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The Stranger Inside
After her father's mysterious death, seventeen-year-old Jodi Logan is forced to move back in with her mother and stepfamily. This in itself tears at Jodi. Her mother kicked her out two years earlier after discovering Jodi was romantically involved with her stepbrother, Jeremy. To make matters worse, there’s Jeremy himself. No matter how hard Jodi fights it, she’s still drawn to him.Adding to the suck-fest that is now her home life, lately Jodi has time lapses she can’t account for, waking places she doesn’t remember going. When she comes to one day and finds herself making out with a boy she's never met, Sawyer, Jodi learns she's been living a double life as a girl named Kenzie. But who is Kenzie? Jodi fears she's going crazy—maybe developing a split personality. But when she discovers the truth, it's even worse. Jodi is possessed by a ghost—a stranger inside her that refuses to leave. When a girl from school is murdered Jodi doesn’t know who she can her new friends? Sawyer? Jeremy? Or the stranger inside?
300 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 13, 2012
46 people are currently reading
133 people want to read
About the author
Melanie Marks
163 books438 followersNewest Book: Nicole And The Coronavirus
Also: With All My Heart
And: The Boy Across The Street
Other new books:
Unrequited Love
The Love Contest
She's Not Mine … But I Want Her
**Melanie's book RENTED REBOUND also has a story in it called: "Ally, Griffin and the Rich Guy."
Books that are still pretty new:
*Blackmailed Kisses
*Ew, I Like You
All of Melanie Marks' books are available in Kindle Unlimited, or you can purchase them the normal way
Her book, "THE PLAYER" also has as a bonus: "Ally Has Amnesia"
FALL FOR ME series:
Fall For Me (#1)
Fall Forever (#2)
Finn's Fall (#3)
Louder Than Words--(a standalone novel part of the series as it's about Zoey's best friend, the cheerleader, Summer Baker and her secret crush on her childhood best friend, Mason Archer, from the hockey team.)
HIS KISS Series:
His Kiss (#1)
High School Boys (#2)
HER Kiss (Griffin)--Griffin's version of His Kiss
Griffin
Griffin #2
Louder Than Words
(Louder Than Words is a standalone novel about Griffin's best friend, Mason, and his secret crush on the cheerleader, Summer Baker.)
Slumber Party Wars series:
Well, there's LOTS in the series!
Such as: Slumber Party Wars; Best Friend Wars; Fake Boyfriend Wars; #Wars; …
Newish Middle School Books:
MATT and NICOLE (MIddle School)
ALLY and GRIFFIN (MIddle School)
SUMMER and MASON (Middle School)
Newish Teen books:
THE NEW BOY
MY BROTHER'S BEST FRIEND
BECK BAIT
MY STEP BROTHER'S KISS
My Forbidden Heartthrob
DEAREST (Hot) ENEMY
His Best Friend
Fairly New:
Her Kiss (Griffin)--It's Griffin's version of His Kiss
Griffin
Griffin #2
Melanie also has books written under the name "M. Marks" with other author friends.
Melanie Marks' other books:
The Boyfriend Contract
The Forbidden Kiss
Ex-Boyfriend
The Player (plus: Ally Has Amnesia)
My Brother's Best Friend
Beck Bait
Getting Lucky For Christmas
My Brother's Best Friend
His Best Friend
My Stepbrother's Kiss
Little Dancer
His Kiss
Fall For Me
The Dating Deal
The Stranger Inside
Slumber Party Wars
Always Hers
Louder Than Words
I Remember You
My Mushy Middle School Heart
When Kyle Came Back
Middle School Crushes
Kissing
Craving
And more!
Melanie Marks was born and raised in California. She is married to a naval nuclear submarine officer and blessed with three amazingly terrific kids.
Melanie has had over sixty stories published in magazines such as Highlights and Teen Magazine as well as in various anthologies (many being Chicken Soup for the Soul books). She’s had nine children’s books published and fourteen teen novels: THE DATING DEAL, I REMEMBER YOU, THE STRANGER INSIDE, WHEN KYLE CAME BACK; HIS KISS; HER Kiss; HIGH SCHOOL BOYS; GRIFFIN; FALL FOR ME; FALL FOREVER; FINN'S FALL; ALWAYS HERS; LITTLE DANCER; and A DEMON'S KISS. More teen novels are forthcoming this fall, 2017.
Melanie enjoys reading in the bathtub, writing in bed, and living in a house longer than two years. Visit her website at http://www.byMelanieMarks.com or follow her on Twitter @byMelanieMarks.
Also: With All My Heart
And: The Boy Across The Street
Other new books:
Unrequited Love
The Love Contest
She's Not Mine … But I Want Her
**Melanie's book RENTED REBOUND also has a story in it called: "Ally, Griffin and the Rich Guy."
Books that are still pretty new:
*Blackmailed Kisses
*Ew, I Like You
All of Melanie Marks' books are available in Kindle Unlimited, or you can purchase them the normal way
Her book, "THE PLAYER" also has as a bonus: "Ally Has Amnesia"
FALL FOR ME series:
Fall For Me (#1)
Fall Forever (#2)
Finn's Fall (#3)
Louder Than Words--(a standalone novel part of the series as it's about Zoey's best friend, the cheerleader, Summer Baker and her secret crush on her childhood best friend, Mason Archer, from the hockey team.)
HIS KISS Series:
His Kiss (#1)
High School Boys (#2)
HER Kiss (Griffin)--Griffin's version of His Kiss
Griffin
Griffin #2
Louder Than Words
(Louder Than Words is a standalone novel about Griffin's best friend, Mason, and his secret crush on the cheerleader, Summer Baker.)
Slumber Party Wars series:
Well, there's LOTS in the series!
Such as: Slumber Party Wars; Best Friend Wars; Fake Boyfriend Wars; #Wars; …
Newish Middle School Books:
MATT and NICOLE (MIddle School)
ALLY and GRIFFIN (MIddle School)
SUMMER and MASON (Middle School)
Newish Teen books:
THE NEW BOY
MY BROTHER'S BEST FRIEND
BECK BAIT
MY STEP BROTHER'S KISS
My Forbidden Heartthrob
DEAREST (Hot) ENEMY
His Best Friend
Fairly New:
Her Kiss (Griffin)--It's Griffin's version of His Kiss
Griffin
Griffin #2
Melanie also has books written under the name "M. Marks" with other author friends.
Melanie Marks' other books:
The Boyfriend Contract
The Forbidden Kiss
Ex-Boyfriend
The Player (plus: Ally Has Amnesia)
My Brother's Best Friend
Beck Bait
Getting Lucky For Christmas
My Brother's Best Friend
His Best Friend
My Stepbrother's Kiss
Little Dancer
His Kiss
Fall For Me
The Dating Deal
The Stranger Inside
Slumber Party Wars
Always Hers
Louder Than Words
I Remember You
My Mushy Middle School Heart
When Kyle Came Back
Middle School Crushes
Kissing
Craving
And more!
Melanie Marks was born and raised in California. She is married to a naval nuclear submarine officer and blessed with three amazingly terrific kids.
Melanie has had over sixty stories published in magazines such as Highlights and Teen Magazine as well as in various anthologies (many being Chicken Soup for the Soul books). She’s had nine children’s books published and fourteen teen novels: THE DATING DEAL, I REMEMBER YOU, THE STRANGER INSIDE, WHEN KYLE CAME BACK; HIS KISS; HER Kiss; HIGH SCHOOL BOYS; GRIFFIN; FALL FOR ME; FALL FOREVER; FINN'S FALL; ALWAYS HERS; LITTLE DANCER; and A DEMON'S KISS. More teen novels are forthcoming this fall, 2017.
Melanie enjoys reading in the bathtub, writing in bed, and living in a house longer than two years. Visit her website at http://www.byMelanieMarks.com or follow her on Twitter @byMelanieMarks.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
June 19, 2012
I absolutely loved the first half of this book, dark, pyschologicallly twisted, absolutely awesome. It probably ranks among my favorite first halfs of all time. And then I get to the second half and ... why, The Stranger Inside, why? I mean, everything about the ending makes sense, but at the same time it all screams way too convenient, wtf was that plot twist, and did I really read that? Sigh. There are gonna be spoilers, be warned.
Anyway, the first half was just incredible. I have to say, I don't think Jodi is the type of character that everyone will like, she's an emotional wreck, but her dad did just kill a lady and commit suicide and she is moving back in with her mom after being kicked out for sort of incest - and it really works for the story. So I can understand where she coming from, it makes her split personality, her major problems with Jeremy and Sawyer, even her hallucinations and nightmares, really intriguing, absolutely hooked me. I just had to know, what is Kenzie protecting her from? What really happened with her dad? What's up with those shadows? And more importantly, is she really going to go full on crazy and turn into an axe murderer? Add in the rubber bands she uses to keep sane, awesome detail, and the fact she keeps creeping out pyschics and end up being screamed and yelled at and, wow, really disturbing. I loved it.
But then things started going downhill. I mean, at first it was just sort of little things, Jodi spending too much time going back and forth with Jeremy, making her seem too weak without being any more unstable, but then the problems really pile on. The entire subplot with the murdering chem teacher, that was just bizarre. I thought the story would've been perfectly fine with Kenzie trying to kill off the band members and, failing that, framing them for murder. What's an unsolved murder in a psychological thriller? But then it gets really weird, with a twist involving Trista that was completely unplausable leading to an ending with Jeremy that made no sense given how Jodi's been so uptight about their relationship because of her mother. Actually, just drop the ending, the first half of this book's so good it really deserves a sequel instead of the lackluster ending it got. Oh, and a cameo from Kyle, who's apparently a character from one of Marks's previous books, that was too weird to explain.
I guess I still liked this book, it was awesome suspense while it lasted. Just look at this quote:
Anyway, the first half was just incredible. I have to say, I don't think Jodi is the type of character that everyone will like, she's an emotional wreck, but her dad did just kill a lady and commit suicide and she is moving back in with her mom after being kicked out for sort of incest - and it really works for the story. So I can understand where she coming from, it makes her split personality, her major problems with Jeremy and Sawyer, even her hallucinations and nightmares, really intriguing, absolutely hooked me. I just had to know, what is Kenzie protecting her from? What really happened with her dad? What's up with those shadows? And more importantly, is she really going to go full on crazy and turn into an axe murderer? Add in the rubber bands she uses to keep sane, awesome detail, and the fact she keeps creeping out pyschics and end up being screamed and yelled at and, wow, really disturbing. I loved it.
But then things started going downhill. I mean, at first it was just sort of little things, Jodi spending too much time going back and forth with Jeremy, making her seem too weak without being any more unstable, but then the problems really pile on. The entire subplot with the murdering chem teacher, that was just bizarre. I thought the story would've been perfectly fine with Kenzie trying to kill off the band members and, failing that, framing them for murder. What's an unsolved murder in a psychological thriller? But then it gets really weird, with a twist involving Trista that was completely unplausable leading to an ending with Jeremy that made no sense given how Jodi's been so uptight about their relationship because of her mother. Actually, just drop the ending, the first half of this book's so good it really deserves a sequel instead of the lackluster ending it got. Oh, and a cameo from Kyle, who's apparently a character from one of Marks's previous books, that was too weird to explain.
I guess I still liked this book, it was awesome suspense while it lasted. Just look at this quote:
The wall is dripping in blood. Dad’s using his heart like a sponge. “Jodi Go Hospital.”Or:
A black shadow — dark and ominous — crept along the wall, coming toward me. My heart slammed against my chest. No, no, no! It’s not real. I grabbed at the rubber bands around my writs, snapping them painfully hard, causing wounds. It’s not real. It’s not. There’s no shadow.Absolutely awesome. But how it ends? Not so much.
June 7, 2012
I really enjoyed this story...the tension between Jeremy and Jodi was heart wrenching. The other characters gave you chills at certain times. I loved it!
May 16, 2012
This is the summary from the book:
After her father's mysterious death, seventeen-year-old Jodi Logan is forced to move back in with her mother and stepfamily. This in itself tears at Jodi. Her mother kicked her out two years earlier after discovering Jodi was romantically involved with her stepbrother, Jeremy. To make matters worse, there’s Jeremy himself. No matter how hard Jodi fights it, she’s still drawn to him.
Adding to the suck-fest that is now her home life, lately Jodi has time lapses she can’t account for, waking places she doesn’t remember going. When she comes to one day and finds herself making out with a boy she's never met, Sawyer, Jodi learns she's been living a double life as a girl named Kenzie. But who is Kenzie? Jodi fears she's going crazy—maybe developing a split personality. But when she discovers the truth, it's even worse. Jodi is possessed by a ghost—a stranger inside her that refuses to leave.
When a girl from school is murdered Jodi doesn’t know who she can trust: her new friends? Sawyer? Jeremy? Or the stranger inside?
Note: Though the main character in this novel does not drink alcohol, other underage characters in this book do.
After her father's mysterious death, seventeen-year-old Jodi Logan is forced to move back in with her mother and stepfamily. This in itself tears at Jodi. Her mother kicked her out two years earlier after discovering Jodi was romantically involved with her stepbrother, Jeremy. To make matters worse, there’s Jeremy himself. No matter how hard Jodi fights it, she’s still drawn to him.
Adding to the suck-fest that is now her home life, lately Jodi has time lapses she can’t account for, waking places she doesn’t remember going. When she comes to one day and finds herself making out with a boy she's never met, Sawyer, Jodi learns she's been living a double life as a girl named Kenzie. But who is Kenzie? Jodi fears she's going crazy—maybe developing a split personality. But when she discovers the truth, it's even worse. Jodi is possessed by a ghost—a stranger inside her that refuses to leave.
When a girl from school is murdered Jodi doesn’t know who she can trust: her new friends? Sawyer? Jeremy? Or the stranger inside?
Note: Though the main character in this novel does not drink alcohol, other underage characters in this book do.
September 11, 2013
As usual with trying new authors and buying books from Amazon, you never really know what you are going to expect and whether or not you will enjoy it. That to me was my experience with The Stranger Inside. However, once I started reading it I knew I was in for a ride as the main character Jodi suddenly became Kenzie and I was like hmmm - do we have a case of split personality, is that was this book is about ? We then learn that Jodi's dad has died and she has gone to live with her mum and stepfather. We also discover that something went down three years ago with Jodi and her Stepbrother which weirdly enough , this is the second book in the last week or so that has featured this storyline. The story then starts to take two paths as we see Jodi in love with one guy Sawyer and Kenzie in love with another - Jeremy. This part reminded me a bit of the movie The Host when Wanda/Melanie liked a different guy each but shared the same body etc. What is happening with Jodi and who is Kenzie ? The Stranger Inside of Me was a good read that will have you guessing what is going on and how the dots are connected.
January 16, 2014
Not what you expect
this book really took me all over the place in a good way. Once I started I couldn't put it down. At first glance from reading the first few chapters, you think it's some sappy, love story between teens. Noo way more than that. It is worth the read!!
this book really took me all over the place in a good way. Once I started I couldn't put it down. At first glance from reading the first few chapters, you think it's some sappy, love story between teens. Noo way more than that. It is worth the read!!
May 18, 2012
Dark, twisted, and good! This author writes guys I love!
May 27, 2012
This was an awesome read! It was full of suspense. I loved the gut-wrenching romance that step-siblings Jodi and Jeremy share.
June 14, 2012
Loved it!!!
December 15, 2013
Sort of cool but mostly romantic and funny to me.
September 30, 2016
I thought this was shaping up to be one of the better Marks books and then it got weird. I love a good supernatural story, but it just seemed so out of place here. And the fact that everyone was just okay with how odd everything was...well, it was odd.
May 23, 2012
A most pleasant surprise when I finally realized why Kyle and Rain rang a bell with me and why I felt like I had known Hanna somehow. It's been a while since I read "When Kyle Came Back" so it was nice to "see" them again. I love when author's have characters resurface in other stories. Thank you.
May 23, 2013
I like the story and the plot, not so much the characters. Every single one I've ever read in one of these novels do my head in, completely. I always want to break something.
Melanie, I love your work and I think you rock, but please, don't make your characters so annoying all the time.
Stroppy
oxo
Melanie, I love your work and I think you rock, but please, don't make your characters so annoying all the time.
Stroppy
oxo
Want to read
May 16, 2012Sounds Interesting!!!
May 17, 2012
Kind of scary in places, kind of hot in others
June 12, 2012
Loved the suspense and romance
***Full Review To Come***
***Full Review To Come***
June 29, 2012
full review to come!
Read
February 9, 2014Amazing!!!!
this book is so amazing. it has you think it's just a book it's not you getting scared or embarrassed. !!! :)
this book is so amazing. it has you think it's just a book it's not you getting scared or embarrassed. !!! :)
August 17, 2016
I loved it.
I've read this 3 times.
I very much recommend it.
It has such a good topic that made me just fall in love with it.
I've read this 3 times.
I very much recommend it.
It has such a good topic that made me just fall in love with it.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews