Sweet Hunger is a psychological thriller told through the chilling lens of Sebastian Wolfe, a successful architect consumed by obsession. Set in a sleek urban backdrop, the story traces Sebastian’s descent into a twisted fascination with Iris Klarelle, a colleague he watches from afar. What begins as admiration escalates into manipulation, surveillance, and deeply unsettling behavior, all masked by the polished facade of ambition and control. Bailey crafts a narrative of longing, delusion, and power that toes the line between attraction and madness, spiraling into something much darker than it first appears.

Reading this book felt like being dragged down a velvet-covered rabbit hole. Bailey’s writing is seductive and lyrical in places, almost romantic, until you realize how grotesque the underlying motivations are. That tension is what kept me enthralled. I caught myself sympathizing with Sebastian’s internal ache before being jolted by the horror of his actions. There’s a kind of poetic madness in how the book is written. It’s lush, sharp, and unsettling, and I have to admit, I found myself both disturbed and fascinated by how cleanly the writing mirrored the protagonist’s crumbling mind. It’s rare for a book to make me feel both voyeur and victim.

The obsessive monologues were intriguing and well-written. Although I craved another perspective. Iris remains just out of reach, which might be the point, but it made me crave her voice to break the suffocating singularity of Sebastian’s. The moments of levity, mostly from side characters like Jenna, felt like lifeboats, though they were rare. Still, Bailey manages to keep you locked in, not because you’re rooting for anyone, but because you can’t look away. It’s haunting.

Sweet Hunger isn’t for the faint-hearted. It’s for readers who appreciate the raw, unfiltered mess of human desire, especially when it teeters into obsession. If you liked You by Caroline Kepnes or the slow-burn creep of American Psycho, this book will captivate you. It’s beautiful, dark, and uncomfortable, and I mean that as a compliment.

Pages: 374 | ASIN : B0FGTNT4ZM