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Freelance
A vivid snapshot of our fraught relationships with labor and artificial intelligence, FREELANCE explores the hyperrealities of work in the digital age, asking what we owe to our jobs and, ultimately, what we owe to each other.
"A timely horror fable about how the American grindset grinds us alive, FREELANCE is funny, dark, and impossible to predict. Just when you think you know where it’s going, it reroutes and drives you somewhere weirder, until—by the bleakly surreal ending—you’ve arrived in a nightmare with little memory of how you got there. It’s a little like if David Cronenberg had written Christine."
— Bennett Sims, author of OTHER MINDS AND OTHER STORIES
“FREELANCE is all the best things: suspenseful, darkly funny, addictive, and a lot of fucking fun. Kearney so astutely peels back the layers of the gig economy to reveal the quiet terror of trying to survive in a late capitalistic hellscape. It’s what happens at the intersection of hustle culture, selfishness, and ignorance—all while being extremely entertaining. This book is one hell of a ride; 5 stars for my driver.”
— Marisa Crane, author of A SHARP ENDLESS NEED
Simon McNamara might only be 19, but he knows he’s destined for greatness. It doesn't matter that he barely finished high school, spends his free time texting a cam girl, and drives for HYPR, the ride-sharing app notorious for its long hours and low pay. Eventually, he knows, he'll catch his big break.
Simon quickly learns, though, that HYPR is more than just a gig, with the app offering lucrative bonuses, a real-life girlfriend, and justice for disrespectful passengers. By the time politicians and organizers begin calling on HYPR to change its abusive practices, Simon struggles to quiet the app’s soothing voice, even when it asks him to silence its critics.
“While FREELANCE is a warning, it's not without pleasure. This book is dystopian, diabolical, and filled with humor—a page-turner that also has something to say.”
— Ned Russin, author of HORIZONTAL RUST and member of GLITTERER and TITLE FIGHT
“Reading FREELANCE feels like watching an episode of Black Mirror written by Harlan Ellison; terrifying, captivating, and impossible to look away from. Absolutely unputdownable.”
— Lexi Kent-Monning, author of THE BURDEN OF JOY
“This dashboard fable about the absurdity of gig work could not be more timely. The masculinity crisis, the loneliness epidemic, the loss of privacy and intimacy and dignity in the face of technocapitalism: it's all here in well-oiled prose and pitch-black humor. Kearney's dystopian ride through the one-way streets of Philadelphia charms and disturbs in equal measure.”
— Michael Deagler, author of EARLY SOBRIETIES
"A timely horror fable about how the American grindset grinds us alive, FREELANCE is funny, dark, and impossible to predict. Just when you think you know where it’s going, it reroutes and drives you somewhere weirder, until—by the bleakly surreal ending—you’ve arrived in a nightmare with little memory of how you got there. It’s a little like if David Cronenberg had written Christine."
— Bennett Sims, author of OTHER MINDS AND OTHER STORIES
“FREELANCE is all the best things: suspenseful, darkly funny, addictive, and a lot of fucking fun. Kearney so astutely peels back the layers of the gig economy to reveal the quiet terror of trying to survive in a late capitalistic hellscape. It’s what happens at the intersection of hustle culture, selfishness, and ignorance—all while being extremely entertaining. This book is one hell of a ride; 5 stars for my driver.”
— Marisa Crane, author of A SHARP ENDLESS NEED
Simon McNamara might only be 19, but he knows he’s destined for greatness. It doesn't matter that he barely finished high school, spends his free time texting a cam girl, and drives for HYPR, the ride-sharing app notorious for its long hours and low pay. Eventually, he knows, he'll catch his big break.
Simon quickly learns, though, that HYPR is more than just a gig, with the app offering lucrative bonuses, a real-life girlfriend, and justice for disrespectful passengers. By the time politicians and organizers begin calling on HYPR to change its abusive practices, Simon struggles to quiet the app’s soothing voice, even when it asks him to silence its critics.
“While FREELANCE is a warning, it's not without pleasure. This book is dystopian, diabolical, and filled with humor—a page-turner that also has something to say.”
— Ned Russin, author of HORIZONTAL RUST and member of GLITTERER and TITLE FIGHT
“Reading FREELANCE feels like watching an episode of Black Mirror written by Harlan Ellison; terrifying, captivating, and impossible to look away from. Absolutely unputdownable.”
— Lexi Kent-Monning, author of THE BURDEN OF JOY
“This dashboard fable about the absurdity of gig work could not be more timely. The masculinity crisis, the loneliness epidemic, the loss of privacy and intimacy and dignity in the face of technocapitalism: it's all here in well-oiled prose and pitch-black humor. Kearney's dystopian ride through the one-way streets of Philadelphia charms and disturbs in equal measure.”
— Michael Deagler, author of EARLY SOBRIETIES
- GenresFiction
262 pages, Paperback
Published May 31, 2025
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68 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
December 30, 2025
diabolical
June 5, 2025
this rideshare was definitely five stars
June 5, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and Rejection Letters for the ARC.
July 11, 2025
A cautionary tale? Autofiction-to-be? Kearney’s sophomore novel will whip you around like a hydroplaning car at times, yet the effortless, flowing prose shall correct your focus. Pay the fare. Take the trip. You’ll love it.
June 5, 2025
FREELANCE is a ripper of a novel. A darkly comic and contemporary noir set in the zillennial hellscape of pretentious roommates, concerned parents, affordable bespoke porn, and above all, a possibly evil rideshare app. it's a book that asks the question: is there something supernatural happening or are we all going crazy? kevin m. kearney (full disclosure: a homie5lyf) provides no easy answers, but it's a hell of a ride. file under: disquieting page-turners
August 5, 2025
I could hardly put this down, it was the perfect novel for 2025 - thought provoking, poignant and very very funny.
November 26, 2025
Delaware is cheap, but suicide is cheaper
December 15, 2025
Sorry to barrel in here with the "unputdownable" and "compulsively readable" allegations but FREELANCE is guilty as charged. Kearney's gift for writing suspense is palpable. FREELANCE is a sharp, stressful indictment of late-stage capitalism, gig economy, and big tech, exposing all the predatory ways corporations exploit our loneliness and deep vulnerabilities—often with our consent.
You could file FREELANCE under speculative fiction but it's often too prescient, too close to the bone to be completely dystopian. Simon is one of a million gig economy workers lured by the promise of unlimited income, only to be confronted time and again with the trade off—abusive customers, cheerful corporate rot, dehumanizing working conditions. FREELANCE does not cast judgment (as Simon's coworkers, friends, and family often do) of the impossible crosshairs gig workers find themselves in. Kearney's antagonists are smiling CEOs, yes; they are also just as often consumers who accept the terms those CEOs set for them if it means a more convenient existence.
FREELANCE isn't just a smart, savvy novel—it's a story that captures the very heart of 21st century labour politics, more human than any lobbyist or journalist could present. It's also one hell of a ride. Do yourself a favour and strap in.
You could file FREELANCE under speculative fiction but it's often too prescient, too close to the bone to be completely dystopian. Simon is one of a million gig economy workers lured by the promise of unlimited income, only to be confronted time and again with the trade off—abusive customers, cheerful corporate rot, dehumanizing working conditions. FREELANCE does not cast judgment (as Simon's coworkers, friends, and family often do) of the impossible crosshairs gig workers find themselves in. Kearney's antagonists are smiling CEOs, yes; they are also just as often consumers who accept the terms those CEOs set for them if it means a more convenient existence.
FREELANCE isn't just a smart, savvy novel—it's a story that captures the very heart of 21st century labour politics, more human than any lobbyist or journalist could present. It's also one hell of a ride. Do yourself a favour and strap in.
January 1, 2026
Genuinely didn't see any of the twists coming, and there were quite a few. The terrors of corporate tech combined with the insecurities of leaving your parents' home at age 18. There's empathy there even as Kearney really puts his characters thru the ringer. A well-written novel that is both amusing and disturbing
June 5, 2025
I was gonna use this space to give this book a glowing review (because it’s immaculately written and funny and smart and entertaining and just overall really good) but instead I’m going to use this space to tell you how great things are going for me…
June 9, 2025
I loved this book so much I published it!
July 12, 2025
I loved this book. No notes.
December 15, 2025
Couldn’t put this one down
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews