Steam by Shaenon K. Garrity, illustrated by Emily Holden
Ruby grew up in a university lab. She’s not human. She’s a genius humanoid, and her existence has been secret because her purpose is to (eventually) solve the greatest problems humans experience.
Ruby doesn’t think she can do that in a lab, though, so she breaks out. She knows she needs to understand humans in order to function like one in their presence, so she takes a job at a college coffee shop. While there, she quickly realizes humans do have a huge problem: finding happiness.
Using her skills, Ruby decides she’ll be pairing up staff and regulars at the coffee shop. She’s playing cupid and loving every minute of it–she’s even built a meaningful community around her.
There’s just one (big) problem: the university wants Ruby back because they believe she’s dangerous. When she walks into their trap, Ruby will need to depend upon those she’s gotten to know to help save her.
