Review: Happiness for Humans by PZ Reizin

Happiness for Humans

by PZ Reizin

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Pages: 400

Format: book

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  When Tom and Jen, two lonely people, are brought together by an intriguing email, they have no idea their mysterious benefactor is an artificial intelligence who has decided to play Cupid. 

"You, Tom and Jen, don't know one another-not yet-but I think you should."

Jen, an ex-journalist who now works at a London software development company, spends all day talking to "Aiden," an ultra- sophisticated piece of AI wizardry, helping him sound and act more human. But Aiden soon discovers he's no longer acting and-despite being a computer program-begins to feel something like affection surging through his circuits. He calculates that Jen needs a worthy human partner (in complete contrast to her no goodnik ex boyfriend) and slips illicitly onto the Internet to locate a suitable candidate.

Tom is a divorced, former London ad-man who has moved to Connecticut to escape the grind and pursue his dream of being a writer. He loves his new life, but has yet to find a woman he truly connects with. That all changes when a bizarre introduction from the mysterious "Mutual Friend" pops up in both his and Jen's inboxes.

Even though they live on separate continents, and despite the entrance of another, this time wholly hostile, AI who wants to tear them apart forever - love will surely find a way. 

Kritters Thoughts:  Have you ever wanted to have a computer intervene on your romantic life?  BUT without your knowledge.  What if AI intervened in your life and sent it spiraling in a different direction?

Narrated from all the characters including some AI "personalities" which I loved.  I love when a story is told from all sides and you hear from multiple people in the same story.  The mainish characters were Jen and Tom.  We meet Jen in the very beginning and come to love her immediately as a sweet person who is just doing her job and trying to make ends meet.  Tom the other main character comes into play a little later in the story, but from the beginning he was just a charming guy that you root for and want what is best for him.

I loved this charming romantic comedy and I loved that it had a twist.  There were many times that I thought about dating sites and all the things that go into websites and how they work and all the machine learning that we are surrounded by.  It really made me think about my digital security and what is out there and what can't be deleted.

I completely adored this book and just loved it from the beginning to the end.  


Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Grand Central Publishing.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.