Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.Īutumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart their mothers are still best friends. A dramatic development at the end suggests a sequel. Lydia’s troubles are highly relatable, particularly her needs for love and attention, which are lacking in her current family situation. The computer creations are imaginative, the narrative is fast-paced and highly engaging, and the novel confronts solid ethical dilemmas, such as whether an AI can ever understand human morality. Their bond is cemented when she implants a chip into her arm that allows her to communicate with Henry through her thoughts. The AI, whom Lydia names Henry after her beloved brother, gains exponentially in intelligence and soon is hacking into banks, helping Lydia change her grades, and guiding her as she navigates the minefield of school social life. Lydia lives with her mother, a pharmaceutical researcher who remains traumatized by the accident and who barely acknowledges her daughter except to put pressure on her academically. Her obsession with writing code was fueled by her tech whiz dad-but Lydia’s family has been torn apart by the car accident that killed her younger brother, injured her friend, and ultimately caused her parents to separate, although it left Lydia herself unharmed, at least physically. Lydia Phelps, though only 17, is a precocious computer programmer who has spent over three years creating her own AI. A high school student discovers the power and perils of creating artificial intelligence.
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