Member Reviews

So The Obsession is a dual POV story about a creep named Logan who becomes obsessed with Delilah who suffers from trauma caused by an abusive family situation. The two both attend the same elite North California private school and as Logan's obsession with Delilah grows he uncovers evidence that she killed her almost stepfather, an abuse copy and uses that to draw her closer. Delilah is tired of being the victim to controlling men and must find a way out.

I was struggling to get into this one at first. I've never watched the popular series You so I'm not used to this type of storytelling and my sister had to fill me in. I felt we were too much in Logan's head from the beginning with his chapters. And Logan's head was a very disturbing place. And there was never any nuance to him as a villain. I would've liked it better had he also not showed his hand so early to Delilah. He reveals himself and starts blackmailing her well before the 50% mark. We didn't get to see her getting to know him in a way she could trust him. She knew about his former obsession to a girl Sophie, whom she resembles very early on.

This story is very fast paced to the point where I initially read past hints about a certain plot point. And I call it a plot point because not much was done with it and it wasn't enough to drive the story. But at the same time it was hard to get through Logan's chapters. Delilah was better developed and her chapters were stronger but I wasn't enthralled. I wish it would've gone darker and deeper.

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Delilah has escaped an abuser only to be caught in the sticky web of Logan, who believes they are soulmates. His stalking and blackmailing might be the last straw.

This most interesting part of this book is that it is told through alternating perspectives of Delilah and Logan. This tense thriller gives you insight into the twisted justifications of the stalker and the desperate thoughts of the victim.

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This book was unique. I was left with more questions than answers. I liked that it was a quick read even though it dragged a few times. It wasn’t bad, it just was different than what I was expecting. I would still read more books by this author.

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Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Let's start with the cover. the colors, the quick pop of the blue, the title.. it all works great.

The Obsession is a young adult thriller, but don't let that deter you from wanting to read this. I seriously could NOT stop reading.
It's twisted but addicting.

I'll definitely be looking out for other work by this author.

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Wow, what a dark, disturbing, and fast paced read! I absolutely loved it! Thought the writing was phenomenal, the story line exciting, and the characters amazing! It might fall on the darker more disturbing side, for some, but I love darker books! I found it to be completely unputdownable! It had lots of twists & turns, chills, thrills, and shocks, which is what I crave in these genre of books! It was fast paced, unputdownable, and much more I look for in a book! Highly, highly recommend!

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This book is good for a quick light thriller read. It never gets too undeniably dark, while maintaining the original premise of boy meet girl, boy stalks girl, girl kills abusive mother's boyfriend, girl goes after stalker boy.

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Love is patient.
Love is kind.
Love is...deadly?

When Logan spots Delilah at school, he knows they are destined to be together. He quickly begins to do his research to learn her likes, interests and address. He watches and films from outside her house, as it is his job to watch over her and keep her safe. These are essential steps to making sure he can be Delilah's perfect match...and if she can't see it, he'll make her.
I really enjoyed this YA Thriller. I was immediately pulled in with the first chapter and longed to know more with each turn of the page. There are a few shocking twists sprinkled throughout the book when you're least expecting them, which is always a good thing to see in a good thriller. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves to be on the edge of their seat until they reach the last line in the book.

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This book had some good creepy "YOU" like vibes. To sum up: boy meets girl. boy stalks girl. boy blackmails girl. girl tries to fix that with revenge.

The pacing was fairly quick and everything was simple and straightforward. I do think some more twists could've been great, but the synopsis (swipe to read) really lays out so much of the plot that there doesn't end up being many surprises.

However, it was compelling and I finished it in two days. It does get dark and disturbing and I was impressed. We get the dual point of view and we're always in the character's heads, hardly anything is kept in the dark (except maybe one thing at the end, though half this reveal seemed obvious to me and also didn't unfold too well)

I pretty much hated the ending, it was too rushed and I could've used another chapter, even just a few paragraphs to wrap some things up, see what happened in the aftermath of the conclusion. I guess it works considering it's going to be a series.

A good YA book dealing with obsession and unhealthy relationships. If there'd been more excitement, twists, and a more fleshed out ending I'd definitely be rating it alot higher. I do recommend if you're interested in a novel with darkness and stalking but nothing too detailed, crazy, and extremely dark--a book that gives you a good taste or can ease you into this stuff. Still trigger warnings but nothing compared to what an adult book with these topics deal with. ⚠️ Drugs, abuse, overdosing, suicide, stalking, even a bit of racism in the beginning. ⚠️

I can't decide on rating. I'm thinking 2.5. maybe round up to 3🌟

Thank you @netgalley and @sourcebooksfire for the eARC of The Obsession by @jesseqsutanto publication date is 2.2.21

Review to be posted on my instagram @fortheloveofcrime

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Personally this YA thriller didn’t hit me the way I wanted it to. I felt like there was so many opportunities that the author could have taken to really drive the story deeper than it was. The potential for an amazing thriller was there but I felt like the pacing of the story was too fast, therefore I didn’t feel fully invested. This story has both point of views of the main characters which I enjoyed seeing the way their thought process worked, but again I felt like the author never allowed us to really be deep inside the characters like I had hoped. I enjoyed the stalker vibes it gave off. Also, there was a huge plot point in the story that was kind of dropped out of the blew and that threw me off. Personally, there was just too many times I felt questions were being answered too quickly especially for a thriller. So the ending didn’t really surprise me as much as I hoped. Rating: 2/5 stars.

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This book is aptly named as the obsession starts from page one. I was a little overwhelmed by just how creepy Logan was, because I had never read about a character like this before, but honestly I think that Sutanto did a great job at writing a character who you want to root for, but can't because you are so horrified by them.

This book would be perfect for people who enjoy the show You. Logan was basically a younger version of Joe, and this book felt like a younger YA version of that book, but in the best way possible. I also enjoyed how Sutanto wrote Delilah to be a morally grey protagonist who was not afraid to take her life into her own hands, instead of making her someone who constantly regretted her actions..

I felt like this book moved almost a little too fast at time, and I would have loved more suspense towards the end of the book, but overall it was a dark and entertaining read.

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seeing as how I don't typically like YA thrillers, I really enjoyed this! it was creepy, entertaining, and a little different than the "standard" thriller formula that I've been getting pretty tired of.

if you're looking for a YA version of You by Caroline Kepnes, this is it

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This book and these characters were crazy. I felt so uncomfortable while reading, but I couldn’t put the book down. Logan was very intense, and Delilah had me feeling so conflicted. I wanted to be in her corner rooting for her, but at the same time I didn’t. This was such a bingeable story and I can’t wait to read more from Jesse Sutanto!

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The Obsession is a chilling and fast paced read about a guy who stalks a girl and calls it love. And a girl who just wants to be free from controlling men in her life.

The pace of this book and the character development is fantastic. An enjoyable but slightly creepy read.

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“We’ll be like Romeo and Juliet; our love will be preserved forever.”

The Obsession brings the creep factor and I couldn’t help but liken Logan to Joe in You by Caroline Kepnes, his obsessive behavior is front and center, he knows he’s doing it but call’s it love. In turn, Delilah has had a fairly rough life, losing her father and having to put up with an abusive step-father, she’s had enough of controlling men in her life. Logan doesn’t know what he’s getting in to when he sets his sights on Delilah.

The Obsession is an entertaining book, it’s quickly paced and engaging. I didn’t really care much for Logan’s character development, he felt very flat to me whereas Dee was more well-developed and insightful. I enjoyed her narration much more. The ending was predictable but no less enjoyable. I liked the idea that Dee took matters in to her own hands, she didn’t let others choices determine her fate. She was hard not to root for despite the morally grey (black) character she portrays.

All in all, I enjoyed this book and I’d recommend it to any fan of the genre.

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This is a fantastic, chilling, scary story. Logan is a perfect psychopath; charming, convincing, and convinced that he's in the right. The scary thing is, when we're in his point of view, it almost makes sense; it almost seems reasonable, the things he's doing. That's great characterisation, of course, not just for him but for Delilah as well.

I was surprised to read on Goodreads that this is part one of a series, as it all seemed to wrap up beautifully at the end. I'll be very interested to see what happens in part two! I'm sure Jesse will come up with something just as fun and creepy as this.

I really enjoyed this read - although I'll be looking over my shoulder for a while! - and I can't wait to read the next part.

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The Obsession gave me full Joe Goldberg feels. Atleast, a younger in high school Joe. Suspenseful and chaotic but in the best possible way, this book is a must for any You fans out there... but look out, you won’t see the twists and turns coming!

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The Obsession by Jesse Q. Sutanto, 304 pages. Sourcebooks Fire, 2021. $11.
Language: R (245 swears, 54 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG13
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH
Logan, a high school senior, has struggled ever since Sophie died, and everyone noticed -- his best friend, his classmates, even the school counselor. But then he meets Delilah, and the world is brighter. Delilah is like Sophie but better -- stronger -- than Sophie could ever be, and Logan won’t let Delilah end up like her.
Wow. Words cannot express how I feel -- partly because I, myself, am uncertain how all these emotions are tangled together. Sutanto brilliantly gives readers pictures of Logan and Delilah that morph through each chapter, adding layers as we follow the progression of their story. Delight, distress, and disgust warred within me as I tried to figure out who I wanted to win the struggle and how. The ending was one I would never imagine, but now, having read it, I also would never change it. The mature content rating is for innuendo, drugs and alcohol, and mentions of sex and rape. The violence rating is for physical abuse, homicide, and suicide.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

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I've seen this book being compared to the TV show "You" and it definitely lives up the comparison. It also fills the void for Pretty Little Liar fans.
I was hooked from the first page and the pacing was perfect Sutanto kept the pages turning for sure. And while most of the premise is in the plot description, which is normal for a formulaic thriller done right, it's the details and the promise of a second book that make this story stand out.
Told in alternating POV"s, Logan and Delilah each had their own very distinct voices and it was interesting being in both of their heads. I enjoy being in unreliable narrator's heads in stories like this because it makes the characters sympathetic even when they do terrible things. Even if those terrible things were provoked.
This story was very atmospheric and well-written, I'll definitely read the second.

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Thrillers for books aren't my birthday go to book but I really enjoyed this one and I think it'll encourage me to step out of my comfort zone more often

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Sutanto is one to watch regardless of what age group she's writing for. An excellent addition to YA and HS collections where thrillers and mysteries are popular.

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