Creepy, claustrophobic, and chillingly effective—All Because of You is a twisted debut that dives headfirst into the mind of obsession and doesn’t come up for air.

Told entirely from the point of view of Chris, a man who believes he’s found “the one” after a chance encounter in a grocery store, this book is a one-way ticket into the brain of a stalker. Lissa Lovik writes Chris with disturbing authenticity—his justifications feel all too real, his charm masks an escalating darkness, and his descent is all the more terrifying for how ordinary he seems. This isn’t a villain twirling his mustache; it’s a man who believes wholeheartedly that everything he’s doing is for love.

The single POV works to the book’s advantage, amplifying the tension with each step deeper into delusion. Still, part of me craved a glimpse into Serena’s head, if only to see the contrast between her growing discomfort and his warped logic. But maybe that’s the point—we’re stuck with Chris, just like Serena.

The author crafts a narrative that blurs the lines between affection and obsession, drawing readers into Chris’s distorted perspective. The tension builds steadily, creating a chilling atmosphere that keeps you on edge. Serena’s character is portrayed with depth and resilience, making her plight all the more compelling.

This novel is a stark reminder of how easily boundaries can be crossed under the pretense of love. The author’s writing is both engaging and unsettling, but there are parts that seem to lag and are slow. All in all, if you enjoy the show “You”, and are a fan of psychological thrillers, you will love this novel.

While using manipulation and stalker techniques, Chris worms his way into the life of Serena. Even against Serena's better judgement. This book was told from the perspective of Chris and gave me total stalker vibes. It will make you question who you meet out on the street in your own personal life and who you can trust. It was definitely a thrill ride told from the stalkers POV.

I do wish we could have read more from Serena's perspective but that did not stop me from thoroughly enjoying this read.

I will recommend this thriller to all who enjoys this genre!

Thank you NetGalley for the eAC.

I really liked this book, written from the perspective of the villain in the story. The MC was unhinged, unlikable, and obsessive which made him a great POV to read from. Ultimately, the plot was fairly predictable and I wish it was able to trigger more of a sense of foreboding.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

In a unique twist, we get a book from a stalker’s point of view. From the moment Christopher laid eyes on Serena in the grocery store he was obsessed with her. He needed to be in her life. He finds that she’s a relator so he uses that to make a connection. Before long, Christopher is taking Serena out on their first date. And that’s just the beginning!

I was immediately sucked in from the very first page. This was a great debut! I look forward to more books by Lissa Lovik. 4.5 stars rounded up.

I will be recommending this book to everyone until the end of time 😂 It has been a long time since a thriller has grabbed my attention like this one. Did you watch the show You? If you loved it then this is the book for you. It’s told through the POV of Chris who is also a stalker. This book literally had me squirming and feeling so uncomfortable the entire time, but I couldn’t put it down. I loved our FMC Serena who was a feisty babe. I mean she even has a dog named Sirius 🥹 I think anyone who reads this will be utterly terrified and if you aren’t, you okay boo? Also, the authors note added a whole other level of ✨wtf✨ to this so make sure you read it 🤯 Everyone go grab this one when it comes out or I’ll be bullying you into it 😈

Thank you Netgalley and Lissa Lovik for providing the ARC .
I enjoyed the premise of the book initially and it hit hard we get to know what exactly the man/villain is upto. The writing is good, characters are well-developed and are as faulty as normal human beings. But it did missed a few things for me, May be some editing will do it good. The story is good, just more creepiness I was expecting (blame me) and the story came flat out for me as it proceeded, and overall nice storytelling. Some points were intelligent and some were obvious, still I was interested for how the story will end...possibly that's the reason I was able to finish it.

Hello Joe Goldberg, I think you've met your match.

This book was disturbing and engrossing. Told from the male POV, this tells the story of Chris who falls instantly for Serena and then pursues her, bugs her house, and woos her into falling for him. The story is terrifying because it's probably all to common and it makes you question - how well do I know those closest to me?

For fans of You or any other unsettling stalkerish tales, I would definitely recommend! Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of this ebook!

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and Lissa Lovak for the ARC!

“If love is insanity, then throw me into a padded cell in hell, because I'm fucking crazy, I'll admit it…”

This story of love-turned-obsession grabbed attention and I could not out this book down! Our MMC Chris really had no redeeming qualities - I was shocked and repulsed by his mindset and some of the things he did! I wanted to find something likeable about him in the beginning, because when we first met him I felt a little sorry for him. But that quickly morphed into disgust as he upped his creepiness. In contrast, our FMC Serena is smart and independent; once she was realized Chris was a control freak, she set a boundary. Her loyal pup, Sirius, may have been my most favorite character!

Their story was fast-paced, addictive and had me on the edge of my seat. I was shocked that this was a debut and I look forward to reading whatever Lissa Lovak comes up with next!

“All Because of You” releases July 29, 2025. This review will be shared to my Instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) soon :)

This book has the perfect amount of creep factor.

This book is uniquely told from Chris' perspective. Chris is a stalker, and he is absolutely unhealthy with his obsession of Serena, who he met at a grocery store. Chris thought Serena was beautiful and they were destined to be together because they reached for the same peanut butter.

His unhealthy obsession turns into bugging Serena's house, watching her from a distance and advanced to a meet up, "just by chance".

This book is creepy, intense and leaves you wanting to know what's going to happen. This book may be a little far-fetched in some parts, but this stuff absolutely happens daily. I would highly recommend reading this one! Just for the sheer thriller aspect alone.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for this advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

This stalker drama was equal parts creepy and intriguing. This is not a completely one-sided stalker type story, Chris charms Serena after a grocery store encounter into dating and falling in love with him until the possessiveness overcomes the relationship, making Serena question all her decisions.

As the story develops you begin to feel more and more uncomfortable as Chris divulges his inner most thoughts and desires.

I appreciated the POV from the antagonist speaking directly to the other main character/prey instead of the audience. In the beginning of the book I wasn’t sure if Chris’ over controlling behaviors were being misconstrued by Serena or if he was actually being a stalker.

Appreciated the author’s note at the end on abuse.

TW: domestic abuse, animal injury

Tension builds slowly to a crescendo from the POV of a stalker, Chris.

A chance meeting in the grocery store over a jar of crunchy peanut butter changes Serena’s life. It seems like she’s met the one, a smarter, more caring choice than her previous awful choices.

Lovik does a great job bringing the reader along in the story, from the warped mind of a stalker and I enjoyed this for the most part. I mean, it was a stressful, tension-filled, creepy AF read! I felt stalked.

If your jam is a good stalker vibe-add this to your TBR.

With thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the advance digital copy.

I made it to 50% in this book before I DNF'd - here's why:

The cover is really cool, I like the title and the blurb sounds interesting.
This story is told from the man's perspective and is very much giving similar vibes to the show "You".

I am a huge fan of the show "You" so I was actually quite excited by this.

The writing style is just not for me though, and this book began to drag for me very quickly as it became a lot of yearning and stalking, rather than plot twists and entertaining scenes. There was a lot of the creepy main character watching the characters from the outside, and spying. This isn't quite what I want to read in a book. I wanted it top move a bit quicker, for the action to be fast paced, and I was hopeful for more humor thrown in if the pacing was going to be slow.

Overall, I just do not think I am the target audience for this book and I do not think this book is for me. I do think thriller fans will enjoy this, and I just might be picky when it comes to thrillers. I see now this is a debut, so maybe that is why? The writing style just felt detached to me personally.

Thank you for allowing me to read this eARC for free! I am leaving this honest feedback voluntarily.

Wow. Because of You by Lissa Lovik is easily one of the best debut thrillers I’ve ever read.
The writing is sharp, immersive, and seriously gripping. What really set this one apart? The author takes you inside the mind of the stalker, talk about intense. It adds such a chilling, eerie layer that had me on edge the entire time.
It’s the kind of book you pick up and suddenly it’s 2AM because there’s no way you’re putting it down.
The female main character was strong, grounded, and unapologetically herself. She didn’t take crap and stayed true to her convictions, which was refreshing.
If you’re a thriller fan, please add this one to your summer reading list. You won’t regret it!

"𝑺𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒂 𝒊𝒔 𝒂 𝒑𝒉𝒚𝒔𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝒑𝒖𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒄𝒂𝒏'𝒕 𝒃𝒆 𝒊𝒈𝒏𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒅, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒊𝒈𝒈𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝑰'𝒗𝒆 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒎𝒆𝒕."

Special thanks to @lissalovik @amazonpublishing & @netgalley for the #gifted eARC.

👉🏼 swipe to synopsis ➡️

𝙈𝙔 𝙍𝙀𝙑𝙄𝙀𝙒:

The more I read, the more I find myself yelling at Serena to RUN. This book is unhinged to say the least and is every woman's nightmare. (And if it's not, are you an angel or something?)

Chris is something else. That's the nicest way to put it. But this makes for a great story. Im held in so much suspense, I can't turn the pages fast enough to find out how this all plays out.

✔️ Stalkers
✔️ unhinged story-line
✔️ real life events
✔️ life lessons
✔️ Full of red flags

𝙋𝙐𝘽 𝘿𝘼𝙔:
July 29, 2025

ℚ𝕆𝕋𝔻❓️⁉️❓️ Ever had a stalker? Been the stalker? How did it end?

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#mysteryandthrills #thrillersandsuspense #thrillerfriendsunite #thrillerlover #thrilleraddict #thrillerjunkie #thrillergirlie #bookbuzz #upcomingthriller #allbecauseofyou #lissalovik
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All Because of You is a creepy look into the mind of the guy you fear bumping into at night. They have a casual chance meeting at a store and her life is forever changed. Lisa does an amazing job detailing the workings of a crazy mind as their story evolves. It's the worse case scenario women have long feared, coming true. The story moves fast, and spans a good about of time. If you liked the show "You" you'd love this book. A great read and a great debut novel! Thank you for the read!!

so good i love stalker themed books and the intensity of the relationship. it was creepy and accurate to how some people get obsessed

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for the opportunity to read a digital ARC of “All Because of You” by Lissa Lovik, which has a publication date of July 29, 2025. This is the first novel I have read by this author, and it won’t be the last. 

In “All Because of You,” a man named Chris sees a woman, Serena, at a grocery store and falls hard for her. However, Chris is a stalker who uses every tool in his toolbox to insert himself into Serena's life. This is the first novel I’ve read that explores the mind of a stalker. 

“All Because of You”  was not a comfortable read, and I found myself on edge as I was introduced to Chris and Serena, a realtor who is the target of his obsession. Chris finds a way to segue into her life. Initially, he presents as a true gentleman who is loyal and understanding to gain control of fair Serena. However, as the story unfolds, the relationship disintegrates as Chris realizes that he doesn’t have control, and some of her friends see that his ingratiations are phony and his behavior creepy. Chris is a chameleon who will do whatever he must to get what he wants. 

While the narrative was engaging, there were many unbelievable moments. I never warmed up to Chris and had many unanswered questions about his childhood. “All Because of You” is filled with twists and turns, obsessions, and mayhem. Unfortunately, I found the ending nonsensical and not as strong as it could have been.  I truly appreciate Ms. Lovik giving the reader insight into the disintegrating mind of a stalker. 

3.5 / 5 stars

Firstly, thank you for allowing me to read this! I really do appreciate it!


Wowowowo. Let me start off by saying I LOVE dark romances and psychological thrillers and this was like a perfect combo because you get the infamous stalking/obsessive/touch her and die trope but make it thriller-y. This book had me all over the place but in a good way because it actually makes you feel like you’re in Chris’s head. You start to feel how he feels in some parts and that’s something I personally love in a book, make me feel something! However, this is a very real topic especially for us females in this day and age where there is alot more Chris’s surfacing so if you have been in a situation like this or are in one, know that you are not alone and there is help out there for you. always.

I will be looking into reading more from this author so thank you again & continue making amazing books like this!(:

Well, that was terrifying. It is mind boggling to think that there are real people out in this world acting like this. Move over Joe Goldberg, there is a new psychopath in town.

Despite this book being creepy as hell, it was very well written and I could not stop reading it! I just had to know what was going to happen next and how this book was going to end.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.