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Set My Heart to Five

Simon Stephenson (Goodreads Author)

3.81 · Rating details · 557 ratings · 178 reviews

For fans of Fredrik Backman and Gail Honeyman, a delightfully entertaining, deceptively poignant debut novel about a humanlike bot named Jared, whose emotional awakening leads him on an unforgettable quest for connection, belonging and possibly even true love

Jared works as a dentist in small-town Michigan. His life is totally normal, except for one thing. He is a bot engin ...more

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Hardcover, 448 pages

Published September 1st 2020 by Hanover Square Press (first published May 28th 2020)

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Apr 17, 2020 Emer (A Little Haze) rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed, netgalley, read2020, adult-fiction, 2stars, scifi-dystopian

Oh how I truly wanted to love this book.
I thought I would because the premise is so intriguing.
Imagine a version of our world in the near future where ‘bots’ exist. Bots are androids with human DNA that look and sound human... but obvs are not. They can’t feel like a human does. They are programmed. And in this version of our future they are programmed to do certain jobs and tasks, don’t have the freedoms that humans have. Are prejudiced against etc. Very much thought of as subservient and are ...more

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Sep 02, 2020 Carolyn rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I loved this original, delightful, poignant, and heartwarming book. It was written with wit, wisdom and insight into the human condition despite its shortcomings and the perception of what it means to be human.

The story takes place in 2053 and is narrated by a bot, Jared. We don't know the entire fact about world conditions. We are told that New Zealand and perhaps North Korea were obliterated, some cities are permanently aflame, all planes in the sky crashed on a single day, and Elon Musk inci I loved this original, delightful, poignant, and heartwarming book. It was written with wit, wisdom and insight into the human condition despite its shortcomings and the perception of what it means to be human.

The story takes place in 2053 and is narrated by a bot, Jared. We don't know the entire fact about world conditions. We are told that New Zealand and perhaps North Korea were obliterated, some cities are permanently aflame, all planes in the sky crashed on a single day, and Elon Musk incinerated the moon by mistake. Ha!
Bots have replaced humans in many jobs and transportation is by driverless uber or automatic bus.

Jared works as a dentist as it was judged that empathy had no part in that profession. Bots, like Jared, were designed and programmed to be incapable of feelings, whereas doctors require empathy (a good bedside manner) even if their diagnosis and prescriptions are wrong. Jared is programmed to tell each human he meets:
"Please do not be fooled by human-like appearance.
I am a mere bot.
I do not have feelings or anything else that might be misconstrued as a human soul."

Jared notices one morning that numbers in his cloud are decreasing based on the number of teeth he examines per day in his dental practice. This countdown indicates a near future date when he will be recalled and destroyed by the Bureau of Robotics. He has been programmed to think and speak in a literal, logical and linear manner. According to his programming for dentistry, some exclamations and words have been added to make him seem more human but these also make him annoying, such as the too frequent 'Ha!',' I cannot!', etc.

On a visit to the doctor working in the same premises, Jared relates his problem where the numbers indicate he will soon be incinerated. The doctor's diagnosis is that Jared is suffering from depression which is a disorder of human feelings. Jared argues this is impossible, as bots cannot have feelings. This doctor is not a happy man. He never wanted to be part of the medical profession, and regrets he didn't become a screenwriter. He is a heavy drinker. His prescription is Jared must watch old movies. One day, Jared finds himself crying at a movie described as a tearjerker. He attends a number of old movies that are not named, but it is easy to identify them from the descriptions of their plots. Jared finds new emotions flooding his consciousness. The doctor gives him a chart to help him name each new feeling. He experiences emotions of excitement, hope, vengefulness, amusement, cheer, regret, delight, optimism, and discovers what happiness means.

With the time approaching when he is to be demolished, he flees to LA. There he takes a job as a dishwasher in a restaurant. He also attends classes in screenwriting. Most movies being made depict bots killing humans by lasers shot from their eyes or nuking cities from space. This has caused the public to hate and fear bots. Jared knows he must pretend to be human. Jared's screenplay aims to present to viewers that bots are kind and friendly and definitely not dangerous.
He is top of the class and a producer buys his script with a promise to make it into a movie. The producer's scheme is to have it rewritten into another Killer Robot horror film. Jared finds he is falling in love with a clumsy waitress who works at the same restaurant. They date and she returns his affection. He knows that he must confess to her that he is actually a bot. After much hesitation, he tells her. How does this work out for him?

The officer from the Bureau of Robotics is closing in, intent on Jared's capture. Jared goes on a hunt to find his 'mother', a brilliant Chinese scientist who created him and is lecturing nearby. He hopes that she can solve the problem with his love life. When he nears the lecture site, there is an unruly mob yelling," Burn the Bots!" Does he finally meet his creator, and can she offer any help?
The ending is heartwrenching but bittersweet. To be a motion picture! ...more

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May 02, 2020 Amy Meyerson rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Oh, how I loved this novel. Set My Heart to Five is one of the most original, funny, and heartwarming stories I’ve read in years. This novel has it all—humor, insight, social commentary, romance, Hollywood, the end of society as we know it, old movies, and classic cars. Jared may be a bot, but he feels emotions more acutely than most humans. I loved following him through the pages of this clever and poignant novel. Set My Heart to Five will set your heart well past that. It certainly did mine.

I' ...more

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Jun 15, 2020 Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: post-apocalypse, sci-fi-fantasy, just-for-fun, mood-boosting-books

Jared is a bot. Bots have taken over the responsibility for the jobs that humans no longer want to do, including Jared's job as a dentist. Bots live lives in human bodies, going to work, living in houses, eating, but with one big difference---bots have no feelings.

Then Jared goes to see a movie and discovers he is crying. What is going on? What is he capable of? What will those who run the bot world do when they realize Jared may be able to experience emotions?

I loved this book. I knew I was goi ...more

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Aug 06, 2020 Eleanor rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: sff, work-heywood-hill

4.5, I loved this. I'd say 5 in a different mood, even. RTC.

Later: The premise here is perhaps cringey to a certain type of reader: in a near future containing “driverless ubers” but no New Zealand (casualty of a nuclear exchange with North Korea, apparently), Jared, a bot who looks exactly like a human but whose brain is a biological computer and who has no emotions, begins to develop feelings, along with a taste for classic movies. Pursued by an incompetent but dogged jobsworth from the Bureau 4.5, I loved this. I'd say 5 in a different mood, even. RTC.

Later: The premise here is perhaps cringey to a certain type of reader: in a near future containing “driverless ubers” but no New Zealand (casualty of a nuclear exchange with North Korea, apparently), Jared, a bot who looks exactly like a human but whose brain is a biological computer and who has no emotions, begins to develop feelings, along with a taste for classic movies. Pursued by an incompetent but dogged jobsworth from the Bureau of Robotics, he flees his comfortable, sterile dental practice in Ypsilanti for Los Angeles, intending to write and direct a movie that will change the way the world feels about bots. So far, perhaps, so cute (an impression backed up by Jared’s relentlessly slangy narration: “10/10” and “I cannot!” being but two of his many catchphrases). But what makes this stand out as more than just a big-hearted underdog novel with futuristic set dressing is its obsession, nay its love affair, with film tropes—which are, of course, storytelling tropes—and by way of which Jared comments, both explicitly and unconsciously, upon his own quest.

I wrote “underdog” up there, for instance; Jared knows he’s in a quest story, and he knows how the logic of such stories works. He knows that Inspector Ryan Bridges of the Bureau of Robotics is his nemesis, and that (as per RP McWilliam’s Twenty Golden Rules of Screenwriting, a text he treats with reverence) coincidences should only occur in order to create obstacles, not to smooth the hero’s path. This incredible circular knowingness—a story about stories, and who gets to tell them, and how they can be hijacked (there’s a great subplot about an unscrupulous Hollywood producer), which also knows it’s a story, and comments on that, and the comments are both an integral part of the story and reinforce its thematic meaning—is quite brilliant, and further reinforced by form, as sections of the book are typeset to resemble a film script. If this all sounds a bit precious, please trust me when I say that it is not. There is something perfect and painful about Jared’s first viewing of Blade Runner, for instance—quite deliberately a movie about whether robots are people—or about his being reassured that the people sailing on Lake Michigan during inclement weather probably don’t want rescuing, because humans actually enjoy illogical risk. Not to mention his unexpected side trip to Las Vegas with a lonely, self-deluding fellow train traveler (who happens to hate bots), or the way he falls in love. Set My Heart to Five is poignant, funny, light on its feet, and very, very sharp. By the end, I felt—as Jared hears a famous screenwriter say—as though I’d been “f-worded in the heart”; I can’t recommend it more highly. ...more

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Dec 12, 2019 Susie Wang rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi, netgalley

Got it on Netgalley and read the opening pages. This is written like a script with a ton of British humor!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is a love letter for movie lovers.

Jared the bot develops complicated feelings after seeing a bunch of "old movies". These are classics that any movie love would have watched. He doesn't reference them by the titles, but by plots. And he describes them in a hilarious way.

There are also many references to rules ...more

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Jan 24, 2020 Heidi rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

10/10 in love with Jared! (If you've read it - you'll know!)

A sublime delve into what it means to be human. Jared's journey of self-discovery (a bot discovering he has developed human emotions and feelings) is one I didn't want to end. It made me want to be a more humane human. I laughed out loud and cried along with every step he took. Jared's 'awakening’ is so precious and perfectly written. His use of the Feelings Wheel makes us question what we are actually feeling at any given time. His des ...more

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Jul 21, 2020 Rachel Bridgeman rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: july-20

Hugest of thanks to Midas Pr, once more, for inviting me on the tour for ''Set My Heart To Five', which is out now in hardcover and ebook editions, and, shortly in audiobook as well!

Interspersing a film script of Jared's life with his internal dialogue, the reader skips forward in time to 2053, when robots are grown (to the optimal of 43 and 'live' until they run down a set amount of years).

Humans have declared the jobs which robots can and cannot do-surprsingly to Jared, because humans are inex ...more

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Oct 07, 2020 Angela Groves rated it really liked it

This was the exact pick me up i needed right now. It's not just another 'robot gets feelings story'. It's real exploration of the human heart and the depths of emotion. It's adorable, it's funny and it's a real catharsis. ...more

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Jun 16, 2020 Heather rated it really liked it

Shelves: netgalley, fiction

I don’t know if I it’s just because I have mild autism, but I totally identified with this robot from the beginning. I love the way he talks. I love reading a book that has words I have to look up! That hasn’t happened in I don’t know how long.

This is a story about a bot who looks just like a human in the future after the “Great crash.” The story of the crash and how it happened is part of the fun of reading the story! Anyways, there are bots doing all kinds of jobs, and Jared is a dentist. Who ...more

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Oct 12, 2020 Ryan Smith rated it it was amazing

Such a wonderful book! This is the kind of book I would feel confident recommending to anyone. It's smart and hilarious. Yes, it made me cry--and not many books have done that--but it's a joyful read. ...more

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Jul 26, 2020 Lel Budge rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Jared is a dentist, he’s also a bot.

Set in a time where the jobs humans no longer want to do are now done by androids.

But, Jared is different, he is interested in humans and their emotions, so with help from a friend, Jared begins to experience feelings himself…..(a little reminiscent of iRobot).

Told by Jared this unique tale is part narration and part movie script….he loves movies. It shows how odd human emotions appear when viewed from the outside.

It’s full of dry humour with a wry look at th ...more

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Jul 17, 2020 Kerry-louise Jones rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: net-galley, own-kindle

This is a new take on a coming of age story. Jared is living in the future, 2054 to be exact, when bots are the norm and currency is bitcoin. Everyone knows that bots are not supposed to have feelings but Jared discovers that he has developed them.

This was a really sweet and uplifting read with a lot of humour and witty observations. Jared was such a lovable character and I enjoyed following his journey to get a film to screen that would show humans that not all bots are bad. It highlights some ...more

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Jun 29, 2020 Laura Hill rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: literary-fiction, speculative-fiction

Thank you to Hanover Square Press and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on September 1st, 2020.

Writing: 4.5/5 Plot: 4/5 Characters: 5/5

Jared is a bot. Engineered from human DNA, he lives a productive life as a dentist in Ypsilanti, Michigan and is deeply programmed to serve humans. Until one day … he starts to have feelings. Thus begin his simultaneously hilarious and yet poignant adventures as he heads to Hollywood ...more

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Jul 14, 2020 Lucy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley

This book made me smile on every page. I loved Jared and his infectious enthusiasm. I could have done with a little less foreshadowing of the foreshadowing but that's a minor gripe. I thoroughly enjoyed this read and I look forward to seeing whatever is left of the original story when it's inevitably rewritten for the screen! ...more

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Jul 14, 2020 Tahiti rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This book is one of those special finds that only comes along so often. I feel like this is the kind of gem you hope to get your hands on by asking all of your bibliophile friends what their best recs are, and STILL... you just don't find a book like this very often. And it feels so timely given all that is going on in the world.
First and foremost, it is an utter page turner. Seriously,once you are along for this fun ride, I dare you to put it down - even to sleep. And it literally made me lau This book is one of those special finds that only comes along so often. I feel like this is the kind of gem you hope to get your hands on by asking all of your bibliophile friends what their best recs are, and STILL... you just don't find a book like this very often. And it feels so timely given all that is going on in the world.
First and foremost, it is an utter page turner. Seriously,once you are along for this fun ride, I dare you to put it down - even to sleep. And it literally made me laugh out loud more times than I can count. Yet, it has some of the most thoughtfully stunning prose I have ever seen. Every so often a book has one or the other, but it is only the greats that can balance both. The only one in recent memory for me to achieve this balance page-turning with such dazzling writing is The Road by Cormac McCarthy, but this is a different genre and about a million more times inspiring and uplifting than that!
This is the story of a bot named Jared, set in 2054. Jared is supposed to be a bot without feelings, programmed for dentistry but he discovers (through watching old movies like Forrest Gump, Love Story and Blade Runner to name a few) he does have feelings and perhaps isn’t satisfied with dentistry as his only mission. As Jared searches to understand himself, his feelings and his place in the world, Jared is all of us. Except Jared is funnier and more charming than all of us. This is what makes him the type of character that you will get attached to and want to keep in your life. The type of character that you'll miss like a dear friend when the journey ends. And what a smart, nuanced, heart-warming and thought provoking journey it is. As Jared would say, “10/10” you will both laugh and cry.
This book is also so creative. It surprised me at every turn and it is told in a way I have never seen before. As Jennifer Egan did in A Visit From The Goon Squad, it too introduces totally new formats of storytelling, and it does so in a truly delightful way. Some of the diagrams Jared uses to explain things were the places I laughed the hardest. The use of the screenwriting format in other places was both meta and moving. One thing that is not surprising about this book is that it is slated to be adapted as a film with Edgar Wright attached to direct. It will no doubt be a huge hit. But do yourself a favor and don't miss this literary dream first!   ...more

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Apr 30, 2020 Kath rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I am not sure where to start with my review for this book other than to say that I 10/10 loved it!
Jared is a dentist but he is also a bot. He has to explain this to people as it isn't obvious. Bots don't have feelings but Jared starts to. He has a friend he confides in and his friend tells him to go watch old films. He rates film in volumes of tears. He is really getting this feelings thing. He now feels he wants - no needs - more from life. But he fears the robotic corporation shutting him down I am not sure where to start with my review for this book other than to say that I 10/10 loved it!
Jared is a dentist but he is also a bot. He has to explain this to people as it isn't obvious. Bots don't have feelings but Jared starts to. He has a friend he confides in and his friend tells him to go watch old films. He rates film in volumes of tears. He is really getting this feelings thing. He now feels he wants - no needs - more from life. But he fears the robotic corporation shutting him down cos bots don't have feelings... but, piqued by the films he watched, he wants to be a screenwriter. But screenwriters are mostly found in LA and he is in Michigan. So... armed with his feelings-wheel he does the only thing he can... ROAD TRIP!
This is the start of a very big adventure, none of which I am going to spoil here but it's all the emotions and then some, with some reveals along the way... all the time following the basic rules of scriptwriting...
I still don't know what it was about this book that made me love it so much. Maybe it was the sheer escapism that it gave me away from what my life in lockdown is at the moment. Maybe it was the message of hope that was underlying all the way through. Maybe it was the occasional parts that were written as stage directions / dialogue which kept popping in every so often, mixing things up. Maybe the little references to things I equate with, films and that, peppered throughout the narrative. Maybe cos I really loved Jared right from the start. I guess his little dig at Tom Brady also really helped me with that #flyeaglesfly...
All that and a really cracking story to boot...
Whatever it was, it made me very reluctant to put the book down. I even gave up the TV to my brother and had to suffer baseball re-runs all day and evening on in the background so much I needed to finish it, find out what happened at the end... which, by the way, was not as predictable as I thought it was going to be.
All in all, a breath of fresh, quirky, air that lifted my life, even just for a little while. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.
PS I wanna go see the tridge! ...more

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Jun 12, 2020 CJ rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley, own, alternative-history, antiheroes, too-much-angst, characters-that-annoy-me, smart-ass-know-it-alls, special-snowflake, scifi, fiction

If you can get over the incredibly annoying first character narrative, you're gifted with a Shakespearean comedy of errors. But with a character who is compelled to describe and explain every single tiny thing, sometimes punctuated with inaccurate charts, graphs, flowcharts and venn diagrams, it draaaaaagged. Readers don't need the Bots description what a bird or pharaoh is. Plus, I presume the incorrect bar chart was meant to be witty but all it did was make me shudder and twitch in horror - at ...more

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Dec 22, 2019 Jodie Moone rated it really liked it · review of another edition

What a funny and insightful book into human behaviour through the eyes of a bot! It’s both clever and smirk-worthy, and taking a step back to see the world through Jared’s eyes was both enlightening and humorous.

At first, I didn’t think this book would be for me. The “bot-written-style” through me off, but as I continued, I fell more in love with each page.

The nods to pop culture were refreshing, the original dismissiveness of Jared being like humans was brilliantly done. “Ha” and “I cannot” s ...more

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Nov 28, 2020 Simi Friedman rated it did not like it

This could of been truly really really funny , but instead I true abhored it. (the reviews on the book had to be paid/ his friends ). MAYBE if it had been a short story it might of worked. but this is a way too long, pretentious book.

1 I know hes a "bot" but the way of writing is SO SO annoying and hard to read. You'd think a bot could write more like a human. Then again IT aka the bot doesn't seem human like just because it expresses emotions.

the continuous "has!" "humans!" every paragraph mad ...more

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Aug 10, 2020 Neil rated it did not like it

Shelves: romance, netgalley, science-fiction

I received a free copy via Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.

This is far too long and boring.
The main character appears to have too describe every fine detail of there life which tends to become repetitive.
This was not for me and is one I did not finish after attempting twice.

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Oct 21, 2020 Janet Hutchinson rated it it was ok

Shelves: adult-me-read, book-challenge-2020

I started off initially enchanted by this book, but soon got bogged down. And a little tired of the Ha! I honestly preferred the “script” portion of the book, over the story line. And it felt about 200 pages too long.

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Nov 05, 2020 Michelle rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2020-books-audio

A robot suddenly realizes he has feelings and embarks on a journey to enlighten humans and free his fellow bots. A really funny, sweet story.

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Oct 09, 2020 Karla Oceanak rated it it was amazing

10/10 the whimsy, pop-culture nostalgia, joie de vivre, and affable skewering of idiot humans (I cannot!) I needed right now. Jared has set my jaded heart to five.

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Dec 27, 2020 Sharon rated it liked it

I gave this book a 3, it's a 3 1/2. It was a cute book and an easy read. It's sweet story about Jarod the robot who suddenly experiences sadness and discovers overtime that he has emotions and goes on to create a life for himself and fulfill his dreams. He lives his home and starts a new life. ...more

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Aug 01, 2020 TBHONEST rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Set My Heart To Five by Simon Stephenson is a beautiful and heartwarming read that you will never forget.
The book is an emotional roller coaster ride that you will not forget. It makes you laugh out loud, it makes you cry. But ultimately it’s a beautiful and heartwarming story.

A story that you cannot help but engage your friends and loved ones in a discussion about what it means to be human, handing over a copy of the book so they too can be swept up in Jared’s story and all the references to ol ...more

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Jul 25, 2020 Fabienne Schwizer rated it really liked it · review of another edition

In 2054, a time past the ubiquity of the internet, Bots are everywhere. They look like humans, but they are still Bots and are considered as not much more than unfeeling slaves. Told entirely from the perspective of Jared, one of those Bots, Set My Heart To Five explores what happens when a Bot develops feelings, and what it means to be human. Using a unique writing style - a Bot trying to imitate a sort of human flow-of-consciousness - interspersed by screen-written moments, Jared and his world

...more

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May 28, 2020 Caroline Kerdouci rated it really liked it · review of another edition

If I could award a book a five star review for premise alone then this would be it. Original, definitely quirky and cleverly written with such a lovable main character, Set To Five offers a fictional glimpse into a not so futuristic world where humans and bots coexist, although not in harmony! Jared is a dental bot, living in Ypsilanti,fascinated by humans and their capacity for feelings, something that is pretty much incomprehensible to a bot programmed only to be logical and perform his dental If I could award a book a five star review for premise alone then this would be it. Original, definitely quirky and cleverly written with such a lovable main character, Set To Five offers a fictional glimpse into a not so futuristic world where humans and bots coexist, although not in harmony! Jared is a dental bot, living in Ypsilanti,fascinated by humans and their capacity for feelings, something that is pretty much incomprehensible to a bot programmed only to be logical and perform his dental tasks. Developed in Shengdu and rapidly aged in Detroit, whose mother is the infamous Professor Feng (facts we are constantly reminded of!!)
imagine what could happen if an Android developed feelings and set out to change the world?? I cannot!! (you’ll understand this reference if by the end of this review I’ve managed to pique your interest enough to pick up this unusual but strangely entertaining novel). Join Jared on his journey as he learns and discovers what it is to live as an entity driven by feeling. He may only be a toaster with a heart but his mission to change human
perception of bots is both funny and sad. In a world where a bots only claim to fame is to star in movies as evil killer bots desperate to obliterate the human race, is Jared’s mission to cast his fellow bots in a more favourable light just an impossible dream??
Narrated entirely from Jared’s viewpoint, his journey into the alien world of feelings is told via a cinematic script, in which he is the star. Heavily influenced by plot lines of movies, with the help of his friend Dr Gludenstein, Jared begins to experience all range of feelings and his life really takes a dramatic turn when he decides to turn fugitive. His nemesis is Inspector Bridges of the Robotic Bureau. 10/10 Jared does not want to be wiped, the very worst thing that could happen to a bot so it’s vital he remains on the run, evading capture. He is destined to have a blast along the way in true Hollywood blockbuster style and I was rooting for him at every turn of events.
This is a novel that forces you to look at ourselves (as humans)from an outsider’s perspective, a far superior version of that exercise you may be given as a child, to describe something as seen through the eyes of an alien visiting planet earth. I loved how many of the feelings attributed to us mere mortals seem nonsensical in Jared’s eyes with his observations full of ironic humour, providing many laugh out loud moments. He is such an endearing character with his repetitive phrases and it’s entertaining to witness him experiencing such a wide range of emotions, good and bad, from puzzlement and bewilderment through to joy and love on his journey to evolving as a bot capable of feeling.
For me using movies as a way to propel Jared’s story forward is a brilliant way to make it all the more relatable and it often reads as a Russian doll type of fiction with a plot line within a plot line within a plot line if that makes any sense! I loved (BTW) the descriptions of iconic films interspersed in the narrative, which make them so obvious to the reader but without giving any direct reference to the actual titles. Clever! All types of movies are mixed up in the storyline so you can expect fantasy, action and some tear jerking scenes, all mirroring human emotions.
My only criticism is that whilst I loved the idea and creativity behind this novel, I really struggled with the writing style and the way it has been executed so that some of the repetitive phrases Jared is so fond of using started to really grate on me.
The ending is befitting of any worthy blockbuster and one which I found strangely quite moving. If you can get past the odd style of writing which presumably is intentional given we are listening to a bot speaking, then I think you will enjoy Set my Heart to Five. In my opinion it’s worthy of a read and you may be pleasantly surprised how quickly you warm to a character that’s a bot with feelings!! I so wanted to be able to give a five star review for this ambitious and original piece of fiction but after much thought have settled on four simply because I found it difficult to completely connect with the writing style but fully appreciate what the author has set out to achieve.
My thanks as always to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read. ...more

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Jul 30, 2020 Laurie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

So far this takes place in a world where bots have taken over some human jobs (dentistry) b/c humans no longer want to do them, there is no moon, and transportation consists of driverless buses and cars.

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Oct 16, 2020 Susan Heiss rated it really liked it

4.5
That last line of the review says it all.
"Delectably entertaining and deceptively moving, Set My Heart to Five is a profound exploration of what makes us human and a love letter to outsiders everywhere."
I loved this book and its main character. Quirky, entertaining, hilarious, thought provoking and moving.
...more

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Speculative Fiction

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Science Fiction Fantasy

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Humor > Comedy

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About Simon Stephenson

Simon Stephenson

67 followers

Hello, GoodReaders!

So, I'm an author and screenwriter (and once upon a time in a galaxy far, far away I was a medical doctor). I am originally from Edinburgh in Scotland but currently live in Los Angeles, California. I've had stops in Glasgow, London and San Francisco along the way.

I like all kinds of books and most kinds of movies (except horror, urgh) and love just about everything that has fo ...more