Warning: this book is not for the squeamish and has many triggers, including the death of a family member, murder, and abuse, among other similar subjects. This psychological thriller kept you on the edge of your seat the entire time. The book is framed to set some preconceived notions and make you think you know what is going on and who is guilty, but appearances are completely deceiving in this tale. The story starts with Blythe and Tucker being kept from each other because of an incident that occurred the previous year. Everyone considers Tucker dangerous, but no one has explained why. Suddenly, Gabrielle starts talking about the cameras and how she is being watched and 'they' are waiting for her to do something wrong. In her paranoia, some events occur, which sets Blythe, Tucker and Tanya (her friend and Tucker's sister) into investigating what could be happening. What they discover is not what they expected and sets everyone in a new light. It was a twisted but very intriguing read.

This book is honestly a guilty pleasure for me- but a pleasure nonetheless!

This reads as a perfect YA thriller. There are cracks in the friend group, the adults are complicit in some unknown horror against them, and it's impossible to know which clues hold truth in them. I don't want to spoil the unknown horror, but it felt like a unique idea that offers many opportunities for discussion about trauma and healing. There are a lot of elements that don't come together until the very end, which felt very Nancy Drew to me. (It's a good thing! The classic sleuth series!)

Another aspect which is Nancy Drewesque is that teenagers seem to be too good and too wise beyond their years. However, it didn't bother me or come across as insincere. (There is also the unquestioned amount of freedom these kids have, but how else could the plot get interesting?). Each character's story is also explored well enough for the reader to have a good understanding of their histories, personalities and perspectives. I was really glad for this because the friend group is very interconnected in the story and it informs the group dynamic, and also reveals how the group affects the individuals.

TW note: there are some descriptions of violence in the beginning of the novel which were more graphic than I expected.

Thank you NetGalley, Penguin Random House Canada, and Tundra Books for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review. It's been... a pleasure.

This heart-pounding thriller was absolute delicious to devour. I am a slow reader, but this took me less than two days to gobble up. (I think I might be hungry for lack of eating because I was reading). Seriously, though, I’ve been in a bit of a reading rut and this was exactly what I needed! It was very “one of us is lying” vs. “eternal sunshine of the spotless mind” and I’m sorry but when you bring eternal sunshine into the mix, I’m going to fall head over heels. This book had me hooked from the get-go with the weird happenings of a group of teenage friends who are having nightmares, hallucinations, and doing things they wouldn’t normally do. I highly recommend this book to any fan of thrillers or YA and thank you netgalley and penguin random house Canada for allowing me to read a digital copy of this absolutely enthralling novel.

Someone is Always Watching is a young adult thriller about teenager Blythe Warren and her circle of friends. After a tragic event that leads to their principal’s death and a friend found at the scene of the crime, Blythe and her friends’ lives begin to unravel.

This novel kept me on my toes with many twists and turns. While I do not read young adult books super often, I greatly enjoyed this one. The characters were well-written and the story flowed well. I would have loved an epilogue to share what happened to everyone after the story ended, but I still felt that it wrapped up well.

Thank you to Tundra Books and NetGalley for this ARC! All opinions are my own.

This was a really quick read. I found it to be really engrossing. I did find the number of characters to be really confusing. I couldn't keep all the parents and their jobs straight in my head.

This book was just okay for me. I didn't really love the writing style but I thought the story was solid. It wasn't anything new per say but still good.

So many thoughts on this book. The mystery of memory manipulation and what is really going on with this group of friends. Everyone is hiding something and Blythe is determine to get to the bottom of it.

This book started off very interesting and had me unable to put it down. It was at about 25% that my excitement started to fade and by 50% I was completely out of it. I finished it by puré will to see if there was a chance it would get better. Spoiler alert it did not.

The more I sit and think about it this story got lost within itself and it was hard to believe or keep up with everything that was happening. Typically I love mysteries that are told from multiple character point of views but this one was not done well. Every other character besides Blythe was not fleshed out. Many of the crumbs laid throughout the story had no revelance to the final reveal. The final reveal was very disappointing and the final nail in this coffin.

This author has a lot of highly regarded books, I’m interested in reading another to see if the writing is different.

This book was honestly a bit weird for my liking. I didn’t realize it was a YA novel at first (which I have no issues with reading) but going in with expectations of Armstrong’s previous thrillers, it was definitely written in a different way. This may be totally fine for some readers, but for me was a let down. I didn’t overly enjoy the storyline, but that again is personal preference. To me, it felt a little more health sciences narration than thriller, and the story wasn’t able to merge the two as successfully to make it a stand out read. Sadly, this was a miss for me. I hope others are able to enjoy it more!
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for a chance to read this ARC!

I am always here for a Kelley Armstong story and this was another super solid standalone YA mystery. There were plenty of twists to keep me guessing and having me think about the book when I was not reading it which I love about the storytelling. The characters are super fleshed out and likeable (even those suspected of murder I liked) and I really felt like I knew these teens personally.

The one downside to the book for me was the ending. I found the ending to resolve very easy and quickly, almost too abrupt. And then the very end attempted to give closure I guess, but it never felt like a resolution or change occurred. I will not say more so I don't spoil anything, but I was looking for more than I got. That being said, the mystery aspect was fully resolved and wrapped up, I was referencing more the fallout after the mystery was resolved that I wanted fixed (yes, I like all the details laid out, don't leave anything out!)

I recommend this book for anyone who likes very twisty mysteries where anyone can be guilty. The characters are upper YA but I feel like the content makes this suitable for all YA and readers (yes a few deaths occur but are not super detailed).

haven’t read a YA thriller in a while and I was so excited when I got approved for this on Netgalley. I read this in a span of 24 hours because I could not put it down. It was interesting and since I haven’t read any of Armstrong’s previous books, I was really excited. Finding new authors is the best thing because you get to dive into their backlogs.

This was an anticlimactic novel. By the first quarter, the main characters had pretty much figured everything out. I wanted the story to kind of move along with the mystery for a while. The majority of the book is just the character growth and I usually love that but I really wanted the mystery and suspense to be a big part of the novel. I was disappointed because the synopsis promised a thriller and I was expecting one.

I loved the plot! This was kind of like Frankenstein. These high school students had their memory altered when they were young because they committed a crime and now the research is failing. The effects are kind of like dominoes because after one person figures out that their life is not real, they all figure it out. We have the misunderstood characters and they’re trying to figure out who they are by the end.

The ending made it seem like there could be a second book. I would totally check it out because there are a lot of unanswered questions. I have so much that these characters actually uncover many more secrets.

Thanks to Netgalley and Tundra Books for the ARC of this.

Even though it’s not the same, this gave me some The Program vibes. The memory loss angle was interesting, but the mystery/thriller aspect didn’t catch me as well as I’d hoped. Overall it was okay, and I could definitely see people really enjoying it, especially if you liked The Program!

I didn’t like this story. Felt bored reading it. There are much better thrillers out there. I don’t think I would suggest.

This book was okay, i was expecting more, I really wanted more but it never came, In the end i could've done with or without this book.

A solid 2 stars for me.

I can totally see where the appeal will be for certain readers. It definitely will be of interest to people who like small town mysteries and a group of teens trying to get to the bottom of things.

It gave me Stranger Things vibes with some of the formatting, which I think will appeal to a lot of people.

Overall, I felt like there were too many characters, and it made it hard to keep track of. The plot itself didn't get fully established until about halfway in so it kind of dragged, in my opinion the pacing could have been better. I didn't find myself invested in the characters because there were so many, so all the twists didn't hit as hard for me.

All in all, I think Kelley Armstrong fans will eat this up, it just wasn't for me.

Thank you to PRC and Tundra for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review ❤️

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!