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Press Heart to Join
In a self-contained city of the future, life is a grind until retirement, cooking is a dying art, and the weight of wealth at the top exerts a crushing pressure on the populace below.
She's the best drone pilot around and he's a rising star in food delivery. Her punishing schedule isolates her, making it hard to find happiness outside of virtual reality. He's eager to show her the experiences real life has to offer if he can deal with his event hijacking brother, geriatric hooligans, and a conspiracy to keep the young lovers apart even if it kills them. 72k words
She's the best drone pilot around and he's a rising star in food delivery. Her punishing schedule isolates her, making it hard to find happiness outside of virtual reality. He's eager to show her the experiences real life has to offer if he can deal with his event hijacking brother, geriatric hooligans, and a conspiracy to keep the young lovers apart even if it kills them. 72k words
- GenresRomance
238 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 6, 2023
3 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
November 19, 2023
This futuristic novel starts with a guy name Hale Evert waking up in an aircraft, headed for the hospital. Hale delivers meals by bicycle for FoodiePie, and was hit by an oncoming vehicle while on the job. He doesn’t understand how this accident could have happened, since the vehicle's travels was on a fully automated network.
On the aircraft, Hale converses with the pilot, known to him only as Operator 9822, since company policy forbids her from getting personal with the passengers. Hale can’t see her but he does see her pilot license photo --- and he likes what he sees, as well as what he hears.
Later on, these two are both going about their separate lives, but each thinking of the other. However, attempting to meet up after such a short interaction would be quite awkward (this we know, because Hale already tried it just before de-planing, and was rebuffed).
Meanwhile, it appears Hale’s roommate and confidante, Radney, is in an intimate relationship with “Operator 9822’s� roommate and confidante, Vivian. And these two roommates seem to know more about what’s behind the scenes here, with this alleged accident. They’re also not pleased to know that Hale just might search out “Operator 9822,� or the other way around...
I really enjoyed this read and didn’t want to put it down. It’s part, well, story, but also part social commentary and contains lots of wry humor too. Well done.
On the aircraft, Hale converses with the pilot, known to him only as Operator 9822, since company policy forbids her from getting personal with the passengers. Hale can’t see her but he does see her pilot license photo --- and he likes what he sees, as well as what he hears.
Later on, these two are both going about their separate lives, but each thinking of the other. However, attempting to meet up after such a short interaction would be quite awkward (this we know, because Hale already tried it just before de-planing, and was rebuffed).
Meanwhile, it appears Hale’s roommate and confidante, Radney, is in an intimate relationship with “Operator 9822’s� roommate and confidante, Vivian. And these two roommates seem to know more about what’s behind the scenes here, with this alleged accident. They’re also not pleased to know that Hale just might search out “Operator 9822,� or the other way around...
I really enjoyed this read and didn’t want to put it down. It’s part, well, story, but also part social commentary and contains lots of wry humor too. Well done.
April 2, 2024
I was provided with a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review as a LibraryThing Early Reviewer. Well, I liked this one and I wasn't 100 percent sure going in that I would since futuristic dystopian stories aren't my usual cup of tea. Happily the author proved me wrong! Maude is ex Air Force and currently a virtual pilot, Hale is a chef and food delivery driver/creator of a very popular food company. They have a meet cute in which she flies him to the hospital after an automated/AI-driven food delivery truck from his own company mysteriously crashes into his bike. The futuristic/alt-universe is interesting, and the world building was done pretty well but a lot is done without exposition (which is both good and not-so-good). Good in that you're not bogged down by too many explanatory details, but you're also expected to accept and absorb the reality of this alt-future as a matter of fact without a lot of background info. But once I got used to that and stopped trying so hard to understand it got easier. Unfortunately this also made the overall plot a bit confusing at the start, and I especially had trouble following the criminal sub-plot at the beginning. We quickly get nefarious vibes from Maude's best friend Vivian, who's coincidentally dating Hale's friend and co-worker Radney. They're in cahoots on something involving Hale, that feels like corporate espionage but maybe isn't? It's unclear although there's speculation by the characters. And after setting up Radney and Vivian's side story, why wasn't their motive ever explained? Even by the end of the book and after multiple murder attempts on Hale and Maude it was never fully explained as to what was going on, which was disappointing especially after investing in their safety and well-being throughout the whole book. This is the reason why I couldn't do a full five stars for this otherwise enjoyable book, which I gave 4 stars here but it's closer to 4.5 stars.
Loved the cute cover, which is what originally sold me on giving this book a try. The author has a nice comedic voice that I really enjoyed, and the developing romantic relationship between Hale and Maude was handled very sweetly. The supporting characters were well-developed, and I'm hoping this is the start of a series as I'd love to see more stories from this universe. I would absolutely read a book with Lincoln as the main character, and I'd also read the heck out of a story with more Karen!
Loved the cute cover, which is what originally sold me on giving this book a try. The author has a nice comedic voice that I really enjoyed, and the developing romantic relationship between Hale and Maude was handled very sweetly. The supporting characters were well-developed, and I'm hoping this is the start of a series as I'd love to see more stories from this universe. I would absolutely read a book with Lincoln as the main character, and I'd also read the heck out of a story with more Karen!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 30, 2023
At its heart, Press Heart to Join is a touching Sci-Fi novel with a prominent love story between Hale and Maude. I really enjoyed the story for the most part. The characters are what I'd consider the highlight of the book and although Hale comes across as a bit too perfect on the most part, Maude is clearly flawed and it's interesting to see her begin to open up to Hale as the story progresses.
The main set piece of the story was a unique bike ride through the city as Hale takes Maude on a date. However, the journey back is fraught with danger and they are chased. The writing here is exciting and the author does an excellent job at building tension.
However, I got to around the 70% mark and things changed. Up to the party, I loved this book, but then things started to seem contrived, created just to ensure there was some conflict and it seemed to go against the nature of the characters. And, although there was no lasting impact and the conflict was resolved not long after, it left a bitter taste in my mouth and after that, the impact the book had had on me was lessened. The conclusion too was also sewn up far too quickly and you are pretty much told what happens, instead of seeing it. As this book is quite short, there is no reason why this couldn't have been developed further with very little addition to the word count.
Apart from this though, I'd have to say this book was excellent. The writing was great, the characters were fun to get to know, especially Maude, and I would have liked to have spent a bit more time with Viv, Beau and Lyric as they were fantastic. I highly recommend Press Heart to Join.
The main set piece of the story was a unique bike ride through the city as Hale takes Maude on a date. However, the journey back is fraught with danger and they are chased. The writing here is exciting and the author does an excellent job at building tension.
However, I got to around the 70% mark and things changed. Up to the party, I loved this book, but then things started to seem contrived, created just to ensure there was some conflict and it seemed to go against the nature of the characters. And, although there was no lasting impact and the conflict was resolved not long after, it left a bitter taste in my mouth and after that, the impact the book had had on me was lessened. The conclusion too was also sewn up far too quickly and you are pretty much told what happens, instead of seeing it. As this book is quite short, there is no reason why this couldn't have been developed further with very little addition to the word count.
Apart from this though, I'd have to say this book was excellent. The writing was great, the characters were fun to get to know, especially Maude, and I would have liked to have spent a bit more time with Viv, Beau and Lyric as they were fantastic. I highly recommend Press Heart to Join.
January 2, 2024
Hale and Maud live in a future where perhaps we are headed. Maud works as a remote drone pilot - working from home she controls a taxi drone and one day she picks up a badly injured Hale who had been hit by a truck whilst cycling on his bike doing his job as a fast food delivery boy. Long story short they find each other in the real world and romance puts forth tender shoots. But things get rather complicated when it becomes obvious that someone is trying to kill Hale and is using the smart city itself to try and do so...
This is billed as a rom-com, but it really is so much more. The tension mounts more on the side of the whodunit (or maybe whoisdoinit would be more appropriate) than it does on the side of the relationship working out or not (though there is some of that in there too).
The joy of this book is in the superb worldbuilding. The author makes it seem effortless and the reader just nods along and is absorbed and convinced. For me, the only grit in the mix was the way we find out much too late in the book all there is to know about Hale when we have been in his head for so much of it before that point. Is like the story starts with a delivery boy and a taxi driver - very ordinary folk - but then we find out well into the story that they are not at all so ordinary and knew it all along and for some reason the author didn't tell us. But that is a petty gripe against an otherwise excellent and fun read.
Recommended for every fan of near-ish future sci-fi - fabulous fun!
This is billed as a rom-com, but it really is so much more. The tension mounts more on the side of the whodunit (or maybe whoisdoinit would be more appropriate) than it does on the side of the relationship working out or not (though there is some of that in there too).
The joy of this book is in the superb worldbuilding. The author makes it seem effortless and the reader just nods along and is absorbed and convinced. For me, the only grit in the mix was the way we find out much too late in the book all there is to know about Hale when we have been in his head for so much of it before that point. Is like the story starts with a delivery boy and a taxi driver - very ordinary folk - but then we find out well into the story that they are not at all so ordinary and knew it all along and for some reason the author didn't tell us. But that is a petty gripe against an otherwise excellent and fun read.
Recommended for every fan of near-ish future sci-fi - fabulous fun!
November 27, 2023
‘Press Heart to Join� is a futurist urban fantasy that features gamers living their lives mostly in a virtual reality where the outside world is beyond their reach. The story centers around Hale and beautiful Maude, the air-taxi driver he obsesses about after she transports him to the hospital following an accident. First only knowing her picture from her ID, Hale gets to meet Maude after her room-mate Vivian tries to distract Hale from researching more about the accident that injured him. The rest of the story is all about Hale and Maude getting to know each other, despite their busy schedules. After Hale and Maude are almost killed by a run-away construction drone while on a cycling date, they do their best to figure out why they have been targeted. The novel is extremely well written, but in a style that sometimes tries too hard to be futuristically rad, with lingo that in social situations is particularly difficult to follow. Many times, I felt I had to re-read a scene to know what was going on; it was annoying and took me out of the story. The plot was also somewhat slim, with not much happening besides a few dates and gaming parties, as the romance between Maude and Hale slowly built. The rationale behind the attempts at Hale’s life was not flushed out enough to make it believable, especially when Maude’s room-mate and best friend joined in on the plot.
December 4, 2023
Hale gets into a vehicular accident, and Maude transports him to the hospital in her taxi. It’s a chance meeting, and they go their separate ways. When they finally meet again, they do the dating thing to the chagrin of their friends, his pal Radney and her pal Vivian, who just happen to be dating themselves.
I love that this story is set in a futuristic world with gamers, drones, high-tech gadgets, and flying automated vehicles. Virtual reality is more real than it should be. There’s mass gentrification, and in accordance with their job and lot in life, strict rules in which the populace lives by. Mr. Gibson has created a fascinating, complex world that I enjoyed, but sometimes, I had trouble following the narrative. The characters often jumped from one location to another with no transition, so I would think the scene is located in one place when it’s actually in another. Characters were sometimes introduced as “he� or “she� long before names were given, so I had no idea who I was reading about. These little issues kept pulling me out of the story, but some readers may not even notice.
Anyway, I liked Hale and Maude a lot. They made for a great couple.
3.5 Stars
I love that this story is set in a futuristic world with gamers, drones, high-tech gadgets, and flying automated vehicles. Virtual reality is more real than it should be. There’s mass gentrification, and in accordance with their job and lot in life, strict rules in which the populace lives by. Mr. Gibson has created a fascinating, complex world that I enjoyed, but sometimes, I had trouble following the narrative. The characters often jumped from one location to another with no transition, so I would think the scene is located in one place when it’s actually in another. Characters were sometimes introduced as “he� or “she� long before names were given, so I had no idea who I was reading about. These little issues kept pulling me out of the story, but some readers may not even notice.
Anyway, I liked Hale and Maude a lot. They made for a great couple.
3.5 Stars
April 30, 2024
I picked this up because I like romcoms and I like scifi. This one was a bargain at 99c so I snapped it up.
Good dialog (really snappy and natural), great pacing, funny and lighthearted. Recommended. If I had any complaints about the book it’d be that it’s a little light on character, more on the cinematic end and less on the immersive end. The emotions are there, but underdeveloped, and the characters are a little more sexy than is believable, lots of emphasis on looks. But since the author’s going for humor, not to mention it’s a romcom, the choice probably fits. I definitely found myself eager to hit the next patch of futuristic sci-fi chaos. I swooned at sentences like: Level nine was never truly still, but adhering to the traditional circadian, it was considerably dimmer and quieter at oh three hundred. I craved the sci fi flourishes.
In summary, a fun read, very light, extremely affordable, and definitely worth picking up. I give it four stars rounded up.
Good dialog (really snappy and natural), great pacing, funny and lighthearted. Recommended. If I had any complaints about the book it’d be that it’s a little light on character, more on the cinematic end and less on the immersive end. The emotions are there, but underdeveloped, and the characters are a little more sexy than is believable, lots of emphasis on looks. But since the author’s going for humor, not to mention it’s a romcom, the choice probably fits. I definitely found myself eager to hit the next patch of futuristic sci-fi chaos. I swooned at sentences like: Level nine was never truly still, but adhering to the traditional circadian, it was considerably dimmer and quieter at oh three hundred. I craved the sci fi flourishes.
In summary, a fun read, very light, extremely affordable, and definitely worth picking up. I give it four stars rounded up.
December 4, 2023
This isn't my usual read, but the story is kind of a blend of sci-fi and romance, with a quick pace and decent writing style. It is kind of humorous also, when you think of how far the world has fallen in this universe. People no longer know much about cooking or preparing food, and drone pilots and food preparation and delivery have become extremely important. I could see some of these things happening though, in our own future, as people become so dependent on technology and distracted by games, phones, social media, and virtual reality possibilities. AI is already on a new frontier, opening all sorts of questions and cans of worms, so I guess it is an intriguing premise. Hale and Maude are decent characters, although the story is a bit shorter than many novels. If you want a quick, fun sci-fi story with a dash of love and human character flaws, this one hits the mark.
November 23, 2023
An engaging couple and a gripping story, sprinkled with some delightful comic lines, made this a very enjoyable ride. The nefarious causes of life-threatening events emerged from the shadows through the course of the story; the way Gibson handled this was outstanding. The chemistry between Maude and Hale worked well, and the setting - lives built around VR and lived half-in, half-out of it was superbly executed. I felt that the tempo could have been a little quicker, but it was not slow. As dystopian SF goes, this was a fine example of a tale woven by an author who has given serious thought to the key concepts. Strongly recommended to readers who are fans of (urban) dystopian SF, romance, and VR gaming. Speaking for myself, I'll be happy to buy another of Gibson's books.
December 13, 2023
Hale delivers food via bicycle in a future where the populace is too consumed with gaming and VR to learn how to cook. Maude is a drone pilot who picks up Hale after he crashes into a truck while on a delivery. There's a mystery about the cause of the accident and some intrigue to accompany Hale and Maude's budding romance. It's a fun read that's a little choppy in places, but is an entertaining romance that isn't such a wild extrapolation of our current day.
July 5, 2024
This was an enjoyable read! The relationship between Hale and Maude and the sci-fi backdrop made it special.
Many thanks for the ARC!
Many thanks for the ARC!
October 15, 2024
A really interesting spin on near-future societies with weird tech and cool slang. Enjoyed the read and would recommend!
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