I think it tried to do a lot of things, but wasn't quite successful in the things it tried to do. I think the author spent a lot of time trying to clever and it was quite obvious it that Maquie was a women written by a man.

I see what the author was trying to do at points, but he's too busy trying to prove that he's socially aware that it comes across pretentious and the deep discussions he could be having about AI, about male lonliness, about relationships, about privilege, about racism, about classism, and having AI psychology basically in your face the whole time, and how that would affect the social fabric of the country he lives in are totally lost in the garble of him trying to prove to us the reader that he knows the system is broken.

I guess I just don't get what the point in the end was?

Thank you to Caledon Books and Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for an early copy.

firstly, 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!

Thank you MacMillian Audio and NetGalley for the ARC!

I very much appreciate being invited to read this book! However, this was definitely not my cup of tea. Something about the characters and the way it was told was extremely grating and did not vibe with me. The narrator was fine, but the book was not for me.

Thanks again for the ARC!

DNF at 33%. This book might be a little too esoteric for my current summer reading mood. I'm also really over books about bad communication in relationships.

Did enjoy the narrator's accent, though.

"Sike" explores the start and first year of Adrian and Maquie's relationship. Adrian, who writes lyrics for rappers, recently started using the AI therapy Sike when he meets Maquie. Maquie is a venture capitalist looking for the next big app while also resisting the pressures of joining Sike. They both struggle with a sense of identity, their careers, and in the challenges of their growing relationship. We follow how they navigate life with and without the guidance of AI therapy.

I was originally drawn to the premise of this story, especially living in a time when human connection is declining while AI use is on the rise. Unfortunately, I struggled to remain engaged throughout the story and connecting with the main characters. The way Adrian and Maquie came together initially felt anti-climatic and I had a hard time understanding what was the foundation of their relationship or why they even remained together. Other than the majority of characters introduced mentioning their use of Sike, the app felt more of background noise than one of the points driving the story. There were a few sprinkled moments of reflection centered around our growing dependency on AI technology and the disconnect from critical thinking and human emotions that I appreciated.

I did enjoy the narration by Ilan Goodman.

Sike takes place in a world those able to pay can have an AI therapist embedded in their smart glasses to help them through all types of situations and monitor their health and behavior in realtime. Surprisingly, that often takes a backseat to a generally solid story involving an unlikely Jewish British rap ghostwriter and his girlfriend, who has an algorithm to discover breakout investments. Overall, Sike is a very insightful and entertaining look at how relationships are evolving with and because of technological advancements and their impact on society. It's telling to have a rap ghostwriter and a technology guru at the heart of it, as the cultural and financial impact and their ability to move across different parts of society make for an interesting perspective.

📚 Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced listening copy!

Sike is a quiet, meditative debut that reads like a voyeuristic reality show—introspective, modern, and emotionally restrained. The dual perspectives of Adrian, a reclusive ghostwriter for rap lyrics, and Maquie, a driven venture capitalist on the hunt for meaning (and the next big thing), offer a compelling lens into the messiness of connection in a world dominated by tech and therapy apps.

The premise—centered around the AI psychotherapy app "Sike"—is timely and thought-provoking. Watching two people try (and often fail) to make sense of their own desires in the age of self-optimization was one of the novel’s biggest strengths. It’s a strangely relaxing listen, more about the feeling of drifting through a relationship than hitting any specific emotional beats.

That said, the novel left me with mixed feelings. The female lead, while positioned as sharp and independent, often felt more like a sketch than a fully realized character. Certain descriptions and dynamics danced a little too close to tired tropes, especially when it came to cultural identity, which pulled me out of the experience. And while the narrative ambled along in a subdued rhythm, the final few minutes of the audiobook completely flipped the story on its head—an ending that left me more bewildered than satisfied.

Thank you for the opportunity to listen to this book.

I will not be posting a public review on any external site. I thought the premise of this book was fascinating, given how buzzy AI is right now. However, it fell extremely fact and it was hard to get into the story. The characters were boring and I just didn't care.

I did like the narrator, though.

DNF @20%

This reminded me a lot of You, the narration style in particular. While I really enjoy the You Netflix show, I could not stand the condescending tone that permeated this book. The synopsis also promises a focus of this AI therapist service, but the text itself doesn't deliver.

honestly I just found the whole thing grossly offensive and problematic as hell. The author gives off bad vibes and his books reflect that.

This is a tough one to rate and review. On the one hand, I got the author's style and somewhat understood what he wanted to do with Sike and the characters. On the other hand, there was not one redeemable and likable character throughout the story. Adrian was dry and just floated through without any sort of up or down in his trajectory throughout. And Maquie - just annoying and boring all at the same time.

But then perhaps the characters were so mundane because all they do is talk to the AI therapist, whether or not they were bought into it...? Not quite sure because I never was able to absorb into any character or any event. The only chemistry was Adrian and Sike, and even then it was bland at best. Other reviews had mentioned they wanted to see how Sike could affect us in every way possible, but I didn't think that part was what the author wanted to focus on. After realizing that, I still didn't see what he wanted to do since the characters didn't have any chemistry or weren't interesting.

I listened to the audiobook on this, and while the audio narrator did just fine, even that felt like he didn't feel the chemistry or any sort of redeemable friendship/relationship among all of them.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

DNF at 65%
This book felt like the ramblings from a big at a bar. I'm not sure they'd is a plot to this book. I tried.. really.
*I will not be posting a public review.

Sike follows two point of view characters, Adrian and Maquie, as the first year of their relationship unfolds. Adrian is a ghostwriter for rappers, while Maquie works at a venture capital firm trying to find the next big thing. The titular Sike is an AI program therapist - working into people's smart glasses, Sike has infiltrated society to help those who can afford it take control of their mental health in real time. Adrian is a devout user of the program, while Maquie is resistant even after her step-father attempts to get her to use it.

I thought this was a really interesting premise - but wish that the class themes behind those that can afford Sike versus those that can't were better explored. Both Adrian and Maquie are very well off, so we really only see the differences in their perspectives, rather than how the rest of the world is handling yet another class differentiator.

This book very much explores both Adrian and Maquie and is a deep character exploration for the both of them - if you're going into this book expecting that I think you'll have a good time, if you're expecting more of the exploration of the AI theme, you won't get as much as you may have hoped.

I did really enjoy the narrator of the audiobook, Ilan Goodman, who does a great job of bringing everyone to life and would absolutely recommend it as a listen.

Thanks very much to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

I enjoyed the narration of this book. Sike itself was interesting but not a significant enough part of the story.

Other than the psychologist glasses, most of the story is a friend group and an odd romance.

I mostly felt neutral about this. The main characters were fine and multidimensional, but I didn't look forward to continuing to read and wasn't very interested in their endings.

Thank you for the ARC, NetGalley & LibroFM.

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 premise of this book sounded very fascinating, an AI psychologist and “a boy meets a girl.” I was excited to see where the author was going to take the story, especially considering all the buzz surrounding AI lately.

It didn’t end up being what I hoped for. To me, the story didn’t have a clear structure. There were times it seemed very slow and my attention wandered. I am not sure if I missed something important, but I don’t think I did. Overall, this one just wasn’t for me.

I do really appreciate the opportunity to listen to the ARC of the audiobook; thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio!

This one wasn’t for me. I was super intrigued by the premise, but I felt like the AI technology wasn’t even a big part of the book. It just really fizzled out for me. The narrator did a good job though.

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!

The audiobook production itself was solid. The audio was clear, the pacing consistent, and the narrator delivered a competent performance. While the narration was serviceable and easy to follow, it lacked emotional range and character distinction. It didn’t enhance the experience, but it didn’t detract from it either.

Unfortunately, the story is where Sike truly falls apart.

What unfolds is a disjointed, meandering slice-of-life narrative weighed down by relentless pop culture name-dropping, a bloated cast of background characters, and an obsessive focus on minutiae that adds little substance. There is no real plot to follow—just a loose patchwork of events that rarely connect or build toward anything meaningful.

The constant stream of celebrity references, song titles, films, and literary nods reads more like clutter than clever commentary. While I recognized many of them, their frequency made the story feel bloated and inaccessible. I can’t imagine most readers wanting to pause and look up dozens of references just to keep up.

The book also overindulges in explaining minor details. It spends an exhausting amount of time on things like lunch orders, cultural trivia, and especially rap ghostwriting, which is covered in tedious, lecture-like depth. These sections dragged the pacing down and made it difficult to stay engaged.

To make matters worse, the titular Sike app barely plays a role in the actual story. Despite being framed as a central element in the synopsis, it fades into the background, overshadowed by scattered storylines involving venture capitalism and the music industry.

Ultimately, Sike feels like a collection of ideas that never come together. It’s a frustrating listen—not because of the narration, but because the story lacks cohesion, momentum, and purpose.

I'm surprised at how many low ratings I'm seeing for this book on goodreads. I thought it was so unique and entertaining.