I received a complimentary copy from the publisher and all opinions expressed are entirely my own.

This is my first Kelley Armstrong and I look forward to reading more of her books. Someone is always watching a young adult mystery thriller. It's a book on friendship , secrets and trust and it follows Blythe and her friend. It is a typical young adult book as it is a healthy balance of romance and twists that occur in high school. The book comes to a climax when one of her friends is found covered in blood in front of their deceased principal and no recollection of what happened. What happened? The author takes out on a ride and a guessing game of what could have happened. I enjoyed this thrilling read perfect for fans of young adult and whodunit mystery

I simply love Kelley Armstrong books. That's it. Buy this. No, that's not it but it could be. Kelley is one of those auto buy authors for me. I love that her books cut out all the extra nonsense that so many authors feel the need to stick in to make the book 800 pages. Kelley tells the story and she does so in such a way that you are furiously turning the pages and the plot is moving! She doesn't make her stories choppy and unable to connect with the characters. Kelley wrote this one like one of those old creepy black and white movies you see about shady characters that make you feel creeped out and not sure who you can trust. Your narrator at times can also seem unreliable and all of this conspires to make another fabulous story from Kelley. Our main character Blythe is all about doing the right thing and when her friend has some sort of break down and spins out of control, she is determined to get to the bottom of it. Even if it means breaking rules. Along with Blythe are a cast of pretty interesting friends who help her during the course of the book. There are a lot of surprises and fun dialogue. I highly recommend this.

I really enjoyed this when I was reading it - surprised myself, even, because I've been in a lull lately - but as I think back on it, I'm noticing a couple of problems. They didn't distract me from the actual reading though, so I think this one should still be considered a success!

Although this isn't much of a mystery past about the halfway point - it's pretty obvious what's been done - it's still a really intriguing idea! I love that the company weren't necessarily evil - they did some things that weren't great, but in general they had good intentions, and I can see how the tech they were using could have good applications. (Also some terrible ones, if it can be that specific, but let's gloss over that!)

I did enjoy a couple of the late twists, as well, but overall there wasn't much guessing needed; it was pretty obvious early on what was happening, so it was just a matter of getting there with the story. However, it was really clever and I enjoyed it way more than I thought I would, so that was nice! I definitely recommend it, if just for the discussions it's bound to start.

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the e-arc of this book. I was super curious about the premise- "How can Blythe and her friends trust each other when they can’t even trust their own memories?" I didn't realize there would be a sci-fi element to it, but was surprised I actually enjoyed it. I liked getting the perspectives of the different characters and felt they were diverse enough to keep them all straight. I didn't think some of the romantic elements needed to be included and I did guess who was responsible pretty early on, but overall enjoyed the suspense. 3.5 ⭐

Blythe Warren, 17, and her friends Gabrielle, sister and brother Tanya, and Tucker—students at a prestigious private STEM academy—have been close for as long as they can remember. But the teens are stunned when typically mild-mannered Gabrielle vehemently tells them the school’s security camera is watching them. Blythe finds Gabrielle confused and drenched in blood near a dead body. Then the four teens are plagued by nightmares and incorrect recollections. However, it reveals a plan carried out by adults in their lives. It was suppose to protect them from an awful truth. What is that truth?

This is a novel that questions and explores identity and the role of memory in forming a sense of self. I loved the mysteries on top of mysteries kept me wanting to know more. This is a great science fiction mystery novel.

Kudos to Kelley Armstrong for totally thinking outside of the box with this one. It was unlike anything else I've ever read and it really got the gears in my head turning. It was such a wild concept that I had never even thought of before.

You really do go from "is this girl possessed?" to just... "what is even happening? are these people even real? are we living in a simulation? who all's in on it?" and that's just such a complete 180 for me. I was confused throughout much of this book, but in a good way- if that makes any kind of sense. I HAD to know what was going on with it all. Who was behind it. What's truly going on with Gabi. Do they all eventually get their memories back? I still don't feel like I have all the answers, and in all honesty- this book could have been much longer and gone into more detail, because when it ended I was still kind of like "what?"

Blythe's reveal at the end was a total shocker that I hadn't seen coming, but it did make sense. It was just so bizzare. It really made me stop and think, though, how her parents hid this sister all of those years. Wouldn't there be any kind of photos of Blythe and her real sister before it happened? I can't imagine as a parent, not being able to openly mourn my child because I opted to have memories wiped from the child who's somewhat responsible for her accidental death. I don't know, that part of it had me in deep contemplation.

My first book read by Kelley Armstrong, and I can't wait to read more! Thank you so much for the opportunity, Netgalley!

Someone Is Always Watching by Kelley Armstrong is a thrilling book perfect for the YA audience.

This book focuses on a group of teenagers who are all friends and the traumatic situation they are apart of. Gabrielle is found in the principals office covered in blood, the principal is dead and she has no memory of what happened. She begins to feel like someone has altered her memory and that the cameras around the school are doing more than just making sure students don’t vandalize.

The group of friends begin blaming one another for things happening around them and no one can seem to give any answers. This book is filled with secrets, deceit and a fairly great twist at the end. It is definitely geared toward a teenage audience, but it is filled with plenty of action and thrill.

Overall I liked this book but didn’t love it. I found some of the characters to be flat and not interesting. I also felt a little lost at some points in the story and felt that the overall subject matter of the story was a little far fetched. It reminded me of a book I read to my students in Grade 6- Masterminds by Gordon Korman.

Thank you to Kelley Armstrong, Netgalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the advanced copy of this book! This book actually just released this past week!

4 messed up stars

Holy batman! This book was insane. Blythe was okay, but I loved Tucker and Tanya. The whole premise of the book was a crazy idea I can actually see being attempted in today's world. The ending left a little to be desired because it was so abrupt but that is the only thing that brought it down. Will definitely have to try more of Kelley's books.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, this book really kept me on my toes! There were so many twists and turns and it was fun trying to keep up. I was a bit confused for a while at the beginning, because the character introductions were a bit sudden and awkward, but the rest of the book was exciting. I could never have guessed where everything would go, but I enjoyed Blythe, Tucker, Tanya, and the rest of the gang working as a team!

If you’re looking for a new YA mystery/thriller, I recommend this one. Thank you NetGalley for the arc!

I am among the many who have read a lot of Kelley Armstrong and enjoyed it :) I continue to be surprised at her writing in different genres so well. This is yet another example. I found it "thrilling" enough to set down before going to bed, because if something happened outside the house, I didn't want to go to bed with that on my mind! the story introduced a scientific idea without really getting into how it was done, which is ok, it normally gums up the works. I had trouble deciding "who dunnit" and who would come out ok. I liked the ending, and it's still a book I could recommend without censoring for sex because there wasn't any, good on you in a YA book

My first book by this author and was not disappointed. I read this due to receiving an ARC (thanks Netgalley!)
This is a fun YA mystery/thriller. A group of teenagers start to experience weird flashbacks/hallucinations and memory blank spots. One of them has a very public nervous breakdown. Then a vice principal winds up dead. But what REALLY happened? Can they trust themselves, their parents, their school?
YA can have a lot of tropes that are hard to avoid but this book does a decent job. The parents are not clueless idiots or simply not around. Instead, they are very smart and do actually try to parent their children but are definitely distracted with their own inscrutable activities.
I did figure out the "mystery" pretty fast so was at first disappointed but while solving the mystery is a part of it (and is completely revealed by halfway through the book), it's not the most important thing. The relationships and HOW they deal with their discovery are. And that definitely holds your interest to the very end. I finished this book in only 2 sessions due to not being able to put it down once I started, much to the detriment of my sleep the last two nights!
The author did leave a couple of loose ends that I kind of wished had been tied up. Perhaps there's going to be more books. I could DEFINITELY see a sequel to this with the kids getting more in depth as to the "why" of things at the top of the corporation. And to go on a hunt for the missing parent.

I would read more about Blythe, Tucker, Tanya, Gabi and the rest. And would probably read other books by this author as well. I am more of a harsh reviewer than most of the gushing gomers on Goodreads - not every book is amazing folks. For more information on my rating scale, see my profile.

I received an ARC of this from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I didn’t expect this novel to be what it actually was. I only really glanced at the description but I generally try and get my hands on everything Kelley Armstrong writes.

This was a great teen mystery with a sci fi edge to it. It was a psychological thriller to be more exact. It starts off with a bang both literally and figuratively and this faced paced, page turner keeps going from there.

I enjoyed the characters but at the same time, I wish I had a better opportunity to get to know them better. Everything was thrown at you all at once and the reader needed some time to digest it, in order to settle into the characters a bit more. I also wish there was a bit more to the ending.

Other than that, I didn’t want to spoil anything, so I kept this review pretty general. I enjoyed it. If there was a follow up, I’d read that as well.

Title: Someone is Always Watching
Author: Kelly Armstrong
Release Date: April 11th, 2023
Page Count: 356
Format: Netgalley and Audiobook
Start Date: April 15th, 2023
Finish Date: April 15th, 2023

Rating: 5 Stars

Review:

I really enjoyed this book. Very much. I had many theories about this book as I was reading it. Some were accurate. Some weren't. It was intense and thrilling through every page. I actually wound up buying a hardcover copy of this book for my mom and an audiobook for myself. I'm glad I did. I will definitely be rereading it. It's worth the read, but it's not a book that would be for everybody. Check triggers.

Important to Note: References to sexual assault, violence, cursing

3.5/5 rounded to 4

Kelly Armstrong has done it again! This thriller is what you need in a novel. Red herrings. A mystery figure and psychology of relationships.

Blythe witnesses her friend attacking a teacher after a mental health crisis. Then is basically gaslit to think it never happened.

I was rushing through the pages trying to distinguish what was real and what wasn't. It kept me guessing to the end.

I enjoy YA novels as a rule and this was no exception.

Thanks for netgalley and tundra books for this arc.

#SomeoneIsAlwaysWatching #NetGalley #KelleyArmstrong
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an E-Arc copy of this novel.

I really enjoyed this book. Blythe and her friends start to unravel some very well kelp secrets. It's hard to know who to trust. There were so many moments where I predicted who the 'villain' was but got it so wrong!
I have to admit that's a first for me. I'm usually right!
I liked how the chapters continued to switch between the main characters.. It helped us get a better picture of what they were thinking, how they were feeling.. and it all came together very well.

I like a well done YA thriller and this one- about sudden acts of aggression & memory loss that occurs within a group of close knit high school friends- definitely hit the spot. Thumbs up because this was a great fast-paced mystery that kept me guessing and was full of interesting characters. I had an idea of where the story was going but was definitely shocked at the final reveals. I do have to knock off points, however, because the end felt a little too far-fetched, like it over-reached a little more than it should. 4.5 stars rated down to a 4 star.

Unfortunately this one wasn’t it for me. Although the concept was interesting, it didn’t hook me. Reading it felt more like a must instead of a want.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an opportunity to read this book I’m exchange for an honest review

DNF. I’m sorry, I’ve stopped requesting YA because most of the time it’s not for me. I read a couple chapters and am bored, so I won’t be continuing.

What a great thrill ride provided by Kelley Armstrong!!
Someone is Always Watching was a tantalizing ride from beginning to end! Armstrong seamlessly weaves the science fiction elements into this young adult mystery, and I could not stop turning the pages. It has been some time since I've read Armstrong's novels, but after reading Someone is Always Watching, I'm ready to dive into more of her novels.
Readers will be captivated by this offering from Armstrong! I can't wait to share it with readers!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this review copy. I voluntarily read and reviewed this ARC, and all thoughts and opinions are my own.