Fred Lunzer’s debut novel, *Sike*, is an intriguing psychological thriller with a unique premise. Adrian, a ghostwriter for rappers he never meets, signs up for Sike—an AI therapy app that tracks his every move through smart glasses. His relationship with venture capitalist Marquie, who is skeptical of Sike, unfolds over the course of a year.

Told through alternating perspectives—Adrian’s in first person and Marquie’s in third limited—the novel’s matter-of-fact prose and casual style contribute to a sense of unreliable narration. While the story raises interesting questions about connection, identity, and the limits of our technological obsession, the execution sometimes feels uneven. The narrative’s potential is there, but it doesn’t always fully deliver on its intriguing themes.

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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 Sike: the new, lauded, elite AI psychotherapy app that tracks your every move and emotion and guides you toward mental contentment.

The premise of this story caught my attention, but unfortunately, it wasn't for me. I couldn't get into it at all. DNF at 20%; the pacing was slow and honestly confusing. I don't have the drive to continue, sorry.

Thank you, Netgalley, and Celadon Book for the ebook in exchange for my honest review.

<i>Thank you to Netgalley and Celadon Books for the E-arc</i>
I did not vibe with this book. I was so excited about it when I read the description. I thought it was going to be like "The One" but AI and not a secret formula. Unfortunately the book felt disjointed to me. There were page breaks that didn't really make sense since they were talking about the same thing as the group of paragraphs before. It also took 20% to finally get a description of what Sike was. I think that some people will love this book I just wasn't one of them.

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


My reviews on Goodreads and gmpotter.com () are live now. My YouTube review will be live on 3/27/25 at noon CST

For being such a short book this felt so long. If you like over description of characters and settings (if you’re a fan of Stephen king) then you’ll enjoy this. If that’s not your vibe then don’t bother with this.

The characters in this book were insufferable most of the time and I don't feel as though their "growth" throughout the book was enough to make this read worth it. LOVE the concept of AI psychology and would love to explore that more. I'm very into rap culture and enjoyed that aspect of the book. HOWEVER, the lyrics written by Adrien were so painfully cringey. Overall - love the concept, not a fan of the story surrounding it.

This is not like the books I usually read, so it is hard to review this. One question I kept returning to was: What is the point? I am not familiar with slice of life books with lessons picked up on throughout. The writing was really good, if long at some points. I like how we really got into Adrian's and Maquie's brains - their thoughts, their actions, the way they processed life. I think I should have read this book slower to pick up on more of the lessons, but it had already been five days and I didn't necessarily look forward to reading this (I think I'm too dumb for his writing?)

The rap aspects of this book was interesting because I came into this with certain biases that were neither confirmed nor denied, leaving me with a feeling of inconclusiveness. The psychology aspect was verging on dystopian, but I don't know if that was necessarily the vibe the author was going for. Overall, I have no idea how to feel about this book because it was so much and yet nothing at all

This was a very interesting book, the AI and future of therapy utilizing AI was so interesting to imagine. I thought this book was just not executed that well. I think the writing was a bit weak, i did not like the coverart, and I was just expecting more out of this book. Overall, I was not too impressed, even though I loved the concept

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complementary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!