Barton Street Gym... A Review
Barton Street Gym by Zoey Ivers and Pam Uphoff
One important point. When I finished reading it, I immediately looked for the next in the series (Chicago!) and bought that. Which should indicate what I thought about this book.
Who should read it? Everybody! It's a romp, basically following two young people (14 and 16 years old, so I suppose this qualifies as a YA, but I think adults can read it too -- I certainly enjoyed it!). One young woman, Alice, and one young man, Joe. Oh, and one young AI, Barton Street (yes, it's the building AI). The plot focuses on the three of them learning to deal with their world, which happens to be composed of dimensional bumps... except that when you open the door the wrong way, you actually go somewhere else. And in those extra dimensions, there are other AI who aren't so friendly. That's probably enough hinting. Read it, you'll enjoy it.
So, the book has several big ideas -- the dimensional bumps, which people are setting up housekeeping in, Alert, which removes the need to sleep, the bios, which are living dolls, the AIs... I think you'll enjoy learning about this brave new world (or is it this rabbit hole?). Don't worry, the author did not go the route of massive infodumps. But the big ideas do add savor.
What else can I say? I'm going to go read Chicago, and I hope you enjoy reading Barton Street Gym. Just watch out for what's behind the door!