Neurovance Is My First Infinity-Star Read of 2026
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What if the worst thing that ever happened to you could be removed?
(Yeah…sit with that for a second. And if that question already has your mind spiraling, you can step into it here.)
Not healed.
Not processed.
And definitely not turned into a lesson you’re supposed to be grateful for.
Removed.
Extracted from your mind so you never have to replay it again at 2 a.m.
There’s a specific kind of exhaustion that comes from living inside your own memories. The conversation you wish you had handled differently. The love that burned too hot. The grief that never softened. The version of yourself you wish you could undo.
We carry those moments like they’re stitched into us. Even when they’re the reason we can’t breathe some days.
Neurovance—the tech company at the center of this futuristic novel—promises exactly that. A machine that can manipulate and remove memories. Clean. Precise. Permanent.
But here’s the question this book quietly presses against your throat:
If you erase the pain…do you erase the person you became because of it?
If that question hits a little too close…yeah, this story is going to stay with you.
Neurovance by Alexandra St. Pierre is a queer dark romance wrapped in science fiction, layered with mystery, revenge, grief, and raw mental health representation that feels painfully real.
And I was not prepared for the way it would emotionally dismantle me.
Because this story doesn’t just explore memory in theory.
It makes you feel what it means to lose pieces of yourself. Slowly, disorientingly, in flashes that don’t quite make sense.
And that’s exactly where Milo begins.
(And if you’re the kind of reader who wants to be wrecked like that…don’t wait. Start it now.)
Title: Neurovance
Author: Alexandra St Pierre
Publisher: Independently Published
Format: eARC
Genre: Dark Romance, Techno Thriller, Futuristic, Mental Health, LGBT, Science Fiction
Release Date: February 28, 2026
Pages: 592
Star Rating: ♾️⭐
Spice Rating: 2 chili peppers
Milo, The Forgotten, and the Gravity You Can’t Escape
At the center of Neurovance is Milo Murphy.
And a man known only as The Forgotten.
There’s déjà vu.
Flashes of moments that feel lived but unreachable.
A question that lingers like static in the background:
Who is The Forgotten? And what happened to Jay?
While there are mystery elements woven throughout—and they are compelling—this is not a mystery-first story. You begin to understand who The Forgotten is through layered flashbacks.
But knowing doesn’t stop the ache.
Because rationally, Milo shouldn’t trust him.
And yet there’s this black hole between them. A pull that begs you to look closer. Examine every piece. Every pause. Every word.
That kind of pull doesn’t let you go. And honestly? You won’t want it to.
I kept whispering, “I love it,” the entire time.
The Forgotten is snarky, sharp, and devastatingly layered. He balances Milo in that dangerous, magnetic way dark romance heroes do. Milo grounds him. Softens him. Challenges him.
And the tension?
It isn’t just physical.
It’s emotional. Psychological. Gravitational.
A Dark MM Romance That Actually Earns Its Darkness
Neurovance is a dark romance. Let’s be clear.
There is murder.
There is revenge.
And there is very much “touch him and die” energy. (That man shoots people because they bumped into Milo, we love a possessive king.)
If that’s your kind of dark romance…yeah, this one’s yours.
But the darkness doesn’t exist for shock value.
It exists because these characters are fractured.
The mental health representation here is raw. Messy. Hidden. Real.
It’s the kind of mental health struggle people carry quietly while still showing up to work. Still smiling. Still pretending everything is fine.
There are internal battles no one sees.
And Alexandra St. Pierre does not romanticize that pain.
She lets it breathe. Let it hurt. If you have ever held everything in while still putting on a brave face, this book will see you.
And if being seen like that scares you a little… or calls to you… you already know it. Read it here.
Futuristic, But Uncomfortably Close to Home
Neuorvance as a company feels chillingly plausible. A tech corporation offering relief from trauma through memory manipulation.
This futuristic science fiction novel includes AI—but not in the way you expect.
NOVA, the ethically sourced AI companion, has sass. Heart. Loyalty.
She balances The Forgotten the way Milo does, but in a fierce, feminine, best-friend way. Even as an AI NOVA has been watching his back. She matters.
This isn’t a techno thriller obsessed with machines. It’s a story about identity. About who we are when our memories are altered. About whether erasing pain actually heals it, or just buries it deeper.
The Writing. The World. The Obsession.
This was my first Alexandra St. Pierre book.
It will not be my last.
The writing is smooth. Immersive. Easy to sink into. The world feels lush and descriptive, similar enough to ours to feel grounded, but unique in texture and tone.
It is detailed and layered, as all well-plotted stories are.
You laugh.
You sigh.
Swoon.
You giggle while kicking your feet.
And then it hits you like a freight train through a wall of bricks.
And you cry. 😭😭😭
Not aesthetic tears. The ugly, snotty, can’t-catch-your-breath kind.
My youngest came into my room and asked what was wrong.
And all I could do was wail (even now I am fighting back tears). He looked at me like I’d lost my mind, as someone died in the family (and in a way someone did), and said, ” You’re crying over a book.” And I sobbed more.
I immediately sent Alexandra a message on Threads saying I would never emotionally recover. Vowing to never read it again and immediately reread it all at once.
I think about this book daily. Hourly.
It is now a column in the Colosseum that is my Roman Empire.
If you’re ready for a book that does this to you… don’t say I didn’t warn you.
The Ending…(No Spoilers)
I will not spoil it for you, as this is a book best experienced blind. Because there are details. Nuances. Small threads that matter.
But I will say this:
The ending broke me.
It layered devastation over tenderness. Pulled me apart and stitched me back together just to unravel me all over again.
It was the emotionally devastating cherry on an already luscious cake.
This is one of my first infinity star♾️⭐ reads of 2026.
And I don’t say that lightly.
Now, someone talk me off the ledge of rereading it AGAIN!
Who This Book Is For
Read Neurovance if you:
- Love dark MM romance with emotional depth
- Crave queer romance that hurts and heals
- Want mental health representation that feels lived-in and honest
- Are fascinated by memory manipulation and tech ethics
- Love futuristic fiction that mirrors today’s world
- Want to cry so hard you consider texting the author
This is not for you if:
- You need soft, low-conflict comfort romance
- You avoid murder or revenge themes
- You want a mystery first narrative
- You don’t enjoy emotionally layered endings
If you read one queer dark romance in 2026, make it Neurovance. Don’t overthink it. Get it here.
I almost didn’t apply for the eARC because I didn’t think I would be approved.
I would not be the same reader if I hadn’t.
Your year will not be complete without this book either.
This is where I Tell You to Shop Indie
If that means ordering through your local independent bookstore, perfect.
If that means requesting it at your local library, even better.
Shop the author’s website.
Or use Bookshop.org, where you can choose a bookstore to support at no extra cost to you
And if the easiest way for you to get this book into your hands is Amazon, I understand. Just try to make it your last option.
However you get it…just get it. Stories like this deserve to live in places that care about stories.
If you could erase one memory…would you?
Or do you believe even the painful ones are proof you loved deeply?
Tell me in the comments.🖤📖✨
To Sebastian.
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