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Moderation
A bold and inventive novel about real romance in the virtual workplace—bringing Castillo's trademark wit and sharp cultural criticism to an irresistible story about the possible future of love.
Girlie Delmundo is the greatest content moderator in the world, and despite the setbacks of financial crises, climate catastrophe, and a global pandemic, she’s going places: she’s getting a promotion. Now thanks to her parent company Paragon’s purchase of Fairground—the world’s preeminent virtual reality content provider—she’s on the way to becoming an elite VR moderator, playing in the big leagues and, if her enthusiastic bosses are to be believed, moderating the next stage of human interaction.
Despite the isolation that virtual reality requires from colleagues, friends, and family, the unbelievable perks of her new job mean she can solve a lot of her family's problems with money and mobility. She doesn't have to think about the childhood home they lost back in the Bay Area, or history at all—she can just pay any debts that come due. But when she meets William Cheung, Playground’s wry, reticent co-founder (now Chief Product Officer) and slowly unearths some of his secrets, and finds herself somehow falling in love, she’ll learn that history might be impossible to moderate and the future utterly impossible to control.
Girlie Delmundo is the greatest content moderator in the world, and despite the setbacks of financial crises, climate catastrophe, and a global pandemic, she’s going places: she’s getting a promotion. Now thanks to her parent company Paragon’s purchase of Fairground—the world’s preeminent virtual reality content provider—she’s on the way to becoming an elite VR moderator, playing in the big leagues and, if her enthusiastic bosses are to be believed, moderating the next stage of human interaction.
Despite the isolation that virtual reality requires from colleagues, friends, and family, the unbelievable perks of her new job mean she can solve a lot of her family's problems with money and mobility. She doesn't have to think about the childhood home they lost back in the Bay Area, or history at all—she can just pay any debts that come due. But when she meets William Cheung, Playground’s wry, reticent co-founder (now Chief Product Officer) and slowly unearths some of his secrets, and finds herself somehow falling in love, she’ll learn that history might be impossible to moderate and the future utterly impossible to control.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published August 5, 2025
283 people are currently reading
25585 people want to read
About the author
Elaine Castillo
8 books445 followersElaine Castillo was born in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is a graduate of the University of California – Berkeley. America Is Not the Heart is her first novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 203 reviews
tbr-arcs
March 2, 2025love me a trippy cover
tbr-most-anticipated
July 28, 2025Filling my annual quota of romance novels (one single book) with something different now that I've given up on Emily Henry xx
July 10, 2025
Happy publication day 🎉🥳🎧
Have you ever given consideration to the people who moderate social media for all the flagged content? I don’t think I had, but what a horrific job that must be, and that’s where we meet Girlie, she’s great at her job, past trauma has desensitised her in some way and it means that she’s stuck around longer than most moderators. When a new company takes over Girlie is recruited into moderating VR technology, used for gaming, therapy etc. this to me was quite fascinating, and gives the reader some great insight into big tech and the big money machine it generates.
I must have completely missed the part about this being a romance novel, but I checked the synopsis and it’s clearly there, so the element of surprise was completely down to my own stupidity but it threw me off completely, and it took me a hot minute to warm back up to the story after the initial spark.
I really enjoyed the writing of Girlie, I appreciated all of the messages that Elaine Castillo was sending the reader but I really would’ve liked something a bit more, the story leans towards dystopian fiction but it also feels like it pulls back from itself, too much is left unsaid.
I enjoyed the audio narration 🎧
My thanks to W F Howes LTD and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ALC 🎧
Have you ever given consideration to the people who moderate social media for all the flagged content? I don’t think I had, but what a horrific job that must be, and that’s where we meet Girlie, she’s great at her job, past trauma has desensitised her in some way and it means that she’s stuck around longer than most moderators. When a new company takes over Girlie is recruited into moderating VR technology, used for gaming, therapy etc. this to me was quite fascinating, and gives the reader some great insight into big tech and the big money machine it generates.
I must have completely missed the part about this being a romance novel, but I checked the synopsis and it’s clearly there, so the element of surprise was completely down to my own stupidity but it threw me off completely, and it took me a hot minute to warm back up to the story after the initial spark.
I really enjoyed the writing of Girlie, I appreciated all of the messages that Elaine Castillo was sending the reader but I really would’ve liked something a bit more, the story leans towards dystopian fiction but it also feels like it pulls back from itself, too much is left unsaid.
I enjoyed the audio narration 🎧
My thanks to W F Howes LTD and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ALC 🎧
April 7, 2025
Moderation is sharp, surprising, and so much smarter than your average speculative fiction — and Girlie Delmundo — our gloriously jaded, emotionally armoured narrator — is basically the sarcastic voice in my head but with a cooler job and more trauma. I loved being in her head. Elaine Castillo nails that delicate balance between biting social commentary and emotional depth, all while making me laugh in places I really didn’t expect to.
You can probably tell that this book had me hooked early on. The themes are timely and unflinching, there’s content moderation, corporate overreach, VR therapy, grief, politics, romance — and yet it works. It’s dark, but never bleak. Heavy, but never hopeless. And at the center of it all is Girlie, doing what so many of us do: surviving with humor and grit.
That said, I wish the final act had taken a bit more time. The last chunk of the book tries to wrap up so many threads at once, and while the payoff is there, it would’ve hit harder with more breathing room. Some emotional arcs felt like they were just hitting their stride when the credits rolled.
Still — this was such a satisfying, thoughtful, and emotionally rich read. I wanted it to be a five-star book, and for a while, it absolutely was. Even with its slightly rushed ending, it left me thinking, feeling, and smiling (through the existential dread). Not every book sticks the landing perfectly, but this one still lands with heart.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC.
You can probably tell that this book had me hooked early on. The themes are timely and unflinching, there’s content moderation, corporate overreach, VR therapy, grief, politics, romance — and yet it works. It’s dark, but never bleak. Heavy, but never hopeless. And at the center of it all is Girlie, doing what so many of us do: surviving with humor and grit.
That said, I wish the final act had taken a bit more time. The last chunk of the book tries to wrap up so many threads at once, and while the payoff is there, it would’ve hit harder with more breathing room. Some emotional arcs felt like they were just hitting their stride when the credits rolled.
Still — this was such a satisfying, thoughtful, and emotionally rich read. I wanted it to be a five-star book, and for a while, it absolutely was. Even with its slightly rushed ending, it left me thinking, feeling, and smiling (through the existential dread). Not every book sticks the landing perfectly, but this one still lands with heart.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC.
July 26, 2025
elaine castillo is a fucking marvel. i have known this since i read AMERICA IS NOT THE HEART (still the best wlw romance i've ever read <3), but MODERATION has cemented her as one of my top five authors. the way she writes romance is unbelievable - incredibly, ACHINGLY restrained until it becomes suddenly irrepressible and bursts like a dam and floods and floods in the hottest way possible. her prose melts me - dazzling and sharp imagery at every turn, repetition and callbacks that build upon each other to breathtaking effect. her protagonists are so deeply human, damaged and fallible and easy to love. the complexity of her women!!!! always gets me!!! ms castillo if i have to wait another 7 years for you to write your next novel i know it will be worth it <3333
August 19, 2025
A great start, am outstanding and intriguing set up, and such a promising main character. Then once the plot got interesting, it fizzled. Girlie is a content moderator at a social media company, it is an extremely stressful job and many people cannot handle the work. But Girlie is one that has thick skin. Certain people are more of a specialist in certain types of content.
She is then recruited to go to a VR firm and falls for William, the chief product officer. The book is great until William is introduced. I just couldn’t figure out- for the life of me- why Girlie was intrigued by this guy. He was boring in my opinion.
The back and forth and conclusion was very rushed and things wrapped up without actually being fully explained.
That said, it’s a great author and a good concept. I will read her other works. I just think this is not her strongest.
She is then recruited to go to a VR firm and falls for William, the chief product officer. The book is great until William is introduced. I just couldn’t figure out- for the life of me- why Girlie was intrigued by this guy. He was boring in my opinion.
The back and forth and conclusion was very rushed and things wrapped up without actually being fully explained.
That said, it’s a great author and a good concept. I will read her other works. I just think this is not her strongest.
July 20, 2025
This was fine to read but I didn't really connect with any of the characters and tbh didn't understand why she was that interested in this man
August 1, 2025
3.5 because i do love elaine castillo's writing very much and she has such a gift for lush grounded imagery and tender painful family dynamics. however i find heterosexual yearning (especially of the woman-desiring-man variety) intensely boring and the anglophile parts of this were kind of physically embarrassing to read. "everyone looked hot and well dressed" on the tube in london? they had their final reconciliation outside a COSTA? don't piss me off
upon reflection, i also felt disappointed in the final arc and the way things were wrapped up: the decision to didn't sit right with me, because 1) it was rushed and 2) it removed a lot of the complexity we as readers had been feeling watching girlie fall for a (so we thought) rich guy who is in bed with some very bad people but also wants, or wanted, to do good. the final reveal turned that on its head and made it like, aww it was all okay because he got the bad guys in the end! in general this felt like two different books (a romance between two emotionally repressed people vs the savage social commentary on the tech world; both with money and trauma and complicated family stuff mixed in) mashed into one. letting each storyline breathe on its own in a separate novel would have made both of them stronger. for example, i was thinking about how little we as readers get to see of william, unless he's directly interacting with girlie. part of that is, i think, to preserve the mystery of him being but it also means that we don't really get his appeal or an understanding of his character besides being aloof and hot. i don't care about heterosexual yearning, true, but i can get behind a romance if i truly believe and understand why one of them desires the other. here i was like.... uhhh he's sexy? and he doesn't feel embarrassed to be around her family? i guess?
upon reflection, i also felt disappointed in the final arc and the way things were wrapped up: the decision to didn't sit right with me, because 1) it was rushed and 2) it removed a lot of the complexity we as readers had been feeling watching girlie fall for a (so we thought) rich guy who is in bed with some very bad people but also wants, or wanted, to do good. the final reveal turned that on its head and made it like, aww it was all okay because he got the bad guys in the end! in general this felt like two different books (a romance between two emotionally repressed people vs the savage social commentary on the tech world; both with money and trauma and complicated family stuff mixed in) mashed into one. letting each storyline breathe on its own in a separate novel would have made both of them stronger. for example, i was thinking about how little we as readers get to see of william, unless he's directly interacting with girlie. part of that is, i think, to preserve the mystery of him being but it also means that we don't really get his appeal or an understanding of his character besides being aloof and hot. i don't care about heterosexual yearning, true, but i can get behind a romance if i truly believe and understand why one of them desires the other. here i was like.... uhhh he's sexy? and he doesn't feel embarrassed to be around her family? i guess?
August 11, 2025
Oh FINALLY, a book I absolutely loved. It's been months of - at best - liking my reads and grading on a curve. I've done a lot of rereading just to feel something. But here we are, at last, a book that makes me remember why I love books. And not just because of its awesome, trippy cover.
Castillo's second lit fic novel (oh, how I wish she had a heaping backlist I could reach for), this time about a Girlie, a Filipina-American working as a content moderator in Vegas for a Facebook-like company in order to help support her large family and their large debt. When I say content moderator, think of the folks who have to watch horrifying, graphic videos posted to social media to see if they need to be removed. That kind of content moderator.
Low and behold, she gets a major promotion and raise to work a similar job for a VR startup her company has acquired, and her boss is real hot, and they have a real connection. A romance of sorts ensues that definitely plays with romance motifs and expectations, but is still extremely quiet and grounded.
There's just something so...intimate and specific about Castillo's writing. Her characters are so, so well-drawn, and they feel like actual adults, which is not always a guarantee in books allegedly about adults. And her books are dark in the way the actual world feels dark.
Major CW for brief, graphic descriptions of child sex abuse, primarily because of the nature of Girlie's job. Castillo shies away from basically nothing, ever, so be warned.
Castillo's second lit fic novel (oh, how I wish she had a heaping backlist I could reach for), this time about a Girlie, a Filipina-American working as a content moderator in Vegas for a Facebook-like company in order to help support her large family and their large debt. When I say content moderator, think of the folks who have to watch horrifying, graphic videos posted to social media to see if they need to be removed. That kind of content moderator.
Low and behold, she gets a major promotion and raise to work a similar job for a VR startup her company has acquired, and her boss is real hot, and they have a real connection. A romance of sorts ensues that definitely plays with romance motifs and expectations, but is still extremely quiet and grounded.
There's just something so...intimate and specific about Castillo's writing. Her characters are so, so well-drawn, and they feel like actual adults, which is not always a guarantee in books allegedly about adults. And her books are dark in the way the actual world feels dark.
Major CW for brief, graphic descriptions of child sex abuse, primarily because of the nature of Girlie's job. Castillo shies away from basically nothing, ever, so be warned.
August 18, 2025
It seems like a bad thing that the best thing I can say about this book is that the author did a good job narrating it herself.
I’m not even totally sure I can tell you what this is about, aside from saying the main character is named Girlie and it shows her job a bit, her family a bit, and apparently her lusting after her boss but aside from one moment where she thinks of him in a very sexual way that didn’t seem developed at all (which made the ending feel random?).
This could have used a trigger warning page. There’s… a lot. It kinda felt like there was less moderation than I expected, however when it is, it tended to be quite graphic. For example, the word ‘rape’ is in this book 15 times. Literally within the first few pages, moderators have to watch a video of the rape of a young girl and ‘prove’ it’s a young girl but talking about her wearing child sized socks with Frozen characters on them. Suicide is implied for a couple people close to the MC’s as well, as well as suicidal ideations. Obviously everyone’s triggers vary, but the level of graphicness was unexpected to me.
The cover is beautiful, but has absolutely nothing to do with the story. The writing was… not my taste, I guess? I don’t personally need to know the race of every random security guard or whoever the MC notices (that will never be seen again) when I’m reading a book. I really didn’t care about how hot Girlie thought she was, but that was mentioned in detail a few times. The chapters are inconsistent in length but overall pretty long (this is slightly over 300 pages and there’s only 8 chapters - chapter 1 and 8 are both around 14 pages, yet chapter 6 is over 80 pages).
I don’t think I’m ever going to think about this book again after today. Which is a bummer, as I was intrigued by the premise of it.
I’m not even totally sure I can tell you what this is about, aside from saying the main character is named Girlie and it shows her job a bit, her family a bit, and apparently her lusting after her boss but aside from one moment where she thinks of him in a very sexual way that didn’t seem developed at all (which made the ending feel random?).
This could have used a trigger warning page. There’s… a lot. It kinda felt like there was less moderation than I expected, however when it is, it tended to be quite graphic. For example, the word ‘rape’ is in this book 15 times. Literally within the first few pages, moderators have to watch a video of the rape of a young girl and ‘prove’ it’s a young girl but talking about her wearing child sized socks with Frozen characters on them. Suicide is implied for a couple people close to the MC’s as well, as well as suicidal ideations. Obviously everyone’s triggers vary, but the level of graphicness was unexpected to me.
The cover is beautiful, but has absolutely nothing to do with the story. The writing was… not my taste, I guess? I don’t personally need to know the race of every random security guard or whoever the MC notices (that will never be seen again) when I’m reading a book. I really didn’t care about how hot Girlie thought she was, but that was mentioned in detail a few times. The chapters are inconsistent in length but overall pretty long (this is slightly over 300 pages and there’s only 8 chapters - chapter 1 and 8 are both around 14 pages, yet chapter 6 is over 80 pages).
I don’t think I’m ever going to think about this book again after today. Which is a bummer, as I was intrigued by the premise of it.
August 31, 2025
3.5 rounded down. Loved the narrative voice and literary style, wish it wasn’t primarily a romance plot.
June 21, 2025
I really didn’t read this one in moderation. It completely captured me from beginning to end and I consumed it in two days - spending all of my non reading time thinking about it.
I was drawn in by this fantastic cover art 👏 and promises of “if you like tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow (which I did) you will love this” (which I did).
I really really really loved this. World building was brilliant - didn’t really feel like I was in something that wasn’t realistic at all - but still far removed from my day to day experience enough that it felt like sci-fi. As a big (early seasons) Westworld fan I was initially sceptical when I read the blurb thinking it was perhaps too “inspired” but it didn’t feel that way at all.
Loved being in this world from the viewpoint of not the participant but the content moderator - felt like it was a fresh pov.
I must have missed somewhere before commencing that this was a love story and thus was not expecting it at all but it was such a nice surprise and I found myself really rooting for Girlie and William. Their chemistry was very well done and I could really feel the tension between these two social strugglers through the pages.
Side character of Dr Perera was a personal favourite of mine - enjoyed everything that his character brought to the story - and Mona too - the perfect addition to really get William to win over the reader.
Thankyou NetGalley and Allen and Unwin for this ARC in exchange for my honest review - I will very happily be recommending this to friends, family, reader and book clubs!
This will make a great book club book because there is so much to pick apart.
I was drawn in by this fantastic cover art 👏 and promises of “if you like tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow (which I did) you will love this” (which I did).
I really really really loved this. World building was brilliant - didn’t really feel like I was in something that wasn’t realistic at all - but still far removed from my day to day experience enough that it felt like sci-fi. As a big (early seasons) Westworld fan I was initially sceptical when I read the blurb thinking it was perhaps too “inspired” but it didn’t feel that way at all.
Loved being in this world from the viewpoint of not the participant but the content moderator - felt like it was a fresh pov.
I must have missed somewhere before commencing that this was a love story and thus was not expecting it at all but it was such a nice surprise and I found myself really rooting for Girlie and William. Their chemistry was very well done and I could really feel the tension between these two social strugglers through the pages.
Side character of Dr Perera was a personal favourite of mine - enjoyed everything that his character brought to the story - and Mona too - the perfect addition to really get William to win over the reader.
Thankyou NetGalley and Allen and Unwin for this ARC in exchange for my honest review - I will very happily be recommending this to friends, family, reader and book clubs!
This will make a great book club book because there is so much to pick apart.
March 25, 2025
*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance reader copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review*.
Moderation follows Girlie who works as a social media moderator, flagging and removing inappropriate content. Girlie is a good moderator as nothing bothers her. She gets an offer to start moderating virtual reality theme parks. Girlie takes the job but there could be something darker built into the company and William who started the company is exactly Girlie’s type.
This was okay. This was a five star when I started it, then it went to a four star and then a three star. I really liked the witty commentary at the start but then I just lost interest in this. This did have a lot of interesting things to say and generally I can see people enjoying this. Stories involving content moderation are always interesting and I always give them a go. I would recommend this and this was written well.
Moderation follows Girlie who works as a social media moderator, flagging and removing inappropriate content. Girlie is a good moderator as nothing bothers her. She gets an offer to start moderating virtual reality theme parks. Girlie takes the job but there could be something darker built into the company and William who started the company is exactly Girlie’s type.
This was okay. This was a five star when I started it, then it went to a four star and then a three star. I really liked the witty commentary at the start but then I just lost interest in this. This did have a lot of interesting things to say and generally I can see people enjoying this. Stories involving content moderation are always interesting and I always give them a go. I would recommend this and this was written well.
June 16, 2025
This just didn't work for me. At times the writing was really engaging but a lot of the time I felt like skipping ahead. There were a few different elements to this story but none of them felt explored enough and the romance just didn't work for me. I didn't feel like either character actually liked the other - it felt more like Castillo realised that not much had happened by the end so needed to push it in a romantic direction.
Not every book needs to be full of action and answers but this didn't have enough of either for me.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!
Not every book needs to be full of action and answers but this didn't have enough of either for me.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!
July 10, 2025
This would have been so much cooler if it wasn’t also trying to be a romance.
August 17, 2025
Moderation started with a really intriguing idea but ultimately fell flat. Girlie, our main character, is a content moderator who barely reacts to anything, which makes her perfect for the job.
When she’s offered a role at a tech company moderating VR theme parks, the story opens up a world of mystery, adventure, and a touch of romance with the chief product officer. At first, the book was clever and fun, but it quickly slid from a five-star start to a generous three.
Where it lost me was in the follow through. The VR world mostly takes a backseat to office politics, and the romance barely goes anywhere.
The story doesn’t really build to a satisfying arc, so the ending feels flat. Girlie (hate that name, by the way) is an interesting character, but her guarded nature keeps things from fully landing emotionally.
Overall, Moderation has some fun and creative ideas, but it just didn’t hit the way I was hoping for.
When she’s offered a role at a tech company moderating VR theme parks, the story opens up a world of mystery, adventure, and a touch of romance with the chief product officer. At first, the book was clever and fun, but it quickly slid from a five-star start to a generous three.
Where it lost me was in the follow through. The VR world mostly takes a backseat to office politics, and the romance barely goes anywhere.
The story doesn’t really build to a satisfying arc, so the ending feels flat. Girlie (hate that name, by the way) is an interesting character, but her guarded nature keeps things from fully landing emotionally.
Overall, Moderation has some fun and creative ideas, but it just didn’t hit the way I was hoping for.
August 25, 2025
There were moments I wasn’t sure “Moderation” was clicking for me, and other moments it was absorbing. Anyone who has read Elaine Castillo already knows she writes great sentences and comes hard, and that’s all present here. Castillo is always taking big, confident swings and while not every one may land perfectly they do more often than not.
Part of the challenge is this book is really covering a lot. The book, to varying degrees, tackles themes of immigrant life, family, trauma, technology, and workplace culture, all while balancing a romance at its core. I’m not sure that the pacing feels completely balanced throughout and part of that, I think, comes from a carousel of focus.
Ultimately, Castillo writes with acerbic humor and laser-sharp details, wielding it all like a buzzsaw; taking interesting ideas and making them her own. Even if it’s not perfect, I respect what she’s done here and at the end I felt enough of the big swings connected to give this novel the benefit of the doubt.
Part of the challenge is this book is really covering a lot. The book, to varying degrees, tackles themes of immigrant life, family, trauma, technology, and workplace culture, all while balancing a romance at its core. I’m not sure that the pacing feels completely balanced throughout and part of that, I think, comes from a carousel of focus.
Ultimately, Castillo writes with acerbic humor and laser-sharp details, wielding it all like a buzzsaw; taking interesting ideas and making them her own. Even if it’s not perfect, I respect what she’s done here and at the end I felt enough of the big swings connected to give this novel the benefit of the doubt.
August 29, 2025
I had a hard time remembering some characters since they were mentioned, and we learned facts about them, but they didn't have any dialogue.
Some pages were boring and didn't add anything to the story.
AND I HATED THE ENDING.
I still don't fully understand what happened because it was so rushed.
Some pages were boring and didn't add anything to the story.
AND I HATED THE ENDING.
I still don't fully understand what happened because it was so rushed.
August 1, 2025
Another excellent foray for Castillo. The writing remains BRILLIANT.
--longer review to come!--
--longer review to come!--
August 29, 2025
DNF. Just not my writing style.
June 25, 2025
This makes me think about the old saw about how your greatest strength is also your weakness. I love the author's snarky voice, the observations, the cultural references, the relentless listing of brands and the way every social interaction is deconstructed as a signifier of economic and social status. But - the richly textured detail means it takes forever to get anywhere. I started losing enthusiasm when I was 28% in and Girlie hadn't even started the job which was supposed to be the focus of the story. And the romance element didn't really do it for me, I was expecting something darker given the set-up.
*
Copy from NetGalley
*
Copy from NetGalley
June 11, 2025
I was utterly gripped by this novel from the start. Elaine Castillo you must immediately write another book.
Moderation follows ‘Girlie Delmundo’ a Filipino woman living in Las Vegas. We are initially introduced to her intricate personal life and family history as an introverted and private individual who struggles to let her walls down. Predominantly, this book is centered on her position as a content moderator, whose job it is to witness the darker parts of the platform and weed out the seediest and most disturbing of imagery and commentary made by its users.
There is a dynamic interplay of themes in this publication that blend into each other seamlessly. We are introduced to Girlie as a member of an ethnic minority living in the US with a complicated and traumatic backstory. The book then draws us into the field of corporate life through content moderation and later into the evolving and innovative landscape of VR technology. These chapters are in addition, interspersed with a slow burn romance. Less of a typical romance in their case as it is a connection of two souls. Could not get enough of this book, highly recommend as your next read!
Moderation follows ‘Girlie Delmundo’ a Filipino woman living in Las Vegas. We are initially introduced to her intricate personal life and family history as an introverted and private individual who struggles to let her walls down. Predominantly, this book is centered on her position as a content moderator, whose job it is to witness the darker parts of the platform and weed out the seediest and most disturbing of imagery and commentary made by its users.
There is a dynamic interplay of themes in this publication that blend into each other seamlessly. We are introduced to Girlie as a member of an ethnic minority living in the US with a complicated and traumatic backstory. The book then draws us into the field of corporate life through content moderation and later into the evolving and innovative landscape of VR technology. These chapters are in addition, interspersed with a slow burn romance. Less of a typical romance in their case as it is a connection of two souls. Could not get enough of this book, highly recommend as your next read!
June 5, 2025
He was also desperate to skip ahead, get there faster, wanted to be early for the future that had never once been promised; not even imagined. "Nice to meet you," she agreed, reaching for him, meeting him there
Oh my GOD! Elaine Castillo is a damn genius! How she is able to weave a budding relationship within a story about AI and corporate greed is BEYOND ME. Her prose is just beautiful, and so is her character development. She allows her main character, Girlie, to draw clear lines in the sand as definition but still grants her some give, so as to keep adding to that definition.
Her world building is so damn SMART! The new world AI of it all works hand in hand with Las Vegas, both being physical testaments to profitable entertainment. I am still in awe of how well Castillo was able to give detail to such a vast topic as Virtual Reality, while also saving room for the small glances and the 'reading between the lines' good romance is known for.
This book is beautifully complex within 300 pages. And I want so so much more of it. Thx to NetGalley for my early copy!
Oh my GOD! Elaine Castillo is a damn genius! How she is able to weave a budding relationship within a story about AI and corporate greed is BEYOND ME. Her prose is just beautiful, and so is her character development. She allows her main character, Girlie, to draw clear lines in the sand as definition but still grants her some give, so as to keep adding to that definition.
Her world building is so damn SMART! The new world AI of it all works hand in hand with Las Vegas, both being physical testaments to profitable entertainment. I am still in awe of how well Castillo was able to give detail to such a vast topic as Virtual Reality, while also saving room for the small glances and the 'reading between the lines' good romance is known for.
This book is beautifully complex within 300 pages. And I want so so much more of it. Thx to NetGalley for my early copy!
August 10, 2025
(rounded down from 4.25)
When I read the blurb, I expected this to be more focused on virtual reality rotting the brain of moderators than a second-generation immigrant dealing with the complexity of family ties and guilt while connecting with a stoic British immigrant who happens to be her boss, but I'm not mad about it.
If I had to create a spectrum of the kind of POC characters I enjoy, Girlie would be on the high end, with characters from most romances who are POC but could absolutely be swapped out for a white person with nothing about them or their role in the book changing. Girlie (not her real name, but works for her work and life) is the eldest daughter in her generation and stuck between all the younger cousins and her Pinoy immigrant elders. She's beautiful and knows, but views it dispassionately as a fact of life that she must deal with while navigating familial guilt, repressed trauma at losing her investments and house payments, and dodging various exes (she's bi) while retaining them for connections.
Girlie works as a content moderator for a massive social site and has avoided burning out and the psychological toll it takes on her coworkers for about fifteen years and running, while doing an exceptional job by any metric. As a result, she's offered a ridiculously well-paying job moderating content in a VR "playground" by a mysterious British man named William Cheung. My favourite parts of this book were the guarded but magnetic interactions between William and Girlie as they verbally spar, jab, and finally come to understand each other a bit better (as things continue to happen in this exclusive and futuristic VR space they are moderating).
I love characters with rich inner worlds who navigate complex interpersonal politics with people they love and are wary of equally carefully. Girlie is exactly that kind of character and while this book has less VR stuff at the fore than I expected, it's still a solid read.
When I read the blurb, I expected this to be more focused on virtual reality rotting the brain of moderators than a second-generation immigrant dealing with the complexity of family ties and guilt while connecting with a stoic British immigrant who happens to be her boss, but I'm not mad about it.
If I had to create a spectrum of the kind of POC characters I enjoy, Girlie would be on the high end, with characters from most romances who are POC but could absolutely be swapped out for a white person with nothing about them or their role in the book changing. Girlie (not her real name, but works for her work and life) is the eldest daughter in her generation and stuck between all the younger cousins and her Pinoy immigrant elders. She's beautiful and knows, but views it dispassionately as a fact of life that she must deal with while navigating familial guilt, repressed trauma at losing her investments and house payments, and dodging various exes (she's bi) while retaining them for connections.
Girlie works as a content moderator for a massive social site and has avoided burning out and the psychological toll it takes on her coworkers for about fifteen years and running, while doing an exceptional job by any metric. As a result, she's offered a ridiculously well-paying job moderating content in a VR "playground" by a mysterious British man named William Cheung. My favourite parts of this book were the guarded but magnetic interactions between William and Girlie as they verbally spar, jab, and finally come to understand each other a bit better (as things continue to happen in this exclusive and futuristic VR space they are moderating).
I love characters with rich inner worlds who navigate complex interpersonal politics with people they love and are wary of equally carefully. Girlie is exactly that kind of character and while this book has less VR stuff at the fore than I expected, it's still a solid read.
August 5, 2025
This book caught me off guard with how much I loved it. A lot about it feels like it could get tropey: content moderation, silicon valley dystopian greed, trauma plots, contemporary romance between impossibly attractive peopel, etc... But it's not. First, Girlie (alias, of course), is a complete BDE, IDGAF badass - the fact that its both authentic and maladapted from childhood trauma aside - and I could not get enough of her character: her relationships, her family, her arms-lengthing of people, her (predictable but still cool) knowledge of niche status symbols (vintage watches), all of it. Is her love interest, William, fully fleshed out before the penultimate chapter? Not really, but doesn't really matter. The romantic slow-burn was great - at times, it was barely there, so it was nice to read characters that weren't fully consumed by their obvious chemistry. The distance they give each other makes sense with the internalities they're each dealing with (or not dealing with). The whole thing feels understated in the end - sort of like luxury belongings - but in a way that made me pay more attention. I don't often re-read, but I might. And I usually read galleys with the neuroticism of a person with a long tbr pile, but I didn't; apparently this was the right book at the right time for me. Big recommend.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc!
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc!
August 11, 2025
This may very well be the best Romance i’ll read this year. Way to make under-eye bags sounds sexy, Elaine Castillo!
My only small gripe with this book is that the first 75 pages or so make it sound like you’re in for a dark, dystopian, psycho drama - when in reality, the slow burner romance this novel turns into is so much better!
My only small gripe with this book is that the first 75 pages or so make it sound like you’re in for a dark, dystopian, psycho drama - when in reality, the slow burner romance this novel turns into is so much better!
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August 14, 2025This sadly didn’t really come together for me. I was too interested in all the parts that were basically background noise and pretty indifferent to the main show. A tragedy if you know how much I love love loved America is Not the Heart, but to be fair they are very different novels. I will still read anything EC puts out because she is so good at words.
August 31, 2025
I’m genuinely so pleasantly surprised by this as a five star read!!!!!! The cover? Gorgeous. The writing? Brilliant. The characters? Compelling. The story? Clever.
If you liked tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow, this will scratch that same little itch in your brain
If you liked tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow, this will scratch that same little itch in your brain
July 19, 2025
Goed maar het einde ging heel snel, opeens gebeurde er allemaal dingen en opeens was het over - wel echt zieke cover
September 10, 2025
no direction or payoff in this book. i caught myself asking ”what are we doing with this” multiple times throughout
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