The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Book of the week
This refreshingly original novel guarantees to have you laughing from cover to cover. I was concerned from the title that this would be another typical romance novel, but I could not have been more wrong.
The narrative centres on Kelly, a robotics engineer who is hopeless at talking to men, and whose confidence is at an all-time low after two failed relationships. Faced with attending her sister’s wedding without a date, Kelly is determined to find her ideal man.
After a string of disastrous encounters, she literally creates her “perfect” boyfriend in the form of Ethan – a robot.
Kelly manages to successfully hoodwink everyone around her into believing Ethan is a real human being. In fact, this is a relationship that seems so perfect it even appears to fool Kelly on occasion.
It seems Kelly has finally found someone who brings out the best in her, and the plan unfolds remarkably well until the day of Kelly’s sister’s wedding, which is meant to be Ethan’s “turning off” date – and which was when I was blindsided by the plot twist that elevated the narrative to the next level.
Away from the main plot, I particularly enjoyed how sensitively Archer portrayed Kelly’s peculiarities as someone who evidently struggles with social interaction and understanding other people.
The psychology behind the book and creation of the character of Kelly is particularly interesting; as a fantastically intelligent young woman who is at the peak of her career, she still feels isolated and unable to make meaningful connections with others.
The author has successfully drawn a multi-faceted protagonist, and I believe every reader will see a piece of themselves in Kelly.
It was fascinating to watch her confidence grow as the narrative progressed.
Admittedly, the scientific language bamboozled me a bit, and the author takes some creative licence when mapping the rapid development of Ethan as a robot, but Sarah Archer’s authorial skill was prevalent throughout, illuminated by her remarkable ability to create clever, engaging and relatable dialogue, laced with hilarity and perfect comic timing.
The entire storyline was impossible to decipher from the beginning of the novel, which kept me interested and playing a guessing game right up to the last page.
As a light-hearted work of fiction, this ticks all the boxes – romantic, intriguing and absolutely hilarious.
Review by Hollie Bruce.