I enjoyed this book when it was describing the moderation in the VR world but the odd rambling bit at the beginning organising the cousin's party was not needed. I felt the author had more to say on AI and VR in general but she kept having to resort back to this being a 'romance'. The explicit description of sex was shocking and the ending seemed left field. A good writer with questionable choices in tone and style

Elaine Castillo’s Moderation is a darkly funny, sharply observed exploration of technology, ethics, and burnout — all wrapped in a speculative near-future that feels unsettlingly close to our present. The novel follows Girlie Delmundo, a Filipina-American in her thirties who moderates traumatic content for a massive tech company. When she’s promoted to work on a futuristic VR platform recreating lost civilizations, she finds herself not only facing the usual online toxicity, but navigating a labyrinth of corporate secrets, virtual therapy, and personal reckoning.

What makes Moderation shine is its voice. Girlie is sarcastic, emotionally guarded, and surprisingly tender beneath all that edge. Her internal monologue is sharp and often hilarious, bringing levity and intimacy to a story that could otherwise feel bleak. I was genuinely entertained by her perspective, and loved how Castillo used humor as a coping mechanism and a storytelling tool.

The world-building is immersive and layered, and the novel tackles big themes — from historical revisionism to surveillance capitalism — with confidence. I was especially impressed by how grounded the speculative elements felt. However, as the book moves toward its conclusion, it stumbles. Major revelations and emotional turning points come too fast, packed into the final chapters without the buildup they deserve. I found myself wishing the story had taken more time to explore its characters’ growth and let the emotional weight of its plot unfold more gradually.

For a large part of the novel, I was certain this would be a 5-star read. It’s clever, insightful, and deeply original. But by the end, it felt more like a very good book that could have been a great one. That said, it’s still absolutely worth picking up — especially if you enjoy speculative fiction that blends politics, technology, and humanity with a distinctive voice and a sharp sense of humor.

A book of the year, immediately - sharp, funny, richly textured, emotionally devastating, breathtakingly romantic and sexy. Castillo makes it look so, so easy, and this book makes so many of its contemporaries look either leaden or anaemic. Thanks so much for letting me read it early.

Girlie is good at her job. She is a content moderator and gets an interesting job offer.
The technology, social commentary and thriller aspects of this book are well done.
4/5 stars for that.
Plot and characterisation is 3.5/5
Overall, an interesting read with good writing and promise.

Moderation follows Girlie who works as a social media moderator, flagging and removing inappropriate content. Girlie is a good moderator as nothing bothers her. She gets an offer to start moderating virtual reality theme parks. Girlie takes the job but there could be something darker built into the company and William who started the company is exactly Girlie’s type.

This was okay. This was a five star when I started it, then it went to a four star and then a three star. I really liked the witty commentary at the start but then I just lost interest in this. This did have a lot of interesting things to say and generally I can see people enjoying this. Stories involving content moderation are always interesting and I always give them a go. I would recommend this and this was written well.