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Bobby Robot
In a world run by machines, one boy must prove the heart still matters.
Sixteen-year-old Bobby is the last human on a planet full of robots. His only shot at survival—and maybe restarting the entire human race—is to pass the brutal training designed to erase emotion and turn him into a flawless, logic-driven mind.
Fail, and his consciousness is uploaded into the a robotic shell with no feelings, no free will, and zero future for humanity.
The bots say this is the way forward. That emotion is a bug, not a feature. That humans weren’t worth saving in the first place.
At first, Bobby’s not sure they’re wrong.
Then Jen crash-lands on the planet. She’s unpredictable. Loud. Very human. And she makes Bobby start to feel—really feel—for the first time in forever.
Now Bobby has a conform, upload, and lose what little humanity he has left...
Or risk everything to prove the bots wrong—even if it means failing the test, breaking the rules, and learning to care in a world built not to.
Bobby Robot is a high-stakes, heartfelt sci-fi adventure about identity, emotion, and the glitchy, chaotic brilliance of being human.
Sixteen-year-old Bobby is the last human on a planet full of robots. His only shot at survival—and maybe restarting the entire human race—is to pass the brutal training designed to erase emotion and turn him into a flawless, logic-driven mind.
Fail, and his consciousness is uploaded into the a robotic shell with no feelings, no free will, and zero future for humanity.
The bots say this is the way forward. That emotion is a bug, not a feature. That humans weren’t worth saving in the first place.
At first, Bobby’s not sure they’re wrong.
Then Jen crash-lands on the planet. She’s unpredictable. Loud. Very human. And she makes Bobby start to feel—really feel—for the first time in forever.
Now Bobby has a conform, upload, and lose what little humanity he has left...
Or risk everything to prove the bots wrong—even if it means failing the test, breaking the rules, and learning to care in a world built not to.
Bobby Robot is a high-stakes, heartfelt sci-fi adventure about identity, emotion, and the glitchy, chaotic brilliance of being human.
318 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 16, 2025
6 people are currently reading
81 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
June 2, 2020
It's becoming increasingly rare to find a book, or really a story overall, that makes you feel like a kid again. Bobby Robot did just that, and hopefully the title character will take his place alongside other kid literary heroes such as Harry Potter and Percy Jackson.
The relatability of the protagonist is perhaps the novel's key strength, especially in a world where people are pressured more and more to overexert themselves and complete near-impossible tasks just to make it through the day. At the beginning of the novel, Bobby struggles with living up to the cold, perfectionist standards of the bots that raised him, his only sources of relief being his haywire companion LINC and sneaking off to visit the Archiver, a bot in possession of a repository of knowledge and stories from a civilization Bobby had thought was too far gone. As young adults face increasing difficulties as they grow, being expected to work tirelessly like machines to get ahead, Bobby's situation is very familiar. But when he has the chance to leave and meet people who show him that there's so much more to life, it serves as a reminder that everyone needs to take a break and have fun now and then, and that those who constantly tell you you're not good enough more often than not don't have your best interests at heart.
The characters all have multiple facets to them and are greatly enjoyable, with LINC standing out the most, consistently stealing every scene he's in. The world building intrigues the more information comes to light, something I'm positive the sequel will expand upon.
Overall, Bobby Robot is a funny, adventurous and heart-warming coming of age story I strongly recommend. I can't wait to see what the author has in store for the future!
The relatability of the protagonist is perhaps the novel's key strength, especially in a world where people are pressured more and more to overexert themselves and complete near-impossible tasks just to make it through the day. At the beginning of the novel, Bobby struggles with living up to the cold, perfectionist standards of the bots that raised him, his only sources of relief being his haywire companion LINC and sneaking off to visit the Archiver, a bot in possession of a repository of knowledge and stories from a civilization Bobby had thought was too far gone. As young adults face increasing difficulties as they grow, being expected to work tirelessly like machines to get ahead, Bobby's situation is very familiar. But when he has the chance to leave and meet people who show him that there's so much more to life, it serves as a reminder that everyone needs to take a break and have fun now and then, and that those who constantly tell you you're not good enough more often than not don't have your best interests at heart.
The characters all have multiple facets to them and are greatly enjoyable, with LINC standing out the most, consistently stealing every scene he's in. The world building intrigues the more information comes to light, something I'm positive the sequel will expand upon.
Overall, Bobby Robot is a funny, adventurous and heart-warming coming of age story I strongly recommend. I can't wait to see what the author has in store for the future!
March 28, 2020
I can't say enough good things about this book.
Along with keeping me up all night laughing, Bobby Robot reminded me that mistakes are okay to make and feelings do factor. Bobby is the perfect hero to tackle the idea of perfectionism. His innocence and wide-eyed curiosity pose questions we forget to ask as people raised among other humans, but they're such important questions. His haywire task assistant, LINC, is the most quotable character I've read, and his comedic ignorance helps Bobby make sense of all the new data and feelings he's exposed to. Barnes is the ultimate mentor, using metaphors and real-truths to help Bobby understand the subtleties of morals, good vs. evil, and thinking with his heart. And then there's Jen. In Bobby's black-and-white world, she's neon. More than any other character, she shows Bobby that human flaws can be beautiful, and in a brilliant turn of events, Bobby teaches her a thing or two about humanity. Bobby Robot is filled with laugh-out-loud moments, creative world-building, and words written so perfectly that I just have to touch them.
Along with keeping me up all night laughing, Bobby Robot reminded me that mistakes are okay to make and feelings do factor. Bobby is the perfect hero to tackle the idea of perfectionism. His innocence and wide-eyed curiosity pose questions we forget to ask as people raised among other humans, but they're such important questions. His haywire task assistant, LINC, is the most quotable character I've read, and his comedic ignorance helps Bobby make sense of all the new data and feelings he's exposed to. Barnes is the ultimate mentor, using metaphors and real-truths to help Bobby understand the subtleties of morals, good vs. evil, and thinking with his heart. And then there's Jen. In Bobby's black-and-white world, she's neon. More than any other character, she shows Bobby that human flaws can be beautiful, and in a brilliant turn of events, Bobby teaches her a thing or two about humanity. Bobby Robot is filled with laugh-out-loud moments, creative world-building, and words written so perfectly that I just have to touch them.
March 23, 2020
What 16 year old doesn’t want to be perfect? What young person doesn’t want to live up to the expectations of adults around them, regardless of how unachievable?
Bobby learns that things aren’t always black & white, tough choices have to be made, perfectionism isn’t what he thinks it is, and deep beliefs are hard to change.
Bobby learns to accept who he is (cliffhanger: we have to wait for book 2 to find out the deets,) OH....and, at 16, he’s responsible for some next level stuff. No pressure there!
It’s an easy read, the author uses very descriptive language so you can visualize the scenes as they play out, and lots of things get blown up.
Bobby learns that things aren’t always black & white, tough choices have to be made, perfectionism isn’t what he thinks it is, and deep beliefs are hard to change.
Bobby learns to accept who he is (cliffhanger: we have to wait for book 2 to find out the deets,) OH....and, at 16, he’s responsible for some next level stuff. No pressure there!
It’s an easy read, the author uses very descriptive language so you can visualize the scenes as they play out, and lots of things get blown up.
August 6, 2020
Great read! The only human on a robot planet? Sold! What does a boy raised by robots act like? Someone who’s probably extremely disappointed in himself for never being able to be perfect like a computer. Very comparable to what so many teenagers feel today. That need to be perfect, like the kids on Instagram, TikTok, Disney. This book is so relatable on that level. Yet it had so much comic relief from LINC, it never got too heavy. LINC had me laughing more than any character I’ve read in a long time. I found myself looking forward to his next line. Fantastic!
November 1, 2020
While this book is targeted towards teens, I'm over 30 and could barely put it down. It took me back to being a kid the same way movies like Star Wars and Avatar did. All of the characters are extremely relatable and the action and humor are top notch. What shined the most for me was the visual imagery. Michael Hilton paints this futuristic, dystopian society in a complete, yet concise way that is fantastic. I felt like I could clearly see every person (or robot), ship, landscape, etc. I can't wait for the next book!
May 20, 2020
I can't recommend enough!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book's sheer originality and all of the unexpected twists. It was filled with tons of heart and made me laugh a lot. It was a wonderful meal for my tiny human brain.
May, I also say, LINC is one of the greatest treasures the reading world has ever had. I'm not exaggerating when I say he is easily one of my top 3 characters of all-time. He probably made me laugh more than any character I've ever read before.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book's sheer originality and all of the unexpected twists. It was filled with tons of heart and made me laugh a lot. It was a wonderful meal for my tiny human brain.
May, I also say, LINC is one of the greatest treasures the reading world has ever had. I'm not exaggerating when I say he is easily one of my top 3 characters of all-time. He probably made me laugh more than any character I've ever read before.
March 9, 2021
Really fun sci-fi book that is great for teens and adults. Descriptive world building really makes you feel like you've stumbled into a new galaxy inhabited by some really empathetic and fun characters. It's filled with great action and thought-provoking dialog. The story will definitely keep you guessing. The edition I read came with a chapter preview for the next book in the Bobby Robot series, which I was happy to see, I'm very excited to explore more of this universe.
April 8, 2020
I very much enjoyed this book.
The storyline was very entertaining and inventive.
Very clever use of imagery throughout, and all of it topped off with a very satisfactory ending.
Overall, it was just very fun and I must say the cover art is awesome.
The storyline was very entertaining and inventive.
Very clever use of imagery throughout, and all of it topped off with a very satisfactory ending.
Overall, it was just very fun and I must say the cover art is awesome.
April 24, 2020
This is such a fun read. Bobby is a good lead struggling with normal human imperfections, and LINC had me laughing through the whole book. I loved the characters and can't wait to follow them when BR 2.0 releases.
October 12, 2020
I'm not usually a huge Sci-Fi fan, but Bobby Robot is filled with so many relatable, witty characters that I couldn't put it down. Michael Hilton weaves an action-packed tale and builds such a believably alternate world that you'll be hooked. Can't wait for Bobby Robot 2.0!
December 3, 2020
This was fun. Probably a little predictable, but not at the same time, especially since I didn't really see the twist coming. My feeble human brain did enjoy many of the things the author was trying to do and the message he was deploying. I can't wait for 2.0 :)
March 27, 2020
Definitely recommend! I don't usually read YA Science Fiction but found this book to be interesting and entertaining. Can't wait for Bobby Robot 2.0!
May 22, 2020
A very good YA Sci-Fi with interesting characters and lots of action and twists to keep you hooked. I highly recommend to anyone wanting a fun and easy read.
July 20, 2020
Excellent!
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews