Chaos Theory

by Sylvia Leatham

Maeve McGettigan has never met a commitment she didn’t run from… until she landed a job as Dublin's least prepared robot babysitter.

One minute Maeve’s coasting through her boring marketing job; the next, she’s responsible for a well-meaning robot assistant with zero filter and a knack for publicly humiliating her. As chaos erupts around her, Maeve finds herself unexpectedly caught between two very different Shane – her on-again, off-again messy situationship – and Josh, Kobi's nerdy-in-a-hot-way creator who makes her question everything she thought she wanted for her life.

But then Maeve’s love story takes a truly shocking twist, and it’s suddenly time for her to what – and who – is she really fighting for?

A laugh-out-loud romantic comedy about finding your people and discovering that sometimes the most unexpected situations lead you to exactly where you need to be.

Genres: Romance

324 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 5, 2025

Reviews

[SJARR ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars!
This is a fun science/engineering themed rom-rom, with a very unique and new-age plot.

In this story we meet Maeve- a woman working for an Irish tourism company, who has recently been assigned to work alongside an AI robot, Kobi.
Maeve’s task is to intergrade Kobi into the work into her workplace and give him real experiences and human interaction.
In the process, she finds herself caught in a love triangle with Kobi’s creator, and her coworker who has been aiding her in this new and difficult task.
She will soon discover that there are a lot of secrets surrounding Kobi, and someone has been lying to her the whole time.

I thought this was a fun read overall.
There were several things I really liked about it, but several things that just made it fall a little bit short for me.

I will start with the positives!
I can really appreciate a story that discusses very modern/recent concepts. It is always nice to see relevant topics in books, and this certainly has that. In our current environment, we are seeing technology reimaged and elevated to a level beyond what we have had in the past. Given all of the new developments in AI- I am not surprised to see authors beginning to include that in their newer stories.
I think this is a cool introduction into the world of robotics and would probably be of interest to a lot of readers who are interested in recent tech advancements- but also want to read something fun and lighthearted!

I love the setting here! The more books I read set in Ireland, the more I want to book a plane ticket.
I am always excited to support more Irish authors!

Also, the writing is quite nice in this. It reads very easily, and it kept me very engaged throughout. Many of the characters are likeable, and I did find myself hoping things would work out for them.

Now for the things that I didn’t like as much.
There was a point at which I started to feel a tad bit strange. Perhaps I am just somewhat of a skeptic, I am not sure. The level to which Maeve and the other characters began to see Kobi as a human- started to surpass comfortability for me. At the end of the day, we are still discussing a robot, so to see them personify him so much just got odd and made me enjoy the story a little less.

This really isn’t a huge deal for me, but I think it is worth mentioning. This story seems like romance, but I wouldn’t necessarily call it one. While it does have romantic elements, and a relationship does bloom at the end- it is not really the main focus. It is sort of on the back burner. I was just expecting a bit more, given the cover.
Again, not really that big of a deal, but an important thing to note if you are a heavy romance reader.

Overall, I thought this was decent! While I didn’t find it unenjoyable- I do think there are many readers that would take more enjoyment from this than I was able to!

A huge thank you to Netgalley, Storm Publishing and author Sylvia Leatham for providing me with the eARC of “Chaos Theory”, in exchange for my honest review!
Publication date: September 6th, 2025

[ReneeReads · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a pretty cute read. I really liked the main character, Maeve and enjoyed her character growth throughout this novel. I did laugh out loud a few times and there were definitely some cheesy moments. This is marketed as a laugh out loud rom com and while I did laugh a bit I wouldn’t necessarily call this one a rom com. There is romance for sure but it’s not the main focus.

I liked seeing how Kobi was integrated into different setting as seeing how everyone reacted to him. It’s not far fetched to think that this may become a reality sooner rather than later.

Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maeve does not like to form connections with people, she doesn't make an effort with her colleagues other than being polite, but could she befriend a robot?

When Maeve is tasked with babysitting Kobi in her job to help him improve his human interactions, humorous calamity ensues.

The main point of view is Maeve's, but there are a few from Kobi, which is what I feel assists in pulling it away from being a romantic comedy.

The last 30% of the book goes on a chaotic tangent involving Kobi's purpose, a heist, and potatoes.

(ARC provided by NetGalley)

[ruby 𓂃˖ ࣪⊹]

Dnf’ed at 25%

I am not a person who dnf’s books often and I really didn’t connect with this one, but I know that some people definitely will.
I think my main issue is that this book is described as a “quirky romantic comedy,” and I don’t think that is accurate at all. I can tell that this book focuses more on the robot/ai aspect than anything else, and while I know that some people will really enjoy that, it just wasn’t for me. I also didn’t really connect with the characters. I did like the wiring and the dialogue, which is always very important to me when reading and I can tell that the author is a very good writer, even if the story didn’t click with me. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in reading about robots/ai entering workplaces, and the way that people have to adapt to that 😊

Thank you to netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the arc in exchange for an honest review :)




𝙥𝙧𝙚-𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙

My first arc!! So excited to start this one, I love reading books set close to home 🤭

[Lisi Bee (Beth) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, how I'd love to have a robot like Kobi! I think the premise of the story was great: Maeve handles a new assignment at her tourism board job (integrating a robot helper, Kobi, into the office workplace) while juggling two love interests (situationship Shane and Kobi's programmer Josh). But I don't think the story fully delivered on the premise. There was less overall focus on the romance than I expected, and more focus on Kobi and his successes and failures in interacting with humans, as well as on Maeve's journey about letting others in and coming to understand what she wanted in life. (Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the focus on Kobi, I just went into this book thinking it was going to be slightly different than what I got.) I also thought the pacing was a little uneven, especially in the first half of the book, but the question of why Kobi malfunctioned at the previous company definitely kept me reading. I really liked Kobi, and I loved that he got a POV! (I would have liked more from his viewpoint in the first half of the book, though.) Although I wouldn't call this laugh-out-loud, there was a nice amount of humor without being slapstick. I got the sense that the author didn't fully know what she wanted this book to be and so she combined a lot of themes all together and actually kind of made them work (part romance/part fish-out-of-water workplace comedy/part corporate conspiracy mystery/part lit-fic self-exploration novel). But for my reading experience, it felt a bit too disjointed to be fully cohesive. Even though this wasn't quite my cup of tea, I'd read this author again. I like how she handled Kobi and his growing pains, and his personality grew to be very endearing over the course of the story. (I honestly think I would have enjoyed this book more if the romance aspect was cut out almost completely, which feels almost sacrilegious to write as a hardcore romance reader but that's how much I enjoyed Kobi and his assimilation into a human workplace.) 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars. Publishes September 5, 2025. This review is based on a complimentary eARC of the book, all opinions are my own.

[Ashley Kalhagen · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐️
I was sent this arc and decided to read it after seeing the description of the book. It sounded like it was going to be a cute and funny rom com that had a unique twist with a robot. Unfortunately, I don’t think that’s really the genre of this book. The romance is very much secondary to the robot plot, and while the book was somewhat interesting (it brings up a lot of questions about ethics in AI, how technology should be used in the workplace, etc), I felt that it didn’t fully reach its potential. I liked the chapters from Kobi’s perspective, they reminded me a lot of Marcel’s perspective in Remarkably Bright Creatures. It was just hard for me to actually care about this robot’s feelings and what happens to him (which is kind of the point of the book I think. Trying to decide if robots matter like people do). I expected more of a rom com with funny situations the robot got the characters into, so it was not necessarily a genre I would pick. I think it was well written and could be a book someone would really enjoy if they know what it is going in. It just wasn’t for me!

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm publishing for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Susanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

For the first 25%, I wasn't really enjoying this, but it picks up after that until the last 20% which has an odd change in direction. Maeve is meandering through life, flitting from job to job. In her current job as a marketing assistant, she's asked to babysit a robot named Kobi. Kobi is a collaborative robot designed to assist in the workplace and is fun character! I didn't think much of Maeve to start with, but she does well with Kobi, coming up with some great ideas to help him fit in. The chapters from Kobi's POV are sometimes hilarious. Slowly but surely Maeve comes into her own and finds her passion working with Kobi. Some interesting twists along the way. This is more a 'slice of life' story than a a romcom. Not a brilliant read for me unfortunately.
Thanks to Netgalley, Storm Publishing, and Sylvia Leatham for the free ARC. All opinions are my own.

[Mila_13 (11:11) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.50 ⭐️
When I submitted my submission for this book I thought it was a cute workplace romcom. I was wrong. The book is more about the question of AI robots in the workplace. I had a hard time getting into it because it’s completely out of my comfort zone but I ended up enjoying it still. The chapters from Kobi (the robot) perspective were really entertaining and funny. But I really was so lost on the romance part like wdym I didn’t understand who was supposed the love interest. But if you like these types of books you are probably going to really like it because it’s well written in my opinion 🤗

[Emma Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a cute read. I was hooked from the very first page and I kept reading until the first as I wanted to know what happened. The story was cute and easy to follow with a great cast of characters. plus I loved the place settings in the book. I highly recommend it and I look forward to reading more by the author.
💝 Thank you to Netgalley, Storm publishing and the author Sylvia Leatham for my arc ebook copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

[Maria · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was looking forward to a romance with a quirky robot and his silly antics but it wasn’t to be. This read more like someone had done a lot of research into robotics and wanted to get credit for it. The romance is buried deep within this robotics manual and even the funny parts are few and far between. In essence, it was boring and not for me.

I received a copy from #NetGalley for an honest review.

[Ryleigh Reyes · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.75 stars (ARC READ)

It was light-hearted, comedic, and easy to follow along with. I thoroughly enjoyed the snippets of Kobi's character throughout the book. I think his contribution as well with Maeves is what sold the book for me. The books' chapters were set in time frames, which made the book go by fast. This book is classified as a romantic comedy, but I felt as if the romantic aspect was not as prominent. I would considerate it more general fiction, with a subplot of romance as I didn't feel the characters were primarily concerned with forming romantic relationships for a majority of the book. At some parts I felt rather bored, but it certainly wasn't a bad book

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

The cover suggests a contemporary romance, there isn't even a hint of Kobi, the robotic AI assistant who is at the core of the novel. Whilst there are certainly romantic elements it is more a comedic look at the ups and downs of integrating an AI assistant in the workplace.

Maeve is not skilled in IT no matter what her cv might say; she has been flitting from job to job and is doing something related to marketing for Go Ireland a company promoting Irish tourism, when she is given the surprise task to assist a robotic assistant, helping it integrate in the workplace. This leads to some comic situations, like when they take the robot to the pub and it mysteriously gets wet, whilst Maeve is answering a call of nature. Her colleagues are suspicious of Kobi fearing it will be monitoring their productivity and possibly threatening their employability.

There are romantic elements, Maeve has an on off relationship (situationship?) with her colleague Shane and a kind of love triangle emerges when she is attracted to Josh the attractive American technician responsible for programming and engineering Kobi. But these romantic elements are very much in the background.

The POV is mostly with Maeve though some chapters are from Kobi's POV, who has an intersting and amusing take on human interactions. Both Maeve and Kobi are likeable characters, I would have liked more focus on Kobi. Both characters develop through the story and the book is well written though it is difficult to know the intended audience, I think romance fans will be disappointed and those interested in AI in the workplace will be left wanting more. There is also a corporate conspiracy theory lurking in the background, the creators of Kobi haven't been too forthcoming about its intended purpose.

Overall it was an entertaining and amusing read but I think it needs a different cover.

Thanks to Netgalley, Storm Publishing and author Sylvia Leatham for providing me with the eARC of “Chaos Theory”, in exchange for my honest review! The book was published September 5, 2025.

[☾arina⭐︎ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was such a charming read. The story follows Maeve, who’s assigned to help assimilate a robot named Kobi into the workplace. My favorite part of the book was Maeve’s interactions with Kobi. Their dynamic was funny and heartfelt. Kobi’s attempts to fit in and find his role at the company were both hilarious and endearing, and watching Maeve and Kobi’s relationship grow closer over the course of the book was fun to see. Maeve's coworkers didn't know what to think about him, which made their interactions all the more comical.

There are some chapters broken up between Maeve and Kobi, which made it that much more interesting to read and gave us a better understanding of what Kobi was thinking.

Where the book fell short for me was in the romance, or lack thereof. Honestly, the love interest felt more like a “friends with benefits” situation than an actual romantic connection. Maeve often complained about him, and the things she said didn’t come across as affectionate. Their lack of chemistry made it hard to buy into the sudden shift toward love—especially after the whole underwear incident, which was brushed off a little too casually. In contrast, I felt she had much stronger chemistry with the other potential love interest.

Another sticking point for me was Maeve’s reaction to Josh at the end. She struggled to forgive him, but it came across as somewhat hypocritical since she was willing to make a similar choice herself just “differently.” Given how much both of them cared for Kobi, I expected her to understand his motives more, especially since his lie wasn’t malicious.

I also noticed that some chapters ended very abruptly. Often, the last sentence felt unfinished, as if the thought should have continued, which disrupted the flow slightly.

All that said, I really enjoyed the comedic aspect of the story and especially the bond between Maeve and Kobi. Their relationship is what kept me wanting to continue reading. For what it is, this was a cute and fun read, and I’d definitely recommend it, especially if you enjoy workplace humor with a touch of heart.

Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

What happens when your office hires a robot—and he turns out to be more human than your coworkers?

Chaos Theory by Sylvia Leatham was such a cute read! I really connected with Maeve McGettigan, the main character. She might seem like a bit of a hot mess, but she’s also incredibly intelligent. It just takes her a while to recognize her own brilliance. By the end, she embraces her inner geek and lets it shine, and I loved seeing that growth!

Then there’s Shane, Maeve’s co-worker and occasional friend with benefits. He’s not dumb, but definitely a little bird-brained—he doesn’t always think things through or consider how his actions might affect others.

We also meet Josh and Kobi. Josh is the robot genius who created Kobi, a human-like robot. Maeve’s boss decides it would be a great idea for Kobi to join the team at Go Ireland. Josh needs a safe environment where Kobi can learn from humans and develop his intelligence. Unfortunately, not everyone at Go Ireland is thrilled about this new “colleague.” Most of the employees are suspicious, worried that Kobi might expose their shortcuts or get them in trouble for not following every rule.

It isn’t until a team-building painting activity that Kobi finally starts to be accepted. As the team spends more time together, they begin to see Kobi less as a threat and more as one of them. The process is slow, but the way they warm up to him feels real and satisfying.
And the twists at the end—wow! I definitely didn’t see them coming. The ending was so sweet and unexpected, and I absolutely loved how it all wrapped up.

Thank you to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Lyndi (mibookobsession) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maeve has finally been able to settle down back in Dublin after a childhood being forced to move and say a lifetime of goodbyes. Which is the biggest reason for her casual on-again-off-again situationship with her coworker Shane and her just for now boring marketing position at Go Ireland. But then she learns that she's becoming a babysitter for Kobi, an assistant robot in desperate need of some people skills. With each human interaction, Kobi learns, but in the meantime all he seems to cause is chaos!
I think Kobi was my favorite character! He far outshines the main character Maeve. I really disliked her in the beginning and I'm glad she finally matured by the end. I did enjoy the growing relationship she had with Kobi, kind of treating him like a little brother. The story of why Kobi was created by Robotron added a little bit of mystery (and tears at the end, I'm not ashamed to say).
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

[pat · Rating 1 out of 5]

dnf @/36%

first thing first, I picked it up mainly because the cover looks too similar to ali hazelwood’s love, theoretically. the color of the background as well as title and author fonts, the style of the fonts itself, and the ‘theory’ component in the title! it’s too convenient to be coincidental. SHAME

I read 21 one chapters and there was no ounce of romance, unless of course we count her scrambling out of dude’s apartment after hook-up and a little outlandish comment that men always look at women’s boobs when she was in a close proximity to one.

the ai robot was the center of it, and I didn’t like positive comments/arguments about it. it was very lame.

one could think the sentient robot was the love interest, it even got its own povs

please stop scamming people for their money. it’s not a romance so if you look for one, try something else

Arc provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. sorry i didn’t finish but idc 🤪✌️

[Lyn ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

♡ Dual POV
♡ Robot companion
♡ Love triangle
♡ Closed door

I wasn’t sure how to feel about this when I initially started to read because I didn’t connect with the characters right away but was quickly wrapped in the emotions that came along with the challenges Mauve faced in getting to know and work with Kobi. He was so much fun — the banter and sarcasm he learned from his peers, the emotional intelligence and connections that were formed were so damn heartwarming. I certainly did not expect myself to get so damn emotional 😭

I was confused on where the romantic aspect of this book was leading though. It was surprising and a bit disappointing ngl??? All in all though I’m glad that this book explored deeper bonds via friendship, trust, mud and potatoes hehe

💌 Thank you so much NetGalley, Storm Publishing and Sylvia Leatham for the eARC! ♡

[Janine · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5* - Rounded up to 5...

This is a lovely irish novel where Maeve finds herself responsible for a teaching a robot, Kobi, and in a love triangle with her on-again-off-again situationship, Shane, and Kobi's main engineer, Josh. Add to the mix that if this robot training project doesn't work out, she'll also be out of a job.

And so we find ourselves going through a hilarious round of activities as Maeve learns SO much about herself, and Kobi, and Shane, and Josh, and humanity, and along with the humour, comes a whole host of other emotions, and people turn out to not be what they appear, and Maeve finds herself in an impossible situation. Luckily, everything works out for a really sweet and fabulous HEA...

This really was a fun read!

I received a free copy of this book through NetGalley and Storm Publishing and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Aga · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chaos Theory was an okay read. Maeve hooked me from the start—she’s an outsider who doesn’t easily connect with people. That shifts when she’s paired with Kobi, a roboid, and suddenly her world tilts. There’s Shane, clear boyfriend material, Josh, the handsome American robot handler, plus a swirl of conspiracy.

I enjoyed the Irish setting and the bits of history woven in, but the plot felt predictable and really could have been wrapped up in 200 pages. Entertaining enough, but not one that will linger with me.

[Kim Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75. Very cute story.

[Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5

[Bethan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book: Chaos Therapy
​By: Sylvia Leatham
​Chapter: Thirty-Seven Page: 186
​MAEVE
Friday, 3pm
​🌟🌟🌟🌟

​°•. One time, we pretended to be each other for a day. We swapped clothes and gave our parents quite the surprise when we went home to each other's houses at the end of the day.
‘Anyway, our birthdays were coming up, and it was my idea that we'd ask our parents for the same pair of Converse but get one pair in black and one in white.
“To really know someone, you have to walk in their shoes,” I told Sacha.
I was so wise! And I was the one who insisted that we each wear one black shoe and one white one. Our mothers thought it was dumb, but they tolerated it.
‘Until one day my dad announced that we were moving again. A great opportunity had come up in South Africa for work. A couple of weeks before we were due to leave, Sacha asked me for her white shoe back. °•.

​▪︎Review▪︎

|:: Could you trust your safety to an AI programmed to improve itself by being in your company? What happens when that friendly AI stops taking orders? How great is the danger?

​Maeve is struggling with a life of boredom. She is looking for a new job, new opportunities, and has promised herself to take the very next chance she gets. But when that chance comes in the form of "babysitting" a robot called Kobi, she struggles to relate, adapt, and connect with the machine.

​How can something built to ease the human workload fit into an office that promotes assistance yet lacks the skills needed to work with people? Why her? She is not tech-savvy at all. In fact, she barely knows how to use a coffee machine.

​Tripping over herself to impress her boss, she does her best to ease Kobi into office life. Others, even those who initially thought of him as a corporate spy looking to replace humans, soon warm to him after his intelligent banter and sophisticated yet simple actions win their trust and hearts.

​But not everything is as it seems with Kobi: a secret is hiding inside him, and it's only a matter of time before someone finds out what that is. Will the perfectly charming Kobi reveal another side and unleash something they never expected?

​▪︎My Thoughts▪︎

​I loved this book. It was funny and witty, and at times I laughed so hard I had to stop reading for a few minutes. Shane was a big hit for me from the beginning. I liked him straight away, and although I couldn't understand Maeve's perspective at first, as the book developed and she was revealed little by little, I understood why she found it hard to make and keep connections. Kobi was the big love for me, though. I have a big interest in AI, so this was a breath of fresh air.

​It fascinated me because it made me think about what it would be like when AI is placed into human surroundings. The problems, adventures, simple malfunctions, reactions, and hostility shown were something I had never actually thought about before.

​Maeve's witty and interesting choices were fun to read; she was really relatable and easy to connect with straight away. I found JP amusing, especially at the fancy dress party. I roared with laughter, and the thought stayed with me long after I had gone further into the story.

​This book was a fun and charming way of introducing Maeve, the very passionate AI babysitter who was won over by a machine that shouldn't have been commissioned in the workplace. But thanks to the dedication, handling, and care shown by a few, Kobi became a symbol of hope rather than an object to use for harm.

​Sylvia is obviously a force to be reckoned with, and I was honestly honoured to read this book! I am definitely adding her to my new favourite authors list and can't wait to read the next book from those talented fingertips! ::|

​Title: Chaos Therapy
​Author: Sylvia Leatham
​Publish Date: 05/09/25
​Publisher: Storm Publishing
​Review Score: 4/5
Spice Score: N/A

​A huge thank you to Sylvia Leatham, Storm Publishing, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and relay my honest feedback.

[Ashley EmDash · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chaos Theory by Sylvia Leatham lightly bites into AI and robotic ethics while serving up a dash of romance in this workplace-focused novel. While it didn't deliver what I immediately suspected -- primarily romance -- it ended up being a much more interesting read due to its deviation from a standard formula.

In Chaos Theory, Maeve works for Go Ireland, a tourism-focused marketing agency helping people plan visits to Ireland. The book's opening establishes her relationship, or situationship, with Shane from work. Maeve isn't really committed to work or relationships at the start of the book, but she quickly establishes she wants to find something/someone that helps her feel steady or more engaged in the workplace and in romance.

Enter Kobi, a workplace robot with artificial intelligence who needs to work on his "soft skills," communicating and establishing something like personal connections with his co-workers.

A really unique feature of this book is that multiple chapters are written from Kobi's perspective. They lend a lot of emotional development to his character. When coupled with Maeve's burgeoning understanding of Kobi as both a robot and something more, it really sets the stage for key events in the book and for -- hopefully -- generating independent thoughts about the nature of robotic and/or AI interpersonal relationships.

As Kobi navigates office life at Go Ireland!, he hits a few major speed bumps, enjoys some successes, and ultimately starts to integrate into the team. Along the way, he becomes much more than anticipated, and it introduces a twisty, unexpected ending to the book.

For romance, readers are left to wonder if Maeve's office situationship with Shane will stand the competition brought in by Kobi's creator, Josh. While the development of both of these relationships occupies real estate in the book, any romantic angle pales in comparison to the time and lift of navigating the workplace with Maeve and Maeve and Kobi as a duo.

The love triangle is also a bit squashed.

I would have preferred to witness more development of these relationships or to have avoided a love triangle at all given the added complexity of Kobi. I think the book would have read better this way.

This minor consideration aside, I still really enjoyed the book and the thoughts it inspired surrounding AI in the workplace. Just avoid going into Chaos Theory expecting a well-developed romance arc.

My review is based on a Net Galley advanced reader's copy. All thoughts are my own.

[Caitlin · Rating 2 out of 5]

2⭐️

This was not for me unfortunately and I had high hopes from the beginning of the book that it was going to be great.

I want to start by saying I don’t think this was a bad book, I just think it was poorly described. It makes it sound like it’s a romance book with a robot sub-plot but in reality there is very little romance (possibly 10-20 pages total in the whole book).

I am not someone who needs romance in a book to enjoy it so I think I could have liked this had I not known anything about it before hand or had a better idea of what the book was about.

I liked the overall story and whilst I think it could have been shorter the whole plot of the book being about the morality of AI and robots in the workplace was interesting. I also think the way the author explored this without making the book heavy and jelling it lighthearted was really good.

I think there were some issues with the writing. A lot of times characters would be talking and then the dialogue would stop but the POV would tell us what was being said to them. But it looked like the author had just taken out all the speech marks and it confused me a few times.

I think Maeve and Shane had potential to have a really good relationship arc with some great tension. Unfortunately this just wasn’t developed or explored enough and by the end it just feels rushed and like an afterthought. The characters felt liked they belonged in a romance with the cheesy dialogue and a lack of real character development.

I hate being so critical because I really don’t think this was a bad book. But overall I just didn’t enjoy it as much as I hoped I would.

I would recommend this book if you like something a bit different or you’re interested in the development of robots and their implications in the workplace, but you want something lighthearted and fun.

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for an arc copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

[KC · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review: Chaos Theory

So, imagine being told your new work assignment is… training a robot. Not just any robot, but Kobi, an AI who’s supposed to “learn” how to fit in at an Irish tourism office. Poor Maeve is the unlucky employee handed this project, and let’s just say her life gets complicated fast. Between wrangling Kobi, navigating a love triangle between a coworker and Kobi's engineer, and realizing people around her may not be telling the whole truth, Maeve has her hands more than full.

The concept is unique and clever. With AI creeping into every corner of our real lives, this felt super current but still manages to be light and funny instead of overly tech-heavy. And the setting? Gorgeous. Books set in Ireland are dangerous for me, I always finish them googling flights I can’t afford.

Maeve herself was great to follow. She’s relatable, funny, and actually grows as a character instead of just tripping through chaos. I even laughed out loud in a couple of places, which I wasn’t expecting. The writing flows easily, too, and I read this faster than I meant to.

On the flip side, sometimes the way everyone treated Kobi like he was 100% human veered into uncanny valley territory. Like, yes, he’s polite and charming, but let’s not forget he’s made of wires, not feelings. And while this is being marketed as a rom-com, I’d call it more of a “rom-sometimes.” The romance is definitely there, but it’s not really the driving force of the book.

Overall, Chaos Theory is a quirky, entertaining read that mixes robotics, secrets, and just enough romance to keep things interesting. It didn’t blow my mind, but I think readers who want something fun, modern, and a little different will really enjoy it.

Big thanks to NetGalley, Storm Publishing, and Sylvia Leatham for the ARC! Pub date: September 6, 2025.

[Tanisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Books have always been my “happy place.” I’ve been a romance reader for as long as I can remember, and if you throw in a main character working in STEM, I’m immediately interested. That combination just feels like it adds something extra to the story. So when I came across this book, I was instantly excited, and let me tell you, it did not let me down.

I went into this one thinking I had a pretty good idea of what I was getting, but wow, I was wrong in the best way possible. The first surprise is that in addition to the FMC, you also get a POV from someone I was not expecting at all. I won’t spoil who, but it made the book so much more entertaining and gave me a whole new perspective on the story. Another big plus is the humor. There are so many books labeled as “romantic comedies” that don’t really make me laugh, but this one? It had me cracking up more times than I can count. I actually had to put the book down a couple of times just to laugh it out.

But here’s what I loved most: even though it’s packed with humor, the book doesn’t shy away from more serious themes. Without giving too much away, there are moments that catch you off guard with their weight and depth. That balance between laugh-out-loud funny and heartfelt emotion made the story really stick with me. It wasn’t just fluff; it had some real substance underneath all the fun.

Overall, I really did enjoy this book. The ending wasn’t my favorite, but it made sense for the story and wrapped things up in a way that worked. I would have loved a little more detail in those final pages, but that’s just because I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to these characters. If you like a romance that can make you laugh, surprise you, and tug at your heart a little, this one is definitely worth the read.

**I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

[SelkieReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

So firstly, I really did enjoy this book but I feel the marketing is maybe a bit off when I signed up I thought I was signing up for a romance, but this felt a lot more like a woman’s fiction/science fiction book. And if anything, the romance felt more like a sub plot than the actual plot- can robots show humanity?
It’s a super cute story and I loved the main characters.
Maeve is your very typical woman just trying to deal with childhood dramas and figure out what happy looks like for her. She’s come back to her native Ireland after moving all around the world with her parents following the death of her father. While working in a tourism company and having a very casual relationship with her coworker, Shane, she is given the specialty job of taking care of A helper robot. The robotics company is trying to see how the robot will interact in a low stakes job next to humans.
Chaos ensues, of course, but luckily the robotic engineer, and enigmatic and handsome American man name Josh is thrilled to help Maeve.

But is everything on the up and up? Is the shiny new future that Josh presents based in reality or fantasy? Maeve has to figure out if she wants to live in fantasy and what is she willing to give up, or should I say who?

I wouldn’t say this is a spoiler because it says it in the blurb, but there is a semi love triangle?
My mean qualm is that I felt there was very little backstory, and no flashbacks for Maeve so when you’re finding out information about her, it doesn’t feel very deep. It’s more she says why she does things but we’re not shown why she does things. I feel like it would hit deeper if we were shown more as it didn’t really make sense why she was so adverse to building relationships with people until the very end of the book but by then you’re already feeling like ‘damn this woman’s just a flake’

[Alex Sedrowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maeve works for an Irish tourism company in Dublin and has a situationship with her coworker Shane. Both are wanting to move on to better suited workplaces. While Shane is personable and popular Maeve feels like an outsider with everyone due to her childhood of moving around the world constantly. Her workplace is given an opportunity to get a workplace companion robot to assist the people working at the company. Maeve is assigned the task of being the robot Kobi’s “manager” a.k.a. Babysitter/Wrangler. Maeve has no idea what she is doing and Kobi’s programmer Josh, a very attractive American, doesn’t seem to give her much guidance other than saying Kobi needs to interact with people to create new neural pathways and learn to better be around people. Maeve does her best to integrate Kobi into the Go Ireland office and facilitate a camaraderie between the humans who work there with their new robot counterpart. While there are elements of romance between Maeve and Shane as well as Maeve and Josh, I think the real love story is the relationship that Maeve fosters with Kobi as she takes on more of a mentor and parent role than just babysitting. It was a cute story that took me a bit to settle into as I went in feeling it would be more of a love triangle read than it was. It was very sweet story of friendship and explored the idea of AI within the workplace (and within creative fields), where do ethics belong in the development of technology & how does it affect that development, how people bond and anthropomorphize inanimate objects and assign emotions to them, and with that taking a look at how we use AI and machines and in what capacity. A cute and makes you think story overall.

[Miriam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I requested an ARC of this book, and all opinions are my own.

The cover of this book makes you think it's a romance, and while there is a sort-of love triangle, the main plot is about finding what makes you YOU. What makes it unique is that one of the characters who 'finds themselves' is a robot - a fully autonomous helper bot created to help make worker's lives better. I did not expect to have such big feelings for a robot, but here we are.

Maeve has trust issues due to a lifetime spent moving all over the world with her parents. It's the only way of life she knows, so she finds herself going from job to job, never really settling in and never really forming lasting connections with her co-workers. She and her coworker with benefits, Shane, have an understanding, but you can tell he's more emotionally invested than he lets on.

Enter Kobi, and his handsome programmer, Josh. They both turn Maeve's life upside down and force her to rethink what she thought she understood about herself. Things are not always easy, in fact there are more than a few mishaps, but through it all Maeve finds strength and confidence. What is also endearing is how Kobi learns and grows in relation to the world around him. He always means well, and wants so badly to be of use to his human 'friends'. His story is really the one that grabbed me the most.

This was a fun book to read; full of humor, emotion, and a surprisingly gripping action sub-plot. I highly recommend it to all readers.

[Chronically Bookish Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to admit, when I started this book it wasn’t written in a style that I would usually enjoy. And to begin with I found myself taking note of some strained language here, or some repeated stereotypes there.

But when I really got into the story, and more specifically when I got to know Kobi, none of those things seemed that important anymore!

I absolutely fell in love with Kobi, his developing personality, his awkward first social attempts, his funny little quirks, his relationship with Maeve. He was just a delight! I obviously have a weakness for anthropomorphised characters because I could not get enough of him. And the fact that we get some chapters from his POV was absolutely brilliant!

And seeing how the human relationships around him changed and grew over the course of the book was enjoyable as well.

By the end I could not have cared more for these characters, and although there are some twists and turns towards the end (which I can’t decide if I feel were a step too far as pertains to how realistic/unrealistic it all got) I can’t deny that my emotions were fully engaged!

So while I can recognise that the writing wasn’t always quite on point, I had such a fun time reading this and would definitely read future books by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers and the author for the opportunity to read this eARC.