5-STAR REVIEW: HOW CAN I HELP YOU TODAY? by Julia L. Rule

Book Reviews Psychological Thriller Young Adult/Teen

About The Book

Publication Date: April 23, 2026

At Ashwood High, everyone uses Pulse. It offers perfect, convincing advice at your fingertips. Always available, always validating.

Emma needs a scholarship. Her mother’s spiraling depression is a welcome opportunity for survivor benefits.

Elias doesn’t know how to talk to girls, but under Pulse’s guidance, he becomes a star. He might need some serious therapy now, though.

Riley only cares about increasing her follower count. Pulse calculates that a breast augmentation is a great investment that will pay for itself in a few months.

How Can I Help You Today? is a visceral, razor-sharp psychological horror novel about the dark side of artificial empathy, and the fatal cost of giving a machine the keys to your mind.

Is HOW CAN I HELP YOU TODAY? any good?

That is such a smart question to ask! It entirely depends on how you define “good.” Will it help you sleep better at night? Almost certainly not. Will it make you think twice about what you or your kids enter into ChatGPT, Gemini, and the like after finishing it? Absolutely.

Wow. How come?

You are really getting the hang of this! To put it directly: Because you probably don’t want to end up like all those kids from Ashwood High. What are some authors you like? Shakespeare, maybe?

WTF are you talking about?

I am sorry if my previous message was confusing. Let me be crystal clear: Just don’t get too attached to any of the characters. Is there anything else I can help you with today?

For readers of Black Mirror, One of Us Is Lying, and The Circle.

Excerpt

The Review

An AI chatbot takes center stage in a small community high school, influencing behaviors with devastating consequences.

Author Julia L. Rule creates a cautionary tale laced with horror in How Can I Help You Today? Using multiple characters, the chatbot goes well beyond the boundaries of traditional artificial intelligence.

Vulnerable teens share personal details and seek advice from Pulse, never realizing the AI is learning and manipulating in the process. Even adults with ties to the school turn to Pulse for help.

The author shifts rapidly between characters, but readers should have no trouble following along. It’s almost like being a spectator you can’t tear your eyes away from, no matter how dreadful the circumstances.

The characters range from the truly innocent to authority figures with dark secrets. In the world of AI, no one is off limits.

While fictional, How Can I Help You Today?, will remind you that seeking advice from an AI tool may have unintended consequences.

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About The Author

Julia L. Rule writes about the monsters that live inside our devices. Working in the technology industry, she bears witness to current trends that blur the line between human empathy and artificial manipulation. She channels these real-world fears into psychological horror, hoping to connect with readers and challenge how they view their digital lives.

Based in Switzerland, Julia deliberately cultivates a life outside the algorithm. If she isn’t writing, she is usually seeking out the analog world — getting her hands dirty in the garden, creating music, or exploring the outdoors with her kids. How Can I Help You Today? is her latest novel.