Gone girl and girl on a train meet black mirror.

A unique take on a romance story with synth Julia being created for a bachelor-esque show. But is that what she really wants from life?

I loved the story and was gripped by the mystery element around Josh’s disappearance. The hints that the perfect bachelor may be all he seems. The style of going back and forth in time between present time and time on the show.

A look at what it means to be a human and where the lines are between synth and humanity.

Made For You is a love story, but it's not like any love story you've ever read before. Julia meets Josh on The Proposal - a Batchelor-like reality TV show where Josh has to choose one woman from more than a dozen to marry. Julia is desperate to be the one- but so is every other girl in the line-up. Not quite in the same way, though. You see, Julia was made for Josh. Literally. Julia is a synth.

A year later, Julia and Josh's marriage isn't as perfect as she hoped it would be. Turns out reality TV isn't always reality - who knew? Josh has gone missing, and despite her innate "do no harm" programming, Julia is under deep suspicion of having done something to him. Can she find him, or find what has happened to him, before it's too late?

Told over two timelines, Made For You gripped me right from the start. The "then" timeline walks us through Julia's time on The Proposal, while the "now" timeline begins on the morning Julia wakes up to discover Josh isn't there. Instantly, you have questions. Just how has this seemingly perfect couple fallen so far? Has Josh simply left or has something happened to him? Worse, has someone purposefully hurt him?

As the book progresses, you'll only have more and more questions. The action is perhaps a little slow here: if you prefer fast-paced thrillers, you might find Made For You too much of a slow-burn. Personally, I loved it: the pace fits the story perfectly. It's fast enough to keep us turning the pages but slow enough for us to get a good feel of the characters and get us asking questions, wondering what on earth is happening.

Of course, Made For You isn't wholly realistic: it's about a synth, a humanoid robot, after all. Not just any robot, either: Julia looks and acts entirely human. She has free will, she can feel pain, she needs to eat, drink and sleep and, thanks to an egg donor, she even menstruates and can conceive a child. It's a lot to believe, but Jenna Satterthwaite has effortlessly created a world that, for whatever reason, I've accepted without question. She's done a fantastic job of making it feel real, too, with politics woven into the fabric of the novel - many people simply can't accept synths living among them.

Yes, you'll have questions, and seeing Julia as a possibility, let alone a real person with thoughts and feelings, does require a bit of suspension of disbelief. For me, it came easily - but others might struggle.

Ultimately, this feels like a novel of two halves: first, the exploration of what it means for a synth to live a real, human life, complete with marriage and motherhood; and second, the thriller/whodunnit element of what has happened to Josh. I loved both elements, and I've found Julia a fantastic character. She's flawed, like any of us, and reading about her thoughts, feelings and emotions has been fascinating. The slow burn of discovering where Josh has gone - and uncovering the reality of his and Julia's relationship is utterly gripping too.

If you like the idea of a thriller with a unique sci-fi element, there's a lot to love about Made For You. A love story, a futuristic 'what if', a thriller - I've lapped up every aspect of it, and I look forward to whatever Satterthwaite does next.

I read this so fast!! It has everything, love, crime, reality tv, tech!
This needs to be an episode for black mirror!!

Thank you for the ARC copy! This definitely packs in something for everybody in 2025! Is this what our future looks like???

I think I'm developing a thing for books featuring bots!

Meet Julia. She's a synthetic, and she's been made especially to win the heart of Josh in the reality show, The Proposal.

We have two timeliness here. In one timeline, we follow Julia as she makes her way through The Proposal reality show. The week by week dates, how she bonds with the other girls in the competition, and we watch the love blossom between her and Josh. I do love a trashy TV show, and this worked well on the page.

In the other timeline, we are fourteen months after the reality show has ended, and Josh is dead. This timeline is very much 'who dunit'.

I enjoyed reading this, I was equally invested in both timelines. While at points you have to suspend your disbelief, overall I thought it was well thought out.

I think if you enjoyed Annie Bot by Sierra Greer, I think you will also enjoy meeting Julia Walden.

Four stars.

ive gone into a few books, film, tv on this recently. ive been unsettled of how the world is coming along with this AI and synth stuff. i recently watched a movie of a nanny that was one and it went bad quickly. i think people exploring this topic is good. i think knowing the ethics or exploring how bots can never be humans is something we arent doing enough of frankly. so any book or feature that makes people think is a good thing.
this book had me all over the place. because i was asking questions over questions behind every chapter plot point and decision. because behind it all i couldnt get passed this person/synth not being human so it made me wondering and not liking, from the very beginning, of her being in the competition to win this bloke and have a future with him. it didnt sit well. and this is of course A ME PROBLEM.
but it was a great book. and i think if this was a book that didnt seem like it could become or was part of whats becoming real then i would really like it. it was a bit too close to home though in the world we are now entering. so I think that made me too uncomfortable.

A very interesting and thought provoking theme. I did however fail to really engage with the main character, and found it hard to read. Hope other readers enjoy it more.

Made for You by Jenna Satterthwaite is a gripping and wildly original mix of science fiction, reality TV drama and murder mystery. At its heart is Julia Walden, a synthetic woman designed to compete in The Proposal and win the love of bachelor Josh LaSala. Controversial from the start, Julia defies expectations and gets her fairy-tale ending—until it all unravels.

Fifteen months later, Julia and Josh are married with a baby, but public scrutiny and deep-seated prejudice threaten their happiness. When Josh vanishes and Julia becomes the prime suspect, she is forced to uncover the truth herself. What follows is a high-stakes investigation that challenges not only her understanding of love and trust but also her very identity. Is she truly a person, or something else entirely?

Told through dual timelines, this twist-filled debut is as thought-provoking as it is thrilling. Blending artificial intelligence with reality TV and a chilling murder mystery, Made for You is an unforgettable ride that keeps the reader guessing until the very end.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

I really enjoyed this book! This is the second story I've read by this author, and I really love the way she sets up the plot and how the mystery slowly unravels throughout. I loved the concept of the AI/synth incorporated into a reality dating show, and to add a mystery/thriller element on top really sold it to me! It was a real page turner, and I will absolutely be looking out for any and all books by this author. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a good thriller with sci-fi elements.

Thank you so much to Verve Books for the ARC via NetGalley and for giving me the opportunity to share my honest thoughts on the book.

A science fiction crime thriller that will appeal to fans of dark speculative fiction and reality romance programmes. I was interested in the science and ethics behind the making of Julia but this was never fully explored. An interesting novel but not for me.

Julia Walden has entered a competition to find love .. the only thing is she is not 'a real person' she is a Synth. specially made for the show.

fast forward and Julia is married with a child.. then her husband is killed and she stands accused.

This is a modern read and one that in this fast technically developing world seems all so real.

It is twisty and filled with drama and is a book that makes you think ..could this really happen.

Brilliant.