Stalker Girl

Reader: Chloe W

Age: 18

Title: Stalker Girl

Author: Rosemary Graham
Publisher: Viking
Pub Date: Aug. 2010
Galley: Yes
Nominate for Teens’ Top 10: No
Recommend: No
Compelling Aspect of the Book: I thought all of the descriptions of Ernestine's were very well done. While a lot of the book relied (somewhat problematically) on our connection to Carly, the segments that focused on the familial relationship between the Quinns was very moving. It felt very realistic and homey, but it didn't feel overdone.
Were you disappointed with the book at all: I thought the book faltered mainly in that its main character was someone who I didn't want to root for. Carly seemed highly self-involved, even while in her relationship with Brian. After she fails to recognize that this focus on herself drove Brian away, she partakes in some activities that are clearly wrong. Even though she's cognizant of her irrationality and
extreme behavior, she never really grows from it. As well, some of the subplots lack substance. Her mother's marital woes don't really ring true. Her father's new family doesn't really seem to fit with the rest of the narrative.
Cover: The cover was fairly average, so I was neither drawn to or dissuaded from picking up the book based on it. The camera lens is kind of a cool visual focus, but the matte coloring on it (at least on my version) detracted from the highly stylized cover design. Other than those minor issues, I thought the cover was fitting for the novel, even though it didn't strike me as necessarily indicative of the ultra-creepiness that defined Carly's forays into stalking.
Did you finish it: Yes
Age Range: 14-18 and up
Quality: 3Q Readable
Popularity: 3P Some teen appeal