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.

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.

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

Um…..I don’t know what to tell you. I thought this would be good, who doesn’t love a good stalking thriller? But I simply did not enjoy anything about this book. The protagonist has mental health issues (probably including PTSD and depression) and she abuses alcohol and drugs. A lot. I know she had a unpleasant childhood but she certainly turned into an unpleasant woman who is obsessed with the idea that she is being stalked and so she stalks others. She is rude, completely unpredictable, psychotic and also obsessed with watching reality TV shows.

This obsession becomes tricky when she thinks she has an in with the vapid group of women on the show Socialites but they later snub her. And to top it off, the book is smutty. I wouldn’t mind erotic so much but this was just smutty. The dialogue was ordinary, none of the characters were engaging, I didn’t find any of it funny and I think I’ll just leave it there. It just wasn’t the book for me. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly.

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.

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

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

I had a really difficult time getting through this book. It was hard to know what was real or what was happening in main character’s mind. The characters seemed very one dimensional and I didn’t like or identify with ANY of the characters. Skimmed more than halfway through. Just not for me.

Sorry but this book just wasn't for me, I really tried but didn't manage to finish it. I really didn't like the main character..

I received a copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is the story of reality television obsessed Lexi who lives in a flat with her cat. Her boyfriend has just left her partly because of her addiction to pills. Lexi has stalked her boyfriends in the past and her new obsession is reality star Magnolia who is the star of a reality show called socialites. Soon Lexi begins to realise that she is being stalked herself.

I was attracted to this book because stalker books are my favourite sub genre. Unfortunately this book was not for me. It is difficult for me to outline exactly why I didn’t enjoy this book without including spoilers. I felt that the protagonist was too one dimensional which made it really difficult to feel much empathy for her. There was nothing that happens to this character that resembles reality. Stalking was treated not that seriously in this book neither when the character was stalking or being stalked. I would also mention trigger warnings for childhood abuse, addiction & sexual assault.

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.

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.

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