Stalker Stalked

Every so often a book comes along that is so bloody good, but you can't put into words how you feel about it!

Totally unputdownable & compelling, this was such an awesome read.

A genius plot line, well developed strong female leads, coupled with the authors sharp prose & wit made for a different, yet cleverly curated read.

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙠𝙚𝙧 𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙨 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙠𝙚𝙙?

Meet Lexi Maxur, a depressed, alcoholic pill popper, whose only excitement in life is watching reality television, where she fantasises that this is her world, her reality. When she splits with her boyfriend, she turns her affections to tv star Magnolia Artois, star of tv's Socialites.

Recently Lexi has felt someone watching her & her apartment, is it her mind playing tricks or is the watcher playing her at her own game?

Many thanks to Netgalley for my ARC in return for my honest review.

𝗜 𝗴𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗮 4 ⭐ 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴

Lexi Mazur is a depressed, alcoholic, pill-popper whose only joy has become her reality TV shows, often fantasizing that the people on TV are a part of her world. Inspiring to read.

Lexi Mazur is a depressed, alcoholic, pill-popper whose only joy has become her reality TV shows, often fantasizing that the people on TV are a part of her world. After her boyfriend Steve leaves her, she fixates on the show Socialites and its star Magnolia Artois, following every facet of the girl’s life on social media in the hopes of befriending and becoming more like her.
Poor nutty Lexi, she gets her drugs at work...as a pharma seller. She is addicted to everything, even her stalker.! The book had me laughing so hard . Lexi even messes up stalking. And her stalker...she seems to have a love, hate relationship. with who this stalker is. Believe me, you will love, laugh, and cringe as she bumbles along.

In ‘Stalker Stalked’ Lexi is a pharma rep who’s sampling her product, to manage her anxiety and depression, has become a problem along with the vodka chasers. When Lexi’s boyfriend breaks up with her, she returns to stalkerish behaviours to find out how it went wrong. Lexi’s issues escalate and her superfan-dom of reality TV becomes an obsession and she turns her stalker behaviour to the ‘stars’ of the her favourite show. Lexi starts to feel like maybe she’s being stalked, is it real or is it the pills? This was an easy engaging read, I did feel it got a little bogged down in the descriptions of the Socialites episodes, and this method of story within a story was a bit clunky and I admit to skipping through those parts. The premise was interesting and the descriptions of obsession with reality TV and the Instagram culture were on point. Overall an enjoyable read. #stalkerstalked #netgalley

this one’s an odd ball, really unlike anything i’ve ever read. is this satire? remember that fight scene with pumpkin and new york on flavor of love? yeah, that pales in comparison to the acts of these venomous characters. 4 stars for this deranged thriller that left me thinking, “what did i just read?”

lexi has vices, is manipulative, and a stalker. at the height of her obsession, she starts to notice signs of someone stalking her. spiraling out of control, she is consumed with trying to catch her predator, all while attempting to befriend her idols in a disorientating episode of the hunter being hunted.
*content warning: child abuse, graphic violence

for fans of -book: you, -movies: american psycho, donnie darko

Honestly, for the first half of the book I was just thinking what the hell am I reading, yet I did continue to read. Lexi is a pharma rep and is currently using her own supply to self medicate plus using alcohol. Lexi very clearly has mental health issues that are apparent from the beginning, her relationship with her mum was far from ideal and had a lasting impact on how Lexi lived her life. I actually think Lee did a great job with making you really dislike Lexi which I think was purposely done to show how addiction and substance abuse can really change a person. This book wasn't what I thought it would be, I thought it would be about a stalker being stalked when really I felt it was more a stalker with mental health issues dealing with addiction and how that impacted her life and her reality. Lexi is obsessed with reality programmes and in particular with one of the characters from the socialites, when Lexi is turned away from becoming part of the group, she really does start to lose the plot. Luckily, Lexi has a great friend who stuck by her the entire time. By the end of the book I was actually really enjoying it and learning to like the main character even with all her flaws.

I do feel the book is really misleading and the twists are incredibly bizarre, especially the whole 'stalker' scenario, I just wasn't buying into that. The ending was really quite satisfying and actually made up for the part of the book that I disliked. I felt there was sexual elements added to this that weren't necessary and just kind of came across as a person's weird fetish, I didn't really feel they played a part in the story, other than to state Lexi was unstable but that was already clear from many other things.

I absolutely adored Goldberg's previous book published by All Due Respect, so there was no keeping me from his latest. In many regards it's a left turn from The Ancestor, but Goldberg displays his skill of creating empathetic characters regardless of how far they stray.

Lexi is our eponymous stalker and following a break up becomes obsessed with reality show "Socialites" and specifically the star of the show, Magnolia. Lexi is desperate to become her friend and eventually become one of the socialites. Her dependency on drink and drugs pushes her to the edge of her perceived reality, but is the stalker now being stalked too?

This is a novel full of suspense and mystery. Even when you want to turn away from Lexi, you can't. You want her to get better, to listen to those around her, but you suspect and fear them in the same way she does to. Another great release from Goldberg and ADR.

WHAT'S STALKER STALKED ABOUT?
Lexi Mazur is a pharmaceutical sales rep who has a habit of sampling her products in addition to drinking pretty heavily. When her boyfriend of about a year breaks up with her, things get worse. Her pill uptake and drinking increase, and she escapes into Reality Shows like The Real Housewives of ______, and her new obsession (literally), Socialites. She'd been heavily invested in those shows before—it was a bone of contention with her ex—but she sunk to pathological levels after the break-up.

Soon, Lexi begins showing up at locations that she knows one or more of the stars of Socialites will be, trying to put herself in a situation where their paths will cross, in the belief that it's all it will take for them to befriend her. Once they're friends, her life will improve and she'll get a bit of the glamorous life they have—maybe even a role in the show.

She has some reason to think that this behavior will work—it has been the foundation (and eventual doom) of her romantic relationships.

Yeah, Lexi is a stalker—she just has a new outlet for these impulses. Her behavior and substance abuse spiral to new depths. We get some details about her prior issues and behaviors, but the novel primarily documents her descent to rock bottom.

That would be enough for most authors, but here's where Goldberg throws in the plotline that makes Stalker Stalked stand out. In the midst of all the above, Lexi starts to sense that someone is watching her. Stalking her. Is it one of her exes? Is it someone from Socialites? Is it just her imagination, maybe a side-effect of some of the medication she's abusing?

And then the threats begin...

LOW-HANGING FRUIT?
Lexi's story aside (as much as you can do that kind of thing in this book), this book is a sharp satire and critique of TV Reality Shows.

As I read it, I wondered occasionally about Goldberg picking a target that's too easy. Where's the challenge in taking shots at Reality Shows?

As easy a target they might be, it's a target that seems to demand this kind of attention and examination. The cultural impact of this kind of shows—and the social media influencer accounts (and wanna-be social media accounts) that tell the same kind of fictions—is large enough, disturbing enough, that we need as many artists in as many possible media to put them under the microscope.

Looking at this phenomenon through Goldberg's lens something jumps out at me (and I realize that I'm probably fifteen years behind other people on this insight), this kind of reality shows provide a socially acceptable form of stalking for the masses. How many people think they're getting a special kind of insight into the lives of these stars? A special, private, view of their day-to-day life? How many unbalanced viewers like Lexi are out there learning that this is an appropriate way to live and take the license to do the same but for people who aren't on TV?

SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT STALKER STALKED?
I didn't like Lexi—at all—for the majority of the novel. I wouldn't have described myself as terribly invested in what was going on with her or in her well-being. She's just unsympathetic, unpleasant—the kind of character that most novels would have cast as the villain (one you may ultimately find sympathy for).

As much as I wasn't able to get invested in her as a character, I couldn't stop reading. Something about the novel—and I really should be able to put my finger on what it was, but I can't—gripped me like a Lee Child or Nick Petrie thriller. Compelling doesn't quite express it—I had to know what was coming next. Lexi was like the proverbial car wreck that you can't take your eyes off of. Also, I was pretty curious about some of the people around Lexi, how were they going to fare in the face of her problems.

Eventually, however, I started pitying Lexi. I started understanding how she got where she is and how she was tumbling toward rock bottom.

Stalker Stalked is a gripping read, a tragedy that you can't look away from—that you can't get enough of. It's disturbing and thought-provoking. You're going to want to get your hands on it.

Loved the written observation and description of obsession with social media,reality stars,Insta etc but did find some of the story hard going and skipped parts,an interesting concept and well written

Wasn't sure I was going to like this book, but wow, this was something. A pretty fast easy read and very entertaining. Nothing is as it seems. It really describes the reality TV addiction quite well.

Hated the ending though it stayed true to form.

Loved this book.

Lexi Mazur is a depressed, alcoholic, pill-popper whose only joy has become her reality TV shows, often fantasizing that the people on TV are a part of her world. After her boyfriend Steve leaves her, she fixates on the show Socialites and its star Magnolia Artois, following every facet of the girl’s life on social media in the hopes of befriending and becoming more like her.
But stalking isn’t new to Lexi. She ultimately won over her ex Steve by following and manipulating every minute detail about him so he’d fall for her. In fact, she landed her other ex-boyfriend Jeremy in the same way. Being a pharma rep, she’s used to manipulation to get doctors to buy her drugs, along with the perk of saving pills for herself.
But what happens when the stalker gets stalked?
Recently, Lexi has felt someone watching her: in her apartment in Queens, at her job. At first, she thinks her mind’s playing tricks, but the watcher is behaving just like she would. And soon they begin leaving threatening clues like she starts to do to Magnolia once her obsession grows more dangerous. Is it one of her exes out for revenge? Her only real friend from childhood who she’s always had an unhealthy rivalry? A detective who may have figured her out? The reality star Magnolia trying to turn the tables? Or even someone she might not know?
Lexi learns the only way to beat her stalker is to use her own stalking prowess to outsmart them at their own game. But has she finally met her match?

Wow!!! What a read this was.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable.
Great suspense and found myself second guessing every thought I had continuously.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.

I was provided an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher. This is my own honest voluntary review.

With lots of helpful reviews and ratings already out there, I'll recommend this to thriller and suspense fans, since I liked it and stayed mostly engaged.

I really appreciate the free review copy!!

Lexi Mazur has spent her adult life following around people that she hoped she could be with. She stalks potential boyfriends and glamorous people she hopes to be friends with. Lexi works as a sales rep for big pharma and has been sampling the pills that put her in a haze and lift her mood. She is obsessed with reality TV and has found that her new favorite show, Socialites, films near her in New York City. After a breakup with her boyfriend, Lexi zeroes in on Socialites star, Magnolia. After sufficient stalking, Lexi meets Magnolia but is rejected. This only makes Lexi buff up her stalking efforts; however, as Lexi focuses on Magnolia, she begins to receive threatening phone calls and mysterious packages. Could it be that she is being stalked or is it a side effect of the pills? Is this exactly what Lexi wanted all along?

Stalker Stalked is a psychological thriller that focuses on very contemporary problems. Lexi's obsession with reality tv and overuse of social media are things that many of us can connect with. The writing pulled me into Lexi's life and her personality. Lexi is a wonderful and deep character. She is like watching a car crash or a dumpster fire, you know you should look away, but there is something intriguing in the chaos. Even though Lexi seems like an absolute garbage person, we see how her childhood has led her to this place of resentment and depression. Through her stalking episodes, I could also see her desperation to be liked and be part of a group. One of the other interesting characters was Lexi's one friend, Pria. I was amazed at Pria's ability to deal with Lexi at her worst and stick the friendship out. Lexi's drug habit made her an unreliable narrator and the suspense increased in the second half of the book as Lexi believes that she is being stalked as well. With a very unexpected ending and many twists and turns, Stalker Stalked is a unique and captivating psychological thriller.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.

A solid 3.5 - 4 stars
I could not put this book down, mostly because it was so confusing (in a good way!) once I got to the end it mostly made sense. I did not like that she escaped mostly without consequence, and there were points of the story that didn't mesh well together. Lexi was in an altered headspace, and because we followed her there was no clarity on what was real and what was imagined which makes sense for the story. But as a reader this left me with a lot of questions I still have not gotten answers for. And the whole Stalked storyline did not make much sense, and I am still confused about how the Zebra played into a lot of things. I don't buy that Magnolia being as manipulative and scheming as she was would have made it so easy to identify her with the whole furry thing. That was just a bizarre thing, and making Magnolia the villain when Lexi was honestly a worse character than her was not that great a way to end it. I would have liked it more if she faced consequences for her actions, stalking people, and being a genuinely awful person just to end up with a spin-off show and almost no consequences was not a great way to end it. I wanted her to go through more than a month of rehab, and she probably needed more than that.
The writing was captivating and a little confusing but overall I only put the book down when I had things to do around the house. I breezed through it because of the writing style. The later chapters did drag a bit but overall I loved it.

Lexi Mazur is a thirty year old pharmaceutical reprepresentative making good money which allows her to live in New York and also give her access to her drug of choice that she has a horrible addiction to among many other things. Lexi's biggest and time consuming addiction is to reality shows (All reality shows). She spends her life digesting these shows as if they were necessary food for her body. It's all she wants to talk about to anyone who will even listen to her. This problem has caused rifts in all her relationships yet she doesn't understand why people think she has a problem. Another serious issue Lexi has is Stalking her ex-boyfriends and also one particular star of her favorite reality show. Lexi stalks people on the internet, instagram, Facebook and in person believing that they don't see what' she's doing. Eventually Lexi realizes she is also being stalked and instead of being upset she is thrilled that she would be chosen for someone to give her special attention so now she is on a mission to find out who her stalker is while accusing everyone she knows and just about anyone she just meets.or runs into. Will Lexi ever realize that what she has been doing can have serious consequences or will she just go about her merry way hurting.others while she she falls deeper into the abyss of her pills, alcohol and reality shows?

Before I started reading this book, I thought it would be an exciting mystery/thriller and then after I started reading it I thought it would be a terrible mistake partly because I had to get used to the writing. OH, the LANGUAGE! The most profanity I have ever come across in a book. I don't consider myself a prude but this book was somewhat difficult for me because I nor the people in my everyday life don't speak this way but the language was extremely vulgar, crass, degrading, etc., etc. but I'm really glad I gave it a chance and the disgusting language was just another part of Lexi's illness. This story follows a young woman's downward spiral as far outside reality that one could get. It was more of a psychological look at what living a lonely life with television being her best friend and medicating herself with pills and alcohol to achieve a numbing effect whenever uncomfortable thoughts would come into her mind. Eventually, everything starts taking a toll on her work and every aspect of her life as she continuously spirals out of control even when she finds herself with a chance at being on one of her shows, Lexi can't distinguish reality from fiction even when she finally crashes. This is a very raw, darkly comedic, irreverent and not a very pretty look inside addiction.

WARNING: If you are a person who is prim and proper at all times and dislikes over the top profanity or is easily offended by bad language then this book may not be for you.

I want to thank the publisher "All Due Respect" and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book and any thoughts or opinions expressed are unbiased and mine alone!

I have given this book a rating of 3 1/2 RATING AND CAUTIONARY 🌟🌟🌟🌠 STARS!!

This had an interesting premise, of a depressed pharmacy rep who used her sample pills to numb herself from her life. She was obsessed with a Real Housewives-type show, especially one of the characters. Like many people nowadays she used the internet and phones to stalk old boyfriends and pretty much anyone she was interested in. Until she felt herself being stalked.

This started good, but dragged and I found myself skimming instead of reading. It just wasn't for me.

Lexi, Lexi, Lexi. What the heck are you doing with your life?

That’s what I kept wanting to scream at Lexi Mazur, who is strung out on “blue heavens” and losing a grip on reality as she is obsessed with the reality TV show Socialites.

Whether it’s the drugs, PTSD, or just her nature, Lexi is impulsive and obsessive. That’s what drove her boyfriend away; actually, it’s how Lexi first stalked him down. But daily, Lexi tunes in to the ladies of the Socialites; she is consumed with them, especially Magnolia. It’s gotten so bad she believes they will be her friends.

Then Lexi becomes suspicious that she is being watched, stalked even. And who would know better than someone who has stalked others, right?

So this one gets a little wild. 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐞𝐫, 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐞𝐝 has a tense, creepy feel. Lexi’s behavior is erratic, cringy at times, which leads you to question whether she is being stalked or if this is all her drug-induced paranoia.

Lexi Mazur is a depressed, alcoholic, pill-popper whose only joy has become her reality TV shows, often fantasizing that the people on TV are a part of her world. After her boyfriend Steve leaves her, she fixates on the show Socialites and its star Magnolia Artois, following every facet of the girl’s life on social media in the hopes of befriending and becoming more like her.

But stalking isn’t new to Lexi. She ultimately won over her ex Steve by following and manipulating every minute detail about him so he’d fall for her. In fact, she landed her other ex-boyfriend Jeremy in the same way. Being a pharma rep, she’s used to manipulation to get doctors to buy her drugs, along with the perk of saving pills for herself.

But what happens when the stalker gets stalked?

Recently, Lexi has felt someone watching her: in her apartment in Queens, at her job. At first, she thinks her mind’s playing tricks, but the watcher is behaving just like she would. And soon they begin leaving threatening clues like she starts to do to Magnolia once her obsession grows more dangerous. Is it one of her exes out for revenge? Her only real friend from childhood who she’s always had an unhealthy rivalry? A detective who may have figured her out? The reality star Magnolia trying to turn the tables? Or even someone she might not know?

Lexi learns the only way to beat her stalker is to use her own stalking prowess to outsmart them at their own game. But has she finally met her match?
Wow a seriously good read!

Can reality fiction get so overwhelming on our brain that we are unable to distinguish reality from fiction?

Has internet, instead of closing distances, made people
more lonely?

Is it easier to stalk people, due to social media?

Is it easier to take drugs/ alcohol to numb our senses or is it better to be strong enough to feel our emotions & situation with a sane mind?

This psychological thriller answers many such questions & more.

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Stalker Stalked 
by 
Lee Matthew Goldberg.
All Due Respect, an imprint of Down & Out Books (17 September 2021).

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286 pgs
53 chapters.
Genre: #mystery & #thriller
.
𝗜 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗹 𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲— 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗮 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲.
―Charles Bukowski.
.
🦋
Do you like observing people? Have you ever been caught in an uncomfortable eye contact?
Or
Have you ever been Stalked? Or do you know someone who was?
Or
An author you have read a lot from?
Or
Do you think internet has made stalking easier?
Or
Do you watch reality TV?
.
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Lexi Mazur is a depressed, alcoholic, pill-popper whose only joy has become her reality TV shows, often fantasizing that the people on TV are a part of her world. After her boyfriend Steve leaves her, she fixates on the show Socialites and its star Magnolia Artois, following every facet of the girl’s life on social media in the hopes of befriending and becoming more like her.

But stalking isn’t new to Lexi. She ultimately won over her ex Steve by following and manipulating every minute detail about him so he’d fall for her. In fact, she landed her other ex-boyfriend Jeremy in the same way. Being a pharma rep, she’s used to manipulation to get doctors to buy her drugs, along with the perk of saving pills for herself.

But what happens when the stalker gets stalked?

Recently, Lexi has felt someone watching her: in her apartment in Queens, at her job. At first, she thinks her mind’s playing tricks, but the watcher is behaving just like she would. And soon they begin leaving threatening clues like she starts to do to Magnolia once her obsession grows more dangerous. Is it one of her exes out for revenge? Her only real friend from childhood who she’s always had an unhealthy rivalry? A detective who may have figured her out? The reality star Magnolia trying to turn the tables? Or even someone she might not know?

Lexi learns the only way to beat her stalker is to use her own stalking prowess to outsmart them at their own game. But has she finally met her match?
.
.

Lexi Mazur is obsessed with many things. Pills, alcohol, reality tv and oh, stalking people. Stalking is how she was able to get her boyfriends and now she plans to use it to get in with the star of a reality show. As she continues with her plan, she behinds to feel like she’s being watched. Could the stalker have the tables turned on her and become the stalked?
Stalker, Stalked by Lee Matthew Goldberg is an enthralling look at the decline of a woman. We see Lexi at her very worst, immediately and while I never truly warm up to her, the situations that she is in kept me eagerly reading. I was never able to anticipate her next move so I guess I would fail at stalking school!

I did expect something different from the story, and maybe that was why I found it hard going though
I did finish the book.

Lexi is a character that I found it hard to like. Pill popping, alcoholic who is addicted to reality TV.
Fixated on a particular character, wanting to be part of the inner circle and determined to get there and
frustrated beyond belief when she is determinedly left out. The influencers on this show are a very tightly
knit circle, they don't want newcomers barging in.

Lexi is not helped by the fact that she had a horribly abusive childhood. Her relationships have fizzled out
due to her excessive neediness apart from the fact that she herself stalks her partners mainly due to her
insecurities.

This was a tough book to read, but I think realistic as well as it depicts exactly how insecure, spaced out
people may behave.

“𝑾𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒎𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒔, 𝒊𝒕’𝒔 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒘𝒆 𝒑𝒊𝒄𝒌 𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝒖𝒑 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓.”

Wow what a wild fucking ride this book was! The book is told in first person from the POV of main character Lexi Mazur and takes place in NYC. Yay for books that take place in NY!

This book follows the unreliable narrator Lexi who pops pills like it’s her job, downs them with alcohol and binge watches reality TV like it’s no one’s business. Lexi is rude as fuck and treats her only friend like shit. Honestly, I hated and loved Lexi at the same time because she was just so damn entertaining to watch. But man, I would definitely not be friends with her IRL. This book literally had me laughing out loud at times like when Lexi said “I thought about buying diapers so I wouldn’t even have to get up to go to the bathroom” when discussing how addicted she was to reality tv. I loved the look into Lexi’s abusive past growing up as well as the topics of addiction and stalking. I absolutely loved the messed up ending and was 100% here for it. This was a super easy read with short chapters which are always a bonus in my book.

⚠️This book does have a lot of profanity so if you don’t like swearing or inappropriate language regarding sex, this might not be the book for you.

Stalker Stalked is an fast paced and entertaining thriller that follows Lexi Mazur, a 30 year old pharmaceutical rep with an addiction to alcohol, pills, reality tv and stalking. Following a break up, Lexi becomes enamoured by Magnolia, the seemingly perfect star of a new hit reality show ‘Socialites’, and desperately tries to manufacture a friendship by any means necessary. However, before long, it appears that stalker Lexi may in fact have a stalker of her own - but is it a friend, a neighbour, a complete stranger, or simply a pill-addled delusion? The story moves quickly, with plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing right up until the final page and leaves you wanting more - I certainly didn’t expect the ending! The mixture of realities; sober Lexi, Monolopin-clouded Lexi, and TV reality, kept me guessing, and questioning everything, which made for an exciting read. The style is conversational, personal, and super accessible, which endeared me to both Lexi and the story even more. I personally feel like the ending leaves room for more, and I’d be happy to step back into Lexi’s world with a follow-up, but it would be equally satisfying as a stand-alone.

I was provided with an advance copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This is a thriller which includes strong character development that made the read feel more unique than just a normal suspense book.

It deals with subjects like excessive and obsessive behavior. It also dips into the subject of how childhood abuse and neglect morphs into destructive behavior as an adult. It adds the concept of reality tv and the crisis of addiction to prescription drugs being used as distractions for real life mental health issues.

All of this is woven into a thriller as the main character, Lexi, has a history of and continues to stalk people. She also becomes the stalked. Lexi is trying figure out who is stalking her all through a haze of drugs and alcohol. She also becomes inadvertently woven into the world of reality tv.

I thought this was a fantastic read. This felt gritty to me as Lexi is acting in a self destruction manner even though deep down she realizes what’s happening by her and to her are true cries for help.

I don’t really want to give any of the plot away but I will tell you if like complex thrillers then you will really enjoy this one.

Rating this 3.5 stars but rounding up. What a wild ride reading this book was. This book follows Lexi through a string of failed relationships, addiction, and a very strange run in with her most prized obsession, reality TV. From the very beginning, you’re gripped by the story because the entire time you don’t know what was reality, “reality”, or just a straight up hallucination brought upon her intense self-medicating. The book took turns that we’re impossible to expect and ended up exactly the opposite of what I ever thought was going to happen.
If you are really into likable characters, this book isn’t for you. It almost seems like Lexi does everything in her power to be unlikable and whether it’s her internal monologue or her actual interactions, it’s hard to root for her. Her only saving grace is that it’s evident she needs help so you keep flipping the pages to see if it ever happens.

"...the knife at my neck ready to end me for good. My stalker with all the power. Even I would've never gone this far." The first chapter end with those lines and who wouldn't want to know what the fuck exactly happens next, right!?

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with the arc of this thrilling novel. It doesn't waste time, it jumps and grabs your throat right away and itwas creepy af! I enjoyed this book very much.