Cover Image: Love And Other Human Errors

Love And Other Human Errors

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Member Reviews

I loved the first book of Bethany Clift so was excited for this one. It didn't disappoint. I loved the characters and the plot was unique. The world building was spot on and this novel just had me gripped all the way through. Looking forward to more of Clifts work.

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Lina, Jack and Indiana have put love on the back burner. Jack has been burnt by love and is still recovering, Lina is prioritising her work and Indiana doesn’t believe it’s important at all. Yet, Indiana has devised a piece of tech called TRU which uses computer algorithms to find your ultimate soulmate - the person who is perfect for you no matter what happens in your life. Jack, Lina and Indiana are tasked with working together to test TRU and roll it out worldwide - but what it TRU’s success is the worst thing that could ever happen to them?

I didn't enjoy this book as much as the authors previous one but it was still a decent read. This author writes well so you can connect with the plot and characters very easily. It was a quick and cute read which i enjoyed thoroughly however felt it was pretty predictable.

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I’m afraid I just couldn’t gel with this story, and eventually gave up, making this a DNF. I just couldn’t click with the main characters and so wasn’t bothered about learning what happened to them

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Clever and quirky. I really liked this book. I particularly enjoyed the three main characters both in how different they were from one another but also in seeing the relationships between them develop and change over the course of the book. Really enjoyable

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The publishers blurb for this is absolutely brilliant and well worth checking out. Indiana Dylan is the creator of Tru, an innovative data harvesting solution that takes the human error out of seeking love by matching you to your soulmate. Lina Galaz and Jack Hunter work for JaneDoe and their boss, Dr Cameron Gardener is … lets settle for something else. Indiana pitches her concept at a meeting at JaneDoe but dislikes their set up, this is not unusual! However, Cameron gets Indiana between a rock and a hard place, also not at all unusual, and Tru becomes part of JaneDoe. I shall say no more and leave the pleasure of the novel for future readers!

This is a ‘delighted smile read’ interspersed with the odd bout of sobbing, I absolutely love it! These are characters that you grow to love, really care about and invest in. No, not you Cameron or odious smug Emily at JaneDoe, you are heartless expletives deleted! So you willingly leap on-board the emotional rollercoaster, laughing, crying and hoping.

What can I say about Indiana? She is fantastic though initially you wonder about spectrums but then realise that life experiences has led to logic leading all and it’s a joy watching her change.
I love her blunt directness but also that she is way more perceptive than she seems. Some of the dialogue between her and other major characters is excellent.

Lina seems to want it all, career, family, marriage and she learns much via the Tru(th) experience. What can I say about Jack? He’s a charming mask wearer and you want to hug him!

However great these characters are and they are, it’s a dog that steals the show! Rough sleeper Frank and his dog Alan play a vital if not pivotal role in the story line and frankly (sorry) everyone needs an Alan. Adorable. I also love Peggy. Who is Peggy I hear you ask? Well I won’t give that away as that wouldn’t be fair but liking her is as Spock would say “not logical“ so go figure, or better still read the book!!

Bethany Clift has set this terrific novel sometime in the future and gives us a lot to think about. On a serious level valid points are made about data gathering but it’s also about love and the human errors therein but it’s also about loneliness, the importance of truth, achieving happiness and enduring friendships. It really makes me feel something and this is one book that will live long in my head. I daresay one of the paths it follows is a bit predictable but I find I'm not remotely bothered as I love the journey to the wonderful ending.

I hope number three is underway from this talented author because I can’t wait!

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Hodder and Stoughton appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

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When I saw that Bethany Clift had another book out, I didn't stop for a moment before knowing that I wanted to read it. I LOVED 'Last One at the Party' so much that I didn't even need to read the synopsis for 'Love and Other Human Errors' - I just knew I had to read it! And speaking of the synopsis: even that is an imaginative and refreshing approach, with Indiana insisting on providing exactly 100 words, but only a hint of the story to come.

Set nearly a decade from now in a world where technology has advanced even further, the plot follows three characters through the minefield of using technology to harness the dating world, and the pitfalls of information gathering in a world where personal data is incredibly valuable. The three point-of-view characters are fun and all very different: Indiana is curt, rules-oriented and a creature of habit; Lina is a career-focused new mum who is trying to 'have it all', and Jack hides his heartbreak behind charm and a smile. All three's lives collide when Indiana presents her revolutionary dating tech, promising to find soulmates for everyone who participates.

Indiana is a hard nut to crack, but there's a good balance in the character mix. I'll admit, I didn't love this as much as I loved Last one at the Party, but I did enjoy it a lot. If you loved Graeme Simsion's The Rosie Project, this is the book for you.

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Not for me, somehow the setting and the characters didn't really lure me into this story. And with Indiana being a data scientist and coder, I didn't like her being obsessive about details such as the time. A bit stereotypical for a nerd if you ask me, who don't happen to exist in real life, I'm thinking.

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Thank you to the publisher for my eARC copy of this book. Unfortunately I didn’t love this book and therefore didn’t finish, I just didn’t connect with this one. Not for me, sorry.

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Laced With Wit..
Set in the not too distant future, a tale of love, mystery and science to baffle the senses. Can love ever be perfectly crafted? Perhaps, by science, it’s a possibility. Or, perhaps it’s not. Meet Indiana Dylan. She absolutely doesn’t think it’s possible and she absolutely does not believe in the theory of soulmates. Will she ever fall in love? It’s just possible that her perfectly ordered and curated existance is about to implode with dramatic results. Laced with wit and a keenly observed cast of characters.

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Stop what your doing. Go pre-order this book immediately! I loved everything about this book and I need you all to get it and gush over it with me.

Set in 2030, this is the story of Indiana Dylan and how she falls in love but it is so much more than that. We meet Peggy, Indianas AI assistant, Lina, a working mum who has only ever known working all hours, Jack who is still grieving the loss of his wife, Frank, the homeless man who lives in front of Indiana’s building and (possibly my favourite) Alan the dog. Indianas character was brilliant, she was smart, funny, honest and I loved seeing her develop. All of these characters perfectly balance out this story of where technology could be heading, human connections and love.

I loved last one at the party by this author so I went in with high hopes and it did not disappoint. This is book is worlds apart from the author’s previous book but just as brilliant, I always think that just shows what incredible talent an author has

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Utterly fabulous! LAST ONE AT THE PARTY was one of my most beloved reads of 2021; LOVE AND OTHER HUMAN ERRORS is now one of my 2022 favourites! Bethany injects so much joy and humour into her books; creating characters you will love, and stories that will make you laugh and cry at literally the same time.

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I loved The Last One At The Party and was excited to read Bethany Clift’s latest novel. It’s about a woman who works for a company with state of the art technology that monitors people for weeks before identifying their soulmate. She doesn’t believe in soulmates but tries it anyway. It’s a great read with characters you really care about and it’s something a bit different, would definitely recommend.

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Bethany Clift is amazing!! So I loved her first novel and was excited to get this arc for her second. Initially I found it hard to get into, I couldn’t click with the characters, however I quickly realised that their development is done so cleverly that by the end of the book you’re staying up until 1am desperate to know what’s going to happen to them! Indiana is such a quirky main character and I loved seeing her grow and discover life. Jack just made me want to hug him and Lina initially made me cross, but she was meant to and again I grew to love her. Peggy, Alan and Frank are also my favourites, I want an Alan in my life. A definite must read!

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I really enjoyed this read. it was well written with a gripping story and well developed characters. It was a quick, easy and cute read that was predictable and funny but I didn't mind that as these books often have a certain amount of predictability.

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Lina, Jack and Indiana have put love on the back burner. Jack has been burnt by love and is still recovering, Lina is prioritising her work and Indiana doesn’t believe it’s important at all. Yet, Indiana has devised a piece of tech called TRU which uses computer algorithms to find your ultimate soulmate - the person who is perfect for you no matter what happens in your life. Jack, Lina and Indiana are tasked with working together to test TRU and roll it out worldwide - but what it TRU’s success is the worst thing that could ever happen to them?

Having loved the author’s debut novel, I was really excited for her next book. I have to be honest and say, I really struggled with this book. It’s set in the near future but I didn’t feel there was enough world building details to capture my attention like other speculative fiction I have read. I really didn’t warm to two of the main characters either and these two things together meant I found the first half of the book quite hard work. Around 50% my interest picked up and I enjoyed the second half of the book. My favourite characters were those in the background who were little life coaches to the main three - I am looking at you Doris, Frank and even you Alan, you’re such a good boy. I thought the interactions between Indiana and Peggy were really clever, especially the irony that one was distinctly more human that the other. The inevitable romance was written really well. The ending was really satisfying.

Though this didn’t blow my mind like Last One At The Party, I will definitely be back for the author’s next book.

Thank you to Bethany Clift, Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for the opportunity to review an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

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I'm a little bit sad to be finishing this book.
I loved spending time with the characters, each of whom seemed just perfectly done.
The plot goes where I expected it to mostly, I liked the good guys, and loathed the bad guys.
It's funny and warm, and utterly charming, and I swear had me with a tear in my eye at the end.
Having enjoyed the previous book so very much, I was wary on this one.
Now I'm buzzing for book 3.

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Love and Other Human Errors is not your average love story - we follow Indiana as she creates a new technology - TRU - that can scientifically match perfect universal soulmates despite the fact she finds romantic love rather useless, and the employees at JaneDoe technology who she reluctantly accepts as temporary colleagues while they get ready to change the world together.

"That's the problem with love - it's not logical."

Science cannot explain some things - the like the beautiful complexity of the human condition, or the sheer absurdity of love, or why Clift always writes such brilliant stories.

Immediately, we are transported to a not too distant future in a London that is familiar yet totally strange. The Uncanny Valley effect was in full force from the start, creating an indescribable atmosphere of mystery in an otherwise shiny and perfect place. Indiana is robotic, cold and clinical - keeping the reader at arms length but I couldn't help but find her undeniably endearing along with her amazing cohorts.

Each character was flawlessly crafted - their motivations, their desires, their patterns were carved out quickly creating a deep understanding and kinship, or a deep loathing - sometimes both.

Love and Other Human Errors is perfect, absurd chaos - it's clear the characters took the lead on this on and just went manic across the pages, trying to find ways to cope under the ever growing pressure on their shoulders and in their hearts and just hoping they don't fail.

All the decadent delight of a romance, the sharp and dangerous speculation of science fiction and the unmatchable wit of Bethany Clift - this is the kind of book you will not be able to put down until you've devoured every last page.

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