I want to thank the publisher, St. Martin's Griffin and netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book is a kind of eerie thriller, with many twist and turns. You, as a reader will not be disappointed.
I normally do not like stalker or serial killer stories, but ms. Jody Gehrman got me hooked.

I highly recommend this book. It will keep you at the end of your seat.
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WATCH ME by Jody Gehrman is a tense dark creepy psychological thriller, dealing with stalking, powerful obsession and illicit attraction. This is my first novel written by the author, Jody Gehrman, and perfect for fans of dark and twisty fiction.

The main protagonist is Kate Youngblood, a late 30 creative writing professor at Blackwood college who is also trying to pursue a career as an author. Kate is divorced as her husband left her for a younger woman. One of Kate’s talented students, Sam Grist is completely obsessed with her and has resorted to stalking and watching her. Sam is determined to be in a relationship with Kate.

Sam Grist is Kate’s most promising student. An unflinching writer with razor-sharp clarity who gravitates towards dark themes and twisted plots, his raw talent is something Kate wants to nurture into literary success. But he’s not there solely to be the best writer. He’s been watching her. Wanting her. Working his way to her for years.

As Sam slowly makes his way into Kate’s life, they enter a deadly web of dangerous lies and forbidden desire. But how far will his fixation go? And how far will she allow it?

The story is told by both Sam’s and Kate’s point of view. Both Sam and Kate’s character were well-developed and their personalities soon became very clear. Sam was self-centered, patronizing and obsessive, while Kate was insecure and unhappy.

A chilling creepy but satisfying read.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley for my copy.

Such a great twisted story. I was hooked right from the beginning. I like the 2 voices perspective: the young man obsessed by his professor and the professor herself. I recommend.

I was given an ARC of this book on Netgalley by the publisher.

I struggle to rate this book as I started reading it without reading the synopsis. So I'll start out by saying I didn't get some of the story right from the start. I didn't realize that our main character, Kate, was feeling invisible and ignored. As a woman in my 40s, I didn't identify with this, but I do have to realize that my reality is not the same as every other woman.

I found the overarching theme of women being put out to pasture if they're not mothers in their early thirties to be interesting, but that kind of disappeared in the overall psychological thriller element.

I hated both Sam and Kate. A lot. I thought Kate was whiny and way too obsessed with Sam without enough background there. She's a woman in her 30s who was fascinated and in love (lust) with her hot 22 year old student without the author giving enough detail for that. Yet I got to a point where I needed to know how this would end as the point of view switched back and forth between Kate and Sam. Had I read the synopsis first, I would have known that she was feeling ignored, but I don't think a reader should have to read a synopsis to get what was a major motivator for a protagonist.

All of that said, it was fascinating to watch two egotistical writers struggle through this. With Sam creating a life in his imagination and slotting a woman into a pre-determined role easily with little concern at all over whether or not she actually was the person he built up in his head. The separation from reality was fascinating and horrifying as I had to face the fact that this happens in real life all too often - by both men and women.

I felt that the conflict between Kate and her coworkers was not developed enough to result in the outcome that happened for her there, <spoiler> however with the current climate around sexual harassment, we often see people villainized for allegations with no chance whatsoever to defend themselves. And the disbelief that Kate suffered as she tried to make those around her believe that even though she'd had a friendly relationship with Sam at one point, she could not want him in her home and her bed now. That it was beyond a relationship gone bad and that her apparent position of power over Sam did not make her responsible for his insane behavior.</spoiler>

I waffled on the rating for this between 3 and 4 stars. The immense readability of the book as I wanted to find out how this situation would end pulled toward 4 stars, but as I wrote the review, I had to accept that there were problems with the narrative in the book and I dropped it to three stars.

Please note: This in no way means the book was bad. 3 stars here means "I liked it" and I did. It'll keep you up at night. Just don't expect to like the characters and expect Kate's story to be somewhat underdeveloped.

I can't believe I read the whole thing. I hate stalker books. I don't really like thrillers. I did not like any of the characters. But, darn, the book worked. Told in the voices of Sam (the stalker) and Kate (the stalkee), the book takes the reader into the heads of these two characters. Neither is likable. Sam, the product of a more than miserable childhood, is a true sociopath. Kate shows no sense when she allows Sam into her life. Sam tends to repeat the same things over and over trying to prove he is doing the right thing but it serves the purpose of the novel. Well written, it keeps you on the edge of your seat.
It creeped me out. I really did not like the story but 4 stars because it worked. Highly recommend for people who like creepy stalker stories.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC of this book

Like many of the books I own, it immediately became a shelf orphan, being repeatedly passed over for books that I had checked out from the library. I mean, they have a definite due date, where the one's I own can be read anytime, right? Of course the problem with this is that you miss reading some really good books sometimes

Watch Me keeps your heart pounding and you sitting on the edge of your seat. I loved the plot and the thrill of this book. That being said, there were many times when it jumped from one event to another without a smooth transition that left me very confused.

This is definitely creepy and the characters are twisty. Both of the main characters were well written and I would have liked to dig a little deeper into Sam's history and what made him the sociopath that he is. The story is good if you like stalker books and I did find myself wanting to know what happens, I'm not sure how I felt about the end but I did find myself thinking about the book after I'd finished it, so even though I didn't really "like" the characters they stuck with me, I'm not sure that any of the characters were meant to be "likeable" anyway.

I couldn't decide whether "Watch Me" was a thriller, or literature. Jody Gehrman cleverly spins a dark, disturbing tale about a handsome young man, Sam Grist, and the woman with whom he is obsessed, Kate Youngblood. Kate is a writer and professor. Sam became obsessed with Kate after reading one of her books and starts stalking her. He plans every move, including exactly how he will meet her. Kate is flattered at first, but as one terrifying incident after another occurs, she suspects that there is something chilling about Sam.. Ms. Gehrman words flow beautifully across the pages like poetry, yet I stay up all night biting my nails to get to the end. Would definitely recommend.

I wanted to like Watch Me. But this book fell way short of the expectations that I had for it. I could not connect with the main characters. The plot, while fast-moving, failed to engage me. I had so many unanswered questions, it wasn’t even funny.

Watch Me is a story about stalking. Sam has fixated on Kate for years. Everything he did from the age of 19 was to get close to Kate. The closer to Kate he gets, the more unhinged he becomes. His fixation becomes deadly. Will Kate wise up or will she become Sam’s victim?

I did not like Kate. She was a witch with a b right off the bat. Normally I would have liked that. I like strong women who don’t care what people think about her. But Kate, she came across as a jealous, bitter woman. I couldn’t connect with her. Even more so after she started to get close to Sam. She knew there was something off about him but she ignored it. Also, she did the stupidest things. Like keeping her passwords in a journal in her desk at school. Where it can be found. Who in the world does that these days? She was also unaware of her surroundings. So, yeah, it is safe to say that I didn’t like her.

Sam started off with my pity. He had grown up under less than ideal circumstances. His childhood did effect him and it wasn’t for the better. I liked how the author didn’t bother to hide Sam’s stalking of Kate. Instead, I was given a ringside seat on how a stalker’s mind works. My pity of Sam did turn to disinterest towards the middle of the book. Sam became boring. Very boring. His character did perk up a bit towards the end. But it wasn’t enough.

The romance part of the book creeped me out. Kate was actually having feelings for Sam. Even though she had a feeling that there was something off about him. I felt dirty after reading those scenes.

The end of the book did creep me out. While events in the book did amp itself up in that direction, I didn’t expect them to happen. It also left a bad taste in my mouth because Sam did so much harm.

I would give Watch Me an Adult rating. There are sexual situations, language, and violence. The stalking scenes could trigger some people. The end of the book definitely would trigger someone. I would not allow anyone under the age of 21 to read this book. I would not reread this book and I would not recommend to family and friends.

I would like to thank St. Martin’s Griffin, St. Martin’s Paperbacks, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review Watch Me.

All opinions stated in this review of Watch Me are mine.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

Disturbing, gripping, psychological thriller, all in the best of the sense. You will read it and not be able to put it down. How far would your student go to be part of your life? What if they were obsessed with you?

I have to admit that this book sucked me in. It is told from the perspective of professor Kate Youngblood and the prospective of Sudent, Sam Grist. Sam is a student of Kate's who is obsessed with her. He has made it his mission to get to know her and to get close to her. How far is he willing to go to be a part of her life? This book was a page turner that I stayed up way to late to finish in one sitting! It will have you hooked early on!

A really disturbing story that you won’t be able to put down! Jody Gehrman puts the reader right inside the head of a stalker and his victim. Kate Youngblood is an author and English professor at a Midwestern college. Sam Grist is the star student in her workshop. He’s talented and charming in a sea of ordinary college students. Kate is recently divorced and her best friend is about to have her first child. She’s lonely and facing writer’s block while her agent breaths down her neck. Sam is like a breath of fresh air but with her bid for tenure under consideration, she knows better than to do more than be a mentor. Sam on the other hand, has more in mind…much more!

I will admit that it took me a while to get into this story. I didn’t like anything about Sam and felt like a voyeur reading his thoughts. Kate, on the other hand, I could really relate to. Having been through one myself, I totally understood the anxieties and doubts caused by her mid-life type crisis, and how flattered she felt by the attentions of her student. The story seemed to start out a little slow but the intensity builds gradually to the point of no return. I admit that I thought I knew how it would end and was taken completely by surprise. If you like to get inside the brain of the perpetrator, then you will love this book. I highly recommend.

I was glad to have a rainy weekend to stay in and read this book because once you start reading you do not want to stop

I went with 4 stars on this Jody Gehrman novel, however I wavered on that rating. Though the story itself is strong, I found the characters to be a bit lacking in dimension. It could be that while I was reading, the topic of stalking and the character profile of a stalker was just too heavy. As the story progressed, I felt less and less sympathy for the heroine, and that made it a difficult read for me. I look for books that have a strong balance between character and story, and Watch Me is a little light on character development for my taste.

This book is creepy. It makes me distrust every person who is ever going to pay a bit more attention than socially acceptable in the future.
I liked Kate. She just lost her husband to a person she does not like and her best friend is having a baby. I liked how her true thoughts where not hidden. The fact she did not really like her friend having a baby and the realisation that it might not be accepted to be angry at a baby but being it anyway was refreshing. I like how she was trying to keep herself going despite the fact that she was clearly very lonely. Often a character in her situation ends up being depressed and seeing no way out and the whole world is bad but Kate fought to stay on her feet as best as she could.
Sam is a different story. He is to scary and crazy to say I like you but it was possible to follow his train of thoughts and why he did what he felt he had to do. What I did miss was a proper explanation for his behaviour. It is clear he is damaged but this amount of psycho behaviour is not only the upbringing. I cannot imagine there was not a psychological trigger somewhere which is not really developed.
The story clearly builds to a climax but the atmosphere did not always grab me. There are some really tense scenes but at other moments this book is easy to put away. Still a very good read for a rainy day.

It was a decent book, but a bit unbelievable to me.

Watch Me is a really intense thriller following a college professor, Kate, and her student, Sam. Kate is recently divorced. Her first book was a mega bestseller but she's had trouble with commercial success since. Essentially, her life is kind of falling apart. Enter Sam, a student from her creative writing seminar. He is attractive and massively talented, and Kate is intensely drawn to him. Little does she know, however, that Sam's been following her for years waiting for his entrance into her life.

Told in perspectives shifting from Sam to Kate, this novel was an intense read. From the synopsis, I expected a stalker thriller, but I did not expect to be thrown into the head of the stalker himself. Due to the perspectives given, this book turned out to be a lot more creepy than I initially suspected. I'm talking full on skin crawling, lots of interesting noises, and cringing happening. I had to take some of it in small spurts--just because it was so fascinating, but also difficult to read that perspective.

As you continue to read, you come to understand Sam on more and more levels, even if you don't really want to. You can also understand Kate and where she's coming from, but there were times I also found her exasperating. That was totally fine with me, but I'm a fan of not loving every protagonist ever. I mean, we don't like everyone we meet in life, so it makes sense we wouldn't like every protagonist we meet. Anyway, I digress. This book was exciting to read, and the story was interesting. The creep factor is very high, so if that's not your thing, this may not be for you. The voices of both characters were really well done and it was interesting to see cat and mouse being played from both sides. The ending kind of threw me for a loop, but overall it was a very interesting reading experience.

Quite an entertaining book of this genre, although not the best I have read. Maybe I have just read too many but the story is very familiar. Good enough though.

Great plot but I'm not mad on reading the same scene twice from different people's view. I gave up because of this.