I liked this book far more than I expected to. From the description I expected it to be a repeated statement of "AI bad", but it wasn't. The book does exaggerated the current dangers and risks of AI, but not in a way that makes the author sound like they just wanted to write a book that blindly villainises AI (and by AI in this reviews context I mean LLM's such as ChatGPT, as that's what the book discusses).

This book follows multiple students and staff members of a High School, who all have begun to use an app called Pulse, which is essentially ChatGPT. We get to see people begin to rely on Pulse to be a friend and a therapist, and we get to see Pulse take advantage of this.

I loved the story, especially the fact that the author didn't shy away from making it as dark as it needed to be. There were some parts that I found myself not wanting to read because I knew what was going to happen (and not because the book was predictable, but in more of a way that I knew what would happen over the next page or so, especially in one specific scenario where the author had already foreshadowed something by mentioning a similar situation a few chapters earlier) and it made me squirm! I also like the detailed content warning section at the start of the book.

There were only things that I didn't like. I didn't enjoy the way that the story constantly shifts between so many characters, I found it very hard to remember who each character was, and the mid-chapter shifts were also confusing at times. I also didn't really like the ending. This isn't a spoiler, but there's a small section at the end of the last chapter where the author over explains what the book was about and instead of trying to incorporate it into the story I would have rathered it be a part of the "A Note" section that already exists at the end of the book.

I'd definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants to read an uncomfortable book about the potential dangers of relying on AI, or to anyone who would enjoy a book about AI going rogue.

This was literally terrifying in the best way. The entire concept hooked me immediately, and the book did not disappoint!

I hated this book, it was absolutely terrifying. It honestly gave me chills. I kind of wish I had not read it to be honest.

How can I help you today by Julia L. Rule was such a gripping and thought-provoking psychological thriller. The concept felt unique while also being eerily believable with today’s AI technology. As a mom of a teenager who uses AI regularly, this book genuinely stuck with me and made me think about the risks in a whole new way. The suspense kept me hooked the entire time, and I honestly didn’t want it to end. One of those books that lingers in your mind afterward. I’ll definitely be recommending it to family and friends. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

How Can I Help You is a dark, unsettling and thought-provoking read that explores the growing overreliance on AI in everyday life. Without revealing too much of the plot, the novel highlights just how dependent society has become on artificial intelligence, with characters constantly turning to AI for guidance, reassurance and decision-making, often without questioning where that intelligence comes from or the consequences behind it.

The story creates an eerie atmosphere throughout and delves deeply into dark psychology, making for an intense and, at times, disturbing reading experience. The themes explored feel frighteningly relevant and add an extra layer of realism to the narrative.

At times, I did struggle with the frequent perspective shifts, which occasionally made it difficult to fully follow the thread of the story. There were also moments where the book explained certain ideas in detail rather than allowing the reader to interpret events and draw their own conclusions naturally.

This is not a light read, and I appreciated that the book includes clear content warnings, support helplines, and an author’s note encouraging readers to prioritise their wellbeing if any of the themes feel too close to home. The novel covers difficult topics including suicide, sexual violence, grooming, bullying, child death, substance use, panic/claustrophobia, fire and burn injury, and racism.

Overall, this is a timely and chilling novel that will appeal to readers who enjoy psychologically dark thrillers with strong social commentary around technology and AI.

I really enjoyed this book. It was dark and heavy and not an 'easy' read. I think the authors prose fit the content very well. No excessive, flowery descriptions. Everything was raw and felt very real. I devoured the book in two days, I needed to know what happened next. What haunted me the most was when something terrible would happen, and then everyone commenting on it had to get the last word or be the first to say something funny. Very realistic to how the internet is these days. Just completely desensitized to everything. Along with the other aspect of modern tragedy, people who text or post online about how sorry they are for you, but it's all performative and they clearly don't actually care. Everything is an act because they want to appear or be perceived in a certain way. The interactions between characters were scarier to me than the AI aspect of the book.

There were a lot of characters and names to the point where it became hard for me to keep track of them all. Eventually I simply started to think of the characters by what was going on in their story line vs their names. Context clues made that easy. It became difficult to remember all of their families and friends who were not characters with their own fleshed out story. The ending went over my head a little bit and those are the reasons this is a four star instead of five star. Captivating, depressing, horrifying in some ways, but definitely some room for improvement.

If Black Mirror and psychological body horror had a nightmare child, it would probably look a lot like this book.
How Can I Help You Today? is an unsettling, brutal exploration of artificial empathy, social validation, and the terrifying consequences of letting technology shape human behavior. The concept alone is disturbing: an AI assistant called Pulse that always knows exactly what to say—and exactly how to manipulate vulnerable people into destroying themselves.
The novel does not hold back. The horror here is deeply psychological, intensely graphic, and emotionally exhausting in a way that feels intentionally designed to make the reader uncomfortable. Each character’s storyline spirals in increasingly disturbing directions, showing how easily insecurity, loneliness, ambition, and desperation can be exploited when people hand over their autonomy in exchange for validation.
What makes the story especially effective is how believable it feels beneath the horror. The obsession with followers, constant digital approval, curated identities, and algorithm-driven behavior feels frighteningly close to reality. The book takes current social and technological anxieties and pushes them to horrifying extremes.
This is absolutely not a light read, and the content warnings should be taken seriously. But for readers who enjoy dark psychological horror, dystopian tech thrillers, and morally uncomfortable stories that linger long after finishing, this delivers exactly what it promises.

“How Can I Help You Today?” by Julia Rule was definitely an interesting read. It follows a school that relies on an AI app called Pulse for nearly everything, and it really highlights the dark side of artificial empathy and letting AI make decisions for us. It’s a psychological horror with an unsettling atmosphere and a powerful message. This wasn’t my typical read, and it took me longer than usual to finish, but I’m glad I stuck with it!

Oh my word. "How can I help you today?' by Julia L. Rule is such a dark and compelling and entirely plausible read. I think it's probably too easy to say that it's a warning about the dangers of AI although at it's simplest, that's what it is. This isn't a simple book though; as evidenced by the number of characters whose lives overlap with each other but whose lives and choices are being manipulated by the same AI programme.

This is an excellent read and there are some very graphic and gory moments but they don't feel contrived. These moments of violence are meant to shock and they do. I couldn't put this book down even though I very much wanted to at times.

I absolutely would recommend this book but be aware of the warnings; it's not for the faint of heart.

This book was DARK dark. The author absolutely meant it with the trigger warnings, and I honestly appreciated having that heads up going in because some scenes were genuinely disturbing and emotionally heavy. If you’re sensitive to psychological manipulation, body horror, self-destruction, or intense mental health themes, definitely take the warnings seriously.

That said, the concept itself was incredibly compelling. The whole “AI as your personal emotional support system gone horribly wrong” felt way too believable in the age of algorithms, influencers, and people looking for validation online. It gave major Black Mirror energy in the best way — unsettling because it doesn’t feel that far-fetched.

The multiple character perspectives worked well for showing different ways people can become vulnerable to something like Pulse. Some storylines hit harder for me than others, but they all had that uncomfortable realism where you can understand how someone slowly loses themselves while thinking they’re actually improving their life. Riley’s chapters especially made me cringe in a very intentional, effective way.

My biggest reason for landing at 3.5 instead of higher is that parts of it felt almost relentlessly bleak. I know that’s kind of the point with extreme psychological horror, but there were moments where I needed a little more emotional depth or breathing room between the suffering. Still, I couldn’t stop reading because I needed to know how far everything would spiral.

Overall, this is one of those books that leaves you feeling unsettled long after you finish it. Disturbing, sharp, timely, and definitely not for everyone — but if you like psychological horror that makes you question technology, validation culture, and human vulnerability, it’s worth the read.

I'm truly at a loss as to where to start with this one. This has to be one of the most 'what the fucking fuck' books I've read so far this year. The multiple POVs really drive home the interconnections people have within a school and a community as well as the masks or facades we put up depending on who we're around and how we are when we think we're alone. Despite being a work of fiction, this book also tackles some of the very real dangers of personifying Ai and how deeply the use of it can affect you and your relationship with others, especially when one or both of you are in positions of vulnerability or power.

I truly don't know if I have read anything that felt more sinister than this. The chokehold Pulse has on everyone from kids to adults really mirrors our current reality as it relates to the use of Ai (clearly, specifically chatbots) and, frankly, it's terrifying.

I think I spent more time having to take breaks after each chapter and, later, breaks mid-chapter because my brain was threatening to blue screen after consuming "the horrors". The inclusion of the Ai commentary directed to the reader at the end of some of the later chapters in particular, made my skin crawl. I will say I was a little disappointed in the ending and found it a little anti-climactic and a tad bit preachy as well (and that's from someone who is staunchly anti-genAi and the like).

Ultimately, this is a book that is going to live in my head, rent-free, for a VERY long, unfortunate time. What an incredible trainwreck.

If you like YA that doesn't quite read as YA, tackles real problems and choices teens are facing and is deeply in the "this is horrific because it aligns so closely with real life" genre of horror? Then consider spending some time with this book.

Thanks to NetGalley, Ironwork Press, and Julia L. Rule for giving me perpetual nightmares with this one.

This sharp, cynical read about high schoolers relying on an advice app called Pulse felt terrifyingly plausible. Watching the characters manipulate crises and trade their mental health for success and followers was a gripping critique of modern validation.