Thank you to Netgalley, Random House Children’s, and Labyrinth Road for this advance reader copy of True Life in Uncanny Valley in exchange for my honest review! This book came out last week and is an absolutely fantastic YA read!
Eleanor is your typical teenager being raised by a single mother. She has a sister, also know as mom’s favorite, and almost lives in both their shadows. Eleanor is also obsessed with celebrity Hugo Harrison, but not for the reason you may think…you see, Eleanor’s mom had an affair with him and he’s her dad. In her spare time she enjoys spying on him and his family and wonders what could have been.
Fast forward to Eleanor running into his new wife and small child and landing a nannying job for the summer. She’s finally going to see what he’s like, but can she keep her true identity under wraps? How will she keep this from her mom?
I think any pre-teen/teen will absolutely devour this book. It has the perfect amount of teenage angst and I never found Eleanor or her friends to be annoying. It was overdone, it was just the right amount. I think at any point in time as teens we can feel lost and ignored and the author did a beautiful job at writing this story just so. I think a lot of teens will be able to directly relate to this story. There’s even a smidge of clean romance!
4 stars. Even adults will find this story unputdownable as what will the outcome possibly be? I really enjoyed this one and this should be at the top of your list if you love reading YA!
Title:Â True Life in Uncanny Valley
Author:Â Deb Caletti
Genre(s):Â Fiction, Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher:Â Labyrinth Road
Release Date:Â March 18, 2025
Find it here on Goodreads
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