The Stalker Chronicles

by Carley Moore

Sophomore Cammie Bliss has long been labeled a stalker by her peers, but when a cute new boy named Toby arrives at her small town high school, Cammie has a chance to be "normal." Trouble is, she can't really help herself and she's up to her old tricks of "intense observation and following" pretty quick. Making things worse, her younger brother is dating one of the most popular girls in the school, her parents have separated, and her dad has begun to watch their house most nights. Cammie has simply got to figure out why she behaves the way she does, and end it once and for all. Find out if Cammie is successful in Carley Moore's hilrious and poignant The Stalker Chronicles.

Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult, Romance, Realistic Fiction, Chick Lit, High School

240 pages, Hardcover

First published March 27, 2012

About the author

Carley Moore's books include: The Stalker Chronicles, a young adult novel; 16 Pills, an essay collection; The Not Wives, a novel; and Panpocalypse, a novel, which is forthcoming in March 2022. Carley is a queer, disabled, single, co-parenting mom. She lives in New York City and teaches at New York University. Follow her on Instagram: @fragmentedsky

Reviews

[Kai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review posted at Amaterasu Reads

I prefer to define 'stalking' as 'intense observation', or substitute that with the other phrase. Because really, would you want to be labeled as a 'stalker'? The word has such a negative connotation that the way we see someone called as such changes dramatically. And in Cammie's case she is one, but she's not afraid to admit it.

I didn't quite understand how Cammie can call herself a stalker at first. I felt like everyone had wronged her. The whispers in the corridor, the snide remarks, the laughter from the cheer leaders and the popular kids all because of one reason: she is a stalker. How did she become one? Why? When Toby came into the picture, that's when I finally understood. Cammie is, indeed, a stalker. But don't they have feelings too? Don't they get hurt? Don't they get worried? It felt like exploring an unfamiliar territory while I was reading about Cammie. There were moments I felt like it was all a joke, then I felt like it was so ridiculous, and then I felt afraid. There are things that were wrong with Cammie, but they were not all bad. Cammie's 'problem' was brought on by a dysfunctional family and growing up in a very different environment where feelings are rarely showed and she was rarely appreciated. That was all she wants, attention and love. To be liked.

But let me emphasize one thing: there's a fine line between observing people and invading their privacy. When you cross that line, that's when it becomes scary and dangerous. But this is a Young Adult book, and everything is downplayed. Toby, the object of Cammie's affection, understands a person who needs help because he used to need it. It hurts to think that the one thing Cammie and Toby had in common was because they were both different, that they were outcasts, that something is wrong with the both of them. Toby, despite being the cute boy with green eyes, went through depression and was called crazy by everyone. What made me finally love both characters were how they tried to be better. Toby became Cammie's anchor and Cammie was the one person that made Toby feel normal again. Romance be damned (at first), but there's something about those moments between them where they just shared what they felt, talked about things they liked and bonded over an abandoned theater. Simple things like that can lead to building strong friendships and maybe something more.

Yes, dear readers, do not be fooled by the pink, overly happy looking cover. The Stalker Chronicles deals with a theme far more deeper than what made it look, and that's what made me like this book, the way it had surprised me. I've expected it to be a light, fluffy, hilarious tale but I got so much more. The author did such a fantastic job of showing what was beyond Cammie's notorious persona as a stalker, that she's so much more, that she can also be a girl whose parents are getting divorced, who worries if the guy she likes will like her back, and is ultimately tired of being the 'stalker' everyone thinks she is.

Cammie's witty voice all throughout the novel is another part that I liked. It's like diving into the mind of a girl who obsesses with something she likes, but in all the wrong ways. It makes you think just how much family dynamics, school environment, friends influence you. And just when you think everything in this book is all cute and fluffy if you judge it by its cover, you'll be delighted to know just how much depth each character has with their back stories. It wasn't just about Cammie, as the story moves forward along with the rest of the characters, although it could have been better if there was more tension and a lot more conflict that can drive the story forward.

The Stalker Chronicles is a heartfelt tale of one girl's life as a stalker, and who she is behind that label. Sometimes there's a reason why people act the way they do, and people need to take a step back and see someone beyond what people label them as. Thoroughly entertaining with quite a few bursts of wit and flashes of humor, The Stalker Chronicles is a good read! If you want a book that will surprise you, get this one! I tell you, there is more to this book than that cute, flashy, pink cover.

[anjali · Rating 1 out of 5]

Title: The Stalker Chronicles

Author: Carley Moore

Series: N/A

Rating: ★

Summary: Sophomore Cammie Bliss has long been labeled a stalker by her peers, but when a cute new boy named Toby arrives at her small town high school, Cammie has a chance to be "normal." Trouble is, she can't really help herself and she's up to her old tricks of "intense observation and following" pretty quick. Making things worse, her younger brother is dating one of the most popular girls in the school, her parents have separated, and her dad has begun to watch their house most nights. Cammie has simply got to figure out why she behaves the way she does, and end it once and for all.

Review: This was just so weird. I don't even know why I read it. Not your average cliche, but still enough to make me want to read something else. Beginning was bearable, then the middle was a snooze fest, and finally the end was a cliche happy thing. I'm just glad I finished it with some dignity. Ugh, my first ARC, and I get stuck with this? Man.

Things I Loved: N/A

Things I Hated: But seriously, don't waste your time. I know so many amateur writers who are better than her. Besides, the storyline is bogus and just plain awkward. I can't understand why I decided to keep reading. Total waste of time.

[Joonjoon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was kind of a weird read for me. The protagonist in this story had a stalking problem, and although she didn't delve in deep about why she did much of her earlier stalking. I thought it would have been good insight into her mind if she explained the urge of why she might have been stalking as opposed to condensing in all in one word (and then moving on from it and never really touching on the word again). However with that said the story was okay and cut short in my opinion as everything in the end changed out of the blue and seemed to get better as her problem started to get better. Just weird.

[Jaylin · Rating 4 out of 5]

So far in this book there is a girl named Cammie and she has a reputation for being a stalker. She sees this really cute boy that has just moved into town.He doesnt know that she is a stalker and that she stalks all of her crushes. She likes him but she keeps on making a fool out of herself in front of him because she doesnt know what to say This book is interesting so far i like it and it has alot of drama and honesty. alittle pg-13. alot of detial making it seem more of a like of a teens perspective.

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ummm... I don't really know what I was expecting, but I do know it was an okay book that had a sort of weird concept.

[Sallie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review: The Stalker Chronicles by Carley Moore

I won this book on Goodreads First Reads, and I thought the premise of a girl dealing with being a stalker in high school was fabulous. She not only puts herself into dangerous and embarrassing situations, she is also dealing with family issues at the same time.

Cammie Bliss is a very likable character. She’s been labeled as a stalker at her high school, but she doesn’t let it bother her too much, seeing as how she doesn’t see anything wrong with some of the things she does. She explains in alternating chapters about the history of her stalking and how she came to be considered one by her school/town. All of the individual experiences she “chronicles” are equally amusing and endearing. Her character develops a lot throughout the story, internally and emotionally, and is able to adapt what she knows in her everyday life. There are a few moments when I was cringing at the situations she got herself into, driven by compulsion and obsession; needing to know information about someone in ways that were unsavory.

At the beginning of the story, Cammie tells herself she wants to change, but isn’t sure how to make that change. When a new boy moves to town, she hopes that she can make progress with him as a friend and maybe more, if only her old ways don’t get the better of her. What unfolds is sometimes hilarious, sometimes heartbreaking in Cammie’s discovery of what it means to turn over a new leaf, and how she struggles along the way with impulses and family issues all rolled into one.

The setting was a small town, Lakewood, in New York and it was very close home for me because I currently live in a very small town, Block Island, RI, which is a tourist spot in the summer, but completely dead in the winter. I understood the small town gossip and how ones reputation can be made or broken with one single accomplishment or disgrace. But the characters in Cammie’s life, her friend Rosie; a Jehovah’s Witness, Toby; the new boy in town, and her family, really show what it means to be struggling in life with reputation, high school, love, marriage, and the importance of truth.

Cammie’s family was going through a rough patch during the narrative, and you really felt for each of the characters during the tough moments. Her father has to move out, yet he sits in his car outside their house each night, almost protecting and staying connected to the family even if he can’t be an immediate part of it. Cammie’s mother gets involved with another man, and Moore didn’t rush the situation, it was evident that this story was just a part of the whole picture. That after Cammie finished her story, she would continue to deal with her family’s separation and would grow to learn how to adapt to an unfavorable relationship with her parents being apart.

The layout of information Moore was presenting the reader with was also interesting. It would go in chronological order, and then jump to past memories of Cammie’s about her stalking tales, and then jump back to the present time. Only one time did it feel really abrupt and disconnected, but it wasn’t enough to derail me from enjoying the story as a whole. I read this in one sitting, which isn’t to say it’s a short book, but it’s enough to keep the reader interested, but doesn’t drag the story along. Every scene and description was important to the chronicles that Cammie was presenting to the reader, whether it was present or past recollections. Moore does a fabulous job of inviting the reader into Cammie’s strange but entertaining world and proving that labels don’t mean a thing when it comes to who a person truly is.

[Estelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review first posted on Rather Be Reading Blog:

These days it is uncanny how easy it is to keep track of people. With Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, we are constantly keeping tabs on people we know (or knew). (Don’t lie. You know you do it.) But in the case of the internet, the success of your stalking depends on the person — how much they update, what they choose to share, etc. The old fashioned way though… that’s different story. It takes a little more effort, some thought.

And Cammie, the main character of The Stalker Chronicles, is pretty talented and relentless when it comes to that old-fashioned way of doing things. It’s not because she wants to hurt anyone or publicize someone’s private life or anything. Deep down, she really wants people to like her. She really wants to know things about people. So she takes a leap and in the past, landed on her face. So many times that she is sweetly known as the “stalker” in school. She can’t seem to get people to forget all she has done (photos, notes, phone calls, trash cans, etc.) and at the same time, can’t stop doing it. It’s like an addiction.

Then new boy Toby shows up. Finally! Someone who may not know the total truth about her. And she makes him a challenge for herself. Can she get him to like her without overdoing it like she’s done in the past? But when he starts missing school and ya know she walks in the boy’s restroom to find him (ha), she discovers Toby may have his own secret past and Cammie sort of reverts back into her stalking ways.

I liked Cammie as a character a lot. In ways, the books reminded me of Various Positions (review to come) and not in the overly sexualized way. But in the way that author Carley Moore gave us a glimpse into the inner workings of a young girl, the crevices no one cares to admit because it’s too shameful. With Cammie, there is nothing left unspoken. She is blatantly honest. Matter of fact. You are able to establish a relationship with her, experience her mistakes, and root for her along the way.

Family also plays a HUGE part in this story. While Cammie is dealing with her own demons, her parents’ marriage is beginning to deteriorate and we see how Cammie’s stalking plays a part in how she deals with this shift in her household. In a lot of the young adult books I’ve read, parents are already divorced and the process of separation rarely takes centerstage. I thought this element of TSC was very strong and true to life. I also enjoyed Cammie’s relationship with her brother. I like siblings who are different but nice. (Cammie and her brother are only a year apart but their age difference seems much larger… you’ll see.)

There are many funny and cringe-worthy moments in The Stalker Chronicles. In the end, it’s the portrait of a girl who wears her self-consciousness on her sleeve. While she displays a certain awareness of all that goes on with kids her age, she does act younger than a typical sophomore in high school. Her immaturity is due to lack of experience and the lack of experience is due to her tendency to blurt out whatever pops into her head and her desire for people to like her and accept her. Who can’t relate to those feelings? I know that I certainly can.

[Rachael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cammie Bliss has a problem. She really just wants to know what’s going on with other people, but sometimes she takes it too far. She just can’t help it. Maybe that’s why everyone at her high school thinks she’s a stalker. Cammie’s not proud of the label, but she doesn’t know what she can do to change people’s minds about her. But when cute new guy Toby moves into town, Cammie realizes that this is her chance. Toby doesn’t know anything about her or her history, and if she doesn’t mess up, he never will. Cammie can be normal for once, at least in one person’s eyes. But old habits die hard, and before she knows it, Cammie is back to her old ways. As the situation at home worsens and her social life plummets even farther, Cammie will have to figure out why she tends to act like a stalker and how to stop before her life completely falls apart.

The Stalker Chronicles is a hilarious yet thoughtful account of one girl’s more unusual high school struggles. What I loved about Cammie’s character was that she knew she had problems and was determined to work them out, even if she didn’t know how. At the same time, though, her issues were definitely not as big as she made them out to be. Cammie really isn’t your classic stalker. Yes, she does follow classmates and goes through someone’s trash in this book, but she does these things because she’s curious and, at the time of those actions, doesn’t realize that what she’s doing isn’t really acceptable. Cammie’s real problem is when it comes to filtering; her inability to determine what’s okay to say or do in social situations is really what gets her into trouble. I would have liked for Moore to be a little more specific as to whether Cammie’s “stalker” problem was just social ineptness or an actual psychological compulsion, and I think it would have made the story stronger. Otherwise, there isn’t that much point to the central focus on stalking. Aside from that, The Stalker Chronicles is a very solid debut, and I look forward to seeing more from Moore in the future.

The Stalker Chronicles will be enjoyed by fans of My Life Undecided by Jessica Brody and Paisley Hanover Kisses and Tells by Cameron Tuttle.

reposted from http://thebookmuncher.blogspot.com

[Julie (Let's Read Good Books) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This is a quirky read, with a protagonist I didn't really want to like, but did. Cammie's stalker behavior is occasionally over the top, so it was no wonder that she didn't have many friends. She knows that what she's doing is wrong, but she just can't stop spying, eavesdropping, and endlessly obsessing about boys, and even her own family. When new kid Toby moves to her small town, she just has to learn every little thing about him, which takes her to new lows and threatens to derail their friendship just as it's finally starting to go somewhere. What Cammie needed was patience. She also needed to just let things work themselves out without her interference. I liked her honesty and her bravery when she finally did accept that she had to stop, and that she had to apologize for being a "freak."

Full review soon at www.mangamaniaccafe.com

[Eliana Cohn]

The book I am currently reading is called the Stalker Chronicles by Carley Moore. I just started reading the book and it seems like I am already going to love it! I feel like that because Cammie the main character seems like a regular girl that doesn't like being the different ways that she is. I also think this book is really about a girl who wants to change her life and try not to be a stalker anymore. Cammie is at sophomore in high school and only has one friend that doesn't see her as a stalker girl. In the beginning she sees a boy that's cute and she is nervous to talk to him. I see that in movie's or read it in books a lot. I just hope that her sophomore year might be one of the best.

[Clarissa]

I read this mostly because I went to see the author read, at a reading that Kenny, at DDG books, sponsored. It was a great evening with both Carley and Madeline George (Looks) reading from their books. They both seem to really capture aspects of high school and teenage life, in a compelling, realistic and funny way ( I say this based more on hearing them read. Though, also I guess on my reading of Looks, which was a few years back). I bought copies of both books for me, as well as for my sister and my niece.


This was a fun and funny and poignant story. I liked the main character, in spite of her obvious "problems" (ah, er, being a stalker...)

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cammie Bliss is trying to overcome her reputation as a stalker. She’s not like a crazy, dangerous stalker. She just has a tendency to go a bit overboard with her attention. Like slipping notes into lockers. Calling a lot and pretending to need homework help. Taking a few – ok lots – of photos of the boy. But that is all behind her. She is a sophomore now and oh so much more mature. But then she meets Toby. He’s the new boy in school and he seems to like Cammie. Will she end up going overboard again and ruin another relationship

[Mrs. Nelson's · Rating 3 out of 5]

Moore's hilarious debut serves as both entertainment and warning to nosy girls everywhere: a stalking reputation is hard to shake! Teens will enjoy reading about Cammie's (the stalker in question) escapades and attempts at redemption - will her classmates ever forget her past? If you've ever been in high school, I think you know the answer to that - but read it anyway, you won't be sorry!
--Review by Lauren

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Moore's hilarious debut serves as both entertainment and warning to nosy girls everywhere: a stalking reputation is hard to shake! Teens will enjoy reading about Cammie's (the stalker in question) escapades and attempts at redemption - will her classmates ever forget her past? If you've ever been in high school, I think you know the answer to that - but read it anyway, you won't be sorry!

[Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was good. It was a quick read, and I finished it way faster than I thought I would. It had short chapters, which was pretty awesome, so I read it even faster. I'd recommend it to all girls.

[ALOK KUMAR · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the book, flaw in the character of Cammi is created wonderfully, but the plot further intensifies after knowing that her brother is dating a girl with separated parents, one of whom is watching their house. Great Read

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not bad! I think this was pretty much a typical teenage novel in a lot of ways, although Cammie was certainly not your typical protagonist. I liked the ending, though!

[Ally · Rating 4 out of 5]

cute. picked it at random

[Bailey · Rating 1 out of 5]

All a little too meta for an unreliable sixteen-year-old narrator obsessed with boys (not romance).
Read an ARC.

[Rhavan]

I loved it. It reminded me of Rachel Vail's "If We Kiss" just a little. But turned into something more. It was funny, weird and just plain beautiful.

[Amber Rivera · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the concept and it was a nice read but I was disappointed in the ending. I wanted to know more. It wasn't really a cliff hanger, just a dead end.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the book this is one of my favorites and I would read this book over and over again I have never read a book this good and I do not like to read so when I picked this book out it opened a whole new world to me now I am discovering books from this author that I love.

[Mary Wyman · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Read it years ago)

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute book. Very unconventional , but a nice story. I wasn’t too thrilled with the lack luster ending, but the chapter before it was nice. Honestly, I relate to Cammie a lot.

[Elaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cammie loves too much and wants to deeply and as such has been labeled a stalker.

[Alaska Rue · Rating 3 out of 5]

To be honest, Cammie really annoyed me. Endlessly. With how crazy she was. I mean, I liked that she was weird and that she talked in streams of consciousness, but it was so irritating how she couldn't control herself, how she couldn't have some dignity for herself. And that she just let things happen to her, didn't speak up for herself. At least she realized she had to change, and actually was brave enough to publish an apology/explanation in the school newspaper. And she got the guy in the end! Her story was interesting enough to keep me till the end even though so much of what she did was so cringe worthy, I literally had to hold the book at arm's length and say, on repeat, "No! Gosh, just why?" I'm glad that the dude still had faith in Cammie in the end, although I thought the ending was really quite sudden and a tad bit too nicely wrapped. Like, what, just like that Cammie turns over a new leaf and can suddenly control her tendencies to stalk? Hmmm... I don't quite buy it. What I did like about the book was that it pointed out that Romeo was a stalker - and also highlighted the truth of double standards in that a guy stalking a girl he's in love with is not so much looked down upon as a girl stalking a guy she's in the love with. I mean, that's a double standard even I myself am guilty of perpetuating. I think it's cute, even sexy, when a guy shows such interest in a girl and isn't afraid to pursue her (although it all depends on how crazy his 'stalking' actually is - there's a point when it becomes dangerous and way too creepy), but so desperate when a girl does the same thing... And I think it comes down to the fact that I prefer reading female protagonists who aren't so easily swayed by guys, who are able to keep their cool and play hard to get, rather than fall into a giggling mess at their feet. Anyways, not the best writing, but still an interesting book to occupy yourself with on the bus or something.

[Loren · Rating 3 out of 5]

From the opening line, Carley Moore grabs you with her confessions of her "stalker" tendencies. You are immediately transported into her world. It's a story about overcoming social adversity in the most comically light sense. It embraces teen melodrama and the deteriorating nuclear family. It is rather entertaining.
Although the adults appeared to be more like concepts than people its excusable when it's our protagonist's perspective. Unfortunately in this case Moore neglects the opportunities to reveal any real depth in these characters in the actions and dialogues that follow. Found that disappointing.
Moore dances on a very thin line between the immaturity through ADD she attempts to express as part of the protag's characteristics and that of herself. By the middle of the book, you ponder whether some of the side storylines are going to be abandoned completely for this emerging main issue on the meaning of relationships.

I try to rate books within the demographic they are trying to engage. As an older youngster, middle school, tween novel, its quite perfect. As a teen novel, not so much. I like to believe this book is aimed towards the former.
Side Note: Question though. Why must so many young adult novels have a main character aspiring to be a writer?
Exhibit A: Perks of Being a Wallflower.
Exhibit B: Youth in Revolt
Exhibit C: This book which of course follows similar layout, but is a much simpler story for younger children.
The only thing I can assume is the story itself is so tied to the author's own obvious personal experiences that they cannot deny their main character from wanting to achieve similar goals in their fictional life. I think it's sweet.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cammie Bliss has been labeled a stalker by the students in her small town for a long time. Back in elementary, she liked a boy and stared at him and followed him around until he yelled at her to leave him alone. Her best friend, Rosie, was trying to help her have a "normal" relationship with a guy now that Cammie was a sophomore in high school. But it is a little difficult when everyone knows about you being a stalker.
One day Tobie came to school.A He had moved in to town so Cammie had a chance before Toby found out about her reputation. Tobie was cute and Cammie didn't take long to start dreaming about Toby. Toby saw them after school by the old, abandoned theater. Toby had a fascination with the theater and wanted to explore it.
Cammie was trying to get over her stalking through writing but that didn't help. Sge went by his house after following him home But he really got upset when he caught her going through his trash out on the curb one night. Also, Cammie's brother, Trevor, was now dating the most popular girl in the school so she was over at the house often. She saw her father watching the house late at night when he thought everyone was in bed. She realized that he was a stalker too, in a way.
Finally Cammie wrote an article about herself telling the truth to all the students and faculty about her stalking. She explained things in the article and through her truthfulness she was able to work things out with Toby.
This is a new angle on an old theme and very well done. An easy read for teens.

[Cecily · Rating 3 out of 5]

pretty much borrowed this book from the library for the lolz because the title was really amusing

this book was kind of boring initially but it got more entertaining especially the small snippets from Cammie's stalking past. I found Cammie really weird, because stalking physically seems normal to her but I've personally never known anyone who would go to that level of extreme
I understand about how Cammie has such a huge crush on those boys to the extent that she would go and stalk them - I mean, I only get the huge crush part but not the stalking uh uh no
Basically Cammie is just an obsessed lovestruck teenager and she's basically outcasted in school and I get why she is.
She actually ends up with Toby in the end whom she had a big crush on and she actually SEARCHED his garbage (shows how stalkerish she is). Toby's actually pretty kindhearted for accepting all the crazy and weird things Cammie had done
This book's kinda realistic but I've never known of anyone who's stalked people physically other than those criminals
It's relatable, how Cammie has the urge to find out about her crushes, but she's a tad bit too obsessive.
I didn't really like how the book was written because the author connected some words like "superboring" which should be "super boring" but I guess it's to make it sound more teenager-ish since the book is in the perspective of Cammie.
Cammie's really weird actually.
Sorry for this stupid and poorly written review I'm really lazy so bye

[San · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was kind of weird to read.The main character( Cammie Bliss) is labeled as a stalker by the people in her school.In my opinion, I didn't really think she was a stalker she was more of a person who was deeply interested in others life. The main character doesn't really tell the readers the reason of why she started stalking.As a reader, I thought that she should have explained more about why she started stalking in the first place.Overall the book was entertaining with quite a few bursts of humor.In some aspects, the book was relatable since it talked about high school and I myself have been in a situation one of the characters has been in.I picked this book up from the library because I really liked the cover but as they say, "don't judge a book by its cover" the story inside the book was totally different from the cover.The book cover is all pink and cute.However, the story inside is a little shocking and sad.