The Obsession

Gr 8 Up–Connie’s mom has figured out how to monetize vlogging to great effect. She films and posts every aspect of her family’s life on social media. Now they are internet-famous and live in a mansion. But Connie is tired of the performative nature of her life. She is delighted at the prospect of having two weeks to herself off-camera while her single mom takes her older sister on a college visit tour, leaving Connie home alone. Almost immediately following their departure, Connie starts seeing stalkers everywhere: strangers in her yard, outside school, and on the street. Are these stalkers real, or just in Connie’s head? As three young women in Connie’s circle have “accidents,” it seems like maybe Connie isn’t just letting her imagination run wild. Preston is a known master of suspense and keeps the pressure on throughout, leaving readers to wonder if an unreliable narrator is a possibility. The story starts exceptionally strong, centering on the internet vlog, but then wanders away from this hook. The suspicious deaths of classmates lack the emotional gut punch that peer deaths create. Nevertheless, the pacing will pull readers straight through. Most characters are white; Connie’s friend Rosa cues Latine.