More like 4.5 stars but who can tell the difference? First let me say that you will enjoy this book a lot more if you suspend your disbelief that anyone would willingly buy a toy that comes with the promise a perfect stranger will have access to every aspect of the owners private life. I don't find that hard to believe personally, given the popularity of smart speakers even after the many stories of privacy violations. I'm sure that was exactly what inspired this book actually. Schweblin has explored the many permutationa of how this relationship could turn out. Let me save you some time: none of the stories have a happy ending. Instead these stories explore the complexities of forming relationships online, where a certain amount of secrecy, miscommunication, and incorrect assumptions lead to disappointment and emotional trauma that we really can only blame ourselves for having been exposed to. It's a deeply disturbing but entirely honest exploration into the world we already live in.