Review Detail

THE OBSESSION is a creepy and riveting YA thriller. Delilah lives with her mother and her mother's abusive boyfriend, a life in which she feels trapped, in no small part because he is a police officer and therefore, she has no recourse for reporting. As she watches her and her mother's lives deteriorate, and seeing the path laying before them, Delilah takes an action that ends her mother's boyfriend's life.

Logan has felt set adrift until he sees Delilah, and he instantly knows that she was meant for him. He begins to stalk her, and his cameras set up around her house capture the true manner in which her mother's boyfriend dies. At the same time, he is wooing Delilah, determined to show her how perfect they would be together. When he plays his hands too soon on their first date, he uses the video to blackmail her into continuing to date him - he knows that she only needs time to see how perfect they are for each other.

Told from each of their points-of-view, this book is highly compelling and moves quickly. It is very dark, in part because of the abuse and also because of the stalking/blackmail. There's also another surprise element that comes up later in the book. The writing is absolutely riveting, and the pacing is perfect. This is a book that is certainly unputdownable. Delilah is a really compelling character, and it was interesting to enter her life and mindset.

The ending comes to a crescendo with a surprising and dark conclusion, that once you reach it felt inevitable. I do wish there was a little more to the story, because I really like to see what happens a bit beyond, but it wraps up the major plotlines well and the open-endedness does work for the story.

Dark and compelling, THE OBSESSION is a fast-paced and shocking YA thriller. Highly recommend for fans of PRETTY LITTLE LIARS, UNNATURAL DEEDS, and SADIE.