I loved the concept of this story. I think AI has a lot of potential in the mental health world, particularly since waiting lists to access help are so long at the moment, so this presents an interesting idea and also highlights that it would be fraught with difficulty and would be a moral maze. I liked that it highlighted the ruthlessness of tech giants and the exploitation of the little people at their mercy. I liked the story of Brio’s search for his father after such devastating losses and loved the twist at the end. The sections where Brio was narrating his story with a series of fictional characters was also a bit different to usual. Again, I liked the concept.
I think it portrayed a young person’s struggle with their identity very well. I liked that all of the characters were awed in some way and there was no promise of a happy ending. The frantic pace of some of the narrative was perfect in that it represented a tortured, confused mind racing away.
I also really liked that the relationship with Izzy was awed, and that we saw her struggles with her own identity too. This book presented the idea that literally everyone has their struggles, secrets and ulterior motives.
I found some of the narrative sections surrounding the fictional characters such as the Hoggit quite long and confusing. It took me a while to pick up on the references to well-known characters. I struggled to follow that part of the story at times.
[The book] grabbed me from the start. I loved the frantic feel of the first few sentences that conveyed Brio’s state of mind perfectly. I was intrigued to know what had happened to him to make him feel that way and I really wanted to find out what would happen to him. I was willing him to get together with Izzy throughout, although there was always a sense that this would probably not happen.
