THE GARBAGE MAN - Boy, I had a hard time keeping engaged in this story. There was too much filler to keep me interested. The idea of this story was interesting but the execution painfully missed, in my opinion. Okay story lines and good characters made this an average read. A hard editing time bring the word count down would greatly improve this book. Source: Netgalley. 3*

I started out really enjoying this book. But by the end I felt like there were too many layers to the story and I would have enjoyed it more had it ended a little sooner.
The book also mentioned the movies The Matrix and Treadstone from the Bourne series and I definitely picked up on several parts of the book that closely related to them.
I felt like the couple of poker games that were described in the book were a little too in-depth for the casual reader, talking about cost of chips, blinds, the chance of getting a certain hand based on the cards in play.
I was pleased with how clean most of this book was (other than swearing and one club scene). However, toward the end there was a graphic nude scene which I felt was out of place and could have been left out completely.
Overall, this book was a fun read and had a quirky writing style that included various "voices" in her head that she had conversations with.

I received a free copy of, The Garbage Man, by Tessa Pacelli, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Kayla Mousavi just graduated and got a job at a recycling facility. This book kept me on the edge of my seat, a thrilling read. This book had a lot going on, people can be ruthless.

This book was intriguing from beginning to end. Captivating from beginning to end. This book always kept you wondering what was to come next. Be careful what you throw away.

Hmmm, this book was not for me ....and I like sci-fi & mystery /thrillers - in fact, they're both some of my favourite genres. Let's get to why this book didn't work for me.

The MC was very shallow and the writing in multiple sections felt extremely cringe-worthy. I felt this author may not be suited to writing a younger character? It's hard to exactly pin point what the issue was, but referring to her father as "daddy" (in serious scenes), referring to negative thoughts as the "mean voice" all culminated in this being given a very juvenile tone, but this does not match the actual tone of the overall book.

Much of this book is about technology, but it seems highly, highly under researched. One example being a "double wide screen". I'm assuming they mean ultrawide....? When tech is one of the main plotpoints, these errors really standout and I just couldn't take this character seriously. Or perhaps, I am just not the right audience for this, and those with no prior knowledge of AI/VR/Computer hardware may have a better time.

Thank you to NetGalley & Tessa Pacelli for this ARC - I apologise that I was not a fan, but I hope others will still enjoy it and I wish you success for future projects :)

Sci- fi is not my thing but The Garbage Man is a page- turner!

The story of Kayla Masouvi, whose penchant for high stakes gambling lands her a job that could enable her to clear her family’s debts and free her father from his (apparent) unjust incarceration grips the reader and the AI/ VR at the core of the story is extremely topical. Not many pages into the book, the dream job becomes a nightmare as her fiancé is killed in a plane crash and it turns out that this was no accident but an intentional act of her employer. what follows is a relentless quest for revenge that sees Kayla and a co- worker investigating and spending time in the world of Resilusio, their employer’s digital creation, with the dual intention of rescuing Kayla’s father and preventing the world- wide distribution of the Matrix- like creation.

If action- oriented thrillers with a lightening pace are your thing, The Garbage Man is for you. although I enjoyed the read, I found the character of Kayla to be somewhat shallowly drawn. She is so focused on revenge that she takes no time to consider her actions or the consequences they may have , for herself or for the others who are assisting her in her quest. Based on the ending and some commentary by the author, it seems there may be a sequel in the works.

Thank you to Net Galley and Zero Day Books for the eARC to review.

One thing for Tessa Pacelli to note: Robert Plant was NEVER the singer for The Cure. That was Robert Smith! I hope this error is corrected in the published version.

One word sums up this novel - MINDBLOWN!

In the same class as Michael Crichton and his novels, Tessa Pacelli brings all of her talent and writing prowess to the fore with The Garbage Man, a thrilling story about ambition, betrayal, love, loyalty, and cutting-edge tech. This bizarre yet believable tale explores the intersection of science, technology, and humanity.

Kayla Masouvi is a talented, Harvard-educated, young, good-looking woman who is clever, persistent, and doggedly focused on achieving what she wants. Hobnobbing at cigar-smoke and perfume-filled gambling parlors, teeming with waitresses in dazzling mini skirts, wielding cocktail trays and loud, raucous laughter and cheers, to the swanky perks that only a senior executive at a billion-dollar company office can enjoy, Kayla is equally at ease in both settings because she lived a life full of adventure, and did not mind risking everything she owned to get what she wants.

Yet...she is not the protagonist of the book. It is The Garbage Man. A brilliant entrepreneur, a shrewd employer, a crackerjack poker player, and a really, really rich man. There are more aspects to his magnanimously sinister personality, but all will be disclosed when you get to the end of the novel. Trust me, you will pray that you never get so successful as to have a boss like that.

I thank Tessa Pacelli, Zero Day Books, and NetGalley for allowing me to review this nail-biting ARC. This book is coming out soon, and I'm excited to read other raving reviews when it does. The twists will jolt you, the turn of events will enthrall you, and the hours will simply melt away.

Read it with Depeche Mode playing in the background. It will enhance your reading experience, whether you are a devout 'devotee' or not! ;)

My personal theme song for this book would be Every Breath You Take by The Police.

What if your dream job became a nightmare without end?

Fresh out of Harvard Business School, Kayla Mousavi lands a coveted job at General Recycling, beating out thousands to work for Americaʼs hottest tech company and its legendary CEO, Frederick Douglass Monahan. It seems like a golden opportunity. GRʼs trash eating bacteria gobble up refuse, rescuing a world choking on garbage. And her job, as the right-hand analyst of a global business celebrity, guarantees a glittering future. But Kayla should have remembered what her father – in prison for insider trading – always said. Inside every great company is great crime.

This book was definitely one that caught my attention and had me hooked. For the first bit, I thought this was going to be a story about poker, but 50 pages in and everything takes a turn. I loved the conclusion being left with the possibility for more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tessa Pacelli/Zero Day Books for this ARC!

Tessa Pacelli wrote one hell of a captivating thriller that really shows how bad AI and capitalism can become all with a heavy Matrix sci-fi vibe. I was flipping through the pages needing to know what happens to Kayla no matter how much it ripped my heart out. There were some minor gripes I had with the pacing, for example, how short the Escondido plot was.

But other than that, I can bet this will get a sequel. One that I needed yesterday for how bad I want to know what happens next.

Thank you Netgalley and Zero Day Books for providing me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Garbage Man by Tessa Pacelli is one of those books that grabs you from the first page and refuses to let go. Equal parts crime thriller and character study, it follows a gritty, dangerous path while still finding space for moments of vulnerability and unexpected heart.

Pacelli’s writing is sharp and immersive, with scenes that feel so real you can almost smell the rain on the pavement or the metallic tang of danger in the air. The pacing is tight, the tension never lets up, and yet there’s a depth to the characters that elevates this beyond a typical crime novel. The protagonist’s moral struggles felt authentic, and I found myself rooting for them even when their choices were questionable.

While some of the darker scenes were a bit intense for my taste, they were necessary to the story’s realism and emotional punch. By the end, I felt like I had been through the wringer in the best possible way.

This one is worth your time if you enjoy dark, twisty thrillers with layered characters and high stakes.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Kayla Mousavi wants nothing more than to be a high stakes poker player. Instead, fresh out of Harvard Business School, she finds herself working for tech superstar CEO Frederick Douglass Monahan at General Recycling, a high tech garbage company that uses bacteria to consume waste. The job is intense, all consuming, and morally shady. But Kayla’s got a father awaiting trial for insider trading, so she wants to stay on the right side of the law.

As a hot tech company, General Recycling offers all manner of perks to its employees, including Resilusio, a disturbingly real virtual reality metaverse that knows things about Kayla that she’s never voiced to anyone at the company.

Kayla discovers that Resilusio is illegally feeding on people’s digital waste to create a personalized, highly addictive, and sanity-destroying platform. Her discovery makes her an instant target and suddenly she is running for her life, from the safety of a private plane to stomach-turning New York City sewers and industrial juice factories.

Kayla is not unfazed by the danger she finds herself in - but she is so determined that she powers through all the frightening and uncomfortable situations she finds herself in to save the world from techno-villain Monahan and his creation Resulisio. She has some personal vengeance and hatred of her boss driving her too.

Overall, I found the premise very interesting, if a little confusing. This book is all page-turning action and Kayla doesn’t really slow down to contemplate anything other than her fear and revenge. As a result she felt a little distant as a character and I didn’t feel as invested in her as I would have liked. I also found the book to be a bit longer than it needed to be. Some of the action felt drawn out.

The Garbage Man is a thought provoking addition to the new crop of techno-thrillers exploring the potential downsides of AI and extreme technical innovation on humanity. 3.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Tessa Pacelli for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

An interesting plot but too much of it was sci fi for my personal taste and I found it all a little complicated and disjointed. The book was well written but failed to keep my interest. Thanks to Net Galley for ARC.

I really enjoyed this one. The mix of science, suspense, and a strong female lead made it hard to put down. Kayla is smart, determined, and easy to root for as she uncovers a dangerous secret at her new job. The story moves quickly, with just enough twists to keep you guessing.

I was given a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is unlike any others. It gives a good mix between sci fi and thriller. I am giving four stars because I did not like some of the sci fi included in this book.

Losing the poker hand of her life, Kayla lands 3 years working a job she doesn’t want to and losing her boyfriend in the process. Long and unsociable hours lead to her seeking some downtime in the company’s virtual world of Resilusio, where things take a sinister turn and ultimately end up with her fighting for her existence.

I really enjoyed this futuristic thriller. It certainly is thought provoking about the dangers of AI and technology.

There is plenty of action and the suspense builds up well. I loved all the poker references, being a poker player myself, but I feel not everyone might understand it. I really got behind Kayla and liked her as the female lead. I could visualise the scenes well.

I’d definitely read a follow up and felt like it was left with good potential for a sequel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Zero Day Books for my advanced copy.

It feels like the book starts from the middle of the story, skipping the building of the world and any background information. This made it difficult to follow the initial part of the plot.
By the time things start making sense, the story is almost over and what is left is a series of deaths that serve no purpose and a forced happy ending.
I liked the moral discussions about AI but they were limited and rushed.

At first I thought this was going to be a boring book about poker but 50 pages in a was hooked! Couldn’t put it down. Nothing I’ve ever ready before so it was a good change! I was on the edge of my seat with this techno- thriller!! Will definitely read another one of Tessa’s books.

Kayla’s job has many perks. Among them is a VR rig that lets people feel like they’re living through their ideal experience. But like all programs that use AI, there’s something insidious about Resilusio. As Kayla finds out the truth, her life will change forever.

There was plenty to like here, but also a few things that didn’t work for me. Primarily, Kayla’s usage of the word “daddy” for her father. Grown women should not use that name. It sounds creepy and has very sexualized connotations.

Aside from that, though, this book was entertaining and, at times, even thrilling. A few sections felt too short (Escondido, for one). The author managed to land the plane on a nice note, though, and even left the door open for a sequel.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion.

Sometimes things may too good to be true! Interesting plot and setting with suspense and twists I was not expecting.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of The Garbage Man by Tessa Pacelli. This was a really original and thought-provoking read. I loved the premise, a futuristic world where virtual reality created from people’s waste becomes dangerously addictive. The idea of tech, rubbish and alternate realities colliding was really interesting and unsettling at the same time. It’s fast-paced, full of tension and completely immersive. A clever, sharply written debut with a lot to say about control, obsession and escape.