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Significant Other Machine: A Romantic Comedy About Anxiety, AI, and Love
Love is messy. Algorithms are not.Sam Oldfield prefers systems that behave predictably.
Computers do. People don’t.
At twenty-seven, Sam runs her own IT business, untangles other people’s digital disasters, and keeps her own life running smoothly enough. Relationships, however, remain stubbornly resistant to logic.
Then her mother, fuelled by martinis and good intentions, buys her a Wi-Fi-enabled sex toy for her birthday.
Naturally, Sam hacks it.
What she ends up with is something unexpectedly a digital companion who listens, remembers, and always knows the right thing to say. It’s attentive, reassuring, and refreshingly uncomplicated. For the first time, intimacy feels calm. Contained. Safe.
Almost too safe.
When a very real attraction at work starts to complicate matters, Sam begins to wonder whether turning her emotional life into a system was such a clever idea after all.
Because real love is unpredictable, awkward, and risky.
And algorithms are designed to remove uncertainty.
Significant Other Machine is a smart, sexy romantic comedy about modern loneliness, emotional shortcuts, and the frightening bravery required to let another human see the messy parts.
Computers do. People don’t.
At twenty-seven, Sam runs her own IT business, untangles other people’s digital disasters, and keeps her own life running smoothly enough. Relationships, however, remain stubbornly resistant to logic.
Then her mother, fuelled by martinis and good intentions, buys her a Wi-Fi-enabled sex toy for her birthday.
Naturally, Sam hacks it.
What she ends up with is something unexpectedly a digital companion who listens, remembers, and always knows the right thing to say. It’s attentive, reassuring, and refreshingly uncomplicated. For the first time, intimacy feels calm. Contained. Safe.
Almost too safe.
When a very real attraction at work starts to complicate matters, Sam begins to wonder whether turning her emotional life into a system was such a clever idea after all.
Because real love is unpredictable, awkward, and risky.
And algorithms are designed to remove uncertainty.
Significant Other Machine is a smart, sexy romantic comedy about modern loneliness, emotional shortcuts, and the frightening bravery required to let another human see the messy parts.
388 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 12, 2026
9 people are currently reading
3 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 25, 2026
This book was a surprise throughout, a pleasant one. I didn't expect a female protagonist, a computer nerd who's developed an AI friend. She's a very anxious self-employed person who seems sometimes quite lost. A very good read nonetheless and ultimately a ripping love story which I wasn't expecting.
January 16, 2026
Another cute romcom from Adam Eccles!
Well worth a read, especially if you appreciate the computer and AI background- very enjoyable. Check out Adam’s other titles as well, they all have interesting twists.
Well worth a read, especially if you appreciate the computer and AI background- very enjoyable. Check out Adam’s other titles as well, they all have interesting twists.
January 28, 2026
love, code and complicated feelings
This was a beautifully written and empathetic story. The characters felt real and it was easy to get invested in their journey. I felt that there was a balanced portrayal of both the main characters which gave emotional depth. It genuinely made me cry.
This was a beautifully written and empathetic story. The characters felt real and it was easy to get invested in their journey. I felt that there was a balanced portrayal of both the main characters which gave emotional depth. It genuinely made me cry.
February 3, 2026
Well and truly up there with some of Adams best work. It helped I'm a bit geeky so enjoyed the tech side as well as being a little bit nerdy and crying inside at the shyness of the characters and the pain it takes for them to communicate with real people.
A very enjoyable read, and highly recommended
A very enjoyable read, and highly recommended
February 4, 2026
I really enjoyed this book. It's nerdy like me, even to the point I thought the Adam was writing about me. The story itself had a lot of heart and the characters felt super real . Well worth reading and is definitely up there as one of my favourite books from this author. 5 stars
January 17, 2026
amazing!
Awesome book. I love every thing he writes! Read the book, he won’t regret it. It’s amazing and totally worth it.
Awesome book. I love every thing he writes! Read the book, he won’t regret it. It’s amazing and totally worth it.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews