First I would like to thank Netgalley and Penguin Random House for sending me this e-arc in return for an honest review.

I felt like my teen self again seeing that Kelley Armstrong had another YA book coming, and this time it was a psychological thriller. Let me tell you it did not disappoint! The twists, mind games played, unreliable narratives all added to the climax of the incredible thriller. I loved every twist we took as we dove further into what was happening to this group of teens in Darlington Hills, trying to decipher who is the bad guy. Is it one of them? Is it the company CMT? Is it someone outside not known? Are they all justified for the actions that have happened? I loved every second of it as we discovered more and more of the lies that were built. I love the psychological aspect of what brainwashing and memory swiping could have on a person, whether it goes negative or positive. Honestly I can't praise this book enough, because it was pure brilliance!

I already knew I loved Kelley Armstrong, so it's no surprise that I loved Someone is Always Watching. The book follows Blythe, Tucker, Tanya and Gabi, four friends who attend a STEM school owned by the company their parents work for. the book starts off with a bang and doesn't really slow down. I don't want to give anything away, but this was a great suspense/mystery and the ending revelations surprised me. I read a lot of YA and this was pretty realistic as far as the kids' struggling with emotions and trying to figure out who they are, but this book digs deeper into that by asking "what makes you who you are?" Great story line, loved the main characters and couldn't put it down!

Someone Is Always Watching: Book Review | Author: Kelley Armstrong
**Warning: this review may contain spoilers**

Kelley Armstrong's Someone is Always Watching is a gripping thriller that will keep you guessing right up until the end.

The story is narrated through the point of view of several teenagers, primarily Blythe, her sister Sydney, and her friends, Tucker, Tanya, and Callum. They all attend the same high school, and they are all concerned about their friend, Gabrielle. At the beginning of the story, Gabrielle appears to be suffering from severe headaches and has some unexplained absences from school. As the story continues, Gabrielle’s mental health appears to be quickly declining—on several occasions she is observed mumbling things that her friends do not understand, and she displays considerable suspicion of the school cameras. As things worsen, on several occasions during school hours, in classroom and cafeteria, she is rescued by her friends from episodes where she demonstrates violent outbursts. Eventually, Gabrielle is hospitalized. But she soon disappears (or escapes?) from the medical facility where she is being treated. While all this is happening, both before and after her disappearance, her friends attempt to unravel what is going on. What they find out shocks them to their very core, and it soon becomes clear that they cannot trust the adults in their lives—even their own parents—and maybe not even each other.

Armstrong's writing is tight and suspenseful, with plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing, and the narrative’s social commentary on surveillance and privacy is timely and thought-provoking.

Young adult fiction which features teenagers as test subjects in dystopian societies has been gaining popularity in recent years. Books like this one, along with The Maze Runner by James Dashner, The Testing series by Joelle Charbonneau, and the Divergent series by Veronica Roth all explore similar themes of surveillance, medical and scientific research, and the exploitation of young people.

So why do readers find these stories so compelling?

One reason is that they tap into the teenage experience of feeling powerless and misunderstood. In these books, the teenage protagonists are thrust into impossible situations where they are forced to use their wits, courage, and resilience to survive. The books explore themes of identity, friendship, love, and betrayal, all set against the backdrop of a society that is dystopian and dangerous—even when it appears benign, normal, or innocuous on the surface.

Another reason for the appeal of this genre is the sense of adventure and excitement that comes with it. The books are action-packed and full of suspense, with twists and turns that keep readers on the edge of their seats. They offer an escape from the mundane and allow readers to explore new worlds, new ideas, and new perspectives.
Additionally, the appeal of books like this is their relevance to our current social and political climate. In a world where surveillance, privacy, and ethical considerations are constantly being debated, these books offer a glimpse into a possible future where these issues have been taken to their extreme. By exploring these themes in a fictional context, readers can grapple with the moral and ethical implications, without having to confront these issues in the real world.

Someone Is Always Watching, is a well-written and enjoyable book. For me, if it’s written by Kelley Armstrong, it is always an auto-buy! I already have 2 overflowing shelves of her books (both her YA and adult fiction) that I’ve read and enjoyed, and I’ve never once regretted purchasing one of them. Whether you’re a huge fan of Armstrong, like me, or you’re a fan of the YA thriller & surveillance culture genre, I think you’ll enjoy this book.

I want to take a moment here to thank NetGalley, Kelley Armstrong, and Tundra Books / Penguin Random House Canada for access to a digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. Someone Is Always Watching will be published and available for purchase on April 11, 2023.

I’ve been a Kelley Armstrong fan for a long time now, having the pleasure of meeting her when I was in high school when she started writing YA novels. With that said, I thought I had a fairly good understanding of her writing styles and genres.

This book changed things. And I’m not entirely certain how I feel about it even after waiting a little while to write this review.

We follow mainly one girl, Blythe, in this story, but we’re immediately immersed in this friend group that grew up together in a small town due to their families’ connections to the organization that employs them all. I’m not sure about you, but immediately that raises all sorts of red flags in my head. Perhaps I’ve read far too many dystopians, but this is precisely more the genre this book lands in than the mystery of what is happening with these teenagers.

I won’t say that the “mystery” relating to what’s been going with Blythe and friends, their loss of memory of strange occurrences and direct involvement in suspicious deaths/behaviors, was all too hard to guess. The only thing that may have took me slightly by surprise is the identity of who has been leaving Blythe cryptic messages about her and the others’ past. It definitely got more predictable as the story went along but that was one intriguing aspect of the story.

For a shorter length book, the pacing did leave me wanting more. It wasn’t as suspenseful as I had hoped because the mystery wasn’t all too hard to predict. But what makes a book beyond its plot are the characters, especially if the plot didn’t drive the story as much as one would expect. Would I say the characters were beloved in any way then? No, unfortunately I really can’t.

Right off the bat we are introduced to Blythe and Tucker, their younger selves, as individuals with a darker side who wants to cause a little destruction. Fast forward to their older selves, Blythe has tried hard to rein in her darker side and Tucker has a reputation for being dangerous, even from the grown ups around him. I’m all for having well-rounded morally gray characters but it was hard to find the sides of Blythe and Tucker to love.

The others in the friend group we follow sometimes but not in depth. Tanya doesn’t display much emotion, and is even characterized to have sociopathic tendencies. The only person she can fathom loving is her brother, Tucker. Sure, that’s great at least, but doesn’t inspire me to want to know her better. Gabrielle was the first one of them to display a loss of control and acting erratically so knowing her normal self wasn’t really something that was explored.

Then it seemed that a romance was being pushed between Blythe and Tucker. I’m sorry, but this forbidden relationship felt too forced in some ways. Sure, they may have both loved one another since they were young but could not be together because Tucker was “dangerous”. However, making their love more of a central piece of the story didn’t make one difference to me. So much of the focus was on what is currently happening to them and their search for the truth that having this romance appear felt disconcerting. I love romances in stories but this was more of an add-on. And all I could feel was apathy.

All this being said, I love Kelley’s stories regardless of my lack of enthusiasm for this one. Perhaps my expectation coming in was for the mystery to be more central and shocking. If you’re new to Kelley’s writings, I will say you should come in open minded, and this book is just one among the breadth of her stories in the YA sphere.

Overall Recommendation:

Someone Is Always Watching is more of a dystopian than a mystery as we dig into the secrets buried inside of a group of teenagers who start noticing disturbing behaviour among themselves. It’s different than what I would have thought the story would be about initially. While that’s not inherently a bad thing, I didn’t connect well with any of the characters, and the overall mystery was less central to the plot than expected. I think the world of Kelley Armstrong but this wasn’t among my favourites from her.

This is a new genre to me so I am not sure if all YA is also sci-fi or futuristic. This definitely had me pondering how a teenager is supposed to cope in such a strange world that looks like 2023 but is so far medically advanced.

The lunch group of high school students seem to be experiencing flashbacks of their younger selves. Their parents are all employed by a medical science research company and all live in the company housing. The suspense builds as their lives unravel. A very futuristic look into medical science.

I like Kelley Armstrong's adult novels so gave a YA a try.

Someone Is Always Watching will have you wondering who is watching you! Blythe and friends attend a STEM school exclusively for the children of those who work for Coeus Medical Technologies. Suddenly, Gabrielle starts to freak out and is found bloody next to their dead principal. Or was that what Blythe really saw?

In this freaky, twisty tale of suppressed memories, Kelley Armstrong delves into the lives of teens who have ordinary spats and problems, or so you think. There are vivid nightmares, a little gore, and some other triggering subjects are addressed. I would advise some caution for young adults who have issues with abuse, rape, or neglect. Otherwise, this was an action packed thriller that will keep you turning the pages.

Thank you to Tundra Books and NetGalley for the ARC. The opinions expressed are my own.

Kelley Armstrong's Someone is Always Watching is a story about a group of teens at a school with connections, a failed experiment involving memory suppression, and high-stakes action will keep readers turning the pages. Blythe and her friends Tucker, Tanya, and Gabrielle go to a school called Coeus Medical Technologies which is a STEM School. Ever since "the incident," Blythe has had migraines as well as changes to her memories. But nothing could prepare Blythe for what happens next.

When Gabrielle starts muttering that someone is always watching and her parents are not her parents in a manic manner which is massively out of character for her, the last thing Blythe sees is Gabrielle attacking and killing an administrator before waking up to a different memory of what really happened. It seems that only Devon Sharpe, Tucker Martel, and his sister Tanya are aware that something really bad happened and Gabrielle is lucky to be alive.

To make things every more twisted, Blythe’s sister Sydney has been having vivid nightmares and then someone calling themselves Veritas, keeps sending Blythe emails about a boy who slit another kid's throat and hinting that it is someone she knows and trusts. When Devon admits that he is remembering things that supposedly didn’t happen, it has the whole group wondering what is happening and whether they can even trust their own memories or each other.

After the so called "incident", Tucker and Blythe have been forced apart by their parents. However, when Blythe starts having memory issues--as do her other friends--they, along with Tanya, decide they need to get to the bottom of what is happening to them. Since they are not sure who they can trust, they turn to each other to peel back the layers of lies and deceptions in their lives.

This is a mystery that is layered in twists that you won't see coming until the final chapter. Even then, you will ask yourself if what you read actually happened and if you are seeing thru the eyes of unreliable narrators. The characters in this story might be crazy or who might be paranoid for a reason. There are shady scientists, doctors, institutions, and even parents may have their own secrets. Not knowing who among your friends might be a plant or a spy, characters who are not sure they can trust even themselves.

First I would like to thank NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

So this novel falls a little under science fiction, a little under psychological thriller. And I am here for it! Four teens on the edge of a psychotic break, not sure who to trust or if they can even trust themselves. This is gonna be good!

One of our main character's earliest memories is being called "boring." Blythe is the good girl. She follows the rules, she doesn't lie, and she never, ever does anything bad. Except she has done bad things. And only one good thing has ever come from it. Her best friend, Tucker. Tucker is the rebel, the bad boy in town, and everyone has an opinion of him for better or (usually) worst. After an incident that took place before the book starts, Blythe and Tucker's friendship has taken a break at their parents insistence, but they still look out for each other. When another of Blythe's friends starts having manic episodes and threatens to hurt people, Blythe knows that there is something wrong. Seriously, not-your-run-of-the-mill-teen-stress wrong, and she's desperate to help. As she searches for answers, she becomes close with Tucker, as well as his sister Tanya, again.

The action in this kicked up pretty early on, which was great. I especially liked knowing what happened, even when the characters had no clue what was going on. The story is told in multiple POV, though the majority is through Blythe. I felt like the shifting POVs and the dramatic irony really added a little adrenaline boost when things were unfolding! That dramatic irony though, A+

There were so many characters that I adored, but namely Tanya. Her characterization is fantastic and I loved how protective yet aloof she was. Now that I'm finished with the book, I would love more of her POV because near the end I couldn't put the book down when it came to her chapters. Second favorite character is definitely Tucker. These siblings have had it rough but I really emphasized with Tucker and the ~multiple~ difficulties in his life. I loved Blythe for defending him, but other than that Blythe was a little bit of an annoying character. I understand why she acts and thinks the way she does, but without knowing her secrets in the beginning it was really tiring. So if you're reading and you are really irritated with Blythe, try to see through it, because there is a reason for her antics!

There are quite a few plot twists, and while I guessed some of them, there were more that I really didn't see coming. One seemed to come way out of left field for me, so I was shocked but more in a "How in the world is that even possible?" way. Even with the advanced science stuff, I was questioning a lot of the world-building in this as well. How believable was it that not only could the events in the book be allowed to happen? But also that four tens running amok would figure it out? In the end I think the title made me feel like there was something larger at play, but not much cam of it. Most of the realizations and reveals came at the end of the book, which were resolved very quickly. It was a bit anti-climatic. Especially when the entire book ended not even a chapter later. I don't see a sequel for this, since most of it is wrapped up, but who knows!

A couple things to note: There is LGBTQ+ representation. I can't think of the different personalities that are showcased here, but there is representation of personalities outside the "norm." Also I will say there is quite a few triggers in this one- violence, murder, blood/gore, mentions of abuse/sexual abuse/rape, pedophilia, kidnapping.

Highly captivating,this book got me ever since the first page ! Kelley Armstrong writes such a well builded up mistery about a group of teenagers than start to question their own sanity. I've loved this one,a start to reread in the moment I've ended it,because I COULDN'T BELIEVE that end.

Someone Is Always Watching is a YA sci-fi thriller that follows Blythe and her group of friends as they investigate the bizarre behavior of their friend, Gabi, who has started to ramble about how the cameras in her school are watching her until in a fit of mania, Blythe watches her murder the Vice Principal in cold blood. Or does she?
This book has such an interesting premise, and it begs a ton of lofty questions that propelled me to read on. When we first read about the Gabi incident, Blythe comes back the next day with an entirely different story about what I as a reader read with my own two eyes, which knocked me off kilter and I love when that happens. Similar twists and reveals happened throughout the story, and although sometimes I could follow the thread about where they were going, I was still surprised a lot of the time. I also got to see the characters in a new light with these reveals, and I loved getting to see how their memories formed who they became.

But something I didn’t really enjoy was the dialogue--it sometimes didn’t feel real to 16-17 year olds, and they also sort of lapse into “spy-speak” when they’re investigating the mystery (which they also unraveled without a lot of resistance) that I didn’t really think they would’ve known unless they were true crime junkies. Which they didn’t seem to be.

But the ending leaves a lot of good unanswered questions about how we protect our children, nature v nurture, and how justice is found, which I really enjoyed. If you're a fan of One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus or We Were Liars by E. Lockhart, this is the book for you.

I really love Kelley Armstrong, so I jumped at the chance to read this book when I saw it.

It was good, but not amazing. I struggled with the POV switch up between certain characters, I really think it made it hard to follow at times. I do think the plot was interesting though. 4 students discovering their memories may have been changed? It drew me in and kept me entertained. Did I enjoy the twists in the book? Yes. Would I read this story again? Meh, I might.

I loved this book. It pulled me in from the beginning with the mystery. Junior High students will be super excited to read this book.

Think one was okay for me. There were areas that were pretty confusing, characters to keep track of. But other than that, it was a good read! I think I would enjoy it more if I had bought the book and the pages lined up the way they were supposed to!

I love the fact that this book was such a fast-paced and exciting read. I read it in one sitting because I couldn't bear not to know what was going on. The opening line was so good. The backstories and the characters were really interesting and served a purpose. Sometimes I would think "oh is this character really important?" and then we would get a POV explaining why YES they are important. The plot twists were mindblowing and maybe confusing at times. I wish to see more of Blythe and Tucker!

"Do you want to do something bad?"

Who can resist an opening line such as this? Kelly Armstrong delivers quite the twisty, curvy mystery that sparks from the beginning of the book and leaves you desperate to read and reread to find out what is happening to this group of friends. So many secrets and truths to be discovered! Great read all around for fans of Karen Thomas or Gretchen McNeil.

2.5 Stars

In general, I love Kelley Armstrong's books. Unfortunately, this YA thriller just didn't do it for me. A group of teenagers, once tight-knit, has suffered a rift for reasons that are slowly revealed. The POV shifts characters and uses first-person for one and third-person for the others, which felt messy. The plot deals with memory issues, but I won't say more about it because thrillers are always better with as little information as possible. This is a quick read, and I never once felt like DNFing it, but I also felt somewhat disinterested in the characters, especially the eventual overwrought love connection between two of the characters. Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Random House Canada, and Tundra Books for a digital review copy.

As you may know Kelley Armstrong is one of my favourite authors but I have mainly read her books within a certain series so I was very excited to read something new.

Some triggers, this is a psychological thriller mentions death, neglect from parents and mentions of sexual assault.

Since I am very familiar with her writing I found this book to be a bit predictable, still intriguing and a page turner but the middle fell flat. The characters figured out part of the mystery making it more about the next steps but also not really completing the story. The ending felt very open ended which was interesting.

I loved Tucker and Blythe and the mystery of why they were supposed to be separated. Literally my favourite part was Tucker and Blythe and their friendship. I also laughed at a few lines that Tucker said and ultimately was drawn to him. He was an interesting character.

Overall this book kept me reading and had some interesting points but it felt rushed at the end and I feel like 10 more pages could have been added. Maybe 10 more pages of just Blythe and Tucker? Okay but I seriously shipped them right when they mentioned they met when they were 10 and even when they were separated I had hope they would meet up again.

Thank you Penguin Teen Canada and NetGalley for a copy

I received a free ARC from Netgalley in exchange for writing this review.

This is not the kind of book I usually read, but I’m really glad I took the chance! I love YA literary fiction, but I’ve never read a YA thriller before. Now I might just keep going in this subgenre!

The premise is what drew me in: science/tech-based secrets in a small community, the idea that someone is watching all the time (which is almost a reality in our world of doorbell cameras and smartphones in every pocket), and the promise of having the mystery revealed in one tight novel. I connected with the main character and appreciated seeing other points of view without having this turn into a multi-POV kind of book. I lost track of the characters a few times; no one’s name is terribly significant, which adds to the realism but confused me a bit. The buildup of action and the conclusion left me satisfied, and it got me thinking about the ways we live today and how much we know and don’t know about ourselves and the people around us. I’ll be interested to see more from this author!

Kelley Armstrong has always been an author I've loved to read. She writes series that really have you guessing and always carry a dark, thriller vibe to it. Someone Is Always Watching for sure nails those slots for me.

Blythe is a good girl. Always doing what she should, following the rules, and never getting into trouble. Until an incident happens at school and not everything is really what it seems.
I'm not really into YA books lately but when I saw it was written by Kelley I had to give it a try. & I wasn't disappointed! There are moments in the book where things drag a little or just don't really seem to make much sense. I also found Blythe a little too wishy washy at times. The twist at the end.. wasn't really a twist. You can kind of see it coming. The world itself is interesting though and I'm curious how this story can possibly continue!

Thanks to NetGalley for the Arc!

I received a digital copy of Someone is Always Watching via NetGalley to read and review.

I was hooked from the first chapter. There’s a group of high school friends who’s parents all work for the same research facility.

There’s a funeral for the Vice Principal- he killed himself but Blythe remembers a different story- her friend standing over the VP wielding a trophy and then that same friend knocking her out. Now Blythe doesn’t know if she’s losing her mind or something else is going on.

Someone is Always Watching is full of twists and turns. Some of them are a little predictable and some are not.