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Following
Alden thinks he witnessed a murder, but when the dead girl turns up alive, he must figure out the truth in this chilling novel
Alden likes to follow people. He's not trying to be a creep, he just wants to be an investigator some day, and it's good practice.
But spying on people comes with risks...like seeing popular Greg Matthews seemingly murder his girlfriend, Amy, behind the school.
But the facts aren't adding up, especially because Amy turns up a few days later...alive. Now Alden has to figure what he could have seen… and what secrets Greg is hiding.
Alden likes to follow people. He's not trying to be a creep, he just wants to be an investigator some day, and it's good practice.
But spying on people comes with risks...like seeing popular Greg Matthews seemingly murder his girlfriend, Amy, behind the school.
But the facts aren't adding up, especially because Amy turns up a few days later...alive. Now Alden has to figure what he could have seen… and what secrets Greg is hiding.
256 pages, Paperback
First published February 5, 2019
76 people are currently reading
1157 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews
February 9, 2019
Alden’s parents die in a mass shooting. A year later, he sees potential crime everywhere. He follows suspects, anonymous reporting his fears to police, who see his actions as pranks. His best friend Charlie, whose dad happens to be police chief, knows Alden believes real threat. When Alden thinks he sees a popular jock kill his equally popular girlfriend, Alden decides to find evidence to get the police to believe him. What could possibly go wrong?
FOLLOWING delves into each and every monotonous and repetitive thought and action Alden has. I hoped Jeffry W Johnston was leading somewhere interesting and while the story wasn’t as predictable as I suspected, the absurd “payoff” was worse. We’re supposed to believe über christian Amy cares more about cursing than murder? I think not.
I sympathize with Alden. The mass shooting and its aftermath would have been a more interesting story. I also liked Charlie, though for being a police chief’s daughter, her judgment was certainly way, way off.
Don’t waste your time with FOLLOWING.
FOLLOWING delves into each and every monotonous and repetitive thought and action Alden has. I hoped Jeffry W Johnston was leading somewhere interesting and while the story wasn’t as predictable as I suspected, the absurd “payoff” was worse. We’re supposed to believe über christian Amy cares more about cursing than murder? I think not.
I sympathize with Alden. The mass shooting and its aftermath would have been a more interesting story. I also liked Charlie, though for being a police chief’s daughter, her judgment was certainly way, way off.
Don’t waste your time with FOLLOWING.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 11, 2019
I really liked the twists in this, but there were elements that made the overall story not work as well as I’d have liked.
Alden is slightly creepy, but I actually really liked his backstory and reasoning for training himself up as an investigator. He’s also a good kid trying to do the right thing. However, he is definitely too hooked on “proving it fully” and that’s a little frustrating to read.
I liked Charlie less, as she flip flops over supporting Alden, being doubtful of him, and just plain wanting to ignore him.
The main thing I had issues with is super spoilery, but I will just say that a particular personality didn’t make sense to me.
Overall I think it’s a decent thriller / mystery, but not enough of a hook for me. It’s a super short and easy read though, and had decent suspense.
Alden is slightly creepy, but I actually really liked his backstory and reasoning for training himself up as an investigator. He’s also a good kid trying to do the right thing. However, he is definitely too hooked on “proving it fully” and that’s a little frustrating to read.
I liked Charlie less, as she flip flops over supporting Alden, being doubtful of him, and just plain wanting to ignore him.
The main thing I had issues with is super spoilery, but I will just say that a particular personality didn’t make sense to me.
Overall I think it’s a decent thriller / mystery, but not enough of a hook for me. It’s a super short and easy read though, and had decent suspense.
May 31, 2020
*2.5*
The only thing that kept me from DNF’ing this was the fast-paced nature of the plot, and while I did enjoy several of the twists, the amateurish-quality of the writing kept me from enjoying this even further. For a traditionally published work, there were far too many grammatical errors throughout, as well as problems with tense, voice, and thin characterization.
However, I did sympathize with the main character, Alden, and was able to somewhat find most of his actions appropriate given the circumstances of his past. Though, apart from an otherwise engaging mystery, everything else about this read paled in comparison.
Rounded up half a star because it never once became boring and I never felt disinterested. But, ultimately, the compulsiveness of the plot couldn’t save this one for me.
The only thing that kept me from DNF’ing this was the fast-paced nature of the plot, and while I did enjoy several of the twists, the amateurish-quality of the writing kept me from enjoying this even further. For a traditionally published work, there were far too many grammatical errors throughout, as well as problems with tense, voice, and thin characterization.
However, I did sympathize with the main character, Alden, and was able to somewhat find most of his actions appropriate given the circumstances of his past. Though, apart from an otherwise engaging mystery, everything else about this read paled in comparison.
Rounded up half a star because it never once became boring and I never felt disinterested. But, ultimately, the compulsiveness of the plot couldn’t save this one for me.
March 11, 2019
I'm appalled by the sloppy writing I found inside this book. There were typos and varied grammatical errors. I'm not sure whether to blame the author or his publisher, but it read like a self-published book.
Some of the errors I found:
* One sentence had a space between the last word and the period.
* "Try and." As in, "I'll try and get it done today." It should be try to. Otherwise, you're both trying and doing whatever.
* Awkward, clumsy writing. Here's a sentence: Within seconds there were people crying, calling for help, and police shouting out orders. "People" should be who's crying, who's calling for help, and who's shouting out orders, but at the end of the sentence, it changes to the police engaging in the action.
* Changes of tense. One paragraph waffled between past and present tense. The rest of the book wasn't much better.
* Paragraphs in which the speaker didn't match the person engaged in the action. E.g., "I'll save you!" Marcy ran toward me. "Hold still!" (Only Marcy wasn't speaking there!) (That's not from the book, and there wasn't a character named Marcy. I made that passage up to illustrate the principle.)
* Awkward use of present versus -ing tense. Here's the correct way: I enter the kitchen. My uncle is seated at the table. And here's the way the author did it (the wrong way): I enter the kitchen. My uncle sits at the table. That implies the action of sitting at that time, but the author used it in instances where the uncle (or whoever) was indeed already seated.
The obvious lack of polish was glaring, and it turned me off from enjoying the storyline. Are YA audiences these days thought of as being so idiotic that we won't care about the small details? My intelligence is offended.
As for the story, it kept me engaged from start to finish, which is one positive about this book. Often, I DNF, but I made it the distance with this one! So I have to give it a star or two for that reason alone. It's just weird. Usually, books that were obviously rushed are self-published, not professionally published. I think the industry should try harder.
Some of the errors I found:
* One sentence had a space between the last word and the period.
* "Try and." As in, "I'll try and get it done today." It should be try to. Otherwise, you're both trying and doing whatever.
* Awkward, clumsy writing. Here's a sentence: Within seconds there were people crying, calling for help, and police shouting out orders. "People" should be who's crying, who's calling for help, and who's shouting out orders, but at the end of the sentence, it changes to the police engaging in the action.
* Changes of tense. One paragraph waffled between past and present tense. The rest of the book wasn't much better.
* Paragraphs in which the speaker didn't match the person engaged in the action. E.g., "I'll save you!" Marcy ran toward me. "Hold still!" (Only Marcy wasn't speaking there!) (That's not from the book, and there wasn't a character named Marcy. I made that passage up to illustrate the principle.)
* Awkward use of present versus -ing tense. Here's the correct way: I enter the kitchen. My uncle is seated at the table. And here's the way the author did it (the wrong way): I enter the kitchen. My uncle sits at the table. That implies the action of sitting at that time, but the author used it in instances where the uncle (or whoever) was indeed already seated.
The obvious lack of polish was glaring, and it turned me off from enjoying the storyline. Are YA audiences these days thought of as being so idiotic that we won't care about the small details? My intelligence is offended.
As for the story, it kept me engaged from start to finish, which is one positive about this book. Often, I DNF, but I made it the distance with this one! So I have to give it a star or two for that reason alone. It's just weird. Usually, books that were obviously rushed are self-published, not professionally published. I think the industry should try harder.
January 10, 2020
This is a great mystery (murder mystery--or is it? 😉) for the middle school group.
It's hard to find thrilling mysteries for preteens that involve murder or harder crimes than petty thievery but that are age appropriate (not gruesome, don't contain graphic violence or sexual content, etc.). This one fits the bill! The intrigue takes off from the start, features a pretty solid crime with a twist, and contains mildly mature content.
At times Alden sounds inauthentic (his words and phrases stiff and "adult"), and some of the other characters are flat. Is the reveal a little far-fetched? Perhaps. However, these details don't distract from the story and in my opinion, they are minor inconveniences in an otherwise enjoyable read.
Specific content warnings: a few instances of "sh*t*, "crap", "G*d", and one "Jes*** Chr***". Few, very vague references to sex but no actual on-page scenes. References to a mass shooting but no graphic detail, except for a recollection of the killer's face after he was found dead. Stalking behavior (which I think could be more clearly addressed, but is not overly problematic).
I highly recommend this for the Gr. 6-7 (11-14 year old) crowd!
It's hard to find thrilling mysteries for preteens that involve murder or harder crimes than petty thievery but that are age appropriate (not gruesome, don't contain graphic violence or sexual content, etc.). This one fits the bill! The intrigue takes off from the start, features a pretty solid crime with a twist, and contains mildly mature content.
At times Alden sounds inauthentic (his words and phrases stiff and "adult"), and some of the other characters are flat. Is the reveal a little far-fetched? Perhaps. However, these details don't distract from the story and in my opinion, they are minor inconveniences in an otherwise enjoyable read.
Specific content warnings: a few instances of "sh*t*, "crap", "G*d", and one "Jes*** Chr***". Few, very vague references to sex but no actual on-page scenes. References to a mass shooting but no graphic detail, except for a recollection of the killer's face after he was found dead. Stalking behavior (which I think could be more clearly addressed, but is not overly problematic).
I highly recommend this for the Gr. 6-7 (11-14 year old) crowd!
May 16, 2020
I was hoping for more from this novel, but I didn't quite get there. It was good, and a quick read, but wasn't much of a thriller. There was no point where I couldn't put the book down, or was really surprised by the events. Just a decent read.
May 16, 2019
I was led astray. What a silly, ridiculous book with shallow (and stupid) characters. Booooo.
August 15, 2023
"It's Thursday, and I haven't followed anybody all week."
*3.5
This had been in a book box that I had received as a gift a couple of years ago, and I'll admit I have never had high hopes for it. It didn't seem like my type of story and the synopsis sounded a little more, creepy in not a good way, side. I picked it up as it was the shortest I owned and I've been wanting to read shorter books and decided to give it a shot. The worst that would happen would be I didn't like it and could donate it to my library. However, this surpassed pretty much all my expectations. Yes, Alden following people is still kind of creepy, but you come to find out the backstory behind it and I honestly understand why he does and think it fits perfectly for the story. The story itself was full of twists that I mostly never saw coming which I loved. While I can be proud of myself for predicting twists, more often than not that ends up ruining a story for me. I will say the Goodreads description spoils a big twist in the book, something that doesn't happen until maybe 150 pages into the book, which is over halfway. If you haven't already read the description I highly recommend avoiding it and will give a brief summary myself instead. Essentially, Alden tends to follow people and one day after school he believes to have witnessed a murder involving none other than his school's "it couple." He then embarks on a journey to prove that Greg murdered his girlfriend Amy, but with little proof and no body, things become difficult. As I said, the twists are great, but I have to admit Alden's best friend kind of ruined the book for me. She flip-flopped between being supportive of her best friend and hating him for "being crazy and getting her involved." She just didn't do it for me and I would have been much happier if she had picked one and stuck with it. Also, a bonus about the book, there's essentially no romance. It's kind of impossible to find young adult books that lack romance, so when I find one that doesn't have one, I believe it's noteworthy. So, mystery, suspense, and anti-romance fans, I think this book may be a perfect fit for you!
*3.5
This had been in a book box that I had received as a gift a couple of years ago, and I'll admit I have never had high hopes for it. It didn't seem like my type of story and the synopsis sounded a little more, creepy in not a good way, side. I picked it up as it was the shortest I owned and I've been wanting to read shorter books and decided to give it a shot. The worst that would happen would be I didn't like it and could donate it to my library. However, this surpassed pretty much all my expectations. Yes, Alden following people is still kind of creepy, but you come to find out the backstory behind it and I honestly understand why he does and think it fits perfectly for the story. The story itself was full of twists that I mostly never saw coming which I loved. While I can be proud of myself for predicting twists, more often than not that ends up ruining a story for me. I will say the Goodreads description spoils a big twist in the book, something that doesn't happen until maybe 150 pages into the book, which is over halfway. If you haven't already read the description I highly recommend avoiding it and will give a brief summary myself instead. Essentially, Alden tends to follow people and one day after school he believes to have witnessed a murder involving none other than his school's "it couple." He then embarks on a journey to prove that Greg murdered his girlfriend Amy, but with little proof and no body, things become difficult. As I said, the twists are great, but I have to admit Alden's best friend kind of ruined the book for me. She flip-flopped between being supportive of her best friend and hating him for "being crazy and getting her involved." She just didn't do it for me and I would have been much happier if she had picked one and stuck with it. Also, a bonus about the book, there's essentially no romance. It's kind of impossible to find young adult books that lack romance, so when I find one that doesn't have one, I believe it's noteworthy. So, mystery, suspense, and anti-romance fans, I think this book may be a perfect fit for you!
September 19, 2021
Alden lost his parents to a shooter and now has serious mental issues- he thinks everyone is 'up to something'. Ends up the star of the school, Greg, is actually up to something.
This book was so incredibly unbelievable. Probably not a good read for kids, might give them really stupid ideas. Alden is not an investigator, he's mentally ill and needs psychiatric help. The tampering of evidence is completely cringe worthy, and saying it's okay to let a body rot for a few more days is about the crassest thing I've ever encountered.
This book was so incredibly unbelievable. Probably not a good read for kids, might give them really stupid ideas. Alden is not an investigator, he's mentally ill and needs psychiatric help. The tampering of evidence is completely cringe worthy, and saying it's okay to let a body rot for a few more days is about the crassest thing I've ever encountered.
December 10, 2018
Review and some reactions to be posted soon together with the book summary. Finished this months ago. Only have had the chance to update my profile very recently and indeed will be back real soon.
P.S. Just to give you a glimpse why I gave this book just exactly 3 stars, its storyline seemed predictable and quite tedious to me. Although it made me wonder what would happen next (for the slightest bit), I hadn't given much thought to the idea that it would somehow make me throw things around that are of close proximity and go berserk for the next 24 hours. In other words, I couldn't care less about what went next in line for the MC and whether he would be safe until the story ends. Some parts still need to be polished into something that would really require readers to actually focus on and be invested in what was going on in the story. Though some developed while going through to the final parts of the story. The whole idea was simple and easy to get acquainted to yet lacking in its execution when it comes to the writing style as the story was written plainly and too narrow, straight to the point that it lacked some more details and looked like it was written under very limited time. This book is a light read and if someone is looking for not-so-quite complicated ya mystery that has quite some issues to be well aware of although at times entertaining and fun to read, if you count stalking and breaking and entering fit to those descriptions, with a tiniest bit of a shocker down to the last part, this one would be the perfect taste to get its way into your TBR category.
P.S. Just to give you a glimpse why I gave this book just exactly 3 stars, its storyline seemed predictable and quite tedious to me. Although it made me wonder what would happen next (for the slightest bit), I hadn't given much thought to the idea that it would somehow make me throw things around that are of close proximity and go berserk for the next 24 hours. In other words, I couldn't care less about what went next in line for the MC and whether he would be safe until the story ends. Some parts still need to be polished into something that would really require readers to actually focus on and be invested in what was going on in the story. Though some developed while going through to the final parts of the story. The whole idea was simple and easy to get acquainted to yet lacking in its execution when it comes to the writing style as the story was written plainly and too narrow, straight to the point that it lacked some more details and looked like it was written under very limited time. This book is a light read and if someone is looking for not-so-quite complicated ya mystery that has quite some issues to be well aware of although at times entertaining and fun to read, if you count stalking and breaking and entering fit to those descriptions, with a tiniest bit of a shocker down to the last part, this one would be the perfect taste to get its way into your TBR category.
August 29, 2019
2.5...I really wanted to like this book. But I had quite a few issues with a lot of things.
First of all, Alden is supposedly in high school which makes him a young adult... I thought it was weird when he kept thinking to himself that he's a ”good investigator” or ”a good investigator does this or that” just felt like something a 5-year-old would say and not someone in high school lol. Also, his uncle ”tucking” him into bed during one part...again he's not 5 years old.
Secondly, Amy.. Oh my Gosh, Amy lol... Even though I was not expecting certain things from her.. If she is so religious how in the world could she get mad because of Greg swearing but murder was okay!? I had to laugh at that!! At least if she's pretending to be religious then let her do ALL THE BAD THINGS in secret not one or the other lol 😆
I thought it was also really strange how greg was going back and forth from being nice and then not and vice versa... Even though the author said he was just ”faking” being mean.. I thought it was strange.. Felt to me more like a personality disorder than anything else lol.
That guy that got pulled over in front of gregs house that one time (can't remember his name) why did he keep popping up randomly in the story always in his car? I thought that was very insignificant.
I honesty preferred aldens story with his parents more than him following greg around the whole time...
I think that about sums it up lol
First of all, Alden is supposedly in high school which makes him a young adult... I thought it was weird when he kept thinking to himself that he's a ”good investigator” or ”a good investigator does this or that” just felt like something a 5-year-old would say and not someone in high school lol. Also, his uncle ”tucking” him into bed during one part...again he's not 5 years old.
Secondly, Amy.. Oh my Gosh, Amy lol... Even though I was not expecting certain things from her.. If she is so religious how in the world could she get mad because of Greg swearing but murder was okay!? I had to laugh at that!! At least if she's pretending to be religious then let her do ALL THE BAD THINGS in secret not one or the other lol 😆
I thought it was also really strange how greg was going back and forth from being nice and then not and vice versa... Even though the author said he was just ”faking” being mean.. I thought it was strange.. Felt to me more like a personality disorder than anything else lol.
That guy that got pulled over in front of gregs house that one time (can't remember his name) why did he keep popping up randomly in the story always in his car? I thought that was very insignificant.
I honesty preferred aldens story with his parents more than him following greg around the whole time...
I think that about sums it up lol
July 12, 2019
Full Disclosure: Mr. Johnston is a Facebook friend I've never met. This is the second of his YA novels I've read and enjoyed as an adult. This mystery has a good, logical plot twist that I didn't see coming. The characters are interesting and they speak like real people. This made the book a breezy summer adult read. Mr. Johnston's writing is above-par for what passes as "adult popular fiction".
I would definitely recommend this to high-school age kids as the main characters are in high school. This would also be a good tool for teaching elements of the mystery story: foreshadowing, the slow reveal and, like I said, how to keep the plot twist from being anticipated.
I would definitely recommend this to high-school age kids as the main characters are in high school. This would also be a good tool for teaching elements of the mystery story: foreshadowing, the slow reveal and, like I said, how to keep the plot twist from being anticipated.
October 20, 2020
Should be for middle school
October 22, 2024
Alden is a high school student who likes to play boy detective and to follow people. When he witnesses something that deeply disturbs him, he decides to collect evidence, along with his best friend, a girl named Charlie.
Did he really see what he thought he did? Would anyone believe him?
This was a fast paced book, that was recommended in a Facebook book group I belong to as being really scary. I didn’t find it as a scary book, but more of a mystery. It was well worth the read.
Did he really see what he thought he did? Would anyone believe him?
This was a fast paced book, that was recommended in a Facebook book group I belong to as being really scary. I didn’t find it as a scary book, but more of a mystery. It was well worth the read.
October 24, 2024
This was okay. I didn’t hate it. But I did figure out what was going on.
It’s tough being inside a teenage boys head, there’s a lot of him thinking through many things.
It’s tough being inside a teenage boys head, there’s a lot of him thinking through many things.
February 15, 2024
Felt like a creepy pasta, but more normy
I read it all in one sitting for its short length, during the first act I hoped they would get caught for all their spying, I didn’t care for the characters all that much. I’d give it more of a 3.5.
I read it all in one sitting for its short length, during the first act I hoped they would get caught for all their spying, I didn’t care for the characters all that much. I’d give it more of a 3.5.
February 11, 2019
A riveting and entertaining page turner for YA mystery lovers. It will keep you on the edge of your seat and guessing until the last page. And just when you think you have it figured out, you may be in for a surprise.
October 16, 2022
Honestly save your time and don’t read this book. I thought the plot sounded interesting when I read the summary, but it’s executed so poorly.
First, the main character is a kid who “follows” people - stalks people - because he thinks it’s practice for him to be a detective later in life. That’s not practice, it’s just creepy.
Second, the killer is the Christian popular girl? Doesn’t make sense. Murdering the girl your boyfriend cheated on you with instead of just breaking up with your boyfriend?
Lastly, the police chief telling stalker kid that he has a future in detective work? No. Wouldn’t recommend this book.
First, the main character is a kid who “follows” people - stalks people - because he thinks it’s practice for him to be a detective later in life. That’s not practice, it’s just creepy.
Second, the killer is the Christian popular girl? Doesn’t make sense. Murdering the girl your boyfriend cheated on you with instead of just breaking up with your boyfriend?
Lastly, the police chief telling stalker kid that he has a future in detective work? No. Wouldn’t recommend this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 24, 2019
This was a pretty okay read. It was quick and easy to get through, but there were a few things that made it a three star read for me. I found Alden to be a bit creepy, especially in the beginning. He became less creepy as I continued to read, but I just found myself questioning why he follows people. I mean, you get some of his backstory, but following fellow classmates just does not make that connection for me. Also the friendship between Alden and Charlie felt a little awkward, especially since they were set up to be friends since they were very little. And there were times when their behaviors and interactions felt unnecessary for the plot of the book. A positive about the book was the twist at the end. It started going the way I thought it would, and then did a complete 180 change, which had me surprised. Overall, it would a pretty good book!
PROS:
-Fast read
-Good twist at the end
-Kept me pretty entertained throughout
CONS:
-Story felt a little cut and dry at times
-Did not really like Alden's attitude toward his uncle; felt that it was a little unnecessary
PROS:
-Fast read
-Good twist at the end
-Kept me pretty entertained throughout
CONS:
-Story felt a little cut and dry at times
-Did not really like Alden's attitude toward his uncle; felt that it was a little unnecessary
January 8, 2022
I really wanted to like this book.
Maybe it was the writing style, which felt amateurish, that put me off. There was so much more telling than showing, I just wanted to say, "SHUT UP!"
The two main plot lines, the protagonist's parents being murdered in front of him and the most popular girl in HS being murdered (maybe), are great plots to have. The nonstop inner dialogue and out-loud dialogue had me skimming through pages to find what was actually happening.
At around 92% (Kindle edition) the story became readable.
I do have to agree with many reviewers, the protagonist comes off as being creepy; he is obviously suffering from some form of PTSD (HE SAW HIS PARENTS MURDERED IN FRONT OF HIM) and no one is actually trying to help him.
Maybe it was the writing style, which felt amateurish, that put me off. There was so much more telling than showing, I just wanted to say, "SHUT UP!"
The two main plot lines, the protagonist's parents being murdered in front of him and the most popular girl in HS being murdered (maybe), are great plots to have. The nonstop inner dialogue and out-loud dialogue had me skimming through pages to find what was actually happening.
At around 92% (Kindle edition) the story became readable.
I do have to agree with many reviewers, the protagonist comes off as being creepy; he is obviously suffering from some form of PTSD (HE SAW HIS PARENTS MURDERED IN FRONT OF HIM) and no one is actually trying to help him.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 28, 2019
For cryin' out loud ... I got this book because it was supposed to be dark and disturbing. I guess my definition of dark and disturbing is a lot different because my best example of that would be "In Cold Blood" or a TV British film series called "The Fall." This ain't those. What it is is murder with teenaged angst. SO MUCH teenaged angst. The evildoer here (and I suppose "the twist" at the end) was predictable by the end of the first chapter. The protagonists ALWAYS chose the very stupidest solution to their problems.
I gave this book two stars since it was written in full sentences. Definitely not for me.
I gave this book two stars since it was written in full sentences. Definitely not for me.
June 20, 2019
Book was terrible, and had no suspense, no thrill. The mystery wasn’t that hard to solve either and the twist wasn’t shocking. I‘ll write a review when I have the time, just going to give a warning to not waste your time with this book.
April 27, 2019
Reading a YA as an adult that normally enjoys adult fiction:
-Feels like I’m chasing two kids around that are trying to do the right thing but too young and inexperienced to do it right.
-Charlie’s judgment is terrible, especially for being a law enforcement kid. But it could be easily chalked up to feeling untouchable since she’s the Chief’s daughter. I liked the description of her character, though it still could’ve been elaborated upon at the beginning; I didn’t know what to picture for a large chunk of the story.
-Alden annoyed me at times because I was in his head the whole time, I feel like I got to read every single thought he had. I didn’t mind that, but boy can be a little obsessive. Some of it felt like it purposefully dragged on.
-At some points it feels like the story is going nowhere, but that could be a setup. By page 135/270 things feel like they might pick up a little. Before that it’s a little bit of literary edging. That’s probably why it feels like it’s going nowhere at first, because there’s a lot of buildup and then some simple predictable thing happens.
-This is nothing about the author or story, but the character. Why the hell cant Alden just TALK to his uncle? He’s just keeping all this guilt and appreciation for him. I guess it’s how teenagers are, I think it’s realistic, but I felt bad for the uncle. Also, can relate to the uncle’s tiredness. (Update: ends up predictably, so no worries there).
-The “A good investigator...” stuff feels the way it felt to read “my inner goddess...” in 50 Shades. It was a little cringey. I think he’s a 12-13 year old but still. The closer to the end I got the more tired I was.
Slightly spoilery**
Charlie flips and flops throughout the book on whether she should believe Alden, from all in to all out. This is in my opinion a reasonable change of heart. She has reasons to change her mind.
Amy is such an annoying little kid at the end. Highly hypocritical. I guess Johnston nailed it with the religious hypocrisy, if so I respect it.
The end is pretty cringey and predictable, but it has some sweet things to it too. I personally hated the way some of the last quarter was written, but appreciate the craft. I’m thinking this book is just really meant to be read by middle school and high school kids and, like Alden, I stuck my nose where it didn’t belong and just couldn’t quit until I saw it through. Also like Alden, I just wrote every single thing that’s in my mind, sorry about it.
-Feels like I’m chasing two kids around that are trying to do the right thing but too young and inexperienced to do it right.
-Charlie’s judgment is terrible, especially for being a law enforcement kid. But it could be easily chalked up to feeling untouchable since she’s the Chief’s daughter. I liked the description of her character, though it still could’ve been elaborated upon at the beginning; I didn’t know what to picture for a large chunk of the story.
-Alden annoyed me at times because I was in his head the whole time, I feel like I got to read every single thought he had. I didn’t mind that, but boy can be a little obsessive. Some of it felt like it purposefully dragged on.
-At some points it feels like the story is going nowhere, but that could be a setup. By page 135/270 things feel like they might pick up a little. Before that it’s a little bit of literary edging. That’s probably why it feels like it’s going nowhere at first, because there’s a lot of buildup and then some simple predictable thing happens.
-This is nothing about the author or story, but the character. Why the hell cant Alden just TALK to his uncle? He’s just keeping all this guilt and appreciation for him. I guess it’s how teenagers are, I think it’s realistic, but I felt bad for the uncle. Also, can relate to the uncle’s tiredness. (Update: ends up predictably, so no worries there).
-The “A good investigator...” stuff feels the way it felt to read “my inner goddess...” in 50 Shades. It was a little cringey. I think he’s a 12-13 year old but still. The closer to the end I got the more tired I was.
Slightly spoilery**
Charlie flips and flops throughout the book on whether she should believe Alden, from all in to all out. This is in my opinion a reasonable change of heart. She has reasons to change her mind.
Amy is such an annoying little kid at the end. Highly hypocritical. I guess Johnston nailed it with the religious hypocrisy, if so I respect it.
The end is pretty cringey and predictable, but it has some sweet things to it too. I personally hated the way some of the last quarter was written, but appreciate the craft. I’m thinking this book is just really meant to be read by middle school and high school kids and, like Alden, I stuck my nose where it didn’t belong and just couldn’t quit until I saw it through. Also like Alden, I just wrote every single thing that’s in my mind, sorry about it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 31, 2019
Thank you so much to Edelweiss for my copy of this book! I love a good mystery, and the synopsis for this one had me super intrigued before I even read the first sentence. We are thrown into Alden's world, and it is an unstable one. He had to watch his parents be gunned down as a child, and now is dedicated to following people around to try and prevent future tragedies from happening. His best friend, Charlie, asks him to stop, but when he sees the glimmering epitome of perfection that is Greg Matthes acting strangely, he decides to follow his gut and puts his amateur detective skills to the test once again.
Alden watches a scene unfold that he could never have imagined. Greg fights with his girlfriend, Amy, and the last visual that Alden can see of her is her body laying on the ground. Greg leaves with a backpack stained with blood, and Amy's final cry still rings in Alden's ears. He brings Charlie onto the case, and the two of them work diligently to scrounge up more evidence. When Amy comes back to school on Monday alive and well, the duo are forced to call it quits. Alden can't stop the nagging voice in his head, and so he continues the fight and uncovers a plethora of secrets as the disguise that people he has known for years starts to slip off.
There are so many twists and turns in this that I honestly could not put it down. Once I thought I had figured out what was going on, the book did a 180 and suddenly I was being led down a different path. I also loved Alden so much. He was honest, brave, and dedicated. He had so much guilt for the death of his parents, and was trying to make amends for their blood on his hands. Protagonist aside, there were so many compelling characters with fantastic personalities; especially our potential villain, Greg, and the uber-religious Amy. I thought the ending was sublime, and I honestly never expected it and audibly gasped when the mystery was solved. This is such a quick, engrossing read, and would be perfect to binge on a summer's day!
Alden watches a scene unfold that he could never have imagined. Greg fights with his girlfriend, Amy, and the last visual that Alden can see of her is her body laying on the ground. Greg leaves with a backpack stained with blood, and Amy's final cry still rings in Alden's ears. He brings Charlie onto the case, and the two of them work diligently to scrounge up more evidence. When Amy comes back to school on Monday alive and well, the duo are forced to call it quits. Alden can't stop the nagging voice in his head, and so he continues the fight and uncovers a plethora of secrets as the disguise that people he has known for years starts to slip off.
There are so many twists and turns in this that I honestly could not put it down. Once I thought I had figured out what was going on, the book did a 180 and suddenly I was being led down a different path. I also loved Alden so much. He was honest, brave, and dedicated. He had so much guilt for the death of his parents, and was trying to make amends for their blood on his hands. Protagonist aside, there were so many compelling characters with fantastic personalities; especially our potential villain, Greg, and the uber-religious Amy. I thought the ending was sublime, and I honestly never expected it and audibly gasped when the mystery was solved. This is such a quick, engrossing read, and would be perfect to binge on a summer's day!
January 16, 2020
In the book Following the main character Alden is a young teenager who likes to follow people around and observe their life. It all started after his parents died in a mass shooting he’s been scarred for life. Since the death of his parents Alden keeps thinking that he is seeing possible murderers everywhere. Alden would always call the police to tell them he taught there was danger and they ended up being normal people which led the police to believe the calls were prank calls. One of them is when he is following the most popular guy at his school and he thinks he might have killed his girlfriend. Him and his best friend Charlie are looking for evidence to report the guy who think killed his girlfriend. Some of the challenges he faces are, looking for the evidence without getting caught, especially since the police are now looking for the person that made the calls. I don’t think I could relate to any of the challenges he is facing because I don’t follow people.
The book Following I thought was pretty good, I really enjoy mystery books so I was pretty engaged with the story. Even though it was enjoyable, if I were the writer I would’ve written it different, it did have a lot of twists that make the book more unique but it was a risky play. The author Jeffry W. Johnston turned the whole book around, at first it was Alden and Charlie trying to figure out the “murder” mystery and at the end it was Alden who was actually in danger. Which in my opinion is a really interesting plot twist and got me more engaged in the story. I also really loved Charlie’s character, she is the police chief’s daughter but she is also helping alden with the mystery, and she has a great personality. I would recommend this book to anyone that likes to read mystery books. It also has a lot of guessing, you have got to keep an open mind with this book at all times to be ready for what comes next.
The book Following I thought was pretty good, I really enjoy mystery books so I was pretty engaged with the story. Even though it was enjoyable, if I were the writer I would’ve written it different, it did have a lot of twists that make the book more unique but it was a risky play. The author Jeffry W. Johnston turned the whole book around, at first it was Alden and Charlie trying to figure out the “murder” mystery and at the end it was Alden who was actually in danger. Which in my opinion is a really interesting plot twist and got me more engaged in the story. I also really loved Charlie’s character, she is the police chief’s daughter but she is also helping alden with the mystery, and she has a great personality. I would recommend this book to anyone that likes to read mystery books. It also has a lot of guessing, you have got to keep an open mind with this book at all times to be ready for what comes next.
May 25, 2019
Following by Jeffry Johnston is a mystery novel about Alden, the main character, who appears to have witnessed a murder while stalking him. The criminal is Greg, a boy who has always been seen as a star around the high school, who was caught in the act of killing Amy, his girlfriend. He uses his years of practicing as an investigator to gather evidence and, with the help of Charlie, finally put this murderer in prison. However, as the story unfolds and more clues arise, Alden will soon realize that there is more to this story than what he saw that tragic day.
When I first read the description of this book, I thought it would be rather boring: the murderer's identity was already uncovered and it seemed to be a straightforward story of finding enough evidence to persecute him. However, as I read on, I began to appreciate the author's effort into the main character's background, which reasons why Alden has a creepy knack for following people. I also like the growth of the relationship between he and his friend Charlie, whose bond is very vivid. My favorite part of the book was when the author twisted the story into a completely different view point, which was quite the surprise.
I gave this book a 4/5, it was an interesting read, but I had hoped that the main character's background was more bonded with the current murder than his friendship and hobby of stalking. I did like the thrill factor of placing Alden's life on the line and how the plot was written.
When I first read the description of this book, I thought it would be rather boring: the murderer's identity was already uncovered and it seemed to be a straightforward story of finding enough evidence to persecute him. However, as I read on, I began to appreciate the author's effort into the main character's background, which reasons why Alden has a creepy knack for following people. I also like the growth of the relationship between he and his friend Charlie, whose bond is very vivid. My favorite part of the book was when the author twisted the story into a completely different view point, which was quite the surprise.
I gave this book a 4/5, it was an interesting read, but I had hoped that the main character's background was more bonded with the current murder than his friendship and hobby of stalking. I did like the thrill factor of placing Alden's life on the line and how the plot was written.
January 2, 2024
I would rate this book 3 stars and would probably not have to read it again.
This book was a fairly easy YA read but was a little too slow at times. The concept of the book was interesting, but I feel it may have done better as an adult book that was more developed and detailed. The main character, having gone through the traumatic event of losing both parents in a public shooting, develops the trait of wanting to be an investigator, following some of those around him in an effort to uncover secrets they may be hiding and just learning more about people by watching them from afar. When he thinks he sees a murder occur, he tries to find evidence to back it up and basically see if he has what it takes, while also trying to right what he thinks he did wrong when his parents died. While the ending did surprise me a little and kept me wanting to read to see how it ended, I just felt like it was lacking more details maybe or for it not to feel so "PG" rated.
Overall, was a quick and simple read. Didn't have to overthink or try to remember every detail while reading but I won't have to read this again.
This book was a fairly easy YA read but was a little too slow at times. The concept of the book was interesting, but I feel it may have done better as an adult book that was more developed and detailed. The main character, having gone through the traumatic event of losing both parents in a public shooting, develops the trait of wanting to be an investigator, following some of those around him in an effort to uncover secrets they may be hiding and just learning more about people by watching them from afar. When he thinks he sees a murder occur, he tries to find evidence to back it up and basically see if he has what it takes, while also trying to right what he thinks he did wrong when his parents died. While the ending did surprise me a little and kept me wanting to read to see how it ended, I just felt like it was lacking more details maybe or for it not to feel so "PG" rated.
Overall, was a quick and simple read. Didn't have to overthink or try to remember every detail while reading but I won't have to read this again.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 7, 2025
After his parents got killed in a gun shooting at the fair Alden has been following and observing people in public. He is sure that if he would've been more observant and paying more attention to the people around him he could've stopped him parents from being killed. This book is called Following and its by Jeffry W. Johnston this is a good book it has a good plot. The story is written good The author did a good job at describing the character and there traits it really helps when you invitation how they look. As well as doing a good job describing the setting and all the small details to how our character feels.
The main characters in this book are Alden, Charlie Alden's best friend, Greg and Amy. The plot of this story is that Alden saw Greg possibly hurt/kill Amy so he's trying to find our if what he saw was true or if he just confused what he saw. I would recommend this book to any one who likes mystery and thriller type books. I would recommend this book because it keeps you on your toes the plot twist are good and just the actual crime and to who it happens are good. As well as how Alden manages to get proof of what he saw or thought he saw.
The main characters in this book are Alden, Charlie Alden's best friend, Greg and Amy. The plot of this story is that Alden saw Greg possibly hurt/kill Amy so he's trying to find our if what he saw was true or if he just confused what he saw. I would recommend this book to any one who likes mystery and thriller type books. I would recommend this book because it keeps you on your toes the plot twist are good and just the actual crime and to who it happens are good. As well as how Alden manages to get proof of what he saw or thought he saw.
April 2, 2019
This is a good book and like almost every book the kids parents are dead. The end is happy the book has one big major twist in which...(stop if you haven't finished this book)... you find out amy wasn't ever on his side and Greg actually helps him when he says that Greg didn't kill Alysia or whatever her name was so he stalls long enough for the cops to come. When I read the back and it says "Alden likes to follow people" The first thing I thought was he is a weirdo. Also when I looked at the title i was like "wow they made a book on stranger things!" Then I read it and now i am like "wow thats nothing like stranger things." comment if you thought the same. Aldens backstory is very sad like if he had said something to charlie's dad then I think his parents would have said that he was going to have a sibling comment if you thought the same.
January 6, 2023
CW: violence/gore, gun violence (mass shooting), grief, references to sex
~3.5 rounded up because I'm not sure why this has such a low average rating, I thought this was a solid teen thriller, and it certainly didn't have any of the offensive, inappropriate content that the popular books do.
The fast pace kept me hooked. The MC's motivations were clear and understandable. He was sweet and respectful of women. His mistakes were because he was lost or unsure, not stupid. Yeah, some choices were not great, but this is a) YA, and b) a thriller... I appreciated the frequent "What will we tell our parents?" compared to parents in YA that are typically, conveniently absent for the sake of the plot.
The end bit where the author was basically "and the moral of the story is..." was pretty cheesy and eye-roll worthy.
~3.5 rounded up because I'm not sure why this has such a low average rating, I thought this was a solid teen thriller, and it certainly didn't have any of the offensive, inappropriate content that the popular books do.
The fast pace kept me hooked. The MC's motivations were clear and understandable. He was sweet and respectful of women. His mistakes were because he was lost or unsure, not stupid. Yeah, some choices were not great, but this is a) YA, and b) a thriller... I appreciated the frequent "What will we tell our parents?" compared to parents in YA that are typically, conveniently absent for the sake of the plot.
The end bit where the author was basically "and the moral of the story is..." was pretty cheesy and eye-roll worthy.
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