Catfishing on CatNet

DNF fairly early - 15%. But it was kind of already a slog. Very middle-grade sci fi. I enjoyed Naomi Kritzer's short story collection (Cat Pictures, Please), but I didn't LOVE it. I thought it was fine/good. This was the same. And meh... I am ruthless with my DNFing these days.

As an adult I've found I often struggle with teen/YA books these days, but not this one. I'm all here for sentient AI stories especially ones with the found family trope. I burned through this.

Naomi Kritzer takes us into the world of online chatting, groups, cyberstalking, and code that can destroy life as we know it.

Steph moves a lot and the only friends she has is online. She doesn't know what they look like, but she knows their secrets and they know her's. She has moved to a new town with her mother and has started yet another small town high school. On the very first day, she finds herself drawn to another student, Rachel, and real-life and cyberworld start to merge.

Kritzer gives us the usual trope of a girl and her mother on the run and they have secrets. What makes this story so interesting is that it is told in two viewpoints: an A.I. and Steph. The AI is alive (don't worry this isn't a spoiler as Kritzer tells us right away that the AI is alive). We get to see Steph's situation from a third party that is at once knowledgeable and ignorant.

The dilemma of machines making decisions which will further impact people if they gain consciousness is a very familiar trope, but Kritzer makes it fresh. The merging of the diversity of characters in race, sexuality, and gender is part of the answer, but so is the plot of being on the run and being stalked.

The mystery and suspense holds as Kritzer adds twist after twist. The mixing of the reality of being on the run allows for conversation and connections to happen. As the Ai says: multi-tasking.

I love the character of Steph and it is a tie between CheshireCat and Rachel for runner-up. Both characters exhibit friend code to the max. In this new loyalty, Steph does the same for them. I love strong characters who keep the code and don't get distracted.

Catfishing on CatNet is the kick-off to the “CatNet” series and I cannot wait for more.

I got this book from my library. I love my local library and you should check out yours too. Request LGBTQ+ books and they will stock them! #ebooksforall

2020 Edgar Awards winner for Young Adult Novel! I'm a senior and like reading award winning or nominated books of all genres. Thought I would try out a Young Adult book this time. This book was great! GoodReads has a SF tag on this book but I'm not too sure about that since how AI is advancing so fast. Good characters some suspense and not too strong language (Wouldn't Matter to Me). 280 Pages. Try it! David N.

Very cute, very smart book about an AI with a penchant for helping humans (and cat photos). This was very enjoyable, although it had a very similar plot to a book I read last year [b:Gretchen 40771626 Gretchen Shannon Kirk https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1554859160l/40771626.SY75.jpg 63461334]. Once you get over how terrifying it is that anyone could reach you through all of the cameras and devices we use on a daily basis, this is a fun ride. Looking forward to the sequel. I also went back and read the original short story this novel sprang from: http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/kritzer_01_15/