had an affair with Hugo years ago, he is something even more intriguing, and dangerous—a secret.
When Eleanor’s spying leads her to a posting for a live-in summer nanny job for Hugo's young son—her half-brother—she knows she has to apply. This is finally her chance to learn about her father, his family, and the life that could have been hers. She only has to do one become someone else. With just a few well-placed lies, Eleanor is catapulted into an unfamiliar, intoxicating whirlwind of money and ego, and into a new romance with a cute boy who works for Hugo. But in a place where image is everything and reality can be rewritten, is anything real—even the Harrisons themselves?
Caught between her own secrets and the ones she’s uncovering about her father and his latest invention, Eleanor faces a question that technology can't what is your true self, and how do you know when you find her?
*Thank you to the publisher, Labrinth Road, for providing me with ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own*
4.5 ⭐️
Heartwarming and inspirational.
I love Deb Caletti's novels. I've been reading her books since 2011, and there hasn't been a single one that I didn't love. True Life in Uncanny Valley was no different, and don't you love the title? The title will interest you even if you've never read her books. This book was unlike any of her other books, which was one of my favorite aspects. The first few chapters were slow as the characters were introduced, but interesting enough to keep me reading since I wanted to know what happened to Eleanor. Once Eleanor moved in with her father, I couldn't get enough of the story and found it difficult to put down. When I wasn't reading, I thought about what would happen next. I feared what would happen if the truth about Eleanor came out. Eleanor's character development was my favorite; she matured significantly from the beginning of the novel. I wanted to see more of her and see what happened to her afterward.
I tried to like Eleanor's mother and sister but couldn't tolerate them. I despised the way they treated her. Both made her believe that it was her fault, that she was the one who was doing something wrong, even though it wasn't true. Eleanor was better off living with her father, even if he wasn’t aware that she was his daughter. I felt that Eleanor was more appreciated there. Even when Eleanor did something kind for her mother and sister, it wasn't enough. I'm happy Eleanor had her best friends, Clementine and Arden Lee, who, in my opinion, have the most interesting names. I loved how supportive and sympathetic they were and how they were always there for her. With the way that her mother and sister treated her, she needed friends like them. The connection the three of them shared; I sensed it would last a lifetime.
I admired the relationship that she developed with her half-brother, Arlo. I smiled throughout most of their scenes together. It was evident from how she acted and everything she did for Arlo how much she loved him. I also loved the friendship between Eleanor and Aurora. Aurora needed someone like Eleanor, someone who would treat her nicely. I was not fond of how Hugo treated her. He was another character I didn't care for. I had an uneasy feeling about him. I love the small comic strips about Miss Fury at the beginning of each chapter. There was so much I loved about this book, and I'm still feeling a lot of emotions after reading it. I have a feeling this is the book that will stay with me. I’m excited to see what adventure Deb Caletti will take us on next!
When Eleanor’s spying leads her to a posting for a live-in summer nanny job for Hugo's young son—her half-brother—she knows she has to apply. This is finally her chance to learn about her father, his family, and the life that could have been hers. She only has to do one become someone else. With just a few well-placed lies, Eleanor is catapulted into an unfamiliar, intoxicating whirlwind of money and ego, and into a new romance with a cute boy who works for Hugo. But in a place where image is everything and reality can be rewritten, is anything real—even the Harrisons themselves?
Caught between her own secrets and the ones she’s uncovering about her father and his latest invention, Eleanor faces a question that technology can't what is your true self, and how do you know when you find her?
*Thank you to the publisher, Labrinth Road, for providing me with ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own*
4.5 ⭐️
Heartwarming and inspirational.
I love Deb Caletti's novels. I've been reading her books since 2011, and there hasn't been a single one that I didn't love. True Life in Uncanny Valley was no different, and don't you love the title? The title will interest you even if you've never read her books. This book was unlike any of her other books, which was one of my favorite aspects. The first few chapters were slow as the characters were introduced, but interesting enough to keep me reading since I wanted to know what happened to Eleanor. Once Eleanor moved in with her father, I couldn't get enough of the story and found it difficult to put down. When I wasn't reading, I thought about what would happen next. I feared what would happen if the truth about Eleanor came out. Eleanor's character development was my favorite; she matured significantly from the beginning of the novel. I wanted to see more of her and see what happened to her afterward.
I tried to like Eleanor's mother and sister but couldn't tolerate them. I despised the way they treated her. Both made her believe that it was her fault, that she was the one who was doing something wrong, even though it wasn't true. Eleanor was better off living with her father, even if he wasn’t aware that she was his daughter. I felt that Eleanor was more appreciated there. Even when Eleanor did something kind for her mother and sister, it wasn't enough. I'm happy Eleanor had her best friends, Clementine and Arden Lee, who, in my opinion, have the most interesting names. I loved how supportive and sympathetic they were and how they were always there for her. With the way that her mother and sister treated her, she needed friends like them. The connection the three of them shared; I sensed it would last a lifetime.
I admired the relationship that she developed with her half-brother, Arlo. I smiled throughout most of their scenes together. It was evident from how she acted and everything she did for Arlo how much she loved him. I also loved the friendship between Eleanor and Aurora. Aurora needed someone like Eleanor, someone who would treat her nicely. I was not fond of how Hugo treated her. He was another character I didn't care for. I had an uneasy feeling about him. I love the small comic strips about Miss Fury at the beginning of each chapter. There was so much I loved about this book, and I'm still feeling a lot of emotions after reading it. I have a feeling this is the book that will stay with me. I’m excited to see what adventure Deb Caletti will take us on next!
September 23, 2024
A true 5 star read - this book is good! I absolutely knew I’d enjoy it but it was un-put-down-able!
I enjoyed the fact that it wasn’t all happy endings in the end and it was relatable in the ways that life and circumstances happen. Sometimes we need those super happy stories that end and make us all happy and feel all heart warmed - but this story makes you think and leaves room for some growth for the characters and the plot/story.
I had started to tell a bit about the story itself but it is so much that think it’s best left to each reader to jump in with both feet and experience as you go. In my opinion from reading other reviews I expected things or to even feel a certain way that just didn’t align with how I experienced the book while reading.
Such a phenomenal book & worth the read and recommendation for sure!
I enjoyed the fact that it wasn’t all happy endings in the end and it was relatable in the ways that life and circumstances happen. Sometimes we need those super happy stories that end and make us all happy and feel all heart warmed - but this story makes you think and leaves room for some growth for the characters and the plot/story.
I had started to tell a bit about the story itself but it is so much that think it’s best left to each reader to jump in with both feet and experience as you go. In my opinion from reading other reviews I expected things or to even feel a certain way that just didn’t align with how I experienced the book while reading.
Such a phenomenal book & worth the read and recommendation for sure!
January 31, 2025
3.5 Stars
Sometimes you read a YA book and think, "Wow, this author hasn't talked to the youths in a bit." And that was unfortunately kind of the case here. I did appreciate the social commentary here, though. That worked more than it didn't.
Anyway, my full review will be available at Gateway Reviews on March 28, 2025. Stop by if you get the chance!
Note: I was provided with an ARC by the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions here are my own.
Sometimes you read a YA book and think, "Wow, this author hasn't talked to the youths in a bit." And that was unfortunately kind of the case here. I did appreciate the social commentary here, though. That worked more than it didn't.
Anyway, my full review will be available at Gateway Reviews on March 28, 2025. Stop by if you get the chance!
Note: I was provided with an ARC by the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions here are my own.
July 8, 2024
Caletti is so good at creating entertaining and yet thought-provoking YA literature. Highly recommended; I'd love a sequel!
*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.
*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.
March 29, 2025
I was really interested when I read the synopsis for True Life In Uncanny Valley! I thought it started out a little slow, but as it picked up the mystery kept me very interested and I finished it fairly quickly.
A few things that didn’t really work for me..
▫️I thought the heroine and her friends being the age they are would probably be more familiar with AI than they seemed to be.
▫️While I sympathized with the heroine’s desire to get to know her birth father and brother, her approach came off a bit too stalker for my liking. When she formed a relationship with his wife and son under false-pretences I thought it just went way too far for it to end in anything but a restraining order.
With the help of a little suspension of disbelief I did enjoy this book, just would have preferred a few things done differently!
A few things that didn’t really work for me..
▫️I thought the heroine and her friends being the age they are would probably be more familiar with AI than they seemed to be.
▫️While I sympathized with the heroine’s desire to get to know her birth father and brother, her approach came off a bit too stalker for my liking. When she formed a relationship with his wife and son under false-pretences I thought it just went way too far for it to end in anything but a restraining order.
With the help of a little suspension of disbelief I did enjoy this book, just would have preferred a few things done differently!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 18, 2025
Wow! This was not what I was looking expecting! This book follloes our FMC. She is 17 and is just graduating high school. She knows her mom had an affair with a billionaire tech mogul and it produced her. However she had never met or known him. She is obsessed with meeting him and getting to know him. She decides to take a job working as a nanny for his son get step brother. Will he find out she is who she is? Will she finally get to gather relationship with the father she never had?
I enjoyed this book. I will say it took about 100 pages to get into the hook for me. It starts very slow and there is a lot of unnecessary build up (in my opinion). This made the book more difficult for me to get through. It does pick up abs turns into a story of redemption and resilience. The found family aspect was also very cute. This is ya but I felt it read more new adult. 3.25 stars.
I enjoyed this book. I will say it took about 100 pages to get into the hook for me. It starts very slow and there is a lot of unnecessary build up (in my opinion). This made the book more difficult for me to get through. It does pick up abs turns into a story of redemption and resilience. The found family aspect was also very cute. This is ya but I felt it read more new adult. 3.25 stars.
March 22, 2025
Elinor goes undercover as the nanny for the child of the father she never knew. What could possibly go wrong?
I really enjoyed TRUE LIFE IN UNCANNY VALLEY, but aspects of the book prevented me from giving a higher score.
The first chunk of the book started off as Elinor’s stream of consciousness thoughts about sexism, racism, homophobia and how those isms apply to her life. Although I agree with all of her position, preachy books, even if I agree with the issues preached, annoy me. I don’t know any teenagers who are constantly talking about their white privilege with peers or thinking about it as often as Elinor. If Deb Caletti had lightened up on that aspect, I would have rated higher.
The stream of consciousness manner of introducing characters didn’t hold my interest because nothing happened except a lot of thinking. Once Elinor got the nanny job, TRUE LIFE IN UNCANNY VALLEY took off as did my enjoyment.
Elinor seemed to have too much knowledge about child development and their needs for someone with a resume of one babysitting job from which she was fired.
Stepmom Aurora was my favorite character.
Though flawed, I recommend TRUE LIFE IN UNCANNY VALLEY.
I really enjoyed TRUE LIFE IN UNCANNY VALLEY, but aspects of the book prevented me from giving a higher score.
The first chunk of the book started off as Elinor’s stream of consciousness thoughts about sexism, racism, homophobia and how those isms apply to her life. Although I agree with all of her position, preachy books, even if I agree with the issues preached, annoy me. I don’t know any teenagers who are constantly talking about their white privilege with peers or thinking about it as often as Elinor. If Deb Caletti had lightened up on that aspect, I would have rated higher.
The stream of consciousness manner of introducing characters didn’t hold my interest because nothing happened except a lot of thinking. Once Elinor got the nanny job, TRUE LIFE IN UNCANNY VALLEY took off as did my enjoyment.
Elinor seemed to have too much knowledge about child development and their needs for someone with a resume of one babysitting job from which she was fired.
Stepmom Aurora was my favorite character.
Though flawed, I recommend TRUE LIFE IN UNCANNY VALLEY.
January 24, 2025
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....
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....
June 15, 2025
Deb Caletti is another must-read author of mine. Even though I am well past the target audience, I find her novels difficult to resist, knowing that I will always get an amazing story that is timely and extremely powerful. Whether her book involves a girl running from loss, trying to obtain an abortion in a post-Dodds world, or, in the case of TRUE LIFE IN UNCANNY VALLEY, attempting to learn more about her biological father, each one is memorable as it leaves you with a haunting picture of what it is like to come of age during these turbulent times.
Ms. Caletti's novels are rarely about the problem the main character faces. As in life, those problems always have some underlying issue. In TRUE LIFE IN UNCANNY VALLEY, Ms. Caletti tackles artificial intelligence. In her novel, its use is a little further along than it currently is in real life. However, that does not prevent her from capturing the feeling of impotence we feel at the inevitability of its growing use or all of the many other issues threatening humankind's existence on Earth.
Completely unfamiliar with the phrase "uncanny valley" or what it implied, I read a good portion of the book before I bothered to learn about this phenomenon. Once I did, the novel sharpened into greater focus. Eleanor's experiences in her father's house made sense in a way they hadn't prior, as did my feelings about AI. Even now, it amazes me how our primitive instincts still allow us to recognize something unnatural and potentially dangerous. AI is our uncanny valley, and our brains are screaming at us that we need to take heed of its danger. TRUE LIFE tells us that it is never too late to fight against something we recognize as dangerous.
TRUE LIFE IN UNCANNY VALLEY is one of the rare novels that made me shed physical tears. Eleanor's attempt to learn more about her father and the tough realizations she must make broke me in a way stories rarely do. I appreciate that TRUE LIFE does not end with a traditional happily-ever-after because life so rarely does. Ms. Caletti's novels never disappoint me. They always engage and awe me with their truth and realism. TRUE LIFE IN UNCANNY VALLEY is yet another in a long list of stories by Ms. Caletti that blew me away.
Ms. Caletti's novels are rarely about the problem the main character faces. As in life, those problems always have some underlying issue. In TRUE LIFE IN UNCANNY VALLEY, Ms. Caletti tackles artificial intelligence. In her novel, its use is a little further along than it currently is in real life. However, that does not prevent her from capturing the feeling of impotence we feel at the inevitability of its growing use or all of the many other issues threatening humankind's existence on Earth.
Completely unfamiliar with the phrase "uncanny valley" or what it implied, I read a good portion of the book before I bothered to learn about this phenomenon. Once I did, the novel sharpened into greater focus. Eleanor's experiences in her father's house made sense in a way they hadn't prior, as did my feelings about AI. Even now, it amazes me how our primitive instincts still allow us to recognize something unnatural and potentially dangerous. AI is our uncanny valley, and our brains are screaming at us that we need to take heed of its danger. TRUE LIFE tells us that it is never too late to fight against something we recognize as dangerous.
TRUE LIFE IN UNCANNY VALLEY is one of the rare novels that made me shed physical tears. Eleanor's attempt to learn more about her father and the tough realizations she must make broke me in a way stories rarely do. I appreciate that TRUE LIFE does not end with a traditional happily-ever-after because life so rarely does. Ms. Caletti's novels never disappoint me. They always engage and awe me with their truth and realism. TRUE LIFE IN UNCANNY VALLEY is yet another in a long list of stories by Ms. Caletti that blew me away.
March 28, 2025
While i cant say that this is the worst book I’ve ever read (that spot is held for ready player one only), it is by far one of the most disappointing.
I loved A Heart in A Body in the World. Like, in an every time I see it in a library I check it out to reread it kind of way. So, when I saw that Deb Caletti had written this, I was I intrigued. The plot was also fascinating, and some good old fashion subterfuge is always great.
However. This book, with its exciting premise, turned out to be so pick me I almost could not stand it. The main character, Eleanor Diamond, doesn’t fit in with her family. And boy will she tell you that. She has a sense of superiority because she likes to read, and is rewarded for having the most quirky, Disney channel main character sense of style known to man. (I mean, come on. Teal, bright yellow, and neon green? Florals and a striped skirt? Give me a break.)
But really, at the end of the day, what really fell flat was every character and form of conflict in this story. To avoid being overly verbose, I will just say that this book could have been so much more than it is. And, yknow, there’s always a chance that this is simply not a book for my demographic. The main characters are in fact teenagers. However, looking back at myself in that age, I still think I would have the same gripes. Teenagers don’t need content like this spoon fed to them. Most people I know understand how generative AI works, and how it’s inherently theft. Having your main character be oblivious to that to help teach readers doesn’t do much beyond make the reader feel like the character is talking down to them.
Anyways. That was really mean, and usually I’m not that negative, but for some reason, this book really got to me. There were a few things I enjoyed. Hugo was a really compelling antagonist, and good allusion to current tech giants. I also really enjoy how Eleanor begins as a character. I just wish she had evolved past that at some point.
I loved A Heart in A Body in the World. Like, in an every time I see it in a library I check it out to reread it kind of way. So, when I saw that Deb Caletti had written this, I was I intrigued. The plot was also fascinating, and some good old fashion subterfuge is always great.
However. This book, with its exciting premise, turned out to be so pick me I almost could not stand it. The main character, Eleanor Diamond, doesn’t fit in with her family. And boy will she tell you that. She has a sense of superiority because she likes to read, and is rewarded for having the most quirky, Disney channel main character sense of style known to man. (I mean, come on. Teal, bright yellow, and neon green? Florals and a striped skirt? Give me a break.)
But really, at the end of the day, what really fell flat was every character and form of conflict in this story. To avoid being overly verbose, I will just say that this book could have been so much more than it is. And, yknow, there’s always a chance that this is simply not a book for my demographic. The main characters are in fact teenagers. However, looking back at myself in that age, I still think I would have the same gripes. Teenagers don’t need content like this spoon fed to them. Most people I know understand how generative AI works, and how it’s inherently theft. Having your main character be oblivious to that to help teach readers doesn’t do much beyond make the reader feel like the character is talking down to them.
Anyways. That was really mean, and usually I’m not that negative, but for some reason, this book really got to me. There were a few things I enjoyed. Hugo was a really compelling antagonist, and good allusion to current tech giants. I also really enjoy how Eleanor begins as a character. I just wish she had evolved past that at some point.
January 15, 2025
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
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
January 14, 2025
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 received an Advanced Reader's Copy of this book from Netgalley. This review is honest, unbiased, and completely my own.
I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of this book from Netgalley. This review is honest, unbiased, and completely my own.
August 12, 2024
The book shows Eleanor who wants to know about her father. She used her spying by working as a nanny for her father’s young son. Eleanor has to lie her way while working as a nanny. This book is also showing how Eleanor can learn more about her father’s inventions, secrets, and other things. Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for giving me an opportunity to read this book and do a review.
August 26, 2025
4.029 ⭐️
September 1, 2025
“He has a compelling oddness that calls out to my own oddness.” (pg. 155)
June 15, 2025
3.5 stars
December 31, 2025
(1.5 / 5)
Eleanor has grown up with a single mom and always knowing that her dad is a wealthy, powerful tech/AI genius that doesn't want anything to do with her, her sister, or their mom. But Eleanor can't help but be obsessed with her dad and stalks him, both virtually and physically. When an opportunity comes up to work as nanny to her dad's toddler son (her half-brother), Eleanor sort of falls into the job, but without revealing the truth about her identity and her connection to her charge or his father.
In case it's not clear from my rating, I didn't particularly enjoy this book. Humans are messy and creative and AI can never fully replicate them. That is the lesson that this entire book boils down to, which should be obvious to most of us. Of course, Caletti's view of "messy" humans is downright terrible. Besides Eleanor's deadbeat father, her mother is no peach either, fat-shaming Eleanor's slightly chubby stomach, telling her how stupid she is, and making it clear that she's always been an inconvenience. Eleanor's older sister basically follows her mom's lead, yet Eleanor often assures the reader that, "I know they really do love me." I'm not buying it.
But on the plus side, Eleanor has two best friends who are basically perfect and perfect for her. The three of them have formed a book club through which they look down their noses at almost everyone else's reading or book-reviewing habits. Seriously, I'm pretty sure that if I ever met these three, they'd absolutely hate me, and that's considering that most of the specific things that Eleanor mentions the book club disliking aren't even necessarily habits of mine. For example, they hate terms like "sickening thud" and seem to dislike half-star ratings (take that!) and constantly point out things that they think are cliché or tired tropes. Well, Soggy Bottom Book Club, to you I say that the inclusion of 3 best friends who don't seem to ever fight and always understand each other perfectly is a cliché (and that!).
The main bright spot in this story is Eleanor's connection to her little brother and even his mom, but even that comes with downsides. Like the fact that Eleanor is basically perfect as a nanny almost right away, despite some internal panic moments about really never having taken care of kids much in her life. And the fact that everyone is lying to everyone about everything pretty much through this entire book! (Except her best friends, because they're perfect and always tell each other the truth.) There's also a romance, which is nice at first, but then they start to make out all over Mexico and then there's the super awkward sex scene—awkward meaning both that the characters are awkward and that I was incredibly awkward, because there are suddenly some very graphic descriptions. Though maybe it wasn't as sudden as I thought at the time, considering the parade earlier in the book that I guess involves naked people and is just casually attended by people of all ages? Is this some Seattle thing I just don't know about (and don't want to know about)? I was also really thrown off by Eleanor saying (in the narration) that people of older generations, which in this case includes everyone from the toddler's 30ish-year-old mom to Eleanor's grandma's age, were all about sex, but Eleanor's generation isn't...really? Really?
On top of all of that, I didn't really get along with the writing style, which is basically like stream of consciousness. For 400 pages. And Eleanor is obsessed with a comic book heroine named Miss Fury, Miss Fury's author, and the villainous creator of Wonder Woman—a man who stole ideas from his wife. And by obsessed, I mean that she sees Miss Fury as inspiration, something to aspire to in her own life, and almost every situation she's in, she thinks of how she'd act if she were Miss Fury. I learned way more about the creator of Wonder Woman (William Moulton Marston) than I would have ever wanted to know, especially while reading a fictional story.
This review has gone on quite long, but I think that, if nothing else, it showcases another problem with this book—there's just TOO MUCH going on. I didn't even touch on the AI aspect, beyond what I said at the beginning of the review. Eleanor seems to have far too little understanding of AI for her—you know what, no. I think I've said enough. If you're still interested in reading this book, please check out other reviews, though for once, I'm not as much in the minority in not enjoying this book too much, if that tells you anything (though yes, others did like it at least a little more than me).
Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Children's for providing me a copy of this book to review.
Eleanor has grown up with a single mom and always knowing that her dad is a wealthy, powerful tech/AI genius that doesn't want anything to do with her, her sister, or their mom. But Eleanor can't help but be obsessed with her dad and stalks him, both virtually and physically. When an opportunity comes up to work as nanny to her dad's toddler son (her half-brother), Eleanor sort of falls into the job, but without revealing the truth about her identity and her connection to her charge or his father.
In case it's not clear from my rating, I didn't particularly enjoy this book. Humans are messy and creative and AI can never fully replicate them. That is the lesson that this entire book boils down to, which should be obvious to most of us. Of course, Caletti's view of "messy" humans is downright terrible. Besides Eleanor's deadbeat father, her mother is no peach either, fat-shaming Eleanor's slightly chubby stomach, telling her how stupid she is, and making it clear that she's always been an inconvenience. Eleanor's older sister basically follows her mom's lead, yet Eleanor often assures the reader that, "I know they really do love me." I'm not buying it.
But on the plus side, Eleanor has two best friends who are basically perfect and perfect for her. The three of them have formed a book club through which they look down their noses at almost everyone else's reading or book-reviewing habits. Seriously, I'm pretty sure that if I ever met these three, they'd absolutely hate me, and that's considering that most of the specific things that Eleanor mentions the book club disliking aren't even necessarily habits of mine. For example, they hate terms like "sickening thud" and seem to dislike half-star ratings (take that!) and constantly point out things that they think are cliché or tired tropes. Well, Soggy Bottom Book Club, to you I say that the inclusion of 3 best friends who don't seem to ever fight and always understand each other perfectly is a cliché (and that!).
The main bright spot in this story is Eleanor's connection to her little brother and even his mom, but even that comes with downsides. Like the fact that Eleanor is basically perfect as a nanny almost right away, despite some internal panic moments about really never having taken care of kids much in her life. And the fact that everyone is lying to everyone about everything pretty much through this entire book! (Except her best friends, because they're perfect and always tell each other the truth.) There's also a romance, which is nice at first, but then they start to make out all over Mexico and then there's the super awkward sex scene—awkward meaning both that the characters are awkward and that I was incredibly awkward, because there are suddenly some very graphic descriptions. Though maybe it wasn't as sudden as I thought at the time, considering the parade earlier in the book that I guess involves naked people and is just casually attended by people of all ages? Is this some Seattle thing I just don't know about (and don't want to know about)? I was also really thrown off by Eleanor saying (in the narration) that people of older generations, which in this case includes everyone from the toddler's 30ish-year-old mom to Eleanor's grandma's age, were all about sex, but Eleanor's generation isn't...really? Really?
On top of all of that, I didn't really get along with the writing style, which is basically like stream of consciousness. For 400 pages. And Eleanor is obsessed with a comic book heroine named Miss Fury, Miss Fury's author, and the villainous creator of Wonder Woman—a man who stole ideas from his wife. And by obsessed, I mean that she sees Miss Fury as inspiration, something to aspire to in her own life, and almost every situation she's in, she thinks of how she'd act if she were Miss Fury. I learned way more about the creator of Wonder Woman (William Moulton Marston) than I would have ever wanted to know, especially while reading a fictional story.
This review has gone on quite long, but I think that, if nothing else, it showcases another problem with this book—there's just TOO MUCH going on. I didn't even touch on the AI aspect, beyond what I said at the beginning of the review. Eleanor seems to have far too little understanding of AI for her—you know what, no. I think I've said enough. If you're still interested in reading this book, please check out other reviews, though for once, I'm not as much in the minority in not enjoying this book too much, if that tells you anything (though yes, others did like it at least a little more than me).
Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Children's for providing me a copy of this book to review.
February 26, 2025
Maybe I didn't fall in love with the story, but this is a memorable book for its style.
3.5 rounded up to 4.
Eleanor never felt close to her mother and sister and maybe that's why she's been stalking the famous father who never really treated her like a daughter. Suddenly, a big chance to be even closer to him; his new wife finds her at the pool and hires her to nanny her son with Eleanor's father without knowing they're actually siblings.
I love Eleanor's voice, her friends, her universe. The descriptions of her father's mansion also invite a lot of curiosity, even without the plot of his secret project. In general, I loved each character the author wanted me to and despised all the ones she didn't want me to like.
I think one of my problems with the read was the tone. It derives from Eleanor's personality but it also made it childish, while the themes were much more mature than that. This always made me frown. I would have loved it for a story with the content it makes you expect, though. My biggest problem was probably how the book made me expect more of the development. It wasn't even that I had any big guess that never came true; I just wish it didn't bring us to such a simple conclusion. The eeriness behind all Hugo's inventions and life story made me sure something much bigger was coming, and also excited to know what it could be. Where will all these fun elements take us: the title, the ever-present technologies, even Eleanor's voice. I would have gone crazier, that's what the story had been telling it would do from the beginning. Too bad it didn't.
It's still not only an interesting read but one that keeps you there with the story, thinking, wondering. Here's waiting for more from this author.
Honest review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.
3.5 rounded up to 4.
Eleanor never felt close to her mother and sister and maybe that's why she's been stalking the famous father who never really treated her like a daughter. Suddenly, a big chance to be even closer to him; his new wife finds her at the pool and hires her to nanny her son with Eleanor's father without knowing they're actually siblings.
I love Eleanor's voice, her friends, her universe. The descriptions of her father's mansion also invite a lot of curiosity, even without the plot of his secret project. In general, I loved each character the author wanted me to and despised all the ones she didn't want me to like.
I think one of my problems with the read was the tone. It derives from Eleanor's personality but it also made it childish, while the themes were much more mature than that. This always made me frown. I would have loved it for a story with the content it makes you expect, though. My biggest problem was probably how the book made me expect more of the development. It wasn't even that I had any big guess that never came true; I just wish it didn't bring us to such a simple conclusion. The eeriness behind all Hugo's inventions and life story made me sure something much bigger was coming, and also excited to know what it could be. Where will all these fun elements take us: the title, the ever-present technologies, even Eleanor's voice. I would have gone crazier, that's what the story had been telling it would do from the beginning. Too bad it didn't.
It's still not only an interesting read but one that keeps you there with the story, thinking, wondering. Here's waiting for more from this author.
Honest review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.
May 9, 2025
I've been reading Deb Caletti for a long time, and I think she just keeps getting better as she tackles real issues in a remarkable way. I'll admit it took me a bit to get "in" to the book--not the book's fault, but some weeks are just more conducive to reading, but for the last two days, it's been hard to put down. I loved the characterizations of her friends. Aurora was such a nice surprise. And Hugo measures up to Elon Musk quite well, a man I detest. Caletti had written several books before I discovered her, but now I eagerly await each new volume.
July 22, 2025
Caution: there may be some very minor spoilers
Characters:
When I first picked up this book I could not stand Eleanor's voice. She's "not like the other girls" with her oh so quirky interests in comics. Her obsession with a particular comic "Miss Fury" is so random and while it ties into the plot, each time it's brought up it feels forced and awkward. I just didn't like the execution of it. Then there's her interest in books, which connects her and her best friends- Arden Lee and Clementine. Their friendship and bonding over their love of books was endearing, but the author also felt the need to make Eleanor's love of reading into another one of her trademark quirks. She "wasn't like the other girls" because she liked to read. She "wasn't like the other girls" because she liked to draw. No one understands her except her two friends who also like to read. Woe her. She's too mature and cultured to deal with "normal people" 'cause she's special and creative. A version of this description seemed to come up every other page and by the end of the book I was so over Eleanor. I think the author could have developed her into a character with actual insecurities and passions that weren't entirely a point of how different and special (and may I add PRETENTIOUS) she was, or a device to move the plot along. I even share her interests in drawing, comics, and reading yet she didn't feel relatable to me at all. Eleanor's character came across rather bland and uninspired, feeling like one I've read about a million times already. Even though Eleanor was obviously one of my least favorite characters, I did get attached to some characters- mainly Aurora. I loved how she turned out to be completely different than it first appeared- instead of a snobby rich immaculate woman exploiting her child for social media views she's a rather nerdy chaotic mess of a woman who is a good person without being perfect, and a loving mother without being necessarily a good parent. I do think she could be developed further though, and I'm curious to know things the author didn't go into detail with- like why she continues to stick with Hugo, if she is ever going to have her own rebellion, or how she feels about how Hugo is treating Arlo. All the other characters seemed to fall into 2 categories- pretentious nerds who Eleanor gets along with and "normal" uncreative people who Eleanor fights with or dislikes. They weren't too notable.
Plot:
The plot is what initially sparked my interest in this book. A girl who babysits for her rich, estranged father under a different identity? Sign me up. Though, honestly the pacing felt a little slow for me. The beginning was a little hard to get past but things did pick up once Eleanor started babysitting for Arlo and that's when I started to enjoy the book. One problem I had with the plot was how it required Eleanor to have a naive fascination and approval of AI (even as an artist) at the start and gradually learn over the book how AI stole from artists. It seemed TOO naive, despite how childish Eleanor was already coming across. I felt that a girl with such an intense fixation on her father would have researched AI (AI art especially, since it was her source of connection to Hugo) and would know by now how it worked. I think I would have taken Eleanor's character in a completely different direction and made the plot less drawing focused (because of the unrealistic naivety and the weird, awkward obsession with Miss Fury). The plot could have been taken in a more writing-focused direction where Eleanor didn't initially approve of her father's AI theft? And other changes I would make: a more climatic execution of Eleanor rebelling against Hugo where she faces more consequences and less people take her side. The conflict wasn't really there, and what Eleanor did seemed too spontaneous, unrealistic that it would have worked out so well. Also just trash the romance or change it entirely because it really wasn't good but was very cringe. I did enjoy the plot enough to get through the book though, while not feeling like I was wasting my time, so it does deserve credit!
Writing style:
I think it was mainly Eleanor's voice that threw me off, but the general style of writing was hard for me to get used to at first. It seemed to include too many of Eleanor's thoughts and read in an awkward, jumbled, overwhelming fashion that was initially jarring and uncomfortable. But as the book went on I started to get used to the writing, and even start to appreciate it and settle into it's rhythm. It was different, but I came to like it! So don't give up on it.
Overall this book lacked in character but sorta made up for it in plot and writing style? I wouldn't say I loved the time I spent reading it, but it's not all bad and definitely could be an interesting read for some people <3
Characters:
When I first picked up this book I could not stand Eleanor's voice. She's "not like the other girls" with her oh so quirky interests in comics. Her obsession with a particular comic "Miss Fury" is so random and while it ties into the plot, each time it's brought up it feels forced and awkward. I just didn't like the execution of it. Then there's her interest in books, which connects her and her best friends- Arden Lee and Clementine. Their friendship and bonding over their love of books was endearing, but the author also felt the need to make Eleanor's love of reading into another one of her trademark quirks. She "wasn't like the other girls" because she liked to read. She "wasn't like the other girls" because she liked to draw. No one understands her except her two friends who also like to read. Woe her. She's too mature and cultured to deal with "normal people" 'cause she's special and creative. A version of this description seemed to come up every other page and by the end of the book I was so over Eleanor. I think the author could have developed her into a character with actual insecurities and passions that weren't entirely a point of how different and special (and may I add PRETENTIOUS) she was, or a device to move the plot along. I even share her interests in drawing, comics, and reading yet she didn't feel relatable to me at all. Eleanor's character came across rather bland and uninspired, feeling like one I've read about a million times already. Even though Eleanor was obviously one of my least favorite characters, I did get attached to some characters- mainly Aurora. I loved how she turned out to be completely different than it first appeared- instead of a snobby rich immaculate woman exploiting her child for social media views she's a rather nerdy chaotic mess of a woman who is a good person without being perfect, and a loving mother without being necessarily a good parent. I do think she could be developed further though, and I'm curious to know things the author didn't go into detail with- like why she continues to stick with Hugo, if she is ever going to have her own rebellion, or how she feels about how Hugo is treating Arlo. All the other characters seemed to fall into 2 categories- pretentious nerds who Eleanor gets along with and "normal" uncreative people who Eleanor fights with or dislikes. They weren't too notable.
Plot:
The plot is what initially sparked my interest in this book. A girl who babysits for her rich, estranged father under a different identity? Sign me up. Though, honestly the pacing felt a little slow for me. The beginning was a little hard to get past but things did pick up once Eleanor started babysitting for Arlo and that's when I started to enjoy the book. One problem I had with the plot was how it required Eleanor to have a naive fascination and approval of AI (even as an artist) at the start and gradually learn over the book how AI stole from artists. It seemed TOO naive, despite how childish Eleanor was already coming across. I felt that a girl with such an intense fixation on her father would have researched AI (AI art especially, since it was her source of connection to Hugo) and would know by now how it worked. I think I would have taken Eleanor's character in a completely different direction and made the plot less drawing focused (because of the unrealistic naivety and the weird, awkward obsession with Miss Fury). The plot could have been taken in a more writing-focused direction where Eleanor didn't initially approve of her father's AI theft? And other changes I would make: a more climatic execution of Eleanor rebelling against Hugo where she faces more consequences and less people take her side. The conflict wasn't really there, and what Eleanor did seemed too spontaneous, unrealistic that it would have worked out so well. Also just trash the romance or change it entirely because it really wasn't good but was very cringe. I did enjoy the plot enough to get through the book though, while not feeling like I was wasting my time, so it does deserve credit!
Writing style:
I think it was mainly Eleanor's voice that threw me off, but the general style of writing was hard for me to get used to at first. It seemed to include too many of Eleanor's thoughts and read in an awkward, jumbled, overwhelming fashion that was initially jarring and uncomfortable. But as the book went on I started to get used to the writing, and even start to appreciate it and settle into it's rhythm. It was different, but I came to like it! So don't give up on it.
Overall this book lacked in character but sorta made up for it in plot and writing style? I wouldn't say I loved the time I spent reading it, but it's not all bad and definitely could be an interesting read for some people <3
June 27, 2025
cawpile - 5.71 (2.5 stars, rounded down)
this book seemed really promising, but it let me down almost immediately. to be honest, i almost DNFed after the second chapter. the beginning tries to subvert expectations and then pull you in with a big reveal, but it only really succeeded in making me dislike the main character. the writing/narration throughout the entire story is really not my taste. eleanor narrates in a borderline stream of consciousness style that would frequently pull me out of the immersion. it was almost as she were talking directly to the reader and using phrases that you would only use in speech, not narration. you know how when you read a book and then a character mentions tiktok or acotar or some other pop culture reference and it's almost jarring? that's what the fmc's narration felt like but with speech and slang rather than references.
there are several characters that are also severely unlikeable, and that is just never really acknowledged. the fmc's mother and sister are genuinely terrible people who guilt, gaslight, and manipulate eleanor into thinking she's constantly in the wrong and inferior. the worst part is, as a reader we understand that they're terrible people, but eleanor always gives in and tells herself that they're right. even at the very end of the book where there should be this character development moment of "wow, these people do not love me the way that they should, and i need to move on from them" or something, instead she's still relenting and apologizing and calling herself an ungrateful brat to earn the favor of her mother. it was just so disappointing to read about eleanor dealing with such awful family members and there is literally no resolution to it.
even though i wanted to DNF this book, i powered through because i wanted to see how it works as a social commentary about technology and artificial intelligence. while the writing certainly hits you over the head several times about how AI is bad (which i don't disagree with, i am incredibly anti-ai), it doesn't really work as a social commentary to me because of how unrealistic it is. you're telling me one of the richest technocrats in the world isn't going to vet his new nanny that is responsible for the wellbeing of his child? especially the child that is incredibly important to his new AI project? like hello, that is just never gonna happen. also the fact that eleanor applied for and received a passport in what, a few weeks? yeah, those things takes MONTHS at the least. also just the entire robot thing felt impossible given the bounds of reality established prior in the book. it is incredibly clear that this is not a science fiction book. many of the plotlines, such as the Frame ai image generator and the Rate Me app are based in reality. so when the plot introduces this nanny ai robot that looks so close to human it could be mistaken for one, that's when they really lost me. robots look like robots. they just do. we have not advanced enough technologically to make humanoid robots look so realistic that it stretches into uncanny valley. how is this supposed to be a social commentary about the dangers of ai and losing human connection when this climactic plot point is just not based in reality? it'd be one thing if from the jump we were introduced to a science fiction story with humanoid robots or aliens or whatever (hank green, i'm looking at you), but the fact that every other thing about this story makes it contemporary fiction just really delegitimizes its attempt at social commentary.
i think this book has good bones. it has a good general premise, it makes an attempt at criticizing artificial intelligence and the direction we are headed societally, and it does have some good side characters. i just think there are a lot of aspects of this book that hold it back from being truly great. it's not for me, but i'm sure others may really enjoy it!
this book seemed really promising, but it let me down almost immediately. to be honest, i almost DNFed after the second chapter. the beginning tries to subvert expectations and then pull you in with a big reveal, but it only really succeeded in making me dislike the main character. the writing/narration throughout the entire story is really not my taste. eleanor narrates in a borderline stream of consciousness style that would frequently pull me out of the immersion. it was almost as she were talking directly to the reader and using phrases that you would only use in speech, not narration. you know how when you read a book and then a character mentions tiktok or acotar or some other pop culture reference and it's almost jarring? that's what the fmc's narration felt like but with speech and slang rather than references.
there are several characters that are also severely unlikeable, and that is just never really acknowledged. the fmc's mother and sister are genuinely terrible people who guilt, gaslight, and manipulate eleanor into thinking she's constantly in the wrong and inferior. the worst part is, as a reader we understand that they're terrible people, but eleanor always gives in and tells herself that they're right. even at the very end of the book where there should be this character development moment of "wow, these people do not love me the way that they should, and i need to move on from them" or something, instead she's still relenting and apologizing and calling herself an ungrateful brat to earn the favor of her mother. it was just so disappointing to read about eleanor dealing with such awful family members and there is literally no resolution to it.
even though i wanted to DNF this book, i powered through because i wanted to see how it works as a social commentary about technology and artificial intelligence. while the writing certainly hits you over the head several times about how AI is bad (which i don't disagree with, i am incredibly anti-ai), it doesn't really work as a social commentary to me because of how unrealistic it is. you're telling me one of the richest technocrats in the world isn't going to vet his new nanny that is responsible for the wellbeing of his child? especially the child that is incredibly important to his new AI project? like hello, that is just never gonna happen. also the fact that eleanor applied for and received a passport in what, a few weeks? yeah, those things takes MONTHS at the least. also just the entire robot thing felt impossible given the bounds of reality established prior in the book. it is incredibly clear that this is not a science fiction book. many of the plotlines, such as the Frame ai image generator and the Rate Me app are based in reality. so when the plot introduces this nanny ai robot that looks so close to human it could be mistaken for one, that's when they really lost me. robots look like robots. they just do. we have not advanced enough technologically to make humanoid robots look so realistic that it stretches into uncanny valley. how is this supposed to be a social commentary about the dangers of ai and losing human connection when this climactic plot point is just not based in reality? it'd be one thing if from the jump we were introduced to a science fiction story with humanoid robots or aliens or whatever (hank green, i'm looking at you), but the fact that every other thing about this story makes it contemporary fiction just really delegitimizes its attempt at social commentary.
i think this book has good bones. it has a good general premise, it makes an attempt at criticizing artificial intelligence and the direction we are headed societally, and it does have some good side characters. i just think there are a lot of aspects of this book that hold it back from being truly great. it's not for me, but i'm sure others may really enjoy it!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 6, 2024
Eleanor has been growing up with her mom and sister because her mom had them in an on-and-off affair with someone who, over the years, became this tech genius, founder of the company that offered the society several very much loved apps - social media and AI-powered stuff, lately. Eleanor is sixteen and so eager to get to know her father that she literally spends hours in a car parked across the road spying on his luxurious house. When it turns out that the family is looking for a summer nanny, she can't miss this chance to get to know her father's family.
This is a great book that raises many questions that were previously in the domain of sci-fi - but, seriously, between today's tech and the one imagined in the book there's such a small leap that I can't even call that a fantastic premise. What is real and how do we know it? (Curated social media representations, I am looking at you! - brought to a level of absurd here) What is human and don't we lose that precious humanity in striving to overcome its imperfections? (But if we are coming deeply traumatized by (narcissistic, I guess) people who reared us in childhood - do we really need that imperfectly human aspect in our lives?) And the nature of art as that human, human thing.
Eleanor is also a fan of Golden-Age comics, strives to be a comics artist herself and has an interesting critical take on her favorite superhero comics from the 1940s, Miss Fury (which I assumed, while reading, to be an invented one for the sake of this story, but a brief search proved me wrong). And that introduces a whole bunch of additional big issues to tackle: how character arcs from our favorite books can be a guiding light for us on our way but we ultimately need to break off and find an own path both in our "character dynamics" and in what we bring in to the world as creators. There's additional intertextual play: every chapter has a kind of a graphic epigraph from the Miss Fury comics, and it seems even more valuable now that I know this intertext wasn't invented for the sake of this story. Eleanor and her friends also have a book club, so some additional intertexts for the topics of interest are also quite seamlessly introduced into the story that way.
What I also really liked about this book is that it is not falling into the pitfall of many (even totally not bad otherwise) YA books that tend to overcompensate by the end of the story for what it dared to disturb in the reader. This one does not end with all dreams fulfilled and all troubles solved, which would seriously deprive the heroine of a growing-up point.
The only thing that didn't like as much is the narrator's tone in the introductory chapters and then in the very end again. I guess everyone has one of those friends who just never shut up and make simple stories they are trying to retell unbearable by going on endless tangents that seem relevant to them but you have no idea why the story derailed into this tangent again, so you are both interested to learn what actually happened to your friend in that main story and extremely annoyed by the tangents, so you have to remind them what the main story was and that you still don't know how that turned out... well, this is how Eleanor's tone in the introductory chapters felt, except for lack of the possibility to re-rail the story onto the main track by the reminder. But! I actually didn't notice this after ~25% that much, so if the first part still interests you enough, just know it will become less annoying soon and you can follow the heroine's collision course with the reality.
4,5 stars, highly recommend.
I received a free eARC of this book through NetGalley; the review above is my honest and independent opinion of it.
This is a great book that raises many questions that were previously in the domain of sci-fi - but, seriously, between today's tech and the one imagined in the book there's such a small leap that I can't even call that a fantastic premise. What is real and how do we know it? (Curated social media representations, I am looking at you! - brought to a level of absurd here) What is human and don't we lose that precious humanity in striving to overcome its imperfections? (But if we are coming deeply traumatized by (narcissistic, I guess) people who reared us in childhood - do we really need that imperfectly human aspect in our lives?) And the nature of art as that human, human thing.
Eleanor is also a fan of Golden-Age comics, strives to be a comics artist herself and has an interesting critical take on her favorite superhero comics from the 1940s, Miss Fury (which I assumed, while reading, to be an invented one for the sake of this story, but a brief search proved me wrong). And that introduces a whole bunch of additional big issues to tackle: how character arcs from our favorite books can be a guiding light for us on our way but we ultimately need to break off and find an own path both in our "character dynamics" and in what we bring in to the world as creators. There's additional intertextual play: every chapter has a kind of a graphic epigraph from the Miss Fury comics, and it seems even more valuable now that I know this intertext wasn't invented for the sake of this story. Eleanor and her friends also have a book club, so some additional intertexts for the topics of interest are also quite seamlessly introduced into the story that way.
What I also really liked about this book is that it is not falling into the pitfall of many (even totally not bad otherwise) YA books that tend to overcompensate by the end of the story for what it dared to disturb in the reader. This one does not end with all dreams fulfilled and all troubles solved, which would seriously deprive the heroine of a growing-up point.
The only thing that didn't like as much is the narrator's tone in the introductory chapters and then in the very end again. I guess everyone has one of those friends who just never shut up and make simple stories they are trying to retell unbearable by going on endless tangents that seem relevant to them but you have no idea why the story derailed into this tangent again, so you are both interested to learn what actually happened to your friend in that main story and extremely annoyed by the tangents, so you have to remind them what the main story was and that you still don't know how that turned out... well, this is how Eleanor's tone in the introductory chapters felt, except for lack of the possibility to re-rail the story onto the main track by the reminder. But! I actually didn't notice this after ~25% that much, so if the first part still interests you enough, just know it will become less annoying soon and you can follow the heroine's collision course with the reality.
4,5 stars, highly recommend.
I received a free eARC of this book through NetGalley; the review above is my honest and independent opinion of it.
November 12, 2025
"Who tells the truth of who they are when they first meet someone anyway?"
Eleanor is so annoying. I couldn't get over how dense she was: thinking she could get away with her subterfuge, her non-existent knowledge of AI, when everyone born this century knows about Generative AI. Are there really young women who don't know about Ada Lovelace? She's kind of a feminist icon. There's quite a few fiction books about her. Supposedly Eleanor reads books...
Then the whole heist thing on the lake went down. And all my ideas got tipped on their head - legs waving wildly in the air.
So yeah, I got tricked into hating one or two characters, when I should have been paying more attention. I recommend just go with Eleanor's excruciating stream of consciousness and follow her wherever she meanders.
April 10, 2025
What did you like about the book? The phrase “uncanny valley” refers to the revulsion we feel when an artificial being feels uncomfortably close to human. In this story, that idiom describes multiple parts of life in Seattle for Eleanor Diamond, a high school junior. She lives with her single mom and older sister, perfectly matched golden girls who make her feel like an outsider. Could she actually belong with tech genius billionaire Hugo Harrison, the dad who’s never played a role in her life or even claimed her? Without revealing her real identity, she fakes her way into a summer job as his live-in nanny, caring for her 3-year-old half-brother and befriending his young second wife, Aurora. Eleanor is a talented artist, obsessed with Miss Fury, a superhero from comics’ golden age. Sometimes she’s inspired by its gender-busting norms but others, horrified by its dated racist tropes; small, authentic panels from the series open each chapter. Once Eleanor moves into the Harrison mansion, the parallels between her and Miss Fury grow; she must keep track of her own alter ego, hide her true self from a cute love interest, and uncover the villain’s nefarious plot to upend art and childrearing through the use of artificial image generation and mommy robots.
True Life in Uncanny Valley succeeds in its layered and metaphorical storytelling while keeping its touch light and Caletti raises important and deep questions about what is real and what is artificial. Who’s actually in our families – is it who we’re related to or who we choose? What’s missing from art created by artificial beings who lack essential human messiness or relationships simulated for social media posts? This is a real page turner, filled with a sweet beginner romance, a great group of peers who make up Eleanor’s wise found family, and even a compelling mystery and action story. A neat twist at the end (no spoilers here) explains away what might otherwise be a totally unbelievable plot. Eleanor and her family members cue as white. Link to complete review: https://ysbookreviews.wordpress.com/2...
True Life in Uncanny Valley succeeds in its layered and metaphorical storytelling while keeping its touch light and Caletti raises important and deep questions about what is real and what is artificial. Who’s actually in our families – is it who we’re related to or who we choose? What’s missing from art created by artificial beings who lack essential human messiness or relationships simulated for social media posts? This is a real page turner, filled with a sweet beginner romance, a great group of peers who make up Eleanor’s wise found family, and even a compelling mystery and action story. A neat twist at the end (no spoilers here) explains away what might otherwise be a totally unbelievable plot. Eleanor and her family members cue as white. Link to complete review: https://ysbookreviews.wordpress.com/2...
April 12, 2025
“Heroes and villains are so comforting so thrilling even, but they're just not real. They're pen, and ink, or pixels. They're distorted and illogically placed objects, a wrong blending between foreground and background that no brilliant solution can fix. Heroes are lies. But man, I'll tell you, there are a lot of children that are very, very real who sure could use one. ”
-5 stars-
Tropes:
- Fake Identity
- Miscommunication
- Girl power
- So Messy!
- Summer job!
Spice:
1/5
Yes! Yes! Yes!
I literally love this book sooo much!
Honestly, this book made me quite sad. The fact that Brandy (Eleanors mom) and Rosalind (her sister) payed her so little attention broke my heart into two.
I loved everything about this book! There was fun bits of humor (like the inside out bikini at the pool), there was times that I cringed so badly (like the inside out bikini at the pool), and there were a lot of times that made my heart warm. I loved the relationship that grew between Aurora and Eleanor throughout the book!
I love how Eleanor despised Aurora at the start of the book, and thought of her as the villain until she started babysitting for Arlo and, she and Aurora almost had big sister little sister vibe going on. It was so sweet.
Please don't even get me started on her and Arlo! It warmed my heart so much and made me wish I had a younger sibling (Haha!)
Eleanor was super relatable! I mean we could've been twins! I loved how she was part of a book club (The Soggy Pages Book Club) and the way she was obsessed with obscure words like me!
The premise of the book was so fun and also thought provoking! I loved it!
The writing style is just up my alley, I couldn't get enough of the book, with it's witty humor and heartwarming moments.
I love Deb's books because she always writes her books in a way that makes me think about how I would handle the situation if faced.
Overall an amazing read and the twist of romance just made the book that much better!
“The thing is-you can memorize every rule in an instructions book, but you won't actually know a think about the game until you're playing.”
-5 stars-
Tropes:
- Fake Identity
- Miscommunication
- Girl power
- So Messy!
- Summer job!
Spice:
1/5
Yes! Yes! Yes!
I literally love this book sooo much!
Honestly, this book made me quite sad. The fact that Brandy (Eleanors mom) and Rosalind (her sister) payed her so little attention broke my heart into two.
I loved everything about this book! There was fun bits of humor (like the inside out bikini at the pool), there was times that I cringed so badly (like the inside out bikini at the pool), and there were a lot of times that made my heart warm. I loved the relationship that grew between Aurora and Eleanor throughout the book!
I love how Eleanor despised Aurora at the start of the book, and thought of her as the villain until she started babysitting for Arlo and, she and Aurora almost had big sister little sister vibe going on. It was so sweet.
Please don't even get me started on her and Arlo! It warmed my heart so much and made me wish I had a younger sibling (Haha!)
Eleanor was super relatable! I mean we could've been twins! I loved how she was part of a book club (The Soggy Pages Book Club) and the way she was obsessed with obscure words like me!
The premise of the book was so fun and also thought provoking! I loved it!
The writing style is just up my alley, I couldn't get enough of the book, with it's witty humor and heartwarming moments.
I love Deb's books because she always writes her books in a way that makes me think about how I would handle the situation if faced.
Overall an amazing read and the twist of romance just made the book that much better!
“The thing is-you can memorize every rule in an instructions book, but you won't actually know a think about the game until you're playing.”
May 26, 2025
I've loved everything that this author has written, especially Plan A, which just knocked it out of the park. In this one, her latest, she explores some of the negative aspects of Artificial Intelligence while also examining the importance of families, both birth and found, and the importance of being seen and heard. Through the lens of the protagonist, Eleanor Diamond, whose father, tech god Hugo Harrison, has never acknowledged her or her older sister Rosalind, readers watch as Eleanor learns some hard truths about her father and his ethics. For years she's lived in awe of him, longing for his love and recognition while also feeling ignored by her mother and sister. When she has the chance to be a nanny to Arlo, Hugo's young son, and work with Aurora, his famous and beautiful wife and stay in their Seattle mansion, she leaps at the opportunity, changing only her last name. The more time she spends with this family, the more confused she becomes, growing increasingly uncomfortable with how carefully curated everyone's life is and Hugo's ambitious project intended to replace mothers. As alluring as Hugo's world is, not all of it is real or meaningful, and it's clear that both he and Aurora fail to realize that there's a difference between paid help and real friends. For some, the references to comic books and a comic heroine, Miss Fury, may be confusing, but she serves as Eleanor's alter ego, and is important to include as is the back story about her creator and other comics. I also loved the Soggy Pages Book Club and would wish for such a support system for myself if I were still a teen. Readers will probably finish this one with an inclination to do some soul-searching and thinking about what is real and what isn't and why the distinction matters. I read some of the more negative reviews about this book, and while I respect the fact the everyone has different reactions to books, I didn't agree with their comments. The book isn't perfect, but its positive points far outweigh any flaws.
August 17, 2025
“True Life in Uncanny Valley” sounded like a great summer read and it absolutely delivered! It's age appropriate, engaging, and full of secrets waiting to be uncovered. I really connected with the main character, Eleanor, whose determination to understand her divided family and her place in it makes her both relatable and easy to root for.
The story pulled me in emotionally as Eleanor takes a bold step: applying for a live-in nanny position with her absent tech-genius father to get closer to the half-brother she’s dying to connect with. The hitch is that she must lie about almost everything since her mom would never approve of this arrangement, and her dad hasn’t shown any interest in knowing her. As Eleanor steps into her father’s world of wealth, image, and cutting-edge AI, she becomes entangled in a web of secrecy, deception, and unexpected emotions.
The tension between Eleanor’s longing to bond with her father and the constant fear of being discovered creates an emotionally rich and suspenseful story. I especially liked the relationship that developed between Eleanor and Aurora - her dad’s new wife and her half-brother’s mom. Aurora warms up to Eleanor quickly, and they develop a sisterly dynamic that adds warmth and depth to the narrative.
That said, while the AI elements add a timely and eerie edge, I could have done without so much of the tech focused creepiness. Eleanor’s emotional journey of trying to connect with her brother and understand her father was compelling enough on its own.
Overall, it’s a thoughtful, emotionally grounded YA novel with a strong protagonist and a bittersweet summer setting. The AI-infused mystery occasionally overshadows Eleanor’s heartfelt story, but it’s still a worthwhile read for those who enjoy books about growing up, uncovering family secrets, and a touch of summer romance.
Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Children's, and Labyrinth Road for the opportunity to read an advanced reader's copy of this book for an honest review.
The story pulled me in emotionally as Eleanor takes a bold step: applying for a live-in nanny position with her absent tech-genius father to get closer to the half-brother she’s dying to connect with. The hitch is that she must lie about almost everything since her mom would never approve of this arrangement, and her dad hasn’t shown any interest in knowing her. As Eleanor steps into her father’s world of wealth, image, and cutting-edge AI, she becomes entangled in a web of secrecy, deception, and unexpected emotions.
The tension between Eleanor’s longing to bond with her father and the constant fear of being discovered creates an emotionally rich and suspenseful story. I especially liked the relationship that developed between Eleanor and Aurora - her dad’s new wife and her half-brother’s mom. Aurora warms up to Eleanor quickly, and they develop a sisterly dynamic that adds warmth and depth to the narrative.
That said, while the AI elements add a timely and eerie edge, I could have done without so much of the tech focused creepiness. Eleanor’s emotional journey of trying to connect with her brother and understand her father was compelling enough on its own.
Overall, it’s a thoughtful, emotionally grounded YA novel with a strong protagonist and a bittersweet summer setting. The AI-infused mystery occasionally overshadows Eleanor’s heartfelt story, but it’s still a worthwhile read for those who enjoy books about growing up, uncovering family secrets, and a touch of summer romance.
Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Children's, and Labyrinth Road for the opportunity to read an advanced reader's copy of this book for an honest review.
August 5, 2024
Rating: 4/5 starts
Spicy Level: 0
Genre: YA
Eleanor and her older sister are being raised by her mother. She's always known that her famous, genius father, Hugo Harrison, abandoned she and her sister after having an affair and then leaving their mother. Her mother harbors a great deal of resentment towards him and has never shied away from letting her daughters know about how he has abandoned them and betrayed their family.
Despite this, Eleanor has always had a natural curiosity about learning more about her father. She latches onto an opportunity to unbeknownst to her father and his new wife, become a live-in summer nanny to their young son; her half brother. After moving in with the family, Eleanor finally is able to get insight on life with her father, stepfather and half-brother. It brings her up close and personal on some exciting and disturbing aspects of their lives that has her questioning fake from reality.
Overall, I found the book very interesting. The beginning dragged until around Chapter 7, when Eleanor moved in with her father. So if you're struggling at the beginning, I would suggest forging on. It gets better. There were some unresolved details mentioned several times within the book that were never explained like Eleanor's rash and pool sensitivity. I felt like this was a missed opportunity. I also wish we could delve deeper or reach some type of resolution in Eleanor, her mother, and her sister's relationship. The ending was a surprise, but not in a "unsuspected twist" kinda way. It was in a "Wait! That's the last page?" kinda way.
I would like to see more by this author because there are some passages and quotes that I actually highlighted and I think will stick with me. I actually would like her to have a Book 2 of this book so I can see how Eleanor's relationships develop and grow.
Spicy Level: 0
Genre: YA
Eleanor and her older sister are being raised by her mother. She's always known that her famous, genius father, Hugo Harrison, abandoned she and her sister after having an affair and then leaving their mother. Her mother harbors a great deal of resentment towards him and has never shied away from letting her daughters know about how he has abandoned them and betrayed their family.
Despite this, Eleanor has always had a natural curiosity about learning more about her father. She latches onto an opportunity to unbeknownst to her father and his new wife, become a live-in summer nanny to their young son; her half brother. After moving in with the family, Eleanor finally is able to get insight on life with her father, stepfather and half-brother. It brings her up close and personal on some exciting and disturbing aspects of their lives that has her questioning fake from reality.
Overall, I found the book very interesting. The beginning dragged until around Chapter 7, when Eleanor moved in with her father. So if you're struggling at the beginning, I would suggest forging on. It gets better. There were some unresolved details mentioned several times within the book that were never explained like Eleanor's rash and pool sensitivity. I felt like this was a missed opportunity. I also wish we could delve deeper or reach some type of resolution in Eleanor, her mother, and her sister's relationship. The ending was a surprise, but not in a "unsuspected twist" kinda way. It was in a "Wait! That's the last page?" kinda way.
I would like to see more by this author because there are some passages and quotes that I actually highlighted and I think will stick with me. I actually would like her to have a Book 2 of this book so I can see how Eleanor's relationships develop and grow.
March 11, 2025
5 plus Where to start. Uau. This was such a clever, wonderful read. There are so many layers. Let's go from general to particular: and YA story of a girl who wants to meet her father, who wants to know who this horrible person who made two daughters may be who never cared. She starts stalking the house and analyzing what she sees and understands through the lens of comic books and comic book language: heroes, villains, zip, zap onomatopoeia, and action lines. Her dad is a big shot, famous, and he is working on a project that will revolutionize the future, going deeper into AI, under the misunderstanding and false presence that AI is the solution to never make mistakes again. This is a novel that points out how dangerous AI is. Not just learning and stealing from artists and authors but taking all the good from it to deliver an easy, fast, adulterated product.
This novel shouts out: are we letting our children and the future be taught and educated by AI? Where is the freedom of being oneself, true, happy, and joyful?
The plot gets even more interesting when she accepts to be hired as the nanny of a two-year-old who is, in fact, her half-brother.
I love her relationship with the family Where she works (her dad's) I love how relatable it is when she has to go back home and her mother and sister always make her feel like she doesn't belong so there's a feeling of in between (she doesn't belong at home anymore, but she won't belong with her father)
Towards the end, she becomes more confident, an artist, a hero, someone who appreciates the imperfections of life, and she will do good for those who need her help, and she will punish those who reveal themselves to be villains after all.
There's just so much to it. It's thought-provoking.
I loved this novel. I will recommend it over and over.
This novel shouts out: are we letting our children and the future be taught and educated by AI? Where is the freedom of being oneself, true, happy, and joyful?
The plot gets even more interesting when she accepts to be hired as the nanny of a two-year-old who is, in fact, her half-brother.
I love her relationship with the family Where she works (her dad's) I love how relatable it is when she has to go back home and her mother and sister always make her feel like she doesn't belong so there's a feeling of in between (she doesn't belong at home anymore, but she won't belong with her father)
Towards the end, she becomes more confident, an artist, a hero, someone who appreciates the imperfections of life, and she will do good for those who need her help, and she will punish those who reveal themselves to be villains after all.
There's just so much to it. It's thought-provoking.
I loved this novel. I will recommend it over and over.
November 24, 2025
I struggled a lot getting into this book, which was really hard for me because I have absolutely loved all of Caletti's work that I've read before. It started out slow, lost my interest and I put it down for several months, but I was determined to get through this book. It wasn't until a little over halfway through the book that it really picked up for me, when Eleanor and Aurora start really connecting. I actually really enjoy the dynamic Aurora has with Eleanor, and without spoilers, I knew Aurora knew. All of the characters are unique and dynamic, I especially enjoyed Arden Lee's unique style and personality.
Now, there were a couple of things that I struggled with aside from pacing. The biggest being I would have liked resolution with the medical issues Eleanor was told she had had her entire life, asthma and a chlorine allergy, both of which she stopped having issues with after striking out on her own and leaving her mom's house. Also I'd like to have a word with the doctor that told her she had asthma when it's very clearly anxiety, but that's besides the point. On a very personal note, I really struggled to connect with the comic part of the storyline. I had a hard time connecting to Eleanor anytime she had her head in Miss Fury. On the flip side of that, while I don't think a comic base to the storyline is for me, I'm glad to have given it a try, and I truly believe that more kids of the target age range will relate more, whether from a comic standpoint or an anime/manga background. The way the friendships are portrayed and the lessons Caletti is trying to share are what continue to bring me back to this incredible author.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author via Netgalley and Labyrinth Road, and Random House Children's in exchange for an honest review.
Now, there were a couple of things that I struggled with aside from pacing. The biggest being I would have liked resolution with the medical issues Eleanor was told she had had her entire life, asthma and a chlorine allergy, both of which she stopped having issues with after striking out on her own and leaving her mom's house. Also I'd like to have a word with the doctor that told her she had asthma when it's very clearly anxiety, but that's besides the point. On a very personal note, I really struggled to connect with the comic part of the storyline. I had a hard time connecting to Eleanor anytime she had her head in Miss Fury. On the flip side of that, while I don't think a comic base to the storyline is for me, I'm glad to have given it a try, and I truly believe that more kids of the target age range will relate more, whether from a comic standpoint or an anime/manga background. The way the friendships are portrayed and the lessons Caletti is trying to share are what continue to bring me back to this incredible author.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author via Netgalley and Labyrinth Road, and Random House Children's in exchange for an honest review.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews