Follow Me Back

I bought this book for my daughter after reading the description.When it arrived I checked that it was appropriate as she doesn't like anything scary and felt it was suitable and relevant in todays cyber world.I actually read the first few pages and wanted to continue but reluctantly handed it over with a mental note to read it once she had finished it and I did.My daughter loved the story and couldn't put it down. She said it made her think about how easy it is to dupe people on the internet and how fast a seemingly innocent exchange can be turned on its head. She wasn't sure about the ending as the way it was left left her in limbo wanting to know more. Her take on it is it was left as a cliff-hanger and there will be more - Who knows but if there is my daughter will be one of the first in the queue to buy it.I read it after and like my daughter I don't want to put it down. It had a lot of twists within in - well maybe not twists as such but many roads that you thought it was going down only to turn and change direction. Thats what keeps you interested when reading.There are a few main characters and throughout the book you get chapters that are written as if the character is writing it and you get their story about the events. Its quite thought provoking and well worth reading.Apart from throughly enjoying the book I was impressed that it touched on the dangers of social media and cyber friendships. It delved into how easy a simple deviation can be easily swallowed and not questioned but with a good story that wasn't too deep that it gets poo pooed by teenagers/young adults. Its a good storyline that anyone who uses social media will identify with in some way and the under current of the story will plant the seed of safety as well.It was really nice to have a book that we both read and enjoyed as I like to read murder and mystery books and thats not my daughters cup of tea at all.Very well written and we would both like to read more.

This book was full of twists and turns! For the most part I thoroughly enjoyed the sinister journey. However, one too many setting descriptions and plot twists (some more obvious than others) started to distract me from what the story was actually about.I love a story told through the eyes of teen male protaganist but the erratic style of storytelling was stopping me from fully connecting with Aiden, who had such promise to be a fantastic main character. I'd definitely recommend this book but I'd advise readers to make sure they have no distractions around when reading it because it flips between perspectives as well as different formats (texts, DMs and articles) too often and too fast. Again, it was a really relevant, current and interesting concept. I just think some of the themes could've been cut so I could really focus on the characters and content that truly mattered.

Aiden Kendrick is a good lad who goes to a good school and is expected to be picked up by a premiership team. All in all, he's leading a dreams-do-come-true sort of a life. Except for one thing. A girl in his class is missing and now the police are combing through all her online activity. One lad is of particular interest to them from the start: Aiden.There are many things to recommend this novel. I was charmed by the cast of characters, the warm humour of their friendships, as well as the venom in their rivalries. This is the second novel I've read by this author and I am beginning to take away a few patterns now. The first is that she excels at delivering characters you don't just believe in, but could swear you've known for years. People you either genuinely want to see things work out for, or genuinely want the rug pulled out from under (Cheska, anyone?). The second is that she enjoys hoisting the reader on the petard of their own expectations. I started thinking this would be a novel about the dangers of the internet, when really it's more about...well, I can't tell you what it's about without spoiling it, and I don't want to do that. Suffice to say there is nothing preachy about Follow Me Back. It's not a novel that wants to stop anyone from using social media, so much as one which starts from a deep understanding of why an otherwise sane person might leave their notifications on to ping all through the night.There is a lot here that is knowing and Ms Cloke deftly uses it as the engine room of her plot. From an adult perspective, if a close friend is missing, the obvious thing to do is turn over any and all information you have to the police to help their efforts. But for teenagers there's nothing obvious about that calculation, for they have different loyalties and codes in place. This ramps the tension up, of course, but it also rings so true that it makes your heart go out to them all the more, even while you can't stop thinking, oh God, just tell the police what you know!I've already added more titles by Nicci Cloke to my Kindle and am off to read them now.

I’m not a teenager, but I enjoy reading YA books because they are usually fast-paced and gripping from the start, and Follow Me Back didn’t disappoint. There’s a mystery to be solved – the disappearance of Aiden’s friend, Lizzie – and I liked the clever way social media and reality TV shows drove the plot along. Only one flaw for me: I found the way the publisher chose to display the social media comments confusing and difficult to read. I will definitely look for more books by this author.

An intriguing little mystery thriller - and EXACTLY what loads of kids keep asking me for. "Miss, can you recommend a book for me? I want a crime thriller, like Gone Girl, but for teenagers." Yes, yes I can.A teenage boy finds himself caught up in an investigation into the disappearance of a girl who is very special to him. As the story unfolds and more evidence comes to light, Nicci Cloke explores loads of trending topics: Internet safety, media literacy, trust, slut shaming, bullying, a fame-obsessed culture, abuse and so on. She does this whilst also expertly dropping important clues and red-herrings in equal supply, so that my Possible Villain count grew and grew (and almost never shrank) as I made my way through the book.Why 4 instead of a 5? I suppose because I felt that the voices of the multiple narrative perspectives could have been more distinct. Why a 4 instead of a 3? Because the story was so very good, and I couldn't put it down. Seriously. I was almost late picking my kid up from school because I was afflicted with "MUST KEEP READING". (less)