Happiness for Humans

by P. Z. Reizin

[Leah]

Happiness For Humans is one of those books that sucks you in immediately. I didn’t know how much I love AI until I read this book, but this was an incredible read. I must admit, on reading the synopsis, I was perhaps a tiny bit sceptical. Can AI really “escape” its creators? Have feelings? I mean, it’s terrifying, but madly intriguing. It pretty much puts faith in the thing you find where you can be talking about something (say a video game or a book) and all of a sudden, your Facebook ads are filled with that specific thing.

I think, what made this book for me, was Aiden. Because this isn’t AIs taking over the world (well, not until later in the book anyway…), this is an AI that wants to help humans, which is actually incredibly sweet. Overall, Aiden is incredibly sweet. Like who knew AIs wanted to make humans feel better? And Aiden just wants Jen to find a man, after being dumped by the odious Matt (what Aiden then does to Matt is actually hilarious – awful, but hilarious). Aiden is harmless; he loves Some Like It Hot and he can read a book in a nano-second (that is actually the dream for real) and I loved his narrative so much. So much, in fact, that when Aisling appeared I was like, where’s Aiden gone, but I came to love Aisling also and it actually helps the story a lot when there are TWO AIs meddling in human behaviour instead of just one…

I actually really liked Jen, the human who works with Aiden. I liked her narrative immensely and I could see why Aiden wanted to help. You really get a good sense of the story with this novel, as there’s narration from all sides. It’s a good 360-degree look at what Aiden is trying to do and Aisling is allowing (huffily) and what’s going on with Jen and Tom. You’re never bored when you’re reading this book because the chapters are so short that it’s so easy to just swallow a quarter of the book without realising and I honestly, genuinely wish more books had AI personalities because they made this book for me. I love a good rom-com, but I frigging LOVE a rom-com with AI personalities in it. It just made things so much better.

Happiness For Humans is genuinely one of the most enjoyable books I have ever read. P Z Reizin is a genius. He’s reinvented the rom-com – there’s no tropes here, just genius AIs meddling away – some good, some bad, but all thoroughly entertaining. I have never read anything like this book and I absolutely loved it. It’s one my list of my favourite 2018 reads for sure and I’ll definitely have to pick up a paperback for my shelf because then I can re-read it again and again. I want to push this book into everybody’s hands and demand they read it. It is INCREDIBLE.