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Thou Shalt Not Dump the Skater Dude and Other Commandments I Have Broken
When she breaks up with her boyfriend, a popular skater named C.J. Logan, Kelsey discovers that he doesn't take rejection well when he begins spreading rumors about her, which forces her to salvage her reputation and reinvent herself as a reporter for the school's newspaper.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published April 21, 2003
47 people are currently reading
825 people want to read
About the author
Rosemary Graham
1 book19 followersRosemary Graham is the author of the YA novels Stalker Girl, Thou Shalt Not Dump the Skater Dude and My Not-So-Terrible Time at the Hippie Hotel. Her books have been among the International Reading Association “Young Adults’ Choices,” the Chicago Public Library’s “Best of the Best,” and the New York Public Library’s “Books for the Teen Age.” Her essays and commentaries have appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, The Santa Monica Review, and on National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered.” She teaches English and Creative Writing at Saint Mary’s College of California and lives in Berkeley with her husband, the writer Kevin Griffin (author of One Breath at a Time: Buddhism and the Twelve Steps, and their daughter.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 165 reviews
February 23, 2025
God this book was cringe. The first part of the book felt so disconnected from the rest. Plus she stalks a guy she met for one summer and says she loves in a matter of days? She was so annoying and I was cringing at her behavior the whole book. Maybe if I read this when I was younger I would have enjoyed this more. But that’s I rated it only two stars.
August 29, 2010
I almost passed on Rosemary Graham’s STALKER GIRL. I couldn’t help but think it might be just a bit too creepy.. a bit too weird... for my tastes. When I browse contemporary YA titles, I generally look for topics and characters I can identify with, and, when I think of words to describe myself, stalker typically doesn’t come to mind. Then I stumbled upon the book trailer and it somehow lodged itself in my mind; I decided to give STALKER GIRL a try. It took only a handful of pages to completely draw me in and I was shocked at what I found.
It turns out, I identified with Carly more than I ever could have imagined. In an interview with the author, I read that STALKER GIRL was originally titled SHE WASN’T ALWAYS LIKE THIS. While I love the straightforward final title and its ability to lure potential readers into browsing the description, I prefer this first incarnation. Like STALKER GIRL, it draws me in, but it also transforms Carly into a more relatable character right from the start. Yes, the main character is a stalker, but she wasn’t always like this. Of course, the reader discovers this as the novel progresses, but, at least in my case, I think I would have been more apt to pick it up right from the start with this title… I would have wanted to know why she had changed.
Understandably, there’s a stigma surrounding the word “stalker.” For me, stalkers just are. There is no before or reason to their creepy, unacceptable behavior. In some cases, like Carly’s, there is a before. And it’s a before that I feel many can relate to. It begins as innocent curiosity. Your serious relationship has ended, perhaps abruptly, and that person you’ve shared so much with has moved on. What does she have that’s so appealing? Why her and not you? Maybe you’ll just look at her Facebook page and glance through her pictures… it’s harmless. Right? But you can’t stop thinking about him. About her. Maybe if you just saw her, you’d understand. So you snoop a bit more and find out that she’s made plans to be here at this time. You’re just going to go for a glimpse… But you still can’t stop.
Of course, most of us wouldn’t take it this far. We’d have friends who would tell us he’s not worth it, that she isn’t even very cute, and that there are plenty of fish in the sea. But if you’re alone, if those thoughts keep bouncing around in your head… multiplying… intensifying - would you be able to hold yourself back? Or would you find that things have twisted in your mind and you now somehow think it might be alright to watch just a little more…?
If Graham had shown Carly after the breakup, I might not have identified so strongly with this story. But Graham handled this intense material with skill. The novel is divided into three sections: after the breakup, leading up to and during the relationship, and the consequences of Carly's obsession. It was the middle section, which comprises the bulk of the volume, that made Carly three-dimensional and a character with traits I could identify with. I drew parallels between Carly’s personality and mine, but was cognizant of our differences as well. I appeared to share a number of personality traits with Carly: jealousy, a tendency towards almost obsessive attention to certain subjects or objects (like books). I found myself analyzing why I’d never wound up in Carly’s position… After all, she’s not crazy, at least, not in the traditional sense. She’s been through a lot, her mind is completely overwhelmed, and things just … start to go a bit haywire.
What I mean to say, is that I understand Carly. I found myself wanting to reach out and help her, guide her, let her know she wasn’t alone. I thought I’d feel protective of the new girlfriend, the stalked, but, in the end, I didn’t. Yes, I understood her feelings as well, but it was still Carly that I felt the connection to. Perhaps it was simply Graham’s phenomenal writing that cast a spell and pulled me into Carly madness… or perhaps it was the fact that we all have that small, dark part of ourselves that threatens this crazed behavior... and Carly’s fate.
Grade: A+
It turns out, I identified with Carly more than I ever could have imagined. In an interview with the author, I read that STALKER GIRL was originally titled SHE WASN’T ALWAYS LIKE THIS. While I love the straightforward final title and its ability to lure potential readers into browsing the description, I prefer this first incarnation. Like STALKER GIRL, it draws me in, but it also transforms Carly into a more relatable character right from the start. Yes, the main character is a stalker, but she wasn’t always like this. Of course, the reader discovers this as the novel progresses, but, at least in my case, I think I would have been more apt to pick it up right from the start with this title… I would have wanted to know why she had changed.
Understandably, there’s a stigma surrounding the word “stalker.” For me, stalkers just are. There is no before or reason to their creepy, unacceptable behavior. In some cases, like Carly’s, there is a before. And it’s a before that I feel many can relate to. It begins as innocent curiosity. Your serious relationship has ended, perhaps abruptly, and that person you’ve shared so much with has moved on. What does she have that’s so appealing? Why her and not you? Maybe you’ll just look at her Facebook page and glance through her pictures… it’s harmless. Right? But you can’t stop thinking about him. About her. Maybe if you just saw her, you’d understand. So you snoop a bit more and find out that she’s made plans to be here at this time. You’re just going to go for a glimpse… But you still can’t stop.
Of course, most of us wouldn’t take it this far. We’d have friends who would tell us he’s not worth it, that she isn’t even very cute, and that there are plenty of fish in the sea. But if you’re alone, if those thoughts keep bouncing around in your head… multiplying… intensifying - would you be able to hold yourself back? Or would you find that things have twisted in your mind and you now somehow think it might be alright to watch just a little more…?
If Graham had shown Carly after the breakup, I might not have identified so strongly with this story. But Graham handled this intense material with skill. The novel is divided into three sections: after the breakup, leading up to and during the relationship, and the consequences of Carly's obsession. It was the middle section, which comprises the bulk of the volume, that made Carly three-dimensional and a character with traits I could identify with. I drew parallels between Carly’s personality and mine, but was cognizant of our differences as well. I appeared to share a number of personality traits with Carly: jealousy, a tendency towards almost obsessive attention to certain subjects or objects (like books). I found myself analyzing why I’d never wound up in Carly’s position… After all, she’s not crazy, at least, not in the traditional sense. She’s been through a lot, her mind is completely overwhelmed, and things just … start to go a bit haywire.
What I mean to say, is that I understand Carly. I found myself wanting to reach out and help her, guide her, let her know she wasn’t alone. I thought I’d feel protective of the new girlfriend, the stalked, but, in the end, I didn’t. Yes, I understood her feelings as well, but it was still Carly that I felt the connection to. Perhaps it was simply Graham’s phenomenal writing that cast a spell and pulled me into Carly madness… or perhaps it was the fact that we all have that small, dark part of ourselves that threatens this crazed behavior... and Carly’s fate.
Grade: A+
December 26, 2010
Stalker Girl sounded very promising, mysterious, and I was ready to be blown away with the way the blurb and the cover jacket's were selling the novel. The cover is awesome too as it ties in with the title. Unfortunately, this book wasn't very memorable, and it took me a while to get through. I was constantly picking this up, putting it down, and picking it up again. Each time, I only managed to read a few pages.
The storyline is very promising, refreshing, and it definitely appealed to me. However, I just didn't like Graham's approach to it. I didn't want the story to be divided into parts. I wanted a story told in chronological order. I wanted to hear the story of how Carly and Brian got together, how they broke up, and how she became a Stalker Girl. I didn't want Carly to start out as Stalker Girl and then let the story unravel by telling the readers what happened before. Sure, it might have added a spark of mystery and suspense to the story, but mostly, I was just annoyed. I KNEW fairly well what had led Carly to the point where she became obsessive already, almost as soon as Carly mentioned the intricate family dynamics, and really didn't need the author to drag it out some more. And with the weird time shifts, I was just dumbfounded and left scrambling to figure out whether Carly was talking about the present or the past.
Overall, this is an interesting story, but fails to deliver all the way through. While Part 2 might have been the most interesting part, I felt like things were so predictable, and I was just bored. I wanted Stalker Girl to pick up the pace and take us to Carly's obsessive path already, but it would be a long time before that happened. The novel did wrap up nicely enough though, but this ultimately wasn't a book that caught my utmost attention.
The storyline is very promising, refreshing, and it definitely appealed to me. However, I just didn't like Graham's approach to it. I didn't want the story to be divided into parts. I wanted a story told in chronological order. I wanted to hear the story of how Carly and Brian got together, how they broke up, and how she became a Stalker Girl. I didn't want Carly to start out as Stalker Girl and then let the story unravel by telling the readers what happened before. Sure, it might have added a spark of mystery and suspense to the story, but mostly, I was just annoyed. I KNEW fairly well what had led Carly to the point where she became obsessive already, almost as soon as Carly mentioned the intricate family dynamics, and really didn't need the author to drag it out some more. And with the weird time shifts, I was just dumbfounded and left scrambling to figure out whether Carly was talking about the present or the past.
Overall, this is an interesting story, but fails to deliver all the way through. While Part 2 might have been the most interesting part, I felt like things were so predictable, and I was just bored. I wanted Stalker Girl to pick up the pace and take us to Carly's obsessive path already, but it would be a long time before that happened. The novel did wrap up nicely enough though, but this ultimately wasn't a book that caught my utmost attention.
September 15, 2012
Most of the time I go to the library I already know which books I want to get, but occasionally I randomly pull books off the shelf based on the title/cover without any prior knowledge of the author or book. This is one of those.
Thou Shalt Not Dump the Skater Dude is one of those weird books that is really easy to read, but when you're done you kind of sit there and go "huh?"
Kelsey is in the 8th grade at the start of this book and has just been forced to move from Boston to California due to her parents divorce. She attends a very small, very posh private school where she's an outcast because the entire school has been together since childhood and the cliques are air tight.
The summer after 8th grade she is at a skate park and meets CJ Logan, who is a popular boy and a semi-famous skateboarder (competes in X Games, etc). The two hit it off and when Kelsey starts high school (at the public high school, she talked her parents into letting her go there), she is suddenly popular because of her boyfriend. They date for the entire 9th grade year.
Unfortunately, though CJ is never a jerk, Kelsey realizes that he's not the one for her. His skateboarding comes first and outside of that, he and Kelsey don't really have much in common. She dumps him at the end of 9th grade year.
CJ doesn't take it well and posts one mean post on his blog. A lot of anonymous people on the internet post some mean things about Kelsey. When Kelsey starts 10th grade, she is no longer part of the popular skateboarder circle of friends.
This is where I expected things to get worse for her. The title makes it seem like she is a pariah because she had the nerve to dump CJ. The blurb makes it sound like the repercussions of breaking it off with him were so important. It makes it sound like SOMETHING bad happened to her because of dumping CJ. It ended up that the blog post was about it.
Instead, Kelsey joins the school newspaper, flirts with newspaper editor Nathan, hangs out with her friend Amy, and basically suffers no real issues at school other than not being friends with CJ's friends anymore. And come on, that's pretty normal in a breakup. They were CJ's friends first, they all skateboard with CJ on a regular basis, they never hung out with Kelsey outside of skateboarding events/parties ... did she expect them to be BFFs with her when she and CJ split?
The whole thing with Nathan was strange as well. There's a lot of buildup between Nathan and Kelsey for a relationship to start, and at the end they have this awkward conversation where they agree they shouldn't start a relationship.
But then in the epilogue there is a hint that Kelsey is involved with someone.
Was it necessary to leave it that open ended?
Then, to make matters worse, the author acts like a complete bitch on her blog because people are googling to find out if Nathan and Kelsey got together. Not because people are e-mailing her, not because they're bugging her personally in any way, they're GOOGLING it.
I only ended up on her blog because there is a website listed on the inside cover of the book stating that you can read CJ's version of events on his website (cjloganland.com) which is now defunct. I checked the blog to see if anything was there, and there was nothing other than the blog post CJ posted inside of the actual novel.
Here's a blog post she wrote:
This morning I got a Google alert about my second novel, Thou Shalt Not Dump the Skater Dude. I don’t know why I still have this alert set up. The book’s five years old and when I do hear from Google, it’s usually because someone has decided to put their copy up for sale on Amazon or Ebay for a nickel (plus shipping). But every once in awhile it’s because someone’s blogging about it or recommending it or something nice like that and so I don’t delete it.
But today’s Google alert makes me think maybe it’s time. It led me to a site called Cha Cha, where lazy and stupid people ask questions like “Why do split ends happen and what exactly are they?” (Didn’t know they assigned research papers in Cosmetology school) and “Who is leading the NFC east in the NFL?”
I don’t know the answer to either of these questions off the top of my head but I’m certain I could find more reliable answers elsewhere on the Internet in less time than it took for those people to go to Cha Cha and type them out.
The Skater Dude question posted was “Do the characters end up together in the end of the book Thou Shalt Not Dump the Skater Dude, by rosemary graham?
Dude. I get that you aren’t a big reader and you have this stupid book report due tomorrow and you have better things to do with your time. But why not just open the book to the final pages and see for yourself?
And to the person who googled “Is there any metaphores in thou shalt not dump the skater dude?” Here’s your answer:
Link to post: People Do Your Own Homework
I realize the post is almost 2 years old, but still. What a terrible attitude. While I'm not letting that color my review of this book, I definitely will be avoiding books from this author in the future.
Thou Shalt Not Dump the Skater Dude is one of those weird books that is really easy to read, but when you're done you kind of sit there and go "huh?"
Kelsey is in the 8th grade at the start of this book and has just been forced to move from Boston to California due to her parents divorce. She attends a very small, very posh private school where she's an outcast because the entire school has been together since childhood and the cliques are air tight.
The summer after 8th grade she is at a skate park and meets CJ Logan, who is a popular boy and a semi-famous skateboarder (competes in X Games, etc). The two hit it off and when Kelsey starts high school (at the public high school, she talked her parents into letting her go there), she is suddenly popular because of her boyfriend. They date for the entire 9th grade year.
Unfortunately, though CJ is never a jerk, Kelsey realizes that he's not the one for her. His skateboarding comes first and outside of that, he and Kelsey don't really have much in common. She dumps him at the end of 9th grade year.
CJ doesn't take it well and posts one mean post on his blog. A lot of anonymous people on the internet post some mean things about Kelsey. When Kelsey starts 10th grade, she is no longer part of the popular skateboarder circle of friends.
This is where I expected things to get worse for her. The title makes it seem like she is a pariah because she had the nerve to dump CJ. The blurb makes it sound like the repercussions of breaking it off with him were so important. It makes it sound like SOMETHING bad happened to her because of dumping CJ. It ended up that the blog post was about it.
Instead, Kelsey joins the school newspaper, flirts with newspaper editor Nathan, hangs out with her friend Amy, and basically suffers no real issues at school other than not being friends with CJ's friends anymore. And come on, that's pretty normal in a breakup. They were CJ's friends first, they all skateboard with CJ on a regular basis, they never hung out with Kelsey outside of skateboarding events/parties ... did she expect them to be BFFs with her when she and CJ split?
The whole thing with Nathan was strange as well. There's a lot of buildup between Nathan and Kelsey for a relationship to start, and at the end they have this awkward conversation where they agree they shouldn't start a relationship.
But then in the epilogue there is a hint that Kelsey is involved with someone.
Was it necessary to leave it that open ended?
Then, to make matters worse, the author acts like a complete bitch on her blog because people are googling to find out if Nathan and Kelsey got together. Not because people are e-mailing her, not because they're bugging her personally in any way, they're GOOGLING it.
I only ended up on her blog because there is a website listed on the inside cover of the book stating that you can read CJ's version of events on his website (cjloganland.com) which is now defunct. I checked the blog to see if anything was there, and there was nothing other than the blog post CJ posted inside of the actual novel.
Here's a blog post she wrote:
This morning I got a Google alert about my second novel, Thou Shalt Not Dump the Skater Dude. I don’t know why I still have this alert set up. The book’s five years old and when I do hear from Google, it’s usually because someone has decided to put their copy up for sale on Amazon or Ebay for a nickel (plus shipping). But every once in awhile it’s because someone’s blogging about it or recommending it or something nice like that and so I don’t delete it.
But today’s Google alert makes me think maybe it’s time. It led me to a site called Cha Cha, where lazy and stupid people ask questions like “Why do split ends happen and what exactly are they?” (Didn’t know they assigned research papers in Cosmetology school) and “Who is leading the NFC east in the NFL?”
I don’t know the answer to either of these questions off the top of my head but I’m certain I could find more reliable answers elsewhere on the Internet in less time than it took for those people to go to Cha Cha and type them out.
The Skater Dude question posted was “Do the characters end up together in the end of the book Thou Shalt Not Dump the Skater Dude, by rosemary graham?
Dude. I get that you aren’t a big reader and you have this stupid book report due tomorrow and you have better things to do with your time. But why not just open the book to the final pages and see for yourself?
And to the person who googled “Is there any metaphores in thou shalt not dump the skater dude?” Here’s your answer:
Link to post: People Do Your Own Homework
I realize the post is almost 2 years old, but still. What a terrible attitude. While I'm not letting that color my review of this book, I definitely will be avoiding books from this author in the future.
October 6, 2008
Before C.J. Logan, Kelsey was an outcast. In the snotty all girls’ school she attended, she was ignored and friendless. She finally takes initiative and decides to try out a public school. There, she meets C.J. Logan, a competitive Skater Dude. To her surprise, he’s actually interested in her! But she soon finds out that everything about C.J’s life revolves around skateboarding. For the first year, Kelsey is living blissfully. Soon, she realizes that it’s time to dump him. When she does, however, her social life takes another drastic turn. No one dumps a Skater Dude. The Skater Dude dumps you.
My Not-So-Terrible Time at the Hippie Hotel was better. MUCH better. I’m just saying.
I guess I got hooked by the title. Thou Shalt Not Dump the Skater Dude. Very catchy. Like a clash between Shakespeare’s time and modern society. I liked the blurb too. I read it and thought, “Oh joy, the girl dumps the golden boy! Woot!” That writing path has not been taken too many times. It’s always the girl who wants to cling hard onto the golden boy. And I also got the sense that the main character could represent a teenager who didn’t count on having a boyfriend to get through high school life. I definitely respected that.
However. Very choppy. I don’t like the format. But it’s not just about my disliking it. The format just doesn’t work. It makes the story messy. It spoils all the fun. Start from the beginning. End with the ending. Don’t start with the ending and promptly flesh out the rest of the story in summarization. That’s just all I felt there was. I don’t care for summaries. (Being the hypocritical me, I must say that I write summaries in reviews. But this doesn’t count!) I like details—the juicy ones, not the lame descriptions of wooden sheds or backdrops (there wasn’t any in this story, but I’m just generalizing here). Alas, also kind of lame. I think it has to do with the starting age of the protagonist. I’m just above and beyond reading about girls under 14. Even girls who are 14 and 15 make me anxious. 17 year olds are my hype now. And not just because I’m seventeen years old myself, either. I like that mature coming of age novel, and this just wasn’t it. It has a decent message, but I wouldn’t shelve it under Young Adult. It just seems very childish to me.
My Not-So-Terrible Time at the Hippie Hotel was better. MUCH better. I’m just saying.
I guess I got hooked by the title. Thou Shalt Not Dump the Skater Dude. Very catchy. Like a clash between Shakespeare’s time and modern society. I liked the blurb too. I read it and thought, “Oh joy, the girl dumps the golden boy! Woot!” That writing path has not been taken too many times. It’s always the girl who wants to cling hard onto the golden boy. And I also got the sense that the main character could represent a teenager who didn’t count on having a boyfriend to get through high school life. I definitely respected that.
However. Very choppy. I don’t like the format. But it’s not just about my disliking it. The format just doesn’t work. It makes the story messy. It spoils all the fun. Start from the beginning. End with the ending. Don’t start with the ending and promptly flesh out the rest of the story in summarization. That’s just all I felt there was. I don’t care for summaries. (Being the hypocritical me, I must say that I write summaries in reviews. But this doesn’t count!) I like details—the juicy ones, not the lame descriptions of wooden sheds or backdrops (there wasn’t any in this story, but I’m just generalizing here). Alas, also kind of lame. I think it has to do with the starting age of the protagonist. I’m just above and beyond reading about girls under 14. Even girls who are 14 and 15 make me anxious. 17 year olds are my hype now. And not just because I’m seventeen years old myself, either. I like that mature coming of age novel, and this just wasn’t it. It has a decent message, but I wouldn’t shelve it under Young Adult. It just seems very childish to me.
June 5, 2014
At first the beginning was a bit boring. I first thought of not finishing it. But I was glad I did. This book is separated into three parts. The third part was the best and most interesting. Heres a summery of each part.
Part one:
It is only like four chapters. It starts of as Carly following Taylor Deen who we later find she is the second most important character. She follows Taylor who is taking picture of the many things (the pictures are going to be important later on. She tells about how she had the best boyfriend and how she was replaced by Taylor. All she wanted was a glance at the girl who is now Brian's girlfriend. But after that Carly wanted to know everything about Taylor's perfect life. She wanted to stop but couldn't.
Part two:
This part is about how she finds out her mother is separating from her boyfriend Nick and they have a six year old daughter named Jess. Her mother and her are going to work at a summer camp where Jess will be attending and getting money to help find a new house for them. Carly works on kitchen duty and there she meets Brian, his brother Avery and his cousin Liam. They are in a band named the Quinn (for their last night). Brian and Carly get closer and learn about each other. He takes her to meet his mother where they live at their dead grandmother's house. The band is getting popular and their relationship is getting good and everyone is happy. But the more popular the band the more girls like them. Carly turns possessive and jealous. She acts not like her self and goes through Brian's phone and gets mad when he was talking with a girl. Thats the last straw and he breaks up with her. Soon he meets Taylor and Carly wants to get to know about Taylor.
Part three:
We learn that Taylor finds out that from the picture she takes she sees Carly in disguise following her. She goes to the lawyer and now the investigation starts. Carly tells everything and we hear about how she stalked her for a while. She once went to a concert with Brian's band and said her name was Taylor Deen. She then ran out when the security found out she was an impostor. Another time on Friday, there was an art auction at a museum that was connected with Taylor's house. She went and went inside the house. She went to Taylor's room and turned on the computer. On a web cam Brian's face comes up and he thinks it Taylor. But the notices its Taylor. He calls the police, and he is arrested. That is how it all came up to this.
They make arrangements and Carly is off the hook.She is now going to do other stuff and is getting help. She did her collage application and is now with her best friend Val. Things are getting better for her. The ending was really good and I'm happy that things are getting better for Carly. You know even thought the things Carly did, you know she wasn't a bad person. Did wrong things, but we all do things we don't expect. Its life.
Overall this was a good book. I first thought it would disappoint me, but I was wrong. I'm glad I gave it another chance. You should too. If you feel like a book is getting bad but you should also continue and maybe you will be surprised by the ending. It taught me a lot and even though Carly was a little wired for a main character, she had a good heart and didn't really know what she was doing.
Part one:
It is only like four chapters. It starts of as Carly following Taylor Deen who we later find she is the second most important character. She follows Taylor who is taking picture of the many things (the pictures are going to be important later on. She tells about how she had the best boyfriend and how she was replaced by Taylor. All she wanted was a glance at the girl who is now Brian's girlfriend. But after that Carly wanted to know everything about Taylor's perfect life. She wanted to stop but couldn't.
Part two:
This part is about how she finds out her mother is separating from her boyfriend Nick and they have a six year old daughter named Jess. Her mother and her are going to work at a summer camp where Jess will be attending and getting money to help find a new house for them. Carly works on kitchen duty and there she meets Brian, his brother Avery and his cousin Liam. They are in a band named the Quinn (for their last night). Brian and Carly get closer and learn about each other. He takes her to meet his mother where they live at their dead grandmother's house. The band is getting popular and their relationship is getting good and everyone is happy. But the more popular the band the more girls like them. Carly turns possessive and jealous. She acts not like her self and goes through Brian's phone and gets mad when he was talking with a girl. Thats the last straw and he breaks up with her. Soon he meets Taylor and Carly wants to get to know about Taylor.
Part three:
We learn that Taylor finds out that from the picture she takes she sees Carly in disguise following her. She goes to the lawyer and now the investigation starts. Carly tells everything and we hear about how she stalked her for a while. She once went to a concert with Brian's band and said her name was Taylor Deen. She then ran out when the security found out she was an impostor. Another time on Friday, there was an art auction at a museum that was connected with Taylor's house. She went and went inside the house. She went to Taylor's room and turned on the computer. On a web cam Brian's face comes up and he thinks it Taylor. But the notices its Taylor. He calls the police, and he is arrested. That is how it all came up to this.
They make arrangements and Carly is off the hook.She is now going to do other stuff and is getting help. She did her collage application and is now with her best friend Val. Things are getting better for her. The ending was really good and I'm happy that things are getting better for Carly. You know even thought the things Carly did, you know she wasn't a bad person. Did wrong things, but we all do things we don't expect. Its life.
Overall this was a good book. I first thought it would disappoint me, but I was wrong. I'm glad I gave it another chance. You should too. If you feel like a book is getting bad but you should also continue and maybe you will be surprised by the ending. It taught me a lot and even though Carly was a little wired for a main character, she had a good heart and didn't really know what she was doing.
May 3, 2010
My opinion is firmly on the fence when it comes to Stalker Girl. The emotion in the book was so spot on. The pain, loss, fear and denial experienced during a romantic break-up felt throughout the novel was breathtakingly expressed. I can't deny that Carly's feelings became my feelings. Unfortunately, the escalation of her stalking her ex-boyfriend's new girlfriend crossed into the ludicrous.
In the beginning, Carly's need to know about Brian's new girlfriend seemed normal. We saw the entire relationship between Carly and Brian and knew the loss she was feeling. Wanting to know who she lost him to is understandable. But then she crossed a line into sheer craziness. Perhaps if she had been stalking Brian the lengths she went to would have been a little bit more realistic. Her focus on the girlfriend took the book somewhere reasonably sane females just don't go, making it very hard to relate to Carly and ultimately alienated me completely.
Stalker Girl is a fun, honest and well written book, but it lost me towards the end. Even someone spiraling out of control has limits, which was forgotten somewhere in this book.
In the beginning, Carly's need to know about Brian's new girlfriend seemed normal. We saw the entire relationship between Carly and Brian and knew the loss she was feeling. Wanting to know who she lost him to is understandable. But then she crossed a line into sheer craziness. Perhaps if she had been stalking Brian the lengths she went to would have been a little bit more realistic. Her focus on the girlfriend took the book somewhere reasonably sane females just don't go, making it very hard to relate to Carly and ultimately alienated me completely.
Stalker Girl is a fun, honest and well written book, but it lost me towards the end. Even someone spiraling out of control has limits, which was forgotten somewhere in this book.
October 24, 2011
SO MUCH cringing, second hand embarrassment. There were a couple of times I couldn't force myself to go on because the protagonist dug herself such a deep, humiliating hole.
January 1, 2016
2.5 stars
June 17, 2024
rich white girl goes on and on about her mid skater boy ex and how his chipped tooth felt against her tongue
January 25, 2009
Kelsey is less than pleased when her mother informs her they’ll be moving to California prior to her eighth grade year. On top of this, she’ll be enrolled in Susan B. Anthony—a high profile, exclusive private school for girls. Which, as Kelsey will soon inform you, is not at all what it’s cracked up to be. Despite it’s pleasant PR promises, Kelsey’s only friend that first year comes from outside the school. And if not for shared family events, she and Amy might never have hit it off either.
When her parents start pushing for a Private High School as well, Kelsey knows she has to take action. Making a compelling argument, she gets them to agree to consider EBH, the Public High School, as long as she will at least tour Scholastic—the most prestigious of the private schools. In the end, with the promise to enroll in extracurricular activities, Kelsey wins the argument, and life seems to be looking up. Until she’s informed she’ll be spending her summer babysitting her little brother at the Skate Park.
The idea enthralls neither of the siblings, who strike a deal. Josh will skate, Kelsey will sit off in the park reading, and they will only communicate when necessary. Things run along smoothly until the day Kelsey decides to take a go at the skating bowl herself. Not having skated in some time, she quickly proceeds to take a face plant. Not only that, when the famous C.J. Logan comes to lend her a hand, she elbows him in the jaw. But none of it seems to matter. He becomes her brother’s personal mentor, and she becomes his girl.
And so goes Freshman year. Watching skate practice in the afternoons, going to competitions on the weekends. Her family loves C.J., and his family, but wants to know what’s happened to the activities she was excited about. Realizing she may lose her right to public school, Kelsey signs up for yearbook, where almost nothing is expected of her.
When the end of the school year hits, after betraying Amy when she was in need, losing half of her special day with C.J. to skating yet again, and realizing she’s not much more to him than a Fan with benefits, Kelsey calls it quits. C.J. took it hard. Worried about him, Kelsey logged on to his blog on summer day to see if he was alright, only to discover herself being bashed. When she attempts to defend herself, she only makes it worse, as he responds with even more lies.
Sophomore year looms, and Kelsey feels only dread. Amy assures her that it will have blown over by then. That other people have their own drama, and won’t be obsessing over hers. Still, now forced with dealing with the big questions of who she is and where she’s going with her life, Kelsey approaches the year with mild trepidation.
This is actually a really enjoyable book to read, for all that it centers around so many unhappy topics. The narration is so blunt and straightforward, it’s hard not to laugh. Because looking back, even Kelsey knows she should have known better. And at some time, haven’t we all?
When her parents start pushing for a Private High School as well, Kelsey knows she has to take action. Making a compelling argument, she gets them to agree to consider EBH, the Public High School, as long as she will at least tour Scholastic—the most prestigious of the private schools. In the end, with the promise to enroll in extracurricular activities, Kelsey wins the argument, and life seems to be looking up. Until she’s informed she’ll be spending her summer babysitting her little brother at the Skate Park.
The idea enthralls neither of the siblings, who strike a deal. Josh will skate, Kelsey will sit off in the park reading, and they will only communicate when necessary. Things run along smoothly until the day Kelsey decides to take a go at the skating bowl herself. Not having skated in some time, she quickly proceeds to take a face plant. Not only that, when the famous C.J. Logan comes to lend her a hand, she elbows him in the jaw. But none of it seems to matter. He becomes her brother’s personal mentor, and she becomes his girl.
And so goes Freshman year. Watching skate practice in the afternoons, going to competitions on the weekends. Her family loves C.J., and his family, but wants to know what’s happened to the activities she was excited about. Realizing she may lose her right to public school, Kelsey signs up for yearbook, where almost nothing is expected of her.
When the end of the school year hits, after betraying Amy when she was in need, losing half of her special day with C.J. to skating yet again, and realizing she’s not much more to him than a Fan with benefits, Kelsey calls it quits. C.J. took it hard. Worried about him, Kelsey logged on to his blog on summer day to see if he was alright, only to discover herself being bashed. When she attempts to defend herself, she only makes it worse, as he responds with even more lies.
Sophomore year looms, and Kelsey feels only dread. Amy assures her that it will have blown over by then. That other people have their own drama, and won’t be obsessing over hers. Still, now forced with dealing with the big questions of who she is and where she’s going with her life, Kelsey approaches the year with mild trepidation.
This is actually a really enjoyable book to read, for all that it centers around so many unhappy topics. The narration is so blunt and straightforward, it’s hard not to laugh. Because looking back, even Kelsey knows she should have known better. And at some time, haven’t we all?
September 10, 2010
Stalker Girl was a fantastic novel that I devoured from first page to last. Stalking is something I'm not that familiar with, and this novel had me on the edge of my seat, wanting to know how things were going to turn out for Carly and the rest of the characters.
To start off, the novel was divided into three sections. I liked being able to see so many different parts of Carly and to understand the person she was before things went too far. I've never had much of an idea about the different kinds of stalking there is. To me it just seemed like a person creeping around, looking in windows, etc, not a teenage girl with her whole life ahead of her and who normally has a solid head on her shoulders.
Carly was a likable and well developed main character. I liked being able to see the person she was before the break up and to see how she wasn't always like she was towards the middle of the novel. Carly meets Brian at camp and their relationship is perfect, at first. They spend time together and are really happy. But then Carly starts to become a little too clingy...and Brian breaks things off.
Now I could understand Carly's actions at first. She was curious about Brian's new girlfriend, Taylor, so looked up her Facebook page. Okay that's enough right? You see what she looks like and her hobbies and that's it. Wrong. Carly begins to follow Taylor around and soon it's an obsession. She just can't stop trying to find out more about Taylor and her relationship with Brian.
Unfortunately Carly is also dealing with a lot at home. Her mother just broke up with her long time boyfriend and moved Carly and her half sister away from the home both of them had known for twelve years. Carly's father is spending most of his time preparing for his new baby and has to cancel his summer plans with Carly. Even Carly's best friend is busy with her own boyfriend...so Carly really doesn't have many people to turn to and has endless amounts of free time.
Stalker Girl was an original and well executed novel that had me glued to the pages from the start. I liked being able to watch Carly change and by the end of the novel I couldn't believe how far things had gone. I couldn't exactly relate to Carly, but I sympathized with her and only wanted her obsession to end.
Overall, Stalker Girl is an interesting and unique look at how one person can change so much and become so obsessed with another person that they lose sight of who they really are. I definitely recommend picking this up, it will draw you in and hold you until the final page. I can't wait to read more by Rosemary Graham!
Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars
To start off, the novel was divided into three sections. I liked being able to see so many different parts of Carly and to understand the person she was before things went too far. I've never had much of an idea about the different kinds of stalking there is. To me it just seemed like a person creeping around, looking in windows, etc, not a teenage girl with her whole life ahead of her and who normally has a solid head on her shoulders.
Carly was a likable and well developed main character. I liked being able to see the person she was before the break up and to see how she wasn't always like she was towards the middle of the novel. Carly meets Brian at camp and their relationship is perfect, at first. They spend time together and are really happy. But then Carly starts to become a little too clingy...and Brian breaks things off.
Now I could understand Carly's actions at first. She was curious about Brian's new girlfriend, Taylor, so looked up her Facebook page. Okay that's enough right? You see what she looks like and her hobbies and that's it. Wrong. Carly begins to follow Taylor around and soon it's an obsession. She just can't stop trying to find out more about Taylor and her relationship with Brian.
Unfortunately Carly is also dealing with a lot at home. Her mother just broke up with her long time boyfriend and moved Carly and her half sister away from the home both of them had known for twelve years. Carly's father is spending most of his time preparing for his new baby and has to cancel his summer plans with Carly. Even Carly's best friend is busy with her own boyfriend...so Carly really doesn't have many people to turn to and has endless amounts of free time.
Stalker Girl was an original and well executed novel that had me glued to the pages from the start. I liked being able to watch Carly change and by the end of the novel I couldn't believe how far things had gone. I couldn't exactly relate to Carly, but I sympathized with her and only wanted her obsession to end.
Overall, Stalker Girl is an interesting and unique look at how one person can change so much and become so obsessed with another person that they lose sight of who they really are. I definitely recommend picking this up, it will draw you in and hold you until the final page. I can't wait to read more by Rosemary Graham!
Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars
June 24, 2010
I don't know what to say about this book. Clearly the description caught my attention, as I wouldn't have signed on for the blog tour otherwise. I don't really know what I was expecting, but the best I can say (overall) is that it's just OK.
Broken into three Parts, I thought the break-up of the story worked. Stalking, background, aftermath. But, I could barely make it through Part 1. It just didn't hold my interest. I kept reading simply because I had agreed to do so for a blog tour.
I will say that it was better in the other two parts. I think, of them all, Part 2 was the best. I really felt I got to know Carly and I could feel for her. Poor thing was under a LOT of stress.
I honestly am not entirely sure what it is, but there's just something I don't like about this book. I can't put my finger on it. But, there were parts I liked enough to label this one "just OK" rather than "didn't like."
Long-ish story short: I'm glad I didn't buy this book. I don't see myself reading this again. If someone asked me about it (without having read this review), I'd probably hem and haw. "Eh, it was OK ..."
Broken into three Parts, I thought the break-up of the story worked. Stalking, background, aftermath. But, I could barely make it through Part 1. It just didn't hold my interest. I kept reading simply because I had agreed to do so for a blog tour.
I will say that it was better in the other two parts. I think, of them all, Part 2 was the best. I really felt I got to know Carly and I could feel for her. Poor thing was under a LOT of stress.
I honestly am not entirely sure what it is, but there's just something I don't like about this book. I can't put my finger on it. But, there were parts I liked enough to label this one "just OK" rather than "didn't like."
Long-ish story short: I'm glad I didn't buy this book. I don't see myself reading this again. If someone asked me about it (without having read this review), I'd probably hem and haw. "Eh, it was OK ..."
October 30, 2018
This book got three stars because it started off well when talking about the different lives of kids with divorced parents. It really helps any reader understand from the kids perspective. When Tracy goes to the Camp for children and their parents to bond and spend time, I thought she had very low self esteem and she showed that she didn’t think highly of herself at all. As the book progressives it gets a little slow in the middle and I started to lose interest. It picks up again when Tracy meets Kevin, her crush, and they start to hang out. When they hang out its really simple, cute, and happy which i think is why I liked it. She starts gaining more and more confidence as the book goes on and you can see that Kevin and her friends really built her up. I think this is a good book if you want something enjoyable to read. I didn’t like the middle of the book but thought it got good again as it ended. I believed the author did a really good job of showing what your first love is like and how that feels.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 26, 2020
The book starts out with Carly in the act of stalking, as she follows the new gf across the city. However that's only a few chapters worth. The main bulk of this book is about Carly and Brian, and how they came to be/fell apart.
The last bit of book goes into the stalking again, and was the most interesting part for me. It definitely wasn't as heavy into the stalking as I thought it would be, it was alot more about the relationship history, which wasnt what I bought the book for tbh. I wanted more creepy stuff, but that's just me. Others may appreciate knowing the history and knowing WHY she became a stalker, but it was underwhelming for me
The last bit of book goes into the stalking again, and was the most interesting part for me. It definitely wasn't as heavy into the stalking as I thought it would be, it was alot more about the relationship history, which wasnt what I bought the book for tbh. I wanted more creepy stuff, but that's just me. Others may appreciate knowing the history and knowing WHY she became a stalker, but it was underwhelming for me
Read
June 14, 2010The idea of this book seemed really great and I had been wanting to read it for a while. I tried, trust me I did, but I just couldn't get past the first part. I know the story is divided up in three sections, but it just didn't grab me.
May 31, 2024
I have always been of the belief that actions should have actual consequences not people being shielded because they made a mistake, when that mistake was indeed not a mistake at all. For starters, I fear that I didn't really enjoy this book because there wasn't enough stalking. Like I loved some of the other plot points in this book like the band (especially the relationship between the boys and their grandma), the blog, some of the camp scenes, Nick, the main character's father's archeology obsession, Jess, the toxicity of the private school, Val and her family's restaurant especially that scene with their special guest, and the messiness of the divorce. But, I wanted more stalking in that book, for a book called "Stalker Girl" the actual act of stalking and even just focus on it was overshadowed by everything else in the book. Also, the main character was so annoying and pathetic, I couldn't stand her. Her mom also really got on my nerves especially after some rude comments that she made.
December 6, 2019
Main character was very unlikeable so it was hard to relate to her. She came off as boy crazy and whiny and never really took responsibility for her actions always saying, "she couldn't help it", etc.
Her unlikeability and inability to grow as a person overshadowed the parts that were necessary to readers such as parents breaking up, a whole life in upheaval and the failure of a relationship.
Her unlikeability and inability to grow as a person overshadowed the parts that were necessary to readers such as parents breaking up, a whole life in upheaval and the failure of a relationship.
January 23, 2020
I thought this book was going to be creepy, but there was actually a lot of mystery and drama. The main character was obsessed over her first love's (now ex-boyfriend) new girlfriend. She wanted to know what made her so much better. The book was separated into 3 parts. Each was more interesting. Carly had internal and external conflicts that helped the story.
January 23, 2018
I enjoy young adult novels from time to time and this was a pretty good one. While Carly does indeed do "stalkerish" things, I felt for this 17 year old girl whose life has been thrown some curveballs during a pivotal time of her life. Well written without going over the top.
February 25, 2018
The most cliché book i have ever read.
I was completely disappointed with this book!!! It was just so repetitive at times. I didn't love the writing style and the way the characters develop. TBH, this book would be on my “WORST BOOKS...OF ALL TIME”
I was completely disappointed with this book!!! It was just so repetitive at times. I didn't love the writing style and the way the characters develop. TBH, this book would be on my “WORST BOOKS...OF ALL TIME”
September 24, 2024
This book was ok. Kelsey is dating a famous skateboarder and when she dumps him, rumors fly. She has to navigate high school while avoiding the drama. Overall, a fun read but not one I would read again.
May 7, 2017
Interesting tale of a girl who become obsessive over a boyfriend which leads her to some disturbing behavior.
June 4, 2019
It's good to read
October 6, 2019
This book was well-written, but it was just so so for me. It wasn't bad, but not my favorite YA book.
The author is a good writer. I would recommend her book, but it just wasn't my favorite.
The author is a good writer. I would recommend her book, but it just wasn't my favorite.
September 27, 2025
oh my God get to the POINTTTT
there was so much potential. man
there was so much potential. man
March 20, 2017
The book Stalker Girl is about this girl named Carly falling in love with this guy named Brain at summer camp. When the end of summer reaches they have to go there suppurated ways. They try the long distance relationship and it doesn't turn out going well so Brain ends things between them too. When Carly finds out Brain has a new girl friends Taylor she starts doing things she never thought about doing. Some positive things about this text is that its not just about there relationship there is stuff about each of there life in the book and how each of them have there problems. Some negative things is that there are 3 parts in this story and it gets kind of confusing because you would think that a story goes in order but this one doesn't. If you are looking for a changeling book you should try this ones first, PS. I think girls will like it wayyyyyy more then boys will.
June 1, 2012
I wish I could give this book a 3.5 stars. It was actually pretty good as far as readability and likeability of the main character. The only problem I had was the fact that the story told had very little to do with the premise of the entire book.
Kelsey is forced to move across the country to Berkley, California, after her parents divorce. She spends a miserable and lonely 8th grade year in a posh private all-girls school, so when she catches the eye of super-hot, celebrity skateboarder dude C.J. Logan over the summer, she realizes how lucky she is. She begins freshman year at East Bay High as the girlfriend of the coolest guy on campus, the benefits of which include insta-popularity and the envy of every girl in school.
But life as C.J.'s girlfriend isn't all it's cracked up to be. Sure, he's cute, and their makeout sessions are hotter than hot. But C.J. doesn't seem to know that there is a world outside of the skatepark. When C.J. begins to take Kelsey for granted again and again, she comes to realize she's really nothing more than a glorified groupie with the formal title of "girlfriend". She breaks it off with C.J. and looks forward to moving on to better things.
As you might expect, a self-centered guy like C.J. doesn't take getting dumped so well. He uses the internet to spread all kinds of lies about Kelsey, and she begins her sophomore year as a social outcast once again. Somehow she has to reinvent herself as something other than C.J.'s girlfriend while facing the disapproval of her peers for breaking the number one commandment - thou shalt not dump the skater dude.
I liked Kelsey a lot. She had an amazing amount of confidence, and when she decided that life with C.J. was a lot more lonely and boring than fun, she didn't angst or waste time trying to find reasons to stick with him. She broke it off cleanly and honestly and moved on. Too, despite her miserable year at the all-girls private school, she wasn't a whiner or a complainer. She took her low social status in stride and tried to make the best of it.
And this book read easily and quickly and kept me turning pages. The writing was very good - the dialogue very natural and the pace quick.
My problem with this book - the reason it didn't earn 5 stars - is because the premise of the book was never truly explored. I expected for C.J. to unleash pure hell on Kelsey after she broke up with him. And while he did say some pretty nasty stuff about her on his blog, I never felt the full repercussions of how the damage to her reputation affected her life. Part of this is because we never got a full picture of what life with C.J. was like. Kelsey "tells" the readers how she was very popular and got to go to all of the parties and stuff, but the reader is never shown her life as the girlfriend of the BMOC. When she fell from grace, again we are "told" that she got dirty looks and people who used to gush all over her now ignored her. But her life didn't seem that horrible afterwards. She still had her best friend, Amy. Guys still talked to her. She didn't have to eat lunch alone or endure slurs yelled at her in the hallways. There simply wasn't much focus on either before or after, and I never saw that Kelsey was horribly treated all because she decided she didn't want to be with C.J. I never got a good picture of life was like for her before or after, so the whole "thou shalt not dump the skater dude" was somewhat misleading.
I would recommend this read to anyone for a fun, light story. Just don't be disappointed that the book doesn't quite live up to the premise it promises to explore.
Kelsey is forced to move across the country to Berkley, California, after her parents divorce. She spends a miserable and lonely 8th grade year in a posh private all-girls school, so when she catches the eye of super-hot, celebrity skateboarder dude C.J. Logan over the summer, she realizes how lucky she is. She begins freshman year at East Bay High as the girlfriend of the coolest guy on campus, the benefits of which include insta-popularity and the envy of every girl in school.
But life as C.J.'s girlfriend isn't all it's cracked up to be. Sure, he's cute, and their makeout sessions are hotter than hot. But C.J. doesn't seem to know that there is a world outside of the skatepark. When C.J. begins to take Kelsey for granted again and again, she comes to realize she's really nothing more than a glorified groupie with the formal title of "girlfriend". She breaks it off with C.J. and looks forward to moving on to better things.
As you might expect, a self-centered guy like C.J. doesn't take getting dumped so well. He uses the internet to spread all kinds of lies about Kelsey, and she begins her sophomore year as a social outcast once again. Somehow she has to reinvent herself as something other than C.J.'s girlfriend while facing the disapproval of her peers for breaking the number one commandment - thou shalt not dump the skater dude.
I liked Kelsey a lot. She had an amazing amount of confidence, and when she decided that life with C.J. was a lot more lonely and boring than fun, she didn't angst or waste time trying to find reasons to stick with him. She broke it off cleanly and honestly and moved on. Too, despite her miserable year at the all-girls private school, she wasn't a whiner or a complainer. She took her low social status in stride and tried to make the best of it.
And this book read easily and quickly and kept me turning pages. The writing was very good - the dialogue very natural and the pace quick.
My problem with this book - the reason it didn't earn 5 stars - is because the premise of the book was never truly explored. I expected for C.J. to unleash pure hell on Kelsey after she broke up with him. And while he did say some pretty nasty stuff about her on his blog, I never felt the full repercussions of how the damage to her reputation affected her life. Part of this is because we never got a full picture of what life with C.J. was like. Kelsey "tells" the readers how she was very popular and got to go to all of the parties and stuff, but the reader is never shown her life as the girlfriend of the BMOC. When she fell from grace, again we are "told" that she got dirty looks and people who used to gush all over her now ignored her. But her life didn't seem that horrible afterwards. She still had her best friend, Amy. Guys still talked to her. She didn't have to eat lunch alone or endure slurs yelled at her in the hallways. There simply wasn't much focus on either before or after, and I never saw that Kelsey was horribly treated all because she decided she didn't want to be with C.J. I never got a good picture of life was like for her before or after, so the whole "thou shalt not dump the skater dude" was somewhat misleading.
I would recommend this read to anyone for a fun, light story. Just don't be disappointed that the book doesn't quite live up to the premise it promises to explore.
March 31, 2010
Carly is really a very sweet girl; she was just a little confused.
The representation of romantic relationships in Carly's life has always been a little off. Her parents married when they caught wind that her mother was pregnant and divorced not long thereafter and now her almost stepfather (since her mom never married him) is soon to be an ex- as well. This throws Carly's whole world into turmoil as she has to move out of the only real home she's ever known and go work at a summer camp since her mom doesn't trust to leave her at home with her soon-to-be ex.
While working in the kitchen trying to feed hundreds of hungry campers everyday, Carly meets the enigmatic Brian. The songwriter and bass guitar player for an up-and-coming band, Brian can't seem to stay away from Carly either. They spend as much time together as work and band practice allows and soon find themselves at the end of the summer. The guys, whose band (at the suggestion of Carly) is now called Ernestine is Everywhere after their beloved grandmother, are really taking off and so Carly and Brian will still be able to see each other in the city.
Soon though, Carly finds out how having Brian so close could give her even more troubles. As the band rose in popularity and started to really steam along, Carly couldn't help but notice all the female attention paid to Brian. In the end, her jealousy was just too much for him to handle and he dumped her. Unfortunately, with everything else in her life going wrong, Carly can't seem to let him go; and when a new girl walks into his life, Carly has to understand what she lost to. How far is too far though? Where is the line between innocent curiosity and malicious stalking drawn?
Needless to say, I was entranced by Stalker Girl. It was simply mesmerizing. It's done in 3 parts, which I think helped a lot with the stream of consciousness. In the first part, we catch up with Carly stalking the new girlfriend. In the second part, we are thrown back in time to witness how Carly came to meet Brian and how their relationship developed. For the third part, we are brought back to the present to face the consequences of Carly's actions. This set up really changed the way I viewed the situation. For the first part I thought she was bonkers, but in the second part I really felt I understood her actions and feelings. I found myself thinking, "Well that's not too bad. I might have done the same thing." The third part makes you face the reality and severity of the situation.
Carly tended to really whine a lot, but I think that was part of character. She was kind of stuck between wanting to be treated like a grown up, but wanting to act like a child. Insecurity, both in herself and her situation, played a major role. Brian was just an average guy. I can't say that I liked or disliked him, he was just kind of there. The storyline was not quite what I expected and I definitely didn't see the end coming. I was pleasantly surprised out how it all turned out. Hopefully we'll see more from Rosemary Graham in the future.
The representation of romantic relationships in Carly's life has always been a little off. Her parents married when they caught wind that her mother was pregnant and divorced not long thereafter and now her almost stepfather (since her mom never married him) is soon to be an ex- as well. This throws Carly's whole world into turmoil as she has to move out of the only real home she's ever known and go work at a summer camp since her mom doesn't trust to leave her at home with her soon-to-be ex.
While working in the kitchen trying to feed hundreds of hungry campers everyday, Carly meets the enigmatic Brian. The songwriter and bass guitar player for an up-and-coming band, Brian can't seem to stay away from Carly either. They spend as much time together as work and band practice allows and soon find themselves at the end of the summer. The guys, whose band (at the suggestion of Carly) is now called Ernestine is Everywhere after their beloved grandmother, are really taking off and so Carly and Brian will still be able to see each other in the city.
Soon though, Carly finds out how having Brian so close could give her even more troubles. As the band rose in popularity and started to really steam along, Carly couldn't help but notice all the female attention paid to Brian. In the end, her jealousy was just too much for him to handle and he dumped her. Unfortunately, with everything else in her life going wrong, Carly can't seem to let him go; and when a new girl walks into his life, Carly has to understand what she lost to. How far is too far though? Where is the line between innocent curiosity and malicious stalking drawn?
Needless to say, I was entranced by Stalker Girl. It was simply mesmerizing. It's done in 3 parts, which I think helped a lot with the stream of consciousness. In the first part, we catch up with Carly stalking the new girlfriend. In the second part, we are thrown back in time to witness how Carly came to meet Brian and how their relationship developed. For the third part, we are brought back to the present to face the consequences of Carly's actions. This set up really changed the way I viewed the situation. For the first part I thought she was bonkers, but in the second part I really felt I understood her actions and feelings. I found myself thinking, "Well that's not too bad. I might have done the same thing." The third part makes you face the reality and severity of the situation.
Carly tended to really whine a lot, but I think that was part of character. She was kind of stuck between wanting to be treated like a grown up, but wanting to act like a child. Insecurity, both in herself and her situation, played a major role. Brian was just an average guy. I can't say that I liked or disliked him, he was just kind of there. The storyline was not quite what I expected and I definitely didn't see the end coming. I was pleasantly surprised out how it all turned out. Hopefully we'll see more from Rosemary Graham in the future.
February 23, 2015
Plot:
A plot I haven't really seen in YA before, especially from a girl protagonist. There were a few times in which I was confused, but overall it worked. It went from the present to the past, then slowly moved back to the present, then back to more of the past. I wasn't expecting any of it though, so it was a nice surprise. I tended to like the beginning and middle of the book better than the last part. It was harder to sympathize with Carly as the plot got more crazy.
Setting:
The setting was very easy to picture, even though I have never been to New York. The camp was also easy to imagine. It felt very realistic and I grew to love seeing New York from Carly's eyes.
Characters:
Carly was an easy character to like and sympathize with for a while. I know what it's like to have your heart broken and to be ignored. I also know what it's like to have a broken family. And I can see how all of these events contributed to her crazy, compulsive behavior. It got a little harder feeling sorry for her as she went off the deep end, but I still cared about what happened to her in the end.
Though I wanted to hate the love interest for breaking Carly's heart, it was hard for the most part because he was very likable. I could also see why he would fall for his new girlfriend, who seemed like a really nice person.
I also liked Jess and Nick. I didn't care as much for Carly's parents, who felt a bit aloof, but they seemed to have their own worlds they were involved in.
I found Val to be kind of annoying and didn't really understand why she was Carly's best friend at times. The relationship purging was a good idea, but I could also see why Carly wouldn't be so open with her.
Relationships:
The relationships were really well done for the most part. Especially in the case of Carly and Brian. Their relationship was believable and also made Carly's inability to let go more understandable than if we hadn't been shown it. It made me sad that things didn't work out for Carly and Brian until Carly began to get a little too obsessive over his fame and exposure to other people.
I also really liked her relationship with Jess and Nick. Her relationship with her parents seemed to be more strained, though I don't blame her in her mother's case.
Writing/Voice:
The only thing I disliked was when the author would sometimes talk directly to the reader. Other than that, I enjoyed it a lot and easily got swept up into the beginning and especially the middle. The last part was harder. It felt kind of stiff.
Ending:
I didn't like how the details of Carly's "punishment" got glossed over. They almost felt like an afterthought. I did like how Carly seemed to be moving in a new direction, though.
Overall:
Very riveting read with deep emotions and relationships. Also shows how easily things can get out of hand and how stalking is not okay. I could see myself reading it again in the future. 3.5 stars.
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