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Sike
A story of boy meets girl meets AI therapist, Sike explores our aching pursuit of love and self-control
Adrian earns his living writing lyrics for rappers he never meets, and finds success with a hit song about his own fruitless search for love. After his last relationship ends in a spiral of angst, Adrian decides it’s time to try the new lauded and elite AI psychotherapy app that tracks your every move and emotion, and guides you toward mental contentment.
He soon falls for Maquie, a smart and pragmatic venture capitalist scouring London’s tech scene for the next business boom. She can see no potential investments though, nothing sparkles. She wants to find a business as successful as Sike, and yet she is also one of the holdouts who refuse to use it.
Shifting between Adrian and Maquie’s perspectives as it tracks the fraught first year of their relationship, Sike is a story of two people wrestling with connection, identity, anxiety, success, and the limits of our obsession with self-analysis and awareness.
For fans of Kazuo Ishiguro's Klara and the Sun and the modern love stories of Sally Rooney, Fred Lunzer’s debut novel brings us an incisive and intimate deep dive into the reach for clarity by a curious and ambitious, anxious and irresolute generation.
Adrian earns his living writing lyrics for rappers he never meets, and finds success with a hit song about his own fruitless search for love. After his last relationship ends in a spiral of angst, Adrian decides it’s time to try the new lauded and elite AI psychotherapy app that tracks your every move and emotion, and guides you toward mental contentment.
He soon falls for Maquie, a smart and pragmatic venture capitalist scouring London’s tech scene for the next business boom. She can see no potential investments though, nothing sparkles. She wants to find a business as successful as Sike, and yet she is also one of the holdouts who refuse to use it.
Shifting between Adrian and Maquie’s perspectives as it tracks the fraught first year of their relationship, Sike is a story of two people wrestling with connection, identity, anxiety, success, and the limits of our obsession with self-analysis and awareness.
For fans of Kazuo Ishiguro's Klara and the Sun and the modern love stories of Sally Rooney, Fred Lunzer’s debut novel brings us an incisive and intimate deep dive into the reach for clarity by a curious and ambitious, anxious and irresolute generation.
288 pages, Hardcover
Published May 20, 2025
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12365 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 101 reviews
April 23, 2025
My understanding of this story was that it followed Adrian, a ghostwriter for rappers who doesn’t have much control over his life or his relationships. His character is spiraling after an unsuccessful relationship, so he turns to AI for therapy. Sike being the AI therapy app.
The story is told through two perspectives, Adrian and Maquie and their relationship.
Although the premise sounded intriguing, I struggled to connect to it and the characters. The narrative and characterizations were disordered, over-explained, unfocused, uninspiring and difficult to follow.
Unfortunately, this was a DNF about 35% in.
I still would like to thank Celadon Books for providing this advanced reading copy of this debut novel to read. I was given this opportunity because I am a Little Free Library Steward, who shares books with the neighborhood. I am providing an honest review.
I recognize that we all come into stories in our own way, so I am hopeful other readers might feel differently about this book.
Publication release date: May 20, 2025
The story is told through two perspectives, Adrian and Maquie and their relationship.
Although the premise sounded intriguing, I struggled to connect to it and the characters. The narrative and characterizations were disordered, over-explained, unfocused, uninspiring and difficult to follow.
Unfortunately, this was a DNF about 35% in.
I still would like to thank Celadon Books for providing this advanced reading copy of this debut novel to read. I was given this opportunity because I am a Little Free Library Steward, who shares books with the neighborhood. I am providing an honest review.
I recognize that we all come into stories in our own way, so I am hopeful other readers might feel differently about this book.
Publication release date: May 20, 2025
Read
June 2, 2025firstly, thank you to the publisher for an alc!
unfortunately dnf @ 15% after restarting the audio twice — i just don’t think this book was for me, as i couldn’t stay interested in the plot
as for the narrator, they did a fine job!
unfortunately dnf @ 15% after restarting the audio twice — i just don’t think this book was for me, as i couldn’t stay interested in the plot
as for the narrator, they did a fine job!
September 17, 2025
Adrian, an anxious Londoner, is a power user of Sike, a next-gen AI therapist. Sike tracks its users’ moods, actions, and physiology to deliver the perfect advice. Maqui, a data scientist working for a venture capital firm, is desperate to find a tool like Sike—for her bosses to invest in, that is. Cool, calm Macqui has no need for therapeutic tech. This book follows Adrian and Maqui through the first year of their relationship, and we see Sike affect it in both positive and negative ways.
This book is a poignant near future (or possibly alt present) look at modern dating. I liked the flawed characters. Their neuroses and flaws felt deeply real. There were also some excellent moments of humour. But what I thought was really cool about this book was Adrian’s job as a ghostwriter of rap lyrics. It was a fun peek into a world I barely knew existed.
This book wasn’t a favourite for me, but I did enjoy it and I’m glad I read it.
Thank you to the publisher for giving me free access to an early e-galley.
This book is a poignant near future (or possibly alt present) look at modern dating. I liked the flawed characters. Their neuroses and flaws felt deeply real. There were also some excellent moments of humour. But what I thought was really cool about this book was Adrian’s job as a ghostwriter of rap lyrics. It was a fun peek into a world I barely knew existed.
This book wasn’t a favourite for me, but I did enjoy it and I’m glad I read it.
Thank you to the publisher for giving me free access to an early e-galley.
February 20, 2025
Ugh. I am so disappointed in this one:( Going into this, I assumed Sike was going to be an interesting look into AI and the human condition... what I got was a jumbled storyline that was so incredibly hard to follow and very unfocused on the theme that I felt was advertised. Unfortunately, I was quite let down as the concept of the story that made me want to read this was so intriguing.
First off -
I don't think that Lunzer's narrative and writing style is for me. The way the story moved felt quite disjointed. I had a difficult time figuring out what was happening throughout. While I understand the underlying plot (kind of), the story just did not flow. I found myself rereading pages and backtracking quite a bit to try and figure out what was happening. I also found all of the characters quite unlikable... especially Adrian, the main male character. Lunzer also wrote some little one liners in the story that really rubbed me the wrong way. Without being rude and tearing this story a new one, I'll leave this point of dislike alone now, for the most part.
Second -
The more I continued to read, the more I wanted to DNF. Revisiting issues from above, it just continued to not fit what I thought I understood from the marketing of this book. I feel like the role of the AI Therapist did not live up to what I expected it to be with the blurb on the back of the book being "A story of boy meets girl meets AI Therapist."
Finally -
I truly felt dumb reading this book. I feel like I am usually a reader with very good comprehension, but truly this one did not make sense to me. The disjointed storyline, the switching between characters, the weird minute details that were described in detail that I couldn't connect to the storyline... it just didn't work.
I'll be interested to see more reviews of this one as it gets closer to the date of release... because maybe I truly did miss something and need someone else's perspective to help me better understand. But based on how many times I had to backtrack and reread, I don't think that my understanding of the story is the issue.
Though this story wasn't for me, I'm sure it'll find its audience. Thank you to Celadon Books and Fred Lunzer for opportunity to read this one. All opinions are my own.
First off -
I don't think that Lunzer's narrative and writing style is for me. The way the story moved felt quite disjointed. I had a difficult time figuring out what was happening throughout. While I understand the underlying plot (kind of), the story just did not flow. I found myself rereading pages and backtracking quite a bit to try and figure out what was happening. I also found all of the characters quite unlikable... especially Adrian, the main male character. Lunzer also wrote some little one liners in the story that really rubbed me the wrong way. Without being rude and tearing this story a new one, I'll leave this point of dislike alone now, for the most part.
Second -
The more I continued to read, the more I wanted to DNF. Revisiting issues from above, it just continued to not fit what I thought I understood from the marketing of this book. I feel like the role of the AI Therapist did not live up to what I expected it to be with the blurb on the back of the book being "A story of boy meets girl meets AI Therapist."
Finally -
I truly felt dumb reading this book. I feel like I am usually a reader with very good comprehension, but truly this one did not make sense to me. The disjointed storyline, the switching between characters, the weird minute details that were described in detail that I couldn't connect to the storyline... it just didn't work.
I'll be interested to see more reviews of this one as it gets closer to the date of release... because maybe I truly did miss something and need someone else's perspective to help me better understand. But based on how many times I had to backtrack and reread, I don't think that my understanding of the story is the issue.
Though this story wasn't for me, I'm sure it'll find its audience. Thank you to Celadon Books and Fred Lunzer for opportunity to read this one. All opinions are my own.
April 21, 2025
You ever start reading a book and immediately go "Oh, this was definitely written by a white dude who thinks he's better than everyone else and has never had a healthy relationship with a woman in his life?" Yeah. That's what this mess was.
Thanks Celadon for the ARC of this book! It....was something.
This isn't even about unlikeable characters--I LOVE a good unlikable character and unreliable narrator. But this was just a mess and...gross? There's entire sections of this book with a lot of thinly veiled misogyny and racism (homebody is a white man who ghostwrites raps and thinks he's better than everyone else for it. And there's absolutely no reason for this to be as big of a thing in this story as it is). There are a LOT of lines in this book that lead me to believe there's a lot of resentment for women in general that lead to the creation of this book, and just...yikes. All around. There's literally an appendix in the back of the raps this man wrote. I just can't.
On top of it all, this book is both not at ALL what it claims to be, and also a hot mess in terms of structure for what it is. This isn't a book using AI to understand the human condition, or using AI as a tool for managing emotions. The AI is literally just a plot device that comes and goes to justify the relationship between the MMC and FMC. The structure of this is all over the place and reads like a draft zero to me versus a finished novel. There's no cohesive structure, no real running themes tying sections together. But it's also not a stream of consciousness that justifies the meandering and randomness of the story. I truly don't understand what the author was going for here, because it doesn't even feel like an attempt was made to tell a cohesive story. It feels more like.... random diary or journal entries told in a narrative that were randomly placed together in an attempt to tell an overarching story?
With the increase usage of AI for literally everything, there was SO MUCH opportunity to write the book that was actually described--a book about what happens when we outsource human experience and human connection to AI/robots, and what that means for our human connections. But instead we got some sort of weird vanity project that spends a lot of time and pages venting about nothing.
Thanks Celadon for the ARC of this book! It....was something.
This isn't even about unlikeable characters--I LOVE a good unlikable character and unreliable narrator. But this was just a mess and...gross? There's entire sections of this book with a lot of thinly veiled misogyny and racism (homebody is a white man who ghostwrites raps and thinks he's better than everyone else for it. And there's absolutely no reason for this to be as big of a thing in this story as it is). There are a LOT of lines in this book that lead me to believe there's a lot of resentment for women in general that lead to the creation of this book, and just...yikes. All around. There's literally an appendix in the back of the raps this man wrote. I just can't.
On top of it all, this book is both not at ALL what it claims to be, and also a hot mess in terms of structure for what it is. This isn't a book using AI to understand the human condition, or using AI as a tool for managing emotions. The AI is literally just a plot device that comes and goes to justify the relationship between the MMC and FMC. The structure of this is all over the place and reads like a draft zero to me versus a finished novel. There's no cohesive structure, no real running themes tying sections together. But it's also not a stream of consciousness that justifies the meandering and randomness of the story. I truly don't understand what the author was going for here, because it doesn't even feel like an attempt was made to tell a cohesive story. It feels more like.... random diary or journal entries told in a narrative that were randomly placed together in an attempt to tell an overarching story?
With the increase usage of AI for literally everything, there was SO MUCH opportunity to write the book that was actually described--a book about what happens when we outsource human experience and human connection to AI/robots, and what that means for our human connections. But instead we got some sort of weird vanity project that spends a lot of time and pages venting about nothing.
April 13, 2025
Really unique book, and notably amazing writing from a debut author! It feels like an extended episode of "Black Mirror" in the best way. Super interesting characters with depth and humanity, really fascinating sci-fi (ish) exploration of a future immersed in AI tech, and a truly compelling love story rooted in the heart of it all. Extra shout out for the incorporation of music/rap, which I personally love! Very compelling story, left me thinking for a long time after finishing...
April 13, 2025
1.5 bumped up to 2
Yeah I don’t think this was for me. At all.
I don’t think the writing style is for me, the story is not at all what I thought it was going to be (judging from the synopsis), and it was honestly quite boring. If I hadn’t gotten an ARC for this I think I would’ve DNF’d it pretty early on. By the end I felt like I was in the exact same place where I started with this.
I thought this was going to be an interesting look into this slow growing dependence on AI that we’re currently seeing. Here AI is used as a therapist where you can buy a subscription and get access to it, rather than seeing a human therapist. Interesting points could be made here, I’ll take it.
But that’s not at all what I got from this experience. We follow Adrian and Maquie through certain parts of their life and relationship, and the AI is there for them to talk to sometimes.
And all the references were getting a bit annoying. I was getting so tired of looking up the ones I didn’t understand… and it’s no exaggeration when I say that there’s way too many of them.
*Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me an arc copy of this book. All opinions expressed are entirely my own*
Yeah I don’t think this was for me. At all.
I don’t think the writing style is for me, the story is not at all what I thought it was going to be (judging from the synopsis), and it was honestly quite boring. If I hadn’t gotten an ARC for this I think I would’ve DNF’d it pretty early on. By the end I felt like I was in the exact same place where I started with this.
I thought this was going to be an interesting look into this slow growing dependence on AI that we’re currently seeing. Here AI is used as a therapist where you can buy a subscription and get access to it, rather than seeing a human therapist. Interesting points could be made here, I’ll take it.
But that’s not at all what I got from this experience. We follow Adrian and Maquie through certain parts of their life and relationship, and the AI is there for them to talk to sometimes.
And all the references were getting a bit annoying. I was getting so tired of looking up the ones I didn’t understand… and it’s no exaggeration when I say that there’s way too many of them.
*Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me an arc copy of this book. All opinions expressed are entirely my own*
August 16, 2025
I like that it’s purple
April 7, 2025
Loved this book! We are so close to this sort of technology being this accessible and Sike explored the implications with great depth. I find the comparisons to Sally Rooney and Kazuo Ishiguro to be spot on. The Sally Rooney game out in the ennui of the modern young adulthood and relationship dialogues. The Ishiguro came through with the intelligent science fiction commentary and subtle sweeping prose. I feel so lucky to have a new author to watch. Great debut!
June 26, 2025
I’m very confused.
February 26, 2025
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Celadon Books for providing me with a copy of this book for free in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own!
This debut novel by Fred Lunzer is a 288-page psychological thrill ride! Adrian is a ghostwriter for rappers he never meets who has just signed on to Sike, an AI therapy app that follows your every move via a pair of smartphone-like glasses you wear. It follows Adrian’s first year of a relationship with venture capitalist Marquie who is hesitant about Sike.
The story shifts between the two characters’s points of view - his in first person, hers in third limited. The matter-of-fact prose and casual writing style gave me the impression of unreliable narration. The story begs you to delve into the concepts of “connection, identity, anxiety, success, and the limits of our obsession.”
Sike by Fred Lunzer will be available on May 20th, 2025 for $27.99 in hardcover. 4/5 Stars
This debut novel by Fred Lunzer is a 288-page psychological thrill ride! Adrian is a ghostwriter for rappers he never meets who has just signed on to Sike, an AI therapy app that follows your every move via a pair of smartphone-like glasses you wear. It follows Adrian’s first year of a relationship with venture capitalist Marquie who is hesitant about Sike.
The story shifts between the two characters’s points of view - his in first person, hers in third limited. The matter-of-fact prose and casual writing style gave me the impression of unreliable narration. The story begs you to delve into the concepts of “connection, identity, anxiety, success, and the limits of our obsession.”
Sike by Fred Lunzer will be available on May 20th, 2025 for $27.99 in hardcover. 4/5 Stars
March 19, 2025
I really hate giving low ratings, especially when I was so excited for a book. I received this advance reader copy from Celadon Books, and the synopsis sounded so good—I was sure I’d love it.
Unfortunately, this one just didn’t work for me. The writing style wasn’t my cup of tea, and I found myself struggling to stay engaged. I kept hoping something would pull me in, but it never quite clicked.
That said, reading is so subjective, and what didn’t work for me might be exactly what someone else loves. If the premise intrigues you, I still think it’s worth checking out!
Unfortunately, this one just didn’t work for me. The writing style wasn’t my cup of tea, and I found myself struggling to stay engaged. I kept hoping something would pull me in, but it never quite clicked.
That said, reading is so subjective, and what didn’t work for me might be exactly what someone else loves. If the premise intrigues you, I still think it’s worth checking out!
June 1, 2025
My Selling Pitch:
Glorified SoundCloud sad boy meets burnt-out tech prodigy and thinks he can use an AI psychology app to get the girl, but instead of dating shenanigans, it’s mostly cross-faded half-baked philosophy musings. Still weirdly enjoyed my time, but don’t particularly like the book.
Pre-reading:
This book’s cover scratches my brain in an almost biblical way.
(obviously potential spoilers from here on)
Thick of it:
Oh cool, so he’s insufferable lmao.
I feel like the Diary of an Oxygen Thief comparisons are inescapable.
It’s projection, sir.
Because it is sexist.
Gifted and Talentedy with the tech prodigy.
I feel threatened by this woman so I’m gonna write her off completely. Yeah, that’s fuckin’ healthy.
Can you remember any of the rap that you did? 🎶
I also thought the plum line was the best one.
Fuck Kanye.
I’ve never liked rap for exactly that reason.
Ayyy a me.
Shameless? Homeboy is literally all shame.
Describing a character’s serration to mean they’re trying to pick a fight is pretty gorg.
It’s a very incisive book so far.
This pub conversation with the scorned Max really made me sit up.
It’s very dude picks up red pill podcast. I’m so intrigued.
I always love a dressing down in a book.
Where did Betty Boop come from?
Get in, get going, and get out before the laws come down 💀
I feel like Guinness and shrimp do not pair.
Lit fic loves to tell you about piss.
Casuistry
Peripatetic
I’m assuming Maquie is the product of rape. (Wrong.)
I’m so confused why this has such bad reviews. I’m enjoying it so much.
There’s a lot of Disney in this book. I would not have expected that.
Comparing women you’re not “keeping” to exterminating Jews is a choice. Every time I’m like oh, maybe he’s a sympathetic character, we get something else that’s just so yucky.
Dislike the whole Adam was tempted away from god by women narrative. Religion is a cancer and fundamentally misogynistic and you will never convince me otherwise.
Why do men in the arts always have to think they’re underutilized geniuses?
Oh, the frown on my face with the AI trying to convince him he’s a victim of being hit on.
I know you can’t control people’s fantasies but it icks me out to think of being in a relationship with someone and they’re fantasizing about cheating with me present or subjecting my imaginary body to acts I didn’t consent.
I disagree with that so much. I think you can absolutely live in a self-aware dystopia. Cognitive dissonance is a wild drug.
Kenning
I don’t know where this author stands on rap because his male character loves the art but his female character is able to see it and rightly criticize it and call out its defenders as hypocrites.
Imagine being on a flight with this dude.
Dross
Why does he say apple pie happiness if he’s not American?
Anyway, here’s Wonderwall.
Take a shot every time this book brings up Disney.
He did not just tell his grandmother to get over it. Like he’ll dress down Max, but then he’s being Max.
I find Adrian so insufferable, and I know that’s the point but also like-
How is the advice don’t feel your feelings?
The universe is so eerie sometimes. A Facebook reel came on of a comedy, duo, called Flo and Joan singing a song I actually really liked, but that sampled Joseph’s Technicolor Dreamcoat, a musical I’ve never fucking seen nor will, but have weirdly read about in multiple books now, including this one.
I don’t like the idea of a partner censoring information from me.
Also, that read like a dig at Taylor Swift.
Using him to masturbate without his consent is really icky, and it reads so written by a dude.
What a fucking cuck.
A bloody Mary is my favorite cocktail ever, but I can’t imagine fitting six of them in my stomach.
God, he’s just the worst. He’s such a jealous, small, little man.
Can’t believe this is another book advocating for the use of AI in creating fiction.
Post-reading:
I’m so conflicted on this book. I enjoyed my time reading it, but I don’t think it’s very good.
I don’t think the central plot is sufficient to carry a whole novel. I think it needed to be developed more.
I think Maquie is a pretty compelling character, and, for the life of me, I cannot see what she sees in Adrian. I do think there’s points in the novel that read like the author is fetishizing her, which is interesting because he goes on to make comments that other characters are fetishizing her. But there’s that harmful stereotype that “exotic” women are sexually fixated, and we get a lot of mentions of her masturbating, or craving sex, or being unable to control her urges so much so that she kind of assaults her love interest, although the author doesn’t treat that act as assault. So-
It also leaves a really bad taste in my mouth that the only other high power woman in this book got there essentially by manipulating and sleeping her way to the top. And for all the men who think this is some type of shortcut, I need you to realize that what you’re actually admitting is that there were men in her professional field who would’ve withheld or granted promotions or career advancement due to sexual favors. That moral failing falls to them first, not to the women who found it.
For a book that’s fixated on rap, I don’t think it does a good job of arguing in favor of it. I think the counterarguments presented are so much stronger. I feel like every lyrical example used really just drove home the fact that the misogyny within it is not worth any political call to action it pretends to have. And it’s really giving privileged sad boy that Adrian goes to another country to share his genius that he doesn’t actually have and throws a tantrum that’s arguably, attempted murder just because he’s being sexually and creatively stymied. I think he’s a massive cuck. I think the only time I enjoyed his character was when he gave Max a dressing down, but it ended up reading hypocritical because he exhibits the same problematic behavior as Max only a few chapters later.
I wish we had seen more from Sam. He seemed quietly intelligent, and I think we missed out by not getting more of his story.
I don’t think this is a healthy romance at all. I don’t think the book is pitched correctly. I think “boy meets girl meets AI therapist” implies a level of camp or some sort of wacky robot commentary on dating shenanigans, and the book offers none of that.
It does pose some really interesting moral dilemmas and briefly discusses them, although I don’t think it comes to any meaningful conclusions about them. I think it’s more thought experiment ramblings than anything concrete, but it was interesting and thought-provoking to read.
I don’t know who the real audience is for this book. I think it wants to be Sally Rooney so badly, but it’s nowhere near the caliber. Ironically, I think the Sally Rooney readers are the best audience for this since they’re willing to sift through unlikable characters and social commentary. Like this is more lit fic than anything else. I don’t think it’s a successfully developed dystopian. I think it wants to be an episode of Black Mirror, but falls really short.
And usually, when I have this many complaints about a book, it’s easy to write off and say you shouldn’t read it. But I didn’t hate my time with this. I can see it being interesting to the right audience. I think it forces you to think. I just don’t think even the people who enjoy this are going to go on to rave about it.
I’d try the author again. I think he either needs to lean into satirizing sad white boys, or he needs to do some more work learning about sexism and equality. If you like chewing on social commentary and the premise interests you, pick this up, just know it’s probably not gonna make it on your favorites list.
Who should read this:
Sally Rooney lit fic fans not expecting much
Dystopian thought experiment fans
Ideal reading time:
Spring
Do I want to reread this:
No, but I’d try the author again.
Would I buy this:
If I can find it super cheap, I want that cover on my shelf.
Similar books:
* Mood Swings by Frankie Barnet-same book different font, dystopian philosophy musings and social commentary
* The Fetishist by Katherine Min-lit fic, racial fetishization commentary, music
* The Men Can’t Be Saved by Ben Purkert-insufferable male character, social commentary
* Intermezzo by Sally Rooney-lit fic character study, family drama, toxic masculinity and social commentary
* The Observable Universe by Heather McCalden-musey memoir, social commentary
* Annie Bot by Sierra Greer-dystopian, social commentary
* Diary of an Oxygen Thief by Anonymous-insufferable male character, lit fic, satire
* Ripe by Sarah Rose Etter-dystopian, satire, lit fic, character study, tech industry
* Gifted and Talented by Olivie Blake-burnt out prodigy, family drama, magical realism, camp af, tech industry
* Vanishing World by Sayaka Murata-dystopian, social commentary
* I Who Have Never Known Men by Jaqueline Harpmen-dystopian, social commentary
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Glorified SoundCloud sad boy meets burnt-out tech prodigy and thinks he can use an AI psychology app to get the girl, but instead of dating shenanigans, it’s mostly cross-faded half-baked philosophy musings. Still weirdly enjoyed my time, but don’t particularly like the book.
Pre-reading:
This book’s cover scratches my brain in an almost biblical way.
(obviously potential spoilers from here on)
Thick of it:
Oh cool, so he’s insufferable lmao.
I feel like the Diary of an Oxygen Thief comparisons are inescapable.
It’s projection, sir.
Because it is sexist.
Gifted and Talentedy with the tech prodigy.
I feel threatened by this woman so I’m gonna write her off completely. Yeah, that’s fuckin’ healthy.
Can you remember any of the rap that you did? 🎶
I also thought the plum line was the best one.
Fuck Kanye.
I’ve never liked rap for exactly that reason.
Ayyy a me.
Shameless? Homeboy is literally all shame.
Describing a character’s serration to mean they’re trying to pick a fight is pretty gorg.
It’s a very incisive book so far.
This pub conversation with the scorned Max really made me sit up.
It’s very dude picks up red pill podcast. I’m so intrigued.
I always love a dressing down in a book.
Where did Betty Boop come from?
Get in, get going, and get out before the laws come down 💀
I feel like Guinness and shrimp do not pair.
Lit fic loves to tell you about piss.
Casuistry
Peripatetic
I’m assuming Maquie is the product of rape. (Wrong.)
I’m so confused why this has such bad reviews. I’m enjoying it so much.
There’s a lot of Disney in this book. I would not have expected that.
Comparing women you’re not “keeping” to exterminating Jews is a choice. Every time I’m like oh, maybe he’s a sympathetic character, we get something else that’s just so yucky.
Dislike the whole Adam was tempted away from god by women narrative. Religion is a cancer and fundamentally misogynistic and you will never convince me otherwise.
Why do men in the arts always have to think they’re underutilized geniuses?
Oh, the frown on my face with the AI trying to convince him he’s a victim of being hit on.
I know you can’t control people’s fantasies but it icks me out to think of being in a relationship with someone and they’re fantasizing about cheating with me present or subjecting my imaginary body to acts I didn’t consent.
I disagree with that so much. I think you can absolutely live in a self-aware dystopia. Cognitive dissonance is a wild drug.
Kenning
I don’t know where this author stands on rap because his male character loves the art but his female character is able to see it and rightly criticize it and call out its defenders as hypocrites.
Imagine being on a flight with this dude.
Dross
Why does he say apple pie happiness if he’s not American?
Anyway, here’s Wonderwall.
Take a shot every time this book brings up Disney.
He did not just tell his grandmother to get over it. Like he’ll dress down Max, but then he’s being Max.
I find Adrian so insufferable, and I know that’s the point but also like-
How is the advice don’t feel your feelings?
The universe is so eerie sometimes. A Facebook reel came on of a comedy, duo, called Flo and Joan singing a song I actually really liked, but that sampled Joseph’s Technicolor Dreamcoat, a musical I’ve never fucking seen nor will, but have weirdly read about in multiple books now, including this one.
I don’t like the idea of a partner censoring information from me.
Also, that read like a dig at Taylor Swift.
Using him to masturbate without his consent is really icky, and it reads so written by a dude.
What a fucking cuck.
A bloody Mary is my favorite cocktail ever, but I can’t imagine fitting six of them in my stomach.
God, he’s just the worst. He’s such a jealous, small, little man.
Can’t believe this is another book advocating for the use of AI in creating fiction.
Post-reading:
I’m so conflicted on this book. I enjoyed my time reading it, but I don’t think it’s very good.
I don’t think the central plot is sufficient to carry a whole novel. I think it needed to be developed more.
I think Maquie is a pretty compelling character, and, for the life of me, I cannot see what she sees in Adrian. I do think there’s points in the novel that read like the author is fetishizing her, which is interesting because he goes on to make comments that other characters are fetishizing her. But there’s that harmful stereotype that “exotic” women are sexually fixated, and we get a lot of mentions of her masturbating, or craving sex, or being unable to control her urges so much so that she kind of assaults her love interest, although the author doesn’t treat that act as assault. So-
It also leaves a really bad taste in my mouth that the only other high power woman in this book got there essentially by manipulating and sleeping her way to the top. And for all the men who think this is some type of shortcut, I need you to realize that what you’re actually admitting is that there were men in her professional field who would’ve withheld or granted promotions or career advancement due to sexual favors. That moral failing falls to them first, not to the women who found it.
For a book that’s fixated on rap, I don’t think it does a good job of arguing in favor of it. I think the counterarguments presented are so much stronger. I feel like every lyrical example used really just drove home the fact that the misogyny within it is not worth any political call to action it pretends to have. And it’s really giving privileged sad boy that Adrian goes to another country to share his genius that he doesn’t actually have and throws a tantrum that’s arguably, attempted murder just because he’s being sexually and creatively stymied. I think he’s a massive cuck. I think the only time I enjoyed his character was when he gave Max a dressing down, but it ended up reading hypocritical because he exhibits the same problematic behavior as Max only a few chapters later.
I wish we had seen more from Sam. He seemed quietly intelligent, and I think we missed out by not getting more of his story.
I don’t think this is a healthy romance at all. I don’t think the book is pitched correctly. I think “boy meets girl meets AI therapist” implies a level of camp or some sort of wacky robot commentary on dating shenanigans, and the book offers none of that.
It does pose some really interesting moral dilemmas and briefly discusses them, although I don’t think it comes to any meaningful conclusions about them. I think it’s more thought experiment ramblings than anything concrete, but it was interesting and thought-provoking to read.
I don’t know who the real audience is for this book. I think it wants to be Sally Rooney so badly, but it’s nowhere near the caliber. Ironically, I think the Sally Rooney readers are the best audience for this since they’re willing to sift through unlikable characters and social commentary. Like this is more lit fic than anything else. I don’t think it’s a successfully developed dystopian. I think it wants to be an episode of Black Mirror, but falls really short.
And usually, when I have this many complaints about a book, it’s easy to write off and say you shouldn’t read it. But I didn’t hate my time with this. I can see it being interesting to the right audience. I think it forces you to think. I just don’t think even the people who enjoy this are going to go on to rave about it.
I’d try the author again. I think he either needs to lean into satirizing sad white boys, or he needs to do some more work learning about sexism and equality. If you like chewing on social commentary and the premise interests you, pick this up, just know it’s probably not gonna make it on your favorites list.
Who should read this:
Sally Rooney lit fic fans not expecting much
Dystopian thought experiment fans
Ideal reading time:
Spring
Do I want to reread this:
No, but I’d try the author again.
Would I buy this:
If I can find it super cheap, I want that cover on my shelf.
Similar books:
* Mood Swings by Frankie Barnet-same book different font, dystopian philosophy musings and social commentary
* The Fetishist by Katherine Min-lit fic, racial fetishization commentary, music
* The Men Can’t Be Saved by Ben Purkert-insufferable male character, social commentary
* Intermezzo by Sally Rooney-lit fic character study, family drama, toxic masculinity and social commentary
* The Observable Universe by Heather McCalden-musey memoir, social commentary
* Annie Bot by Sierra Greer-dystopian, social commentary
* Diary of an Oxygen Thief by Anonymous-insufferable male character, lit fic, satire
* Ripe by Sarah Rose Etter-dystopian, satire, lit fic, character study, tech industry
* Gifted and Talented by Olivie Blake-burnt out prodigy, family drama, magical realism, camp af, tech industry
* Vanishing World by Sayaka Murata-dystopian, social commentary
* I Who Have Never Known Men by Jaqueline Harpmen-dystopian, social commentary
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
June 24, 2025
After a lot of consideration I’ve decided to DNF this book. I really liked the idea of it. I’m all into the AI kind of things but I did think there would be more. The start was really strong but became dry as they started talking more about the app. I’ve tried a couple of times to pick the book up again but haven’t been able to.
Thank you to NetGalley, Celedon Books and the author for giving me an eARC for a honest review of the book.
Thank you to NetGalley, Celedon Books and the author for giving me an eARC for a honest review of the book.
March 11, 2025
Received this as an ARC. This was a hard one for me to get through. It was very boring. I think the style of writing is just not for me. So much minutia and over explaining certain things that to me didn’t add to the “story”. I finally understood the overall message of the book at the very end. In general there really wasn’t a true story here. Just a bunch of normal life circumstances written down and put together as a “story.” There is a lot more I can say about this book, more from an editorial perspective, but I would rather not waste my time.
April 13, 2025
I really wanted to love this book. It started very slow but I forced myself to finish it in hopes it would get better. Here’s some of my qualms with the book:
•”She had a story she knew Adrian should know, but she didn’t want to be the one to tell him it” is repeated ad nauseam.
•Constant name dropping, celebrity references, and pop culture references, many of which don’t land. I’m sorry but no one is going to look up 50 different movies, songs, and literary references to understand a debut novel and they do nothing but add fluff to the novel. I would’ve rather read meaningful descriptions instead of reading about Timon and Pumbaa teaching psychotherapy to an adult man through a Disney module.
•An excessive amount of background characters to the point the storyline becomes muddled.
•The storyline is jagged and hard to follow.
•A large focus on minutia and over explaining the smallest details to the point of boredom for the reader.
•Bouts of pseudo-philosophy reminiscent of Ayn Rand’s nonsense ramblings barely tethered to the story at hand. I understand it’s based on psychology, but the classism and racism speeches seemed unnecessary.
•“You never cure yourself of your psychology” - this is clearly the undertone of the story itself but I feel as though this could’ve been shown by the characters having actual arcs instead of loosely tying random events together and calling it a “story”.
•The character arcs were the equivalent of speed bumps. Barely there, hardly noticeable, and they don’t leave the reader with any profound messages.
•The book read like a “how to” about Japanese culture, rap ghostwriting, and venture capitalism. I feel like we were inundated with facts and details about rap ghostwriting in particular which was incredibly boring to read. I had to power through these sections which were frequent and long.
• Constantly mentioning the OutKast poster… we get it.
•No real plot. It seems like a patchwork quilt of random events that aren’t really related to each other. I mean, the egg chair scene?? So strange.
•The Sike app isn’t the focus of the story, but rather a B story to the rap ghostwriting and venture capitalism A story.
Thank you to Celadon for the ARC copy of this book. I always enjoy the opportunity to read an ARC book. I think Fred is an incredibly gifted author but this book did not resonate for me. All opinions are my own and I encourage you to read this book if the premise sounds interesting to you.
•”She had a story she knew Adrian should know, but she didn’t want to be the one to tell him it” is repeated ad nauseam.
•Constant name dropping, celebrity references, and pop culture references, many of which don’t land. I’m sorry but no one is going to look up 50 different movies, songs, and literary references to understand a debut novel and they do nothing but add fluff to the novel. I would’ve rather read meaningful descriptions instead of reading about Timon and Pumbaa teaching psychotherapy to an adult man through a Disney module.
•An excessive amount of background characters to the point the storyline becomes muddled.
•The storyline is jagged and hard to follow.
•A large focus on minutia and over explaining the smallest details to the point of boredom for the reader.
•Bouts of pseudo-philosophy reminiscent of Ayn Rand’s nonsense ramblings barely tethered to the story at hand. I understand it’s based on psychology, but the classism and racism speeches seemed unnecessary.
•“You never cure yourself of your psychology” - this is clearly the undertone of the story itself but I feel as though this could’ve been shown by the characters having actual arcs instead of loosely tying random events together and calling it a “story”.
•The character arcs were the equivalent of speed bumps. Barely there, hardly noticeable, and they don’t leave the reader with any profound messages.
•The book read like a “how to” about Japanese culture, rap ghostwriting, and venture capitalism. I feel like we were inundated with facts and details about rap ghostwriting in particular which was incredibly boring to read. I had to power through these sections which were frequent and long.
• Constantly mentioning the OutKast poster… we get it.
•No real plot. It seems like a patchwork quilt of random events that aren’t really related to each other. I mean, the egg chair scene?? So strange.
•The Sike app isn’t the focus of the story, but rather a B story to the rap ghostwriting and venture capitalism A story.
Thank you to Celadon for the ARC copy of this book. I always enjoy the opportunity to read an ARC book. I think Fred is an incredibly gifted author but this book did not resonate for me. All opinions are my own and I encourage you to read this book if the premise sounds interesting to you.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 25, 2025
It's very difficult for me to write a review of this book because it has been so panned (!) on Goodreads and I have no idea why. I had the feeling, while reading this, of discovering a gem I wanted to tell everyone about while simultaneously wanting to hide it from everyone, and keep it just for myself. This review will probably also come out deformed as that feeling has not really gone away.
I was absolutely floored by this book -- clever, self-deprecating, detailed (like Tao Lin), incisive, funny, and filled with vivid characters. It's often described in reviews as a "romance," but it isn't quite that -- it's a living document of what it's like to be a creative person who has not reached their self-declared potential, and the relationships that person has with themself, their work, other creative people, their imagined ideal self, their imagined ideal lover, and their real actual human lover, and of course, their AI therapist. It feels DEEPLY contemporary not only in its references, but its thought-patterns, its ways of making meaning. Mostly I am impressed by Lunzer's insight into the worlds of business, creativity, marketing -- and how they are so beautifully woven into a story about how we never outgrow our humanity, but we keep trying.
A novel, truly, of the moment -- and IMPRESSIVE because while we were busy trying to orient ourselves to our moment in history, Lunzer had written an entire novel from the material that makes the now, which is a testament to his deep understanding of it. Thank you for this, and the rap, and the psychology.
I was absolutely floored by this book -- clever, self-deprecating, detailed (like Tao Lin), incisive, funny, and filled with vivid characters. It's often described in reviews as a "romance," but it isn't quite that -- it's a living document of what it's like to be a creative person who has not reached their self-declared potential, and the relationships that person has with themself, their work, other creative people, their imagined ideal self, their imagined ideal lover, and their real actual human lover, and of course, their AI therapist. It feels DEEPLY contemporary not only in its references, but its thought-patterns, its ways of making meaning. Mostly I am impressed by Lunzer's insight into the worlds of business, creativity, marketing -- and how they are so beautifully woven into a story about how we never outgrow our humanity, but we keep trying.
A novel, truly, of the moment -- and IMPRESSIVE because while we were busy trying to orient ourselves to our moment in history, Lunzer had written an entire novel from the material that makes the now, which is a testament to his deep understanding of it. Thank you for this, and the rap, and the psychology.
April 28, 2025
3 ⭐️
The book follows Adrian and Maquie as they start a relationship. Both suffer with anxiety and use different methods to combat it. Adrian uses a technology called Sike, which can monitor your every move and actions and suggest modules and advice to help you. This new technology is only available to the wealthy, which is somewhat controversial in their society. Maquie, on the other hand, tries to avoid using Sike and suffers some stronger episodes of anxiety and depression throughout the book.
Can AI that has access to your entire life and conversations help you live a better life? That is (I think!) what this book tries to explore and answer.
Comparisons to Sally Rooney are accurate. Adrian and Maquie are both flawed characters who don’t always make the best choices. I also feel like this book is written to give us a year-long glimpse into their lives, not to completely solve every conflict that arises in the book. I struggled to remain engaged at times, even though the narrator was great. The story just didn’t grip me the entire time.
If you like Rooney’s writing and the idea of advanced AI technology, you may enjoy this. If you have a hard time focusing on an audiobook, I’d recommend the physical copy of this one.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy of this audiobook.
The book follows Adrian and Maquie as they start a relationship. Both suffer with anxiety and use different methods to combat it. Adrian uses a technology called Sike, which can monitor your every move and actions and suggest modules and advice to help you. This new technology is only available to the wealthy, which is somewhat controversial in their society. Maquie, on the other hand, tries to avoid using Sike and suffers some stronger episodes of anxiety and depression throughout the book.
Can AI that has access to your entire life and conversations help you live a better life? That is (I think!) what this book tries to explore and answer.
Comparisons to Sally Rooney are accurate. Adrian and Maquie are both flawed characters who don’t always make the best choices. I also feel like this book is written to give us a year-long glimpse into their lives, not to completely solve every conflict that arises in the book. I struggled to remain engaged at times, even though the narrator was great. The story just didn’t grip me the entire time.
If you like Rooney’s writing and the idea of advanced AI technology, you may enjoy this. If you have a hard time focusing on an audiobook, I’d recommend the physical copy of this one.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy of this audiobook.
April 24, 2025
I’m a technology girly throughout & throughout so when a new novel drops about an app that includes not only AI therapist but also a badass venture capitalist woman who built an algorithm to detect success of a startup? I’m fully in. But that only lasts until love story gets a little too teenage-vibey, you lose attention and the book ends with a rap verse.
Yes. I wish I was kidding.
I have been tolerating the book because I am
Obsessed with Black Mirror and think it’s a good plot but wish there could have been parts that were different. Overall, I loved Maquie, it was more of Adrian that I couldn’t get past. If you are into romance with a side of AI - this book may be exactly what you need!
Yes. I wish I was kidding.
I have been tolerating the book because I am
Obsessed with Black Mirror and think it’s a good plot but wish there could have been parts that were different. Overall, I loved Maquie, it was more of Adrian that I couldn’t get past. If you are into romance with a side of AI - this book may be exactly what you need!
September 3, 2025
https://wendyreadit.wordpress.com/202...
Sike is an interesting concept, a step further beyond dating apps if you will. Sike is an AI emotional app that people pay for, they pay a lot for it. Sike can analyze your feelings and help you 'get the girl.' It's like an AI therapist. In this story, Adrian is interested in a woman he meets, Maquie, who he thinks is way out of his league. Can Sike help him with this relationship? I found that part of the story really interesting. I struggled with the rap music writing theme and the working world Adrian, Maquie and the other characters found themselves in. There are lots of talking points and discussion prompts which would make an interesting book club discussion.
Sike is an interesting concept, a step further beyond dating apps if you will. Sike is an AI emotional app that people pay for, they pay a lot for it. Sike can analyze your feelings and help you 'get the girl.' It's like an AI therapist. In this story, Adrian is interested in a woman he meets, Maquie, who he thinks is way out of his league. Can Sike help him with this relationship? I found that part of the story really interesting. I struggled with the rap music writing theme and the working world Adrian, Maquie and the other characters found themselves in. There are lots of talking points and discussion prompts which would make an interesting book club discussion.
October 15, 2025
Adrian, a lyricist who ghostwrites hit songs about love he’s never found, turns to an advanced AI therapy app called Sike after his latest breakup. There, he meets Maquie, a sharp venture capitalist searching for the next big tech success though she pointedly refuses to use Sike herself. Told through both their perspectives, Sike follows the highs and lows of their first year together as they navigate love, ambition, and the tension between genuine connection and the digital quest for self-optimization.
This book was just not for me. I made it 3 chapters in and found myself skipping paragraphs at a time and just not interested in what was happening.
This book was just not for me. I made it 3 chapters in and found myself skipping paragraphs at a time and just not interested in what was happening.
July 28, 2025
I was torn whether the storyline about rap was pretentious or not. Ultimately I don't think it was insufferable, though the author clearly wanted to show off his knowledge of rap (and many other subjects like fashion). Japan itself is a pretentious topic but the author acknowledges this in the book.
I liked the ideas that are discussed through the plot (for example, that the company was testing the tech on rich people because it did not really care about them). The emotional side of it was surprisingly old fashioned for a book about technology.
I liked the ideas that are discussed through the plot (for example, that the company was testing the tech on rich people because it did not really care about them). The emotional side of it was surprisingly old fashioned for a book about technology.
May 13, 2025
I’ve had this book on my radar for some time- the premise of AI therapy is both fascinating and terrifying to me. In another lifetime I was a therapist so I’m always interested in this theme in books. So I was psyched (siked?) when Celadon sent me an early copy! Adrian and Maquie were vulnerable, candid, and uniquely human characters and the perfect candidates to explore the AI therapy platform. Fans of speculative fiction, literary fiction, psychology, and the ethics of AI will enjoy this book. My top takeaway: keep AI the heck away from therapy.
May 26, 2025
Dnfing because ??.
Synopsis/premise sounded interesting, but with the very convoluted introduction of Adrian being a white jewish ghostwriter for rappers, how hard it is being a white man who appreciates rap in a middle class setting, and how he desperately needs AI in order to communicate with women and others about said rap “career” lost me. I love quirky male characters, but I think I’m just pretty lost on… the point?
Synopsis/premise sounded interesting, but with the very convoluted introduction of Adrian being a white jewish ghostwriter for rappers, how hard it is being a white man who appreciates rap in a middle class setting, and how he desperately needs AI in order to communicate with women and others about said rap “career” lost me. I love quirky male characters, but I think I’m just pretty lost on… the point?
May 10, 2025
This idea sounded good but it wasn’t the book I got. Also the characters are beyond unlikable and intolerable.
I got this as an ARC.
I got this as an ARC.
December 10, 2025
just didn’t dewette for me…. can we have a woman romantic lead whose story arc isn’t dependent upon restrictive eating and weight loss. what a ground breaking way to communicate that a woman is struggling w control. SNOOZE FEST !!!!
July 4, 2025
What a goofy little book. I finished SIKE over a month ago, but still haven’t gotten around to writing a review. I’ve been in a terrible reading slump, and I don’t want to say it’s SIKE’s fault, but you know what?? Maybe it is.
It should’ve been right up my alley. I love books about morose pretentious people (SIKE is definitely that) and creepy technology (SIKE tries to be that) and it was compared to KLARA AND THE SUN, which I loved (SIKE is not that at all).
First of all, as many other reviewers have pointed out, the tech aspect is minor and has zero impact on the plot. (And please take the word “plot” with a huge grain of salt, because very little happens in this book.) Second of all, the main character is awful, but something about the writing made me feel like the author didn’t realize or intend for the character to be awful. It kinda felt like I was supposed to like him. Which is absurd. This is a book about a white dude inflicting near constant microaggressions on his Japanese girlfriend while he walks around feeling superior because he’s the only one in the friend group who can afford a prohibitively expensive AI therapist that talks to him through his glasses. Oh and his job is ghostwriting rap lyrics for famous rappers. This was the most bizarre part for me, because when this became a major plot point, I thought oh, okay, this is a book about a mediocre rich asshole who thinks he’s doing all the POC in his life a great service just by existing. You know, a white guy who thinks he can write rap lyrics on par with Tupac (I’m serious). But nah, there is zero commentary on any of that. Instead, his major struggle is that he’s this unappreciated genius who is just quietly responsible for the work of POC, who then get all the credit. As a result, there is a strange, and completely unchecked, implication in this book that rap artists are not responsible for their own work.
I completely forget this guy’s name, by the way. He acts like a Gabe but it’s an A name. Andrew? Idk. Anyway, Andrew/Gabe sucks and his weird problems (none of which are actually problems) are written with such a bizarre sincerity. It’s been a month and I still have the ick from reading this.
You know what it did remind me of? GOOD MATERIAL by Dolly Alderton. Where you start reading and it’s fine for a bit but then you realize you’re trapped in the POV of someone you do not respect in the slightest. Except, of course, in Dolly’s book, it’s intentional.
Okay, let me give SIKE the benefit of the doubt for a minute and say the author did intend for Andrew/Gabe to be unlikeable. That that was, in fact, the point. That would make me feel better about the author’s intent for this character, but it wouldn’t actually make it a better book. If it was intentional, it didn’t do enough for the message to land. If it wasn’t intentional… yikes 💀
Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
PS I just checked and his name is ADRIAN.
It should’ve been right up my alley. I love books about morose pretentious people (SIKE is definitely that) and creepy technology (SIKE tries to be that) and it was compared to KLARA AND THE SUN, which I loved (SIKE is not that at all).
First of all, as many other reviewers have pointed out, the tech aspect is minor and has zero impact on the plot. (And please take the word “plot” with a huge grain of salt, because very little happens in this book.) Second of all, the main character is awful, but something about the writing made me feel like the author didn’t realize or intend for the character to be awful. It kinda felt like I was supposed to like him. Which is absurd. This is a book about a white dude inflicting near constant microaggressions on his Japanese girlfriend while he walks around feeling superior because he’s the only one in the friend group who can afford a prohibitively expensive AI therapist that talks to him through his glasses. Oh and his job is ghostwriting rap lyrics for famous rappers. This was the most bizarre part for me, because when this became a major plot point, I thought oh, okay, this is a book about a mediocre rich asshole who thinks he’s doing all the POC in his life a great service just by existing. You know, a white guy who thinks he can write rap lyrics on par with Tupac (I’m serious). But nah, there is zero commentary on any of that. Instead, his major struggle is that he’s this unappreciated genius who is just quietly responsible for the work of POC, who then get all the credit. As a result, there is a strange, and completely unchecked, implication in this book that rap artists are not responsible for their own work.
I completely forget this guy’s name, by the way. He acts like a Gabe but it’s an A name. Andrew? Idk. Anyway, Andrew/Gabe sucks and his weird problems (none of which are actually problems) are written with such a bizarre sincerity. It’s been a month and I still have the ick from reading this.
You know what it did remind me of? GOOD MATERIAL by Dolly Alderton. Where you start reading and it’s fine for a bit but then you realize you’re trapped in the POV of someone you do not respect in the slightest. Except, of course, in Dolly’s book, it’s intentional.
Okay, let me give SIKE the benefit of the doubt for a minute and say the author did intend for Andrew/Gabe to be unlikeable. That that was, in fact, the point. That would make me feel better about the author’s intent for this character, but it wouldn’t actually make it a better book. If it was intentional, it didn’t do enough for the message to land. If it wasn’t intentional… yikes 💀
Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
PS I just checked and his name is ADRIAN.
October 7, 2025
I'm only at about 50 percent and I've lost interest in the characters and the story. I'm not connecting with the rapping or the psychology.
December 31, 2024
I received an advance copy of this title, the following review is my own.
I really struggled with this one.
LOVE the concept, but the way some details are over explained and some major details are just breezed over left me feeling like I’d missed something. I went back and reread paragraphs and pages many times and ended up confirming that this big “thing” had just been casually mentioned and the reader was expected to pick it up and run with it through pages of minutia.
If not for that; I enjoyed the story itself, and I came to appreciate the characters and the way they developed and interacted and the patterns that developed around their common threads.
I really struggled with this one.
LOVE the concept, but the way some details are over explained and some major details are just breezed over left me feeling like I’d missed something. I went back and reread paragraphs and pages many times and ended up confirming that this big “thing” had just been casually mentioned and the reader was expected to pick it up and run with it through pages of minutia.
If not for that; I enjoyed the story itself, and I came to appreciate the characters and the way they developed and interacted and the patterns that developed around their common threads.
June 16, 2025
2.5/5 STARS! Okay, I finshed this & had to really think about what I thought about it. The premise is interesting, but I cant say I loved the execution of it. The different povs were confusing sometimes, & the book tries too hard to be introspective & smart. It rambled on & made no sense at times. I felt like we read things we really did not need to know about & had nothing to do with the ai portion of it. I don't know, the writing is lyrical at times which fits with Adrian, but too presumptuous for its own good in certain rants. This whole book just tries to do too much. It tries too hard.
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