VOYA
Carly Finnegan’s life has just fallen apart. She had been planning to spend the summer working at an archaeological dig with her father, but his wife just found out she is pregnant, and he is going to stay at home with her. Her mother and long-time partner, Nick, are splitting up, and Mom and Carly have to move out of his loft, which is pretty much the only home she has ever known. When she starts dating Brian, she thinks that perhaps things will not be so bad after all; however, all the upheaval in Carly’s life turns her into someone she is not. She becomes very needy and possessive of Brian. Brian soon tires of it and breaks up with her. When she finds out he has a new girlfriend, Carly becomes obsessed with finding out as much about her as she can. Although she knows it is wrong to “research” Taylor and her family, she cannot help herself. Before she knows it, she spends a day following Taylor around New York City, all the time perfectly aware that she has become a stalker. It may not have been intended as a cautionary tale, but that is what the novel really is. Luckily, Carly is sympathetic enough that the reader can identify with her, and the other characters are also believable. This book is strongly recommended. Reviewer: Marlyn Beebe