Easily one of my favorite reads of the year so far! This stalker thriller is a DEBUT and I absolutely can not believe it! This dark thriller throws you into the mind of a twisted, obsessive man as it is told from his point of view. Chris Fox is a master manipulator and quickly takes a hold of his new obsession’s life: Serena.

This book was captivating, and kept me anxiously on the edge of my seat. This read is perfect for fans of “You” as Chris is very Joe Goldberg-like.

Highly highly recommend this book!

This story is ALL about obsession and stalking and the lengths some people will go to keep someone. It was nuts. This dude was so over the top. I kind of wish I got a little more background on him to understand how he got to this point. Like you don’t go that hard without developing into it. It was like a train wreck you couldn’t stop watching.

For me, I was hooked and wanted to know where this story would go and how much it would escalate. But I wanted more. More development. On the character and the story. I found him to just be too much. And the characters at times just annoyed me.

I think like halfway through I felt like the story should have ended but it kept going and slightly dragged on from there.

It was good but I just needed a little more to the story. The narrator was great tho and really got into character.

This is not a love story, it’s a cautionary tale.

There were several times listening/reading that I thought I would need to DNF because I was so frustrated by MMC Chris. But I think that’s the point.

All Because of You might be the most terrifying thriller I have ever read because it’s so plausible and relatable. It’s a cautionary tale every woman should read so they know the signs to look for in a gaslighting, emotionally manipulative partner. Author Lissa Lovik has truly tapped into the mind of a deranged, toxic male. Chris has zero redeemable qualities and I wanted to throat-punch him no less than 72 times. And since the entire book is from Chris’ POV you’ll feel like this a lot. And, in case it needs to be said, NOTHING CHRIS DOES IS OKAY.

The audio was really well done and I didn’t find myself losing interest or focus in the story when the narrator flipped from male to female characters.

Thank you to NetGalley, Brilliance Publishing and Lissa Lovik for an early listening copy. These are my honest thoughts.

PSA: If you read this and have a partner with any of these personality traits, who makes you feel crazy even though your gut is telling you something is off, don’t ignore it. Talk about it with someone you trust.

Thank you Brilliance Audio for the gifted ALC.

I unfortunately decided to DNF this one about halfway through. I kept waiting for it to significantly veer away from "You" but the story was just too similar and I wasn't invested enough to continue.

I will not review on any other retail sites as I did not finish the book.

What starts as a charming meet-cute quickly turns into something much darker. Chris is the kind of character who makes your skin crawl in the best way, and watching things unravel was equal parts tense and fascinating.

Lissa Lovik does a great job blurring the line between romance and obsession, and the slow build kept me turning pages late into the night. If you like your thrillers with a psychological edge and a touch of “wait, did he really just do that?”—this one’s for you.

Serena deserves peace. Chris deserves therapy. And I? I absolutely devoured this unsettling, unputdownable creepfest. A rom-com turned red flag parade—and I loved every deranged minute.

Thank you Lissa Lovik, Thomas and Mercer, Brilliance Audio, and Netgalley for the advanced copy!

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This was so good.
Its was the type of book that had me smiling or speaking out loud when the main MMC did something beyond stupid.

This book is a stalker / fall in love ( I'm the only one good enough for you) book.
It reminded me a lot of the tv show 'YOU'. - Yes I know it was a book first but I haven't read it-
If you loved that show/book, you will love this.

MFC -Serena, single young mum for has put her love on hold for look after her son / work and give them a good life..
MMC - Chris. Just a guy who falls in love at first sight with her at a grocery store,

Super cute match for a loved up romance... well yeh, apart from the fact his WAY to into her in a No one less can look at you kinda way...

Its a fun read and also the debut book for author Lissa Lovik.
I look forward to reading more of her stuff.

Thank you to Netgalley and Lissa Lovik for the advanced readers copy.
I will be recommending this book.

Lissa Lovik’s novel "All Because of You" is a chilling psychological thriller that hooks you into the obsessive mind of Chris, whose chance grocery-store encounter with single mom Serena evolves into something terrifyingly sinister. Told entirely from Chris’s POV, the novel plunges deep into the murky rationalizations of a man convinced that stalking, manipulation, and emotional control are justifiable expressions of love.

From the first moment Chris sees Serena, his fixation is unsettling. He learns intimate details about her life, that include her name, address, and job as a realtor, all from a dropped grocery receipt He then orchestrates an “accidental” house showing to insert himself into her world. What starts as perfect courtship quickly becomes a web of craziness.

Lovik’s really captures the slow, methodical descent into obsession. Chris’s rationalizations are wild, thinking he’s watching out for Serena. However, they are horrifying because they’re grounded in plausibility. You may find yourself squirming, yet curiously empathizing, which adds power to this novel.

Serena herself is not a one dimensional victim. She is an intelligent and observant woman and mother, whom becomes increasingly aware of the red flags surrounding Chris, particularly through the concerns of her best friend's. The tension builds as Serena’s world tightens around Chris’s increasingly controlling behavior.

If you are a fan of "You" and dark psychological suspense, "All Because of You" delivers a haunting, unnerving experience. This thriller probes the fragile line between devotion and is brilliantly disturbing

**3.5 Stars**

✨Audiobook Review✨
📖 All Because of You
✍️ Lissa Lovik
📅 Publication: July 29, 2025
🎤 Joe Knezevich

𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬
For Chris, it’s love at first sight. After a grocery store meet-cute, it’s easy to snag Serena’s name from her dropped ID. A quick online search gives him everything he needs: her status (single mom), address, and workplace. Learning she’s a Realtor, Chris books a house showing right away. He’s not pushy, he’ll wait to ask her out.
In the meantime, he’ll watch. He’ll listen. He wants to know everything about her so he can make her happy. This isn’t an obsession; it’s true love.
From their first date, things are perfect until Serena’s “bestie” starts interfering. She thinks Chris is just a friend, but he knows better. He knows a lot of things. Keeping Serena in line isn’t easy, but their love is worth it.
The stars aligned when Chris and Serena met in that Winn-Dixie. And they will be happy together… even if it kills them.
𝐌𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬
The book started strong and gave me definite You vibes, which had me intrigued right away. Unfortunately, as the story unfolded, it began to lose steam and felt a bit repetitive at times. Since the entire narrative was told from Chris’s perspective, it came across as somewhat one-note. That said, his character was impressively well-developed, and I felt fully immersed in his mind, which made for an unsettling but compelling experience. Still, I can’t help but think that adding Serena’s point of view would have brought more depth and balance to the story. On the audiobook side, I did enjoy Joe Knezevich’s narration; his voice was smooth and easy to listen to.

Thank You @Netgalley and @brilliancepublishing for allowing me to review this ALC.

Being trapped inside the head of Chris is a dark and twisted place to be. He is the epitome of a stalker. I see this one being compared to ‘You,’ but I thought it was very different from that one. It’s not campy, it’s realistic. I sometimes worry we glorify these monsters and I felt the author did an outstanding job with the characters of both the victim and the perpetrator. Chris is terrifying. There is some levity and humor at times, but you never forget he’s a danger. Watching him get more and more possessive is so uncomfortable. I absolutely could not put this one down. Just when you think he can’t be more of a creepy stalker, he ups his game. The narration by Joe Knezevich on the audiobook production is excellent. He did such a great job of making Chris seem like a normal guy in the beginning and then stepped up the drama just enough as Chris became more unhinged.

I was lucky enough to receive both an eARC and an ALC. I ended up listening to the ALC for this one and I am glad I did. The narration, Joe Knezevich, had a nice voice. I listen to audiobooks really quickly (usually 3.0x), and I understood him clearly the whole time, even during the more dramatic moments when he picked up the tempo of his storytelling.

This book was a crazy ride. It was so creepy and made me so uncomfortable, but I couldn’t stop reading it. I struggled with how to rate it because I can’t quite say that reading it was fun…but again, I was totally engrossed from the moment I began. It also covers some important topics that I feel people should keep in mind (more on that below) and the author’s note at the end does a good job reinforcing those lessons.

This book has been compared a lot to the book You by Caroline Kepnes. I read that one over 10 years ago before it was made into a TV show. I definitely see similarities. However, I remember guiltily liking (kind of) the main character of that book. He was uncomfortably endearing and there was some dark humor throughout his telling of events even though he was seriously messed up. This book differs in tone. I did not like Chris. At all. You pick up pretty quickly into the story that you have a first-row seat to a deranged mind, which, again, was fascinating.

The FMC, Serena, kept making some terrible decisions and overlooking red flags. However, her story is an important one and while I did find her character frustrating at times, the author did do a good job of showing how someone goes through the mental gymnastics of justifying certain behaviors and not trusting instincts. It’s an important message.

Overall, I recommend this one but just know it is NOT a stalker love story. It is NOT humorous in any way. You may need to check trigger warnings before you begin.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing for a free ALC in exchange for my honest opinion. This one release on 29 July 2025.

ALL BECAUSE OF YOU is a gripping story filled with nonstop suspense. Chris is a person you would never want to meet. Serena was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Without giving anything away, I can say that I couldn't put this down. It's an outstanding debut I won't soon forget!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Brilliance Audio for my gifted ALC, This review will be shared to my Instagr account @coffee.break.book.review

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC book! I really enjoyed the book it definitely gives you Joe vibes so if you’ve seen the Netflix series, you it pretty much has that feel.

It's been a while since I read a good stalker story and this one hits the nail on the head! 

When Chris first sees Serena, he knows she's the one for him. As he slowly researches her life, he gathers data so he knows what angle to play when he decides to finally ask her out. When they do get together, things are amazing. Until they're not. And then Chris will stop at nothing to get things back to the way they used to be.

For a debut, this was such a fantastic read. I really enjoyed the author's fast paced writing style, feeling the creepiness throughout the story. I was addicted from page one and devoured this book so quickly. The audiobook was also narrated exceptionally well and I am excited to see what Lissa Lovik writes next.

4.5 rounded up. This sucked me in right from the start! If you enjoyed YOU by Caroline Kepnes, then this is for, well, you.

Premise - When Chris first sees the young single mother, Serena, in a grocery store, he's immediately enchanted. Smitten. Obsessed.

He starts following her... some would say stalking, but he's just making the effort to get to know her. She's a realtor, so it isn't too hard to arrange a meet-cute, and soon they're dating.

Everything would be perfect, if it weren't for Serena's all-too-attractive male best friend, Derek. But Chris isn't a quitter and this true love. Love is worth fighting, even dying, for - right?

Gripping from page one, Love's protagonist is obsessive, fascinating, and charming in the way of a flytrap. This SOOO voicey and I am here. for. It!

Example: "she gives me another smile and I want to peel it off and carry it around in my pocket." So creepy, but also compelling?? ALL BECAUSE OF YOU is unhinged in all the best ways.

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Joe Knezevich. He channels Joe of YOU (intentionally or not) in his read and it works so well. I loved this!

Thanks, NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing, for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was really good! It absolutely felt like a You retelling or inspired by type of novel, and I liked our MCs most of the way through and enjoyed the journey and seeing everything from Chris's perspective. The only thing that kept this from being a 5 star for me is I didn't love the narrator, and I thought a lot of the book was pretty predictable. I don't think it did enough to differentiate itself from You. (also the title has You in it which is an interesting choice)

What! This was so good 😆😆😆

It read like a fun romance novel with a side of stalking and obsession.

I loved the female love interest, she was the exact kind of quirky, solid, boss single mother I’d want to be when I grow up 😆 and I even liked the main character despite his stalking and spying tendencies, in fact I even kinda liked him more because of it, I mean 10 points for effort and attentiveness 😆 who wouldn’t want someone to be so obsessed with you they just want to be with you and make you happy idk the stalking doesn’t sound so bad to me 😂😂 I jest I jest.

I really enjoyed this and will be keeping my eye out for more from this author!

The narrator did a great job too 👍🏼

Thank you for the gifted copy!!

Publishes: July 29th