Ruthless Positivity

 

Ruthless Positivity is a standalone dystopian SF thriller by Avery Blake. Released 22nd Aug 2022 by Sterling & Stone, it's 233 pages and is available in ebook format. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

This is a dystopian relatively near future techy-romance SF thriller. Throughout the book, the undeniably talented author takes swipes at superficiality, the interchangeable masks we use to interact with one another, and the relentless pressure for perfection imposed by social media (despite not being remotely achievable or truthful). On another level, it's a vaguely Romeo and Juliet pastiche with some of the supporting characters played by AI-entities instead of Friar and Nurse. 

I would have called this a NA/YA romance, but there are some rough parts which might not be appropriate for young(ish) readers. The language is R-rated with liberal use of rugged Anglo-Saxon monosyllables (especially f*ck). 

Three and a half stars. An interesting take on reality and social interaction, and a quick read. 

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.