My Thoughts

Filled with strange out of character behavior, secrets, outright lies and a mix of other happenings this particular tale had a little of everything you might expect and also a lot of stuff one does not before its final truths are revealed.

Said reveal is both gratifying and yet also scary to think about.

I could not get myself to stop reading this for very long at a stretch because it preyed on my mind that just had to read one more chapter, which of course meant another after that then still more after that.
[EArc from Netgalley]

On every book read as soon as it is done and written up for review it is posted on Goodreads and Netgalley, once released then posted on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles as well.

Someone Is Always Watching was a solid 4.5 for me. I found myself sacrificing sleep to finish it. I loved the psychological aspect that had twists and turns occurring every few chapters. For me, psychological thrillers need to draw you in immediately to keep the reader interested, and this book does exactly that. Just a few paragraphs in, and the first dilemma is already happening to Blythe and her friends. As the book progresses, it turns into a "Whodunnit?" which kept me turning page after page! I am also a big fan of romance novels, so watching this push and pull between Tucker and Blythe was *chefs kiss*.

A few critiques: if you read the synopsis of the book, it gives a good chunk of the book away. If I had the chance to go back, I would have preferred going into this book blind. Also, I was 48% in before this main confliclt was even revealed. While I didn't mind because of the other surprises, some people may think the book took too long to get to the overall issue the book promised. All in all, SUCH a good book! I can't wait to read more by this author.

CW: murder, gore, gun violence

Blythe Warren is the good girl who can't do anything wrong. Her close friend group seems like the typical high school friend group, until an act of violence causes a rift between Blythe in Tucker. This culminates in another friend named Gabrielle standing over the dead vice principal covered in blood with no memory of what happened. Other friends start having dreams and flashbacks of violent pasts. Who can Blythe and her friends trust if they can't trust their own memories?

I really liked the premise of this book, but I think it fell short in execution. I felt bored for most of the book and the pacing was slow and then rushed towards the ending. I did like how they explored the relationships between each character. The build-up to the final reveal was not great and there were more questions than answers at the end.

Armstrong brings us a new physiological thriller with a unique plot and particular context. The story is well done and written with great characters and a pace that keep the reader on edge.
As it's expected from this author, the story developed the mystery piece by piece, turning into big surprises. However, the reason for not giving 5 stars is the unsolved subplots. The end is kind of shopped and something where left without a proper closure.
Overall a 100% recommended read

Great mystery! I love that you learn a lot about each character but without giving away the who dun it. Very gripping thriller that unravels very nicely. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend!

I love Kelley Armstrong and was excited to read this story. I liked her other YA stories so I expected to like this. It’s not that I didn’t like it, it’s just that not only did the jacket give away the whole story but I just couldn’t get into the characters. It’s still a good story but I felt like I knew what was going to happen before it did.

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada, Tundra Books & NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this arc

Someone Is Always Watching by Kelly Armstrong was a different book than other I have read. I was getting quite creeped out as parts of it reminded me of The Stepford Wives! When you can’t be sure your memories are accurate, who’s to say who you really are? This thriller keeps you guessing who is responsible right up to the last chapter.

If you like thrillers focused on psychology and relationships this is the book for you. The mystery keeps you on the edge of your seat.

The story follows Blythe, who witnessed her friend have a mental breakdown and attack a teacher, but the next day she loses her memory. Blythe is a rule follower, but to get to the bottom of what's really going on she realizes sometimes you need to break the rules. The book weaves everything together perfectly. It's a must read.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with this e-ARC and the opportunity to share my thoughts.

This was an ambitious book that evoked the vibes of some of my favorite dystopian YA novels from when I was younger, like Divergent. The premise is intriguing—a corporation essentially working toward a utopia by erasing memories of childhood trauma. But this process is experimental, so they have to create a controlled environment with test subjects whom they can observe. Of course, things devolve from there.

On the whole, this was an enjoyable book, and it was a quick read that I didn’t want to put down. I liked Kelley Armstrong’s writing style, it was clear and concise and allowed for easy reading. However, this book felt underdeveloped. For example, I really enjoyed Blythe, Tucker, and Tanya, but I thought the other characters were pretty two-dimensional, so I didn’t particularly care about them. I think there were a lot of potentially interesting pieces about all of the characters, including the parents, that were never explored. I wish that the author had spent more time exploring the depth of the side characters and the details of the experiment. I also thought the twists were obvious.

In sum, it was a fun and easy book, but not one that I imagine leaving much of an impression on me in the long run. I would rate it 3.5 stars, but there was enough that I liked that I am rounding up to 4.

I really enjoyed this book. The concept is thought-provoking. I felt like the depth of the characters was really good, I felt like I knew the characters and could anticipate how they would behave in situations they were presented with. Lots of trigger warnings- violence, underage drinking and drug use, murder, sexual assault, and suicide.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Someone is always watching is a psychological thriller cantering around a group of teenagers who have had their memories changed who end up involved in a mystery.

Firstly, I loved the premise of this story and thought it had so much potential. I especially enjoyed the fact that every characters’ point of view was unreliable which added the mystery and made this book very unpredictable. I also liked the ace and lesbian representation in this book and how well rounded the characters were in general.

However, the plot felt quite convoluted and like it was going round in circles at times which made this a frustrating read.

Overall I would give this book 3 out of 5 stars as I loved the concept but the writing style didn’t do it for me.

A group of teens search for answers when one of their friends flips out in class about security cameras.

The students attend a private school owned by scientific research organization CMT- where nothing is quite what it seemed.

Fast paced, clever- this was a decent read of intrigue and suspense.

I have just recently discovered Kelley Armstrong novels and the one thing I have come to realize is that she always surprises me. When I saw this novel available on NetGalley ( thank you for the advanced copy), I knew I had to request it. I decided to go into it without reading any prior description and am glad I did. Someone is Always Watching follows Blythe, a high school student and her friends as they watch one of their close companions slowly unravel before their eyes. The action is fast, the psychological issues abound, and the relationships constantly change. When it becomes apparent that there is a larger conspiracy at work, I liked that the kids worked together despite their questioning each other. What I didn’t like was that there were too many unanswered questions at the end. I could definitely see a duology here that picks up where this book ends, but there was no indication that this would happen. Still, this was a very different and fascinating book.

Thank you to netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I'll admit first that I have not read many of Armstongs books. Although I did not jive with her other series. This being my second. But it was solid, I enjoyed it. Although if you read the summary it gives pretty much the whole thing away and then you don't get to see it unfold. So it's probably best in this situation to go in blind and enjoy the ride. As far as thrillers go, I would recommend it!

I read most of what Kelley Armstrong writes, from her Otherworld series to Cainsville, and now Rockton and love them all. I also enjoyed her last YA series (as an adult), Darkness Rising.

This one started out a little slow for me, but definitely picked up speed about halfway through. You are introduced to the fact that the characters are having their memories tampered with, but the reasons why are revealed later. There’s also a moral dilemma occurring and it makes you wonder how far you might go to help someone you love, without knowing the future consequences. There is at least one loose end I am curious to see addressed in (hopefully) another book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Random House Canada, Tundra Books, and Kelley Armstrong for the eARC.

I was really excited to get an arc of this book because I've long been a fan of Kelley Armstrong's books. In fact, her older YA series was one of the first few books that got me into reading as a teen. So it was so fun to read a new YA from Armstrong.

One thing I've always liked about Armstrong's books is her main characters, and this book's main character, Blythe, was no exception. I found her a complex and introspective character, and very resilient and strong, a feature of almost all of Armstrong's women main characters. I also thought Blythe and Tucker's relationship was intriguing, and I liked that the book explored the way they could bring out the best or the worst in each other depending on the circumstances.

As a mystery/thriller, I think too much was given away at the beginning of the book. A big plot point is a missing memory of Blythe's, but we as readers know exactly what happened because we read that scene fairly early on. I did like that the book pondered how important good intentions actually are when something terrible happens because of them.

Not my favourite Armstrong, that still belongs to her Cainsville series, but I enjoyed going along for the ride with a unique cast of characters, even if the plot was sometimes confusing or dragged.

This book was an interesting mystery/thriller that unfortunately fell a little flat for me. I wasn't as engaged with this story and couldn't connect with the characters and their motives as readily as I normally do. It just wasn't for me.

Kelly Armstrong has done it again with her new YA thriller! And while I’m no longer a teen I loved this book! Which didn’t surprise me, she is one of favourite authors after all.

This novel had me hooked from the very first chapter and I couldn’t put it down until I finished, the only issue I had was, the next book in this series( I’m guessing it will be a series, there are still some unanswered questions) isn’t out yet.

This book makes you think about what really makes you well… you? And how far can people go to change that? Is it nature or nurture?

This book gives darkest power series vibes minus the supernatural aspects, which I loved ( that was my favourite series when I was a teen) I would recommend to anyone who loves an extremely amazingly written thriller/ suspense/mystery novel, that grips you and doesn’t let you go until the very end, then makes you want more!!!

10/10 thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random house for the ARC!

"Do you want to do something bad ?"

Blythe, Gabrielle, Tucker and Tanya have always been close until the Incident that caused a rift between Blythe and Tucker and their parents decided it would be best if they kept their distance. After all, Tucker is the bad boy in the group right? Shouldn't be trusted ? Then why is it sweet Gabrielle who is found covered in blood in front of their deceased principal, with no memory of what happened?

Why is Blythe's little sister having nightmares about fires? And why is Gabrielle obsessed with cameras?
Blythe wants to believe that everything is normal but when she starts receiving emails from Veritas, exposing one of her friend as a murderer, she realizes something else is going on here and suddenly no one knows who can be trusted.

This was a perfect YA thriller. Highly recommend to 13-16 years or older. This was my first book from Kelley Armstrong but I will be definitely reading more!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC copy!

This is exactly my kind of thriller. Focused on the psychology and relationships, without being too slow. A mystery to figure out, without a surplus of impossible red herrings.

This book follows Blythe, a teenage girl that loves following the rules. Blythe witnesses her friend have a mental breakdown and attack a teacher. The next day, she's met with memory loss and gaslighting at every turn.

Blythe and her band of (dysfunctional) friends investigate, but surprises lurk at every turn. It seems like everyone has a skeleton in their closet, no one is fully trustworthy, and every relationship is one reveal away from toppling.

For Blythe, she's in situations where it might be worth it to break the rules, if it means getting to the bottom of this web.
In the beginning, loved this book because of the characters.

Blythe and her best friend have recently had a mysterious falling out, and I was curious to see what it was. As the plot unfolded, it hooked me and kept me in its clutches until the very end. This book weaved together the relationships and the thrilling attacks perfectly.

This book deals poignantly with themes of what shapes a person (their memories, how others treat them).