The Obsession

by Natasha Preston

ARE YOU REALLY HOME ALONE?

Sixteen-year-old Connie has been dragged into the world of vlogging - her mum Lou's vlog is hugely popular, enough to bring in money for a new house, expensive lifestyle . . . and a lot of criticism.

While Lou and Connie's older sister Isla are touring colleges, Connie stays home alone, where she becomes increasingly paranoid about comments on the vlog. Plus someone is turning up at her school and following her on her way home.

Then Connie's best friend is attacked - the third teenage girl attacked in five weeks - and suspicion turns to Connie. Connie doesn't know who she can trust any more and goes on the run. But will the killer - whoever they are - catch up with her?

Genres: Thriller, Young Adult, Mystery, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller, Horror, Suspense

320 pages, Paperback

First published December 2, 2025

About the author

#1 New York Times Bestselling Author of The Cellar and The Cabin. Romance and YA Thriller writer, boy mum, Tom Hardy enthusiast. Always buried in a book and a glass of wine.

Amazon - https://goo.gl/VsxKPk
Facebook - https://goo.gl/vAAGsB
Twitter - https://goo.gl/JGrC4b
Instagram – https://goo.gl/kvk7DD

Reviews

[Martina · Rating 2 out of 5]

What the shit was this ending?!
Holy shit I am pissed. I stayed up till 3am to finish this book for it to end so ridiculous.

Let’s forget the awful ending for a second. The characters? All were dreadful except for Connie the MC.
The concept of a thriller revolving around a vlogging family is great but this was not it.

Can we stop with cliffhangers on standalone books? It’s not giving what you think it is.

[luna ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

what the fuck was that ending?





⋆˚꩜｡ pre-read

i'm in my thriller era.

[Linzie (suspenseisthrillingme) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Digging into the dark side of internet fame, The Obsession was initially a classic YA mystery/thriller, but with a true-to-life feel. Focusing on Connie’s rising paranoia and her mounting level of dread and fear, the way that she was taken down was complete and utter perfection. You see, it all started off with her family’s blatant dysfunction and then progressed into something even darker and shiver-inducing. Slowly twisting and turning over the first two hundred pages, I was beyond captivated by what was happening to her. Was she being stalked by a stranger—or someone she knew? And what was going on with all of the “accidents” in town? Despite the thinly veiled hints, I didn’t have a clue at what was going on until the biggest twist of all made my eyes pop out of my head as I dropped my book in surprise. Trust me when I say, I didn’t see the answers coming at all.

Sadly, this was where my admiration waned a bit as the revelations just didn’t fit. Even worse, though, was the finale. Concluding with an open-ended last scene, I was honestly tempted to through my book across the room. Totally unhinged and difficult to believe, both the climax and the conclusion battled against the rest of this addictive rollercoaster ride of suspense. Did everything tie together? Well…yes. But it just didn’t work for this thriller lover. That being said, there was plenty to love about this book nonetheless. Relevant and gripping, Connie’s life of internet fame felt utterly real due to the close look at toxic comments and lack of boundaries. On top of that, she was quite the well-rounded persona with depth and a root-for-able aura. All said and done, I had a blast watching this whole messy ball of secrets and lies unravel, even if it finished with a big old, fat “WTF?!” ending. Rating of 3.5 stars.

SYNOPSIS:

SOMEONE IS ALWAYS WATCHING.

Connie never asked to be famous—but thanks to her mother’s relentless vlogging, she and her sister Isla have spent their lives under a virtual microscope. Every smile, every moment curated for clicks. Every stranger online thinking they know them.

Then local girls—girls who look just like Connie—start dying. One by one. As the bodies pile up and the spotlight turns sinister, Connie is forced to confront the terrifying truth: someone isn’t just watching. They’re planning.

Thank you Natasha Preston and Delacorte Press for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

PUB DATE: December 2, 2025

Content warning: stalking, murder, violence

[Makenzie (exam semi hiatus)]

╔══════════════════════════╗
💖✨ 𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓞𝓫𝓼𝓮𝓼𝓼𝓲𝓸𝓷 ✨💖
╚══════════════════════════╝
📖 𝓐𝓾𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓻: Natasha Preston
💫 𝓖𝓮𝓷𝓻𝓮: Thriller
🎀 𝓑𝓞𝓣𝓜: Book of the Month for Books and Banter Group

╔══════════════════════════╗
🌟 𝓕𝓲𝓻𝓼𝓽 𝓘𝓶𝓹𝓻𝓮𝓼𝓼𝓲𝓸𝓷𝓼 / 𝓟𝓻𝓮-𝓡𝓮𝓪𝓭
╚══════════════════════════╝
> I absolutely LOVED The Island by this author, so I’m hoping the vibes are similar! 🌸

╔══════════════════════════╗
💌 𝓟𝓵𝓸𝓽 & 𝓟𝓪𝓬𝓲𝓷𝓰
╚══════════════════════════╝
> The plot seemed super interesting, so I wanted to try to stick it out, but I just couldn’t. ✨

╔══════════════════════════╗
🎭 𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓻𝓪𝓬𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓼 & 𝓡𝓮𝓵𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷𝓼𝓱𝓲𝓹𝓼
╚══════════════════════════╝
> Here is my problem. The mom reminded me way too much of my father, and I was absolutely not here for that. I know lots of people like to connect with characters in books, but I just want to read about someone else’s (fictional or nonfictional) life, not my own. This is the same reason why I dnf’ed It Starts With Us, I just really don’t want to basically read about my dad. 💕

╔══════════════════════════╗
🎨 𝓦𝓻𝓲𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓢𝓽𝔂𝓵𝓮 & 𝓕𝓸𝓻𝓶𝓪𝓽
╚══════════════════════════╝
> I do like Natasha Preston’s writing, however it can be very simplistic most of the time. 🌙✨

╔══════════════════════════╗
📌 𝓞𝓿𝓮𝓻𝓪𝓵𝓵 𝓣𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓼
╚══════════════════════════╝
> I’m so sorry, I really wanted to stick this book out but I just couldn’t. ✨💖

⭐ 𝓜𝔂 𝓡𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓰: No Rating/DNF at 16 pages😭

📅 𝓡𝓮𝓪𝓭 𝓓𝓪𝓽𝓮: [March 27, 2026 – March 27, 2026] 🌙✨💖




╔══════════════════════════╗
💖✨ 𝓟𝓻𝓮-𝓡𝓮𝓪𝓭 ✨💖
╚══════════════════════════╝
📚 𝓑𝓸𝓸𝓴 𝓣𝓲𝓽𝓵𝓮: The Obsession
📖 𝓐𝓾𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓻: Natasha Preston
💫 𝓖𝓮𝓷𝓻𝓮: Thriller

╔══════════════════════════╗
🎀 𝓑𝓸𝓸𝓴 𝓸𝓯 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓜𝓸𝓷𝓽𝓱
╚══════════════════════════╝
> Book of the Month for Books and Banter Group 💌🌸

╔══════════════════════════╗
✨ 𝓦𝓱𝔂 𝓘'𝓶 𝓡𝓮𝓪𝓭𝓲𝓷𝓰
╚══════════════════════════╝
> I didn’t even know this book existed😭 But it’s a BOTM for one of the groups I’m in so here I am!🌷

╔══════════════════════════╗
💭 𝓔𝔁𝓹𝓮𝓬𝓽𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷𝓼
╚══════════════════════════╝
> I absolutely LOVED The Island by this author, so I’m hoping the vibes are similar.✨

╔══════════════════════════╗
🌸 𝓟𝓻𝓮-𝓡𝓮𝓪𝓭 𝓜𝓸𝓸𝓭
╚══════════════════════════╝
> Feeling very mysterious and excited! 💖💫

📅 𝓢𝓽𝓪𝓻𝓽 𝓓𝓪𝓽𝓮: [March 27, 2026] ✨🌸💌

[Si 🇵🇷 (✨💅Cardan Greenbriars version💅✨) · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars ⭐⭐

I am so unbelievably disappointed guys. Natasha Preston is one of my favorite authors. And considering this one of my most anticipated reads, it was so underwhelming.

Where do I start off? OH, So the characters were completely unlikeable. Like, COMPLETELY unlikable. They were so stupid. First we have the MC who was a dummy. She LITERALLY was talking to a random guy on the Internet who she KNOWS was a fanboy but yet keeps talking to him. And she was also venting to him, it was very weird. And she was also doing this while some freaky stuff was happening but didn't have any common sense. I can't put all the blame on her though because her mom and sister SUCKED. She keeps backing up her mom throughout the whole book even though her mom clearly doesn't care about her and is focused on her vlogging junk. And her sister is just as bad, but I'm not gonna get into that. Then we have the two best friends. Now Rosie was annoying at the start (worst bsf ever) and Dustin was cool at first and might have been the only character I liked. But then in the last few chapters he also sucked. Seth was interesting, because I kept fluctuating with him. Like, he'd be good and then go back to being stinky again and then I would like him again. Idk I can't say anything about him without spoiling it but I wish we would've gotten more with his character because he honestly just seemed like he was there for drama. I did kinda like Grayson though I'll say that. Although he wasn't really in the book that much, but I was desperate for a likeable character.

Second, the book was so slow. It's pretty much 80% drama and 20% thriller/murder/stalking. Only like ONE interesting thing happened. And the ending felt really rushed. Pretty much the whole plot unfolded at the last two chapters.So there was that. I kept reading this in hopes that something would happen but nope. Nothing. At one point I thought this was turning into a romance 😭 but like did we really need that much drama with Seth and her mom. It just didn't make sense because she would keep complaining about her mom but whenever someone else would try to help or say something about it she would get annoyed and shut it off and defend her mom. Like dude pick a side. But again, drama.

The plot twist was alright. I wasn't able to guess it oddly enough because now that I'm thinking, it was kinda predictable. Idk I think I was just done with this book by the time I got to the plot twist I wasn't like "OH MY GOSH", it was just like "eh whatever". Obviously like any Natasha Preston book she always has to have the craziest endings and...yeah.That was the only thing in this book that made me go "WHAT".

NOW the only reason this book didn't get one star is because I'm biased. I cannot give Natasha Preston one star. And I will continue to read every book by her. Just please Natasha...can you make a likeable character please? 😭

~Characters~

•Connie- she was stupid. And had the personality of a cracker. I do feel bad for her tho cus she has a terrible family and friends

•Seth- idk what to think about him. He was stupid too but he did admit to his mistakes in the end (I think?) I do understand why he was upset though

•Rosie (or is it Rosa?)- annoying

•Dustin- I liked him but then I didn't. AGH

•Grayson- he wasn't in the book that much but I did like him. I was interested in him


~final thoughts~

Again I can't bring myself to give this book one star. There were some parts that had me invested but those parts were very small and very little. If you're going to read a book by Natasha Preston I wouldn't recommend this one to be your first. There are a lot of other ones such as, The Fear, You Will Be Mine, The Lake, and The Island.

But yeah there's my review. If you're still here and read all of this you're a real one. BYEEEEEEE LOVES 🫶 PEACE ✌️

[Yinka Boudreaux · Rating 2 out of 5]

Now why the heck would it end like that?

[Branisha Banks · Rating 1 out of 5]

This managed to make my bad day even worse

[Sandra Castro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4⭐⭐⭐⭐
Format: audiobook
Platform/app used: audiobooksbee and VLC

Tropes:

• Secrets and betrayal;
• Social media dangers;
• Stalker/obsessive fixation;
• Home alone;
• Neglectful parenting;
• Isolation and paranoia;
• Teenage victims;


Pre-read:

I stumbled upon this book while browsing through Libby, and the cover caught my eye right away, along with the intriguing plot. However, the audiobook had a lengthy waitlist on Libby, so I downloaded it from audiobooksbee.


Review:

"The Obsession" is a captivating young adult thriller that kept me intrigued throughout most of the narrative. It centers around Connie, a 16-year-old girl who has grown up in the limelight due to her family’s widely popular vlog, led by her mother and featuring Connie and her older sister, Isla. Initially, the fame and perks seem exciting, but when her mother and sister leave for a two-week college trip, Connie is confronted with a much darker reality of her life alone.

As her family is away, things take a chilling turn: local girls who resemble Connie begin to be attacked, unsettling messages surface online, and she becomes increasingly convinced that someone is watching her, perhaps even stalking her. The suspense builds as she wrestles with what’s real and whom she can trust. Connie’s feelings of paranoia resonate well, and there were definitely moments that had me on the edge of my seat.

The author successfully weaves together themes of social media anxiety, mystery, and the fear of exposure in a way that feels incredibly relevant in today’s digital age. The book’s greatest strength lies in its suspense; it’s fast-paced and eerie enough to keep me reading well into the night. The examination of how being constantly "on display" impacts a person's emotional and psychological well-being is particularly thought-provoking, adding layers to what could have been just another typical teen thriller.

However, the conclusion was somewhat unsatisfying for me. While the twist was unexpected, the story's resolution felt rushed and left several unanswered questions that I wished to see resolved.

In summary, “The Obsession” is gripping, relevant, and engaging, even if the ending doesn’t quite meet the expectations set by the build-up.

[Phelicity (Ur_Book_Buddy) · Rating 3 out of 5]

WHAT THE ACTUAL HECK IS GOING ON HERE!!!! Literally no ending, but honestly I shouldn’t be surprised cuz all her books end as if someone ripped out the last few chapters. No resolution. No epilogue. No satisfaction.

The plot itself is great and I love the twists, but my gosh woman, WRITE A DARN ENDING!!

[Charlotte King · Rating 1 out of 5]

At the beginning of the book, the author writes this introduction-

“For someone whose guilty pleasure is spending far too much time watching YouTube videos when you should be productive. I publish books every year while doing this. Carry on, you’re fine.”

So I guess that explains why the book was absolutely terrible?

For starters, there’s LITERALLY a grammar error in the frickin introduction. I think you need a comma between productive and I.

Let me start this off by saying that I am a huge Natasha Preston fan. I’ve read every single in of her books and have adored them. So when I heard that she was releasing a new book, I was like yay lemme add this to my Christmas list!!

When I started this book, believe me; I tried to like it. But it’s hard to like a book when the structure is crap, all the characters are unlikable and one dimensional, and the fmc is dumb as rocks. Those are just some of the may things that made me hate this book.

First off, let’s start with our FMC, Connie. At first, she was pretty likable. I was proud of her for standing up to her mom at times. But once I got to page 10, I couldn’t take more of her. Who the heck is dumb enough to actively talk to a random person who’s clearly been stalking you?? WHILE THERES ACTICE MURDER INVESTIGATIONS AND YOURE BEING STALKED!!! Like bro- are we acc serious 🙈. I swear this girl needs a lesson from Abby Lee miller bc she knows nothing and has not learned anything.

No better way to say this than bluntly- the structure of this book was terrible. Lately I’ve been criticizing more books because of their structure, so I may just be overreacting. But im sorry, what author doesn’t mention the fact that there’s been a murder until page 100??? The plot and details were all over the place. The writing was worse than mine in sixth grade, which is saying a lot considering I wrote about fast food places on mars. Like ref PLEASE do something.

Every single character sucked. They were just annoying af. Even more annoying than argyle in stranger things, which is hard to beat. The only one I liked was Ellie, and then she had to go and die. There were absolutely no character arcs and they all seemed like people I would avoid in real life.

The ending was awful. Normally, Natasha Preston’s endings are amazing and im always left feeling like wth!! Like normally I don’t mind standalone cliffhangers with her, but this one I was like okay buddy wrap it up. I feel like she just chose the most unlikely characters to be the villains and picked them. And even I guessed that.

I’m very sad that this book was so bad because I normally don’t like hating. And I love Natasha Preston so much I have great memories with her books. But this book made me so mad.

🌟 1 star

[Christi · Rating 1 out of 5]

EVERYTHING about this story is absolutely implausible.

[Marquise Brinkley · Rating 1 out of 5]

If I still had my receipt and could return this book I would. I may never read another Natasha Preston book ever again.

[Hayaa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly. I’ve read better. The motives for killing someone and plotting the whole thing has been underwhelming.
Like it’s not THAT deep Suzie.💀
It just needed a better reasoning and a better who did it because lowkey I saw it coming.

2.5 ⭐️

[Angela Stillson · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was really excited to read this book, but did not care for the ending. It left on a cliffhanger and I was not happy. I didn't really connect with any of the people in this book. Not a fan!

[ari [gin’s vrsn 🩵] [semi ia]]

- pre-release -

SHES GOT ANOTHER ONEEEEEE COMING OUTTTTT EEEEEEEK

[Micayla Bothun · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ugh!!!! I love her books but WHY do they end on such cliffhangers. I guess I’ll just come to my own conclusion!

[nirvanajord · Rating 2 out of 5]

the ending of this book feels like rage bait

[May (previously Violet) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars - RTC
Ladies and gentlemen Natasha Preston has done it again. WHAT WAS THAT ENDING LIKE SERIOUSLY

[Lackof_shelf_control · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review coming soon!

[Keely Muller · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hahhaha okay what did I just read? Easily one of the worst books I’ve ever read; weird plot, strange dialogue, poor writing and like what even happened???

[Sarah * Between the Lines Book Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Natasha Preston is an auto buy/read author for me.
I know some don’t like the ending to her books (but those cliff hangers y’all, aren’t really cliff hangers, think about it), but I LOVE everything she writes. This one left me freaking SPEECHLESS as always.

[Risha Eriksmoen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Feels like at least 2 chapters are missing from the end and that Natasha Preston just gave up on the story.

[Asia · Rating 5 out of 5]

SAM POMYSŁ NA FABUŁĘ BYŁ CUDOWNY, A WYKONANIE JESZCZE LEPSZE!!

- akcja działa się dosłownie w idealnym tempie
- mega mi oddał vibe filmu ulicy strachu
- zakończenie było niesamowicie w stylu Preston
- CONNIE BYŁA CUDOWNĄ BOHATERKĄ
- potrzebujewiecejksiazeknatashywpolsce

[Corinne’s Chapter Chatter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Natasha Preston is my comfort-queue thriller author—twisted, formulaic, predictable, and somehow completely irresistible. Yes, her books follow a structure. Yes, once you’ve read a few you start recognizing the red herring, the dynamics, the final-twist blueprint she loves. And that’s exactly why you shouldn’t binge her. Give yourself a breather between titles and the stories hit so much harder. Trust me—I say this as someone who absolutely did not follow her own advice.

I finished The Party recently after letting it sit through its “cooling-off period,” and right after that I learned The Obsession was coming in December. I caved instantly and grabbed the audiobook from Penguin Random House Audio—I’d never had a Preston ARC before—so I went in fully expecting to connect the dots early.

Even knowing that, this one delivered more texture than I anticipated. Sure, I figured it out, but the fun with Preston is always in the why and the slow-building anticipation. If you’re new to her, be warned: readers have literally thrown her books across the room when that final twist hits and leaves you dangling.

I did a partial-immersion read with both the eARC and the audiobook, and the audio absolutely shined. Phoebe Strole nails the tone—age-appropriate, expressive, and with a warm British accent that just works for this story. I’ll definitely be watching for more of her work.

If you’re already a Preston fan, you’re going to enjoy this one. She stays right on the pulse of what teens are navigating today, and this time she digs into the darker side of internet fame. And while YA thrillers often rely on conveniently absent parents, I always appreciate how Preston handles it—the reasons make sense, and the adults hover just enough without derailing the plot.

Bottom line: The Obsession might be your next Preston fix—just… maybe don’t read another one immediately after.

I was fortunate to receive a complimentary ALC from Penguin Random House Audio and the eARC from Random House Children’s via NetGalley, which gave me the opportunity to share my voluntary thoughts.

How I Rate
Because I mostly read ARCs, I focus on how I think fellow readers with similar tastes will respond. I sometimes round up or down based on pacing, prose, or overall impact, and I try to keep my personal preferences from weighing too heavily.

⭐️ 1 Star – Finished, but not for me as it has way too many issues; I never DNF ARCs but would have had it not been one.
⭐️⭐️ 2 Stars – Struggled due to writing, content, or editing issues.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3 Stars – Decent read with untapped potential; recommend with some reservations.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4 Stars – Really enjoyed it and would recommend for several reasons.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 Stars – Exceptional; lingers in my mind well after reading. A story I’d gladly revisit.

[Nyla Diilio · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m torn between giving this a 2.5⭐️ or a 3⭐️. Overall, the reading experience itself was great, it was suspenseful and genuinely hard to put down. I really loved the concept of social media stalking and how it was turned into this type of story. The whole time I was reading, I had my own theories about who the stalker might be and what was really going on… only to realize by the end that I was completely wrong.

The ending, though, is where I’m conflicted. I was pretty shocked by the reveal and still don’t know how I feel about it. We find out who is behind everything, and then suddenly the book just ends. There’s no real explanation, no aftermath, no sense of what happens next, just the reveal, and that’s it.

I get that this kind of cliffhanger ending is meant to keep you thinking, but since this is a standalone, it left me more frustrated than intrigued. There’s so much left up in the air, and I really wanted more after that final page.

I do enjoy thrillers and creepy stories like this one, I just wish there had been more after the reveal instead of the story stopping so abruptly.

[Beth Roger aka Katiebella_Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️

A mom who forces her children to be influencers leaves her 16-year-old at home while on a road trip. Over the course of days, everything goes wrong. Her friends start getting hurt, and she appears to be bring followed.

I love Preston's style of writing. She has a masterful way of drawing me in and keeping me hooked. I can't put her books down.

This was an anticipated read for me. HIGH on my list, and my only regret was I couldn't afford to buy it till now. Took less than a day to read. I loved Connie and felt for her every step of the way. From the hurt her family caused her to the silent distance starting in her friend group. She holds on fast and determined while always seeming to get the short straw in life. The author has yet to write a character I haven't been fully engrossed in.

My favorite thing about Preston's books is also the thing that drives me crazy. They never quite end. I always want a sequel or at least another chapter. By far one of my favorite thriller writers and definitely an auto buy for me.

[Kimberly.FL~☆♡Love of Books♡☆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Natasha books are a thrill to read! This one had it all except the ending......idk

[Savannah Finley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing book of hers…loved it the whole way through. I wish she would have gave more details about the ending. But overall great book and amazing plot twists

[Joelle Grady · Rating 2 out of 5]

What was the ending?? I was so invested. This needs a sequel.

[Hailee Thomas · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was bad