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Watching Alice #1
Break the Surface
Sixteen-year-old Tom Sinclair moves to New York City to escape a troubled past. Then he meets Alice Brown and falls deeply in love. Could his life be back on track at last?
Then Alice disappears, and Tom fears his past may have something to do with it. His only clues: an e-mail from someone with the screen name WatchingAlice, and Alice's diary entries--which reveal that Alice had deeply hidden secrets of her own.
Then Alice disappears, and Tom fears his past may have something to do with it. His only clues: an e-mail from someone with the screen name WatchingAlice, and Alice's diary entries--which reveal that Alice had deeply hidden secrets of her own.
208 pages, Paperback
First published September 9, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
July 23, 2018
This is a re-read for me, but the last time I've read it was in like high school probably like 12 years ago. This story has always stayed with me for so long because the fourth and last book of this series never came to my library so I was never able to get to the last book.
To me this story was probably more enjoyable to me in high school, because the emotions throughout this book are very immature. I couldn't stop myself from eye rolling quite a few times but towards the middle I was super hooked and forgot about a lot of what happened from when I read it the first time, and even still knowing the ending because it made such a huge impact on me the first time I read it, I was picking apart the book and still getting myself surprised.
I feel that a lot of the B characters are extremely unlikeable so you find yourself routing for the two main characters, and even if the both had flaws you learned to love them and I really did.
Now that I have all four books I'm planning on finishing it.
To me this story was probably more enjoyable to me in high school, because the emotions throughout this book are very immature. I couldn't stop myself from eye rolling quite a few times but towards the middle I was super hooked and forgot about a lot of what happened from when I read it the first time, and even still knowing the ending because it made such a huge impact on me the first time I read it, I was picking apart the book and still getting myself surprised.
I feel that a lot of the B characters are extremely unlikeable so you find yourself routing for the two main characters, and even if the both had flaws you learned to love them and I really did.
Now that I have all four books I'm planning on finishing it.
November 26, 2012
Reviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.com
BREAK THE SURFACE is the type of book that reminds you of a car wreck--you know there's something really, really wrong that you should be looking away from, and yet you're helpless to stop yourself from gawking. From the first pages of the book, you know that there's something very, very wrong with the relationship between Tom and Alice, and yet you can't stop reading.
Thomas J. Sinclair has turned himself into another person. The popular kid who had tons of friends back in Vermont is gone, replaced by Tom, the quiet, unkempt kid who doesn't answer questions unless forced to and spends his free time writing in a journal during school days at Peter Cooper School in New York City. No longer carefree and confident, we know that Tom suffered some sort of tragic incident during his junior year back in Vermont, but it's not until almost the end of the book that we learn what that tragedy was. It doesn't matter, though, because BREAK THE SURFACE is mostly about how Tom comes to be involved with Alice.
Alice Brown is the "it" girl of Peter Cooper School. Former girlfriend (one of those off/on/off/on relationships) of "it" guy Carter Roy, popular, pretty, successful in all she does, she's the last person Tom wants to attract the attention of. But attract it he does, on the very first day, simply by being in her presence. From that day on, Alice spends her time alternately hanging on to Tom and seeming to push him away--and drawing her crowds of admirers with her everywhere she goes.
BREAK THE SURFACE is set up to read as if it were Tom's personal journal, and it works. With every word, you feel yourself pulled deeper and deeper into Tom's world; and, through him, into Alice's world, as well. You know from the very first page that Tom Sinclair isn't the only person with issues--in fact, by the very last page, you might feel, as I do, that Alice is the person you should be scared of in this story, not Tom.
Pick up a copy and read it for yourself. You won't be disappointed in the story, and like that proverbial car wreck, you'll undoubtedly also be looking for the next book in the series, WALK ON WATER, with bated breath.
BREAK THE SURFACE is the type of book that reminds you of a car wreck--you know there's something really, really wrong that you should be looking away from, and yet you're helpless to stop yourself from gawking. From the first pages of the book, you know that there's something very, very wrong with the relationship between Tom and Alice, and yet you can't stop reading.
Thomas J. Sinclair has turned himself into another person. The popular kid who had tons of friends back in Vermont is gone, replaced by Tom, the quiet, unkempt kid who doesn't answer questions unless forced to and spends his free time writing in a journal during school days at Peter Cooper School in New York City. No longer carefree and confident, we know that Tom suffered some sort of tragic incident during his junior year back in Vermont, but it's not until almost the end of the book that we learn what that tragedy was. It doesn't matter, though, because BREAK THE SURFACE is mostly about how Tom comes to be involved with Alice.
Alice Brown is the "it" girl of Peter Cooper School. Former girlfriend (one of those off/on/off/on relationships) of "it" guy Carter Roy, popular, pretty, successful in all she does, she's the last person Tom wants to attract the attention of. But attract it he does, on the very first day, simply by being in her presence. From that day on, Alice spends her time alternately hanging on to Tom and seeming to push him away--and drawing her crowds of admirers with her everywhere she goes.
BREAK THE SURFACE is set up to read as if it were Tom's personal journal, and it works. With every word, you feel yourself pulled deeper and deeper into Tom's world; and, through him, into Alice's world, as well. You know from the very first page that Tom Sinclair isn't the only person with issues--in fact, by the very last page, you might feel, as I do, that Alice is the person you should be scared of in this story, not Tom.
Pick up a copy and read it for yourself. You won't be disappointed in the story, and like that proverbial car wreck, you'll undoubtedly also be looking for the next book in the series, WALK ON WATER, with bated breath.
December 31, 2019
I'll admit, I might be a little too old for this book. I did only read it because I needed a short book that I could finish before the end of the year to make my book-reading goal. But this book was truly awful. Not only were all the characters (somehow including the two main characters, who are both hiding major secrets) one-dimensional, the writing was so cringeworthy.
My biggest problem with the book - the reason I almost just let myself fail my goal to avoid reading it - is the fact that it pretends to be a true story. I searched through the book, and nowhere does it admit that it is a work of fiction. In fact, it repeatedly claims to be a real, word-for-word copy of a real teenager's diary. I dislike this in general, but this is a particularly awful example of this.
The book lies to you about being real. That I could live with, but it also tries to emotionally manipulate you by claiming to relate to a real missing person's case. Even that I could live with, but it also tells you that they need your help to figure out the clues, and if you just buy the next book in the series before Alice turns up dead, you could save her life. At least Go Ask Alice wasn't trying to sell you anything.
Part of me thinks I'm being too hard on the book because it really should be obvious that the book is fiction. First of all, you would think we would have heard about this case on the news if it was real, and also that, if a real Tom Sinclair was really trying to find his real girlfriend, he would release his diary free, not in a for-profit book. Also, the writing is so unrealistic. What teenager writes whole word-for-word class discussions in their diary?
However, having read other reviews, I can tell you that there are readers who believe the book is genuine. So I feel justified in my disgust with the authors.
My biggest problem with the book - the reason I almost just let myself fail my goal to avoid reading it - is the fact that it pretends to be a true story. I searched through the book, and nowhere does it admit that it is a work of fiction. In fact, it repeatedly claims to be a real, word-for-word copy of a real teenager's diary. I dislike this in general, but this is a particularly awful example of this.
The book lies to you about being real. That I could live with, but it also tries to emotionally manipulate you by claiming to relate to a real missing person's case. Even that I could live with, but it also tells you that they need your help to figure out the clues, and if you just buy the next book in the series before Alice turns up dead, you could save her life. At least Go Ask Alice wasn't trying to sell you anything.
Part of me thinks I'm being too hard on the book because it really should be obvious that the book is fiction. First of all, you would think we would have heard about this case on the news if it was real, and also that, if a real Tom Sinclair was really trying to find his real girlfriend, he would release his diary free, not in a for-profit book. Also, the writing is so unrealistic. What teenager writes whole word-for-word class discussions in their diary?
However, having read other reviews, I can tell you that there are readers who believe the book is genuine. So I feel justified in my disgust with the authors.
April 5, 2024
3.5 stars
Pretty good, I liked the mystery.
Pretty good, I liked the mystery.
September 30, 2008
I loved this book it was really good.And i love the fact that it's a true story.I learned that sometimes maybe it is okay to trust some one with a secret big or small.Like in the book says we are all human and we can't shut ourselves away from the world..The book is really good but kinda of sad.
May 17, 2009
AWESOME....very sad,but i still loved it
June 20, 2009
this book was very good and it was based on a true story well really it is a journal. i would def. have someone else read it
October 21, 2009
My excitement for this series died early on...yet I continued to finish it.
Read
May 5, 2010F PAR wa bk.1
Read
January 9, 2015If you want something with love and mistakes here you go.
Read
July 4, 2015I was really disappointed when I found out this book is false and a girl named Alice brown was never missing
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews