The "Sharenting" horror story we actually live in
While the slasher elements of The Obsession provide the adrenaline, the real-world friction comes from the "vlogger mom" trope. We are currently seeing the first generation of "influencer kids" reach adulthood and speak out about their lack of privacy. Natasha Preston taps directly into that anxiety. Connie isn't just running from a killer; she is running from a digital footprint she never chose.
The mom character is genuinely frustrating. She isn't a "bad" person in the traditional sense, but her obsession with clicks makes her dangerously oblivious. For a teen reader, this feels like a high-stakes version of the "Mom, please don't post that" argument. It turns the mundane act of a parent sharing a photo into a literal matter of life and death. If you have a kid who is starting to value their digital privacy, this book will validate every one of their concerns.
The Natasha Preston "Popcorn" factor
Preston has carved out a massive niche for herself by writing what I’d call "fast-food thrillers." They are addictive, they go down easy, and they don't require a master's degree to follow. However, the 3.8 Amazon rating is a signal you should pay attention to. Preston is famous for "the twist," and her endings are often divisive. Some readers find them brilliant, while others find them deeply unsatisfying or even cruel.
If your teen has already read The Lake: Is the Natasha Preston Thriller Too Dark for Your Tween?, they know exactly what they are getting into. She doesn't write "happily ever after" stories. She writes "I can't believe that just happened" stories. If your kid prefers mysteries where every loose end is tied up with a neat little bow, this might actually annoy them. But if they live for the shock factor, they'll be texting their friends the second they finish the last page.
Where this fits on the "Thriller" shelf
If your teen is moving through the YA mystery genre, The Obsession sits right in the middle of the intensity scale. It’s more visceral than A Good Girl's Guide to Murder but perhaps less psychologically dense than some of the heavy hitters in the genre.
For readers who want more of the "investigative" side of things, you might want to point them toward the Naturals series. We’ve looked at how Killer Instinct handles the "teen criminal profiler" vibe, which is a bit more grounded in procedure than Preston’s work. If they finish The Obsession and want something with a similarly high body count but a bit more polish, Dangerous Impulses is the logical next step.
This is a "right now" book. It won't be a classic in twenty years because the technology it’s based on will be obsolete, but for a 14-year-old in 2026, it’s a perfectly timed nightmare.
