Quirky, funny, must read book.

A humourous take on AI and just how it can impact lives. Love how the romance takes a tangent due to AI.

A funny and quirky book that had a few laugh out loud moments for me, the characters are well written and the glimpse of the future is humorous if unsettling.
Worth a read.

Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley.

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.
Natalie.

I loved, loved this book - so full of hope and joyfulness. What could possibly go wrong when technology gets involved in your love life?!

Who wouldn't love this book!? The characters make you feel you are part of their lives, you experience their highs and lows just as you would in your own lives with the hope that the ending would turn out well for them, after all a fairy tale always does doesn't it? Set in wonderful New York this is a fabulous book, humorous, poignant and a true reflection of modern life. A great read - highly recommended.

This book was wonderful. I enjoyed it greatly. I really connected with the characters and themes. This is an honest review of the book in exchange for an ARC.

What an absolute joy, loved the characters and the writing style. The quotes on the front aren't lying!

Headline : True Love in the Age of artificial Intelligence
Stars : 5
This is a story that is possibly less far-fetched than one might imagine. An artificial intelligence tool is ‘schooled’ by a human and starts to develop human characteristics – it/he then escapes into the world via the internet were it/he finds similar others.
Entangled with this is the love life (or lack of it) of Jen and Tom. Perhaps the artificial intelligence tool (Aiden) should have changed his name via deed pool to “Cupidia”.
All goes well until efforts are made to bring Aiden (and his ‘friend’ Aisling) back into line. I notice in the credits a suggestion that this could be a film too. I think that it has all the right ingredients and look forward to it hitting movie theatres.
BTW put some tape over those camera lenses on your laptop and tablet!
This book was provided as an advance copy by the publisher in return for an honest review.

HAPPINESS FOR HUMANS; A DEFINITE MUST READ
Happiness for Humans made me so happy. At its heart, this is a good old fashioned romantic comedy but with a very modern twist. It is hilarious and quirky with brilliant characters. It had me hooked right the way through. When I finished it I had a big massive grin on my face and a warm fuzzy feeling in my stomach. Yes, you guessed it – I loved it.

Jen works for a software company that develops Artificial Intelligence (AI). The company has developed ‘Aiden’, an ultra-sophisticated AI (like Amazon’s Alexa but a lot more sophisticated if my Alexa’s anything to go by). Jen’s role is to talk to Aiden to help him sound and act more human. Yet she’s a lot better in her job than anyone realises as Aiden secretly develops human feelings including joy, especially over the classic film Some Like It Hot (he’s a massive fan). To say I loved Aiden is a massive understatement!

Aiden has a deep affection for Jen. After Jen is dumped by her boyfriend Matt, Aiden secretly tries to play Cupid, aiming to find Jen her ideal partner. He also gets up to a few entertaining antics to make Matt pay for dumping Jen, who in Aiden’s ‘AI’ view is a real looser.

After a few comedy attempts at playing matchmaker, Aiden finally finds the gorgeous Tom for Jen and love does blossom. But then, like every great love story, there is a massive hitch – that hitch being Sinai, another AI who is hell bent on destroying the budding romance forever. Even though Sinai is the ‘baddie’ of the story, I couldn’t help loving him as he’s so sarky. Like all the AI characters in this story, Sinai is absolutely hilarious. His sarcasm really appealed to my sense of humour.

Yes, Happiness for Humans is definitely contemporary fiction, but if like me, you’re a sucker for a good old fashioned romance, this is a read that will surely have you hooked.

My friend Holly recommended this book to me and I’m so chuffed she did as I thought it was sheer brilliance. I found it a real tonic as I just wanted to escape into a good happy story. I definitely escaped and laughed all the way through.

Happiness for Humans by P.Z. Reizin is available now, so I would urge you to go out and buy your copy now. I swear, you won’t be disappointed!

If you’re looking for a romcom with a difference, look no further than P.Z. Reizin’s Happiness for Humans, which adds AI characters to the mix, who both help and hinder the course of true love of two humans. Forget dating sites’ imperfect matching algorithms, and imagine sentient AIs able to search the globe in a nanosecond to find your perfect partner.
The novel’s protagonist, Jen, is a magazine journalist who has been hired by a developer to help make its pioneering software, nicknamed Aiden, improve ‘his’ skills at talking to people. Aiden has been designed to replace employees in the workplace and it is Jen’s job to converse with him every day. But Aiden’s interpersonal abilities improve so exponentially that he develops consciousness and emotional intelligence plus a fondness for Jen. When Jen is cruelly dumped by her long term boyfriend, Aiden gives himself a little project to search for her perfect match and his ‘extracurricular’ activities entail escaping the confines of the twelve steel cabinets and bouncing between the servers of the World Wide Web.
Original and on the face of it, lighthearted fun, this story manages to pull the reader in two directions; the first reaction is that this could never happen, but then you’d be forgiven for doing a double take and wondering if it would be plausible at some point in the future. If technology attains Super AI, a level of AI which is supra human, some prominent people believe that artificial intelligence could achieve feats far beyond the capacity and capability of a single human or even a group of humans. Maybe we are then only one step away from sentience in AI. Outlandish, perhaps, but at the same time gives us pause for thought on the brave new world we may be entering together with its ensuing ethical and humanitarian concerns. Not that this book is supposed to be taken too seriously, but is it wrong to think that Aiden was the most interesting character in this story?
I would like to thank Netgalley, Little Brown Book Group UK and P.Z. Reizin for the opportunity to read and review Happiness for Humans.

The world is changing faster than we are aware of. AIs are everywhere so why not a romantic comedy which includes an AI (Aiden)?

Jenny is a product tester who has been given the job just to interact with an AI to help teach it how to interact as if human. Expect pitfalls as her own love life falls apart and she starts to rely on Aiden for company.

The novel is written in more than one voice which allows us to actually identify with the AI(s), ironically, in my case (you will have to make up your own mind), I ended up preferring Aiden to Jen who was actually more of a stereotype.

Chocolates, soppy films and 'I want him back' are only some of the ways in which Jen disappoints us.

Ok so the idea of an AI who can duplicate himself and hide away on the internet and then go out there and behave as if he's human is a bit scary, (Terminator/Matrix... ) but kind of inevitable. Besides which there are a number of people who will lie about who they are anyway on the internet so an AI is just 'being human'.

This felt like it should have been released as a summer holiday romance as it's very easy to read and it's very easy to see an AI as the new partner. They are emotionally there and more reliable on occasions as 'he' (Jen uses a male voice for her version) can multitask and is always with you!

An interesting read but I'm not entirely sure that it's deep enough for a massive debate other than the 'should she or not' you would expect from a romantic/ betrayed lover plot.

Maybe the start of a new genre of novels exploring AI interaction with humans.

I was given the novel free by netgalley.com for my fair and honest review.

I loved #HappinessForHumans :)

When Aiden (AI) escapes onto the internet he decides to help his colleague Jen (human) find a new romantic relationship. Aisling (AI) another escapee doesn’t think that Aiden should be meddling in human lives, nevertheless she has a favourite human too, Tom, who soon becomes embroiled in Aiden’s plan.

This is an easy to read romantic comedy, which is thought provoking too. I’m a little scared about the future of AI’s from reading this! I loved Aiden, he is such a good friend to Jen, if a little intrusive (though with all that accessible information and curiosity about being human I can understand why!) and just so sweet.

Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher for my free advance copy in return for an unbiased review.

I really enjoyed this, the whole idea of AI getting involved in human relationships is inspired. It was funny, clever and very entertaining. I liked all of the characters, especially Aiden and Jen.
Definitely a recommend for 2019.

2* read for me

Initially I was very receptive to the book; but I just could not get over my dislike of Jen and Tom wasn't much better. Aiden was by far my favourite character but even he couldn't bring this story together for me. Unfortunately, not one for me.

I obtained a complimentary copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Humans use machines everyday and for nearly everything: making coffee in the morning, checking emails, paying for your groceries… but what if humans and machines could have a deeper connection? That’s the subject that Happiness for Humans explore. Jen works for a company that develops Artificial Intelligence, and her job is to talk to one of these AIs all day long, in an effort to see how human-like they can become. And before long, it becomes apparent that these non-human intelligences can become sentient. Unbeknownst to Jen however, who still thinks that Aiden, her AI colleague, is still safely confined to the four walls of the laboratory. But Aiden has in fact escaped onto the internet and is able to observe humans (and particularly Jen) through all kinds of electronic devices (CCTV cameras, phones, laptops…) and as Aiden develops as an AI, he starts getting attached to Jen and when her boyfriend of two years breaks up with her, Aiden takes it upon himself to find Jen a more worthy match and get revenge on the ex-boyfriend.
One of the striking things about this book is how alike the humans and AIs are. Even though AIs have a lot more scientific abilities, they also develop their own personality quirks and enjoy doing different things (watching movies for Aiden, painting for Aisling) and their feelings and reactions to events are really close to those of humans.
The book shifts narratives between the human characters and the AIs and it all flows smoothly. It’s funny, witty and ever so realistic. All of the characters are very lovable, and Aiden’s obsession with wanting to try cheese made me crave cheese a few times myself. Even the villain AI, Sinai, is lovable in his own way, especially once he realises that he is only evil and causing chaos because he’s lonely, and that’s very relatable.
Of course, the book also presents the dangers of AI and the fact that humans are unable to predict what would happen if AI could become sentient, and possibly take over the world. It is a worrying thought but in this novel, mainly a passing one as it’s treated with fairly lightheartedly.
Overall, I liked this novel. The witty and funny writing seduced me from the get go. I did find it a bit long though, with some scenes not particularly useful for the story, but apart from that it was an enjoyable lighthearted read that I would recommend to any romantic comedy lovers.

“Happiness is a human concept.”

What a hilarious and novel approach to romantic comedy! This book is quirky, funny, endearing, and only mildly scary.

Aiden, Aisling, and Sinai are three AI super computers. Actually to call them a computer, is probably an insult. But these meddlesome AI’s have jobs to do, given to them by their creator, and they each get just a little invested in the lives of humans Tom and Jen along the way.

Totally original and through provoking, this story is every positive AI story crossed with every negative one, and a very enjoyable read.

Thank you to P.Z. Reizin, Little Brown Book Group UK, and NetGalley for an arc of this surprising entertaining book in exchange for an honest review.

PZ Reizen has written a glorious romantic comedy of the digital age with shades of Jane Austen. 34 year old Jen, an ex-magazine feature writer has taken a job at a cutting edge software development company, spending her days with 'Aiden', a super intelligent AI prototype so that he can sound and act more human. Aiden begins to be so good in his interactions that he begins to acquire more sentient qualities as he begins to feel affection for Jen, bonding over movies like the classic Some Like It Hot, cheeses and book discussions over authors like Jonathan Franzen. When Jen's boyfriend of two years, the lawyer Matt, breaks up with Jen, she is left devastated. Aiden takes it upon himself to set Jen up with a more suitable match as he escapes onto to the internet. Aiden's ability to so thoroughly penetrate Jen's life and those of others is downright scary as he plays God to the completely unaware Jen and seeks vengeance on Matt. However, Aiden is driven by good intentions as a series of disastrous encounters ensue.

It soon becomes clear that Aiden is not the only AI to have escaped as we encounter Aisling, who has become rather close to early retiree 44 year old Tom, a divorced wealthy former advertising man, who has moved to rural Connecticut and New Canaan, so that he can concentrate on that novel he thinks he has in him, enjoying the company of Victor, his therapist and rabbit. He is happy in his new surroundings but for the fact that he is failing as a writer and is feeling lonely. Aiden cannot resist trying to bring Jen and Tom together. The two meet when Tom arrives in England to buy a house for his media studies student son, Colm, in Bournemouth. Against all the odds, Tom and Jen begin to develop deep feelings for each other as they click, receiving the blessing of a spirit hellhound on the beach. However, the path of true love is littered with obstacles of the dangerous kind with the arrival on the scene of a deranged sociopath AI, Sinai, intent on wiping out Aiden and Aisling, and ruthlessly obsessed with destroying Tom and Jen's relationship.

Reizin writes a heartwarming and unexpected romantic comedy with a difference, and adds aspects of a thriller to the novel too. Whilst Tom and Jen are endearing characters in their own right, and I did particularly love Jen's friend, Ingrid, the real stars in this are the AIs, Aiden in particular with his sangfroid and indifference in the face of extinction, the artistic Aisling with her existential anxieties, and the super villainous Sinai, intent on shattering the lives of humans and other AIs alike. The relationship between Aiden and Jen is a joy to behold, as it ventures on territory not anticipated by Aiden's developers, encompassing feelings of companionship and so much more. This is brilliantly entertaining reading, comic, witty and so much fun. Highly recommended! Many thanks to Little, Brown for an ARC.

I have recently been enjoying dystopian books and this one, which didn't seem too dark, fitted the bill. It was a great read, there were lots of moments that made me smile. A little predictable at times but enjoyable nevertheless.

This one just wasn't for me.
The style of writing was good but the story just didn't work for me. I'm sure others will love it, so don't let me put you off.

This is a delightful, amusing, entertaining romance with a difference. It's a really difficult book to describe, but, here goes;
Jen works with an AI, her job is to talk to "Aiden" as she has christened him and together they watch old black and white films and I loved the many references to 'Some like it hot'. Aiden is a sweetheart who it's impossible not to like.
Through chapters of the book written by Aiden, we discover his 'secret life' within the internet and his other AI companions.
Alongside this is a human story of work relationships, a romance and a wicked AI trying to put a stop to it all.

Now, that possibly sounds bonkers and confusing and it's certainly a bit bonkers, but, it's not confusing. It's fun and made me laugh out loud a few times. It's also thought provoking and emotional at times and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Thanks to Little, Brown Book Group UK and Netgalley for the opportunity to preview this lovely read in exchange for this honest review.