Elena just separated from her husband. She is upset by the separation and doesn't really know where to begin. One day she is sitting at her kitchen table and begins to watch the family across the street. She becomes entangled in their life when she befriends they're teenage son.

This is a captivating book and I couldn't put it down.

I would recommend this story to all thriller lovers. This book took me by surprise. It kept me interested throughout the story and I needed to see what was going to happen. I truly enjoyed the pacing of the story and the well-written characters.

Another unreliable narrator book! This one is Swedish and seems loosely based on Rear Window. A recently divorced author ends up watching her neighbors as a hobby and ends up witnessing a murder. There is a big twist but I felt like the book was a little slow. It might have been the translation though.

Gripping and suspenseful, this book keeps you engaged until the very end. Told through a mix of first person POV from the main character and a few other characters, the book has you guessing what is real and what isn't.

Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I wanted. Whilst I could appreciate the complexity of the characters and plot, I found it too convoluted and difficult to engage with.

This was an okay read. I did not anything special about the storyline or very much in the way of suspense.

Elena, an author, living in a sub-let townhouse is on a trial separation from her husband and has lost her creative mojo and is caught up in insomnia and a feeling of being lost. The only thing that starts to bring her to some sort of stability is watching her neighbors, the Storms, and becoming drawn into their world.
The more you read, the more the Storm's seem to intrigue a person and you wonder what secret is lurking in their background? You start to also wonder is Elena hiding some dark secrets of her own? What is the reason for her own separation?
The story is told by three different voices - one is definitely Elena, another one an unidentified husband and the other one the innermost thoughts of the unidentified husband's also unidentified wife. These three distinct voices tell the tales so compellingly that by chapter 10 you're hooked; wondering what's happening, what's real and what's imaginary. They pull you into the pages, unable to put it down in case you miss anything until you reach the shattering revelation of what is actually the real story, one you didn't predict at all.
I could not believe this was a translated novel, in my mind nothing was lost. It was brilliantly written with so many twists in the tale.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me the chance to read this book.

This engaging and entertaining psychological thriller is the story of Elena, trying to come to terms with a trial separation from her husband. A writer by profession, she sits alone in her rented house, watching the family who live opposite and gradually becoming obsessed by what seems to be going on between them. Elena is an unreliable narrator but this reader at least took a while to realise that. Gradually it becomes clear that all may not be as it at first appears. Constantly wrong-footed, it took me quite a while to realise just how troubled Elena is, and the author’s clever misdirection kept me guessing to the end. A good read.

This book is a little different, so I want to try to do this without any spoilers.

Elena, a mildly successful author, is in a funk since her marriage fell apart. Now, she’s subletting a place and trying to see if she can figure out to move on. Then she starts to notice the family across the way from her and their strange behavior. It is slightly disturbing, but it gets Elena writing again. As she gets more invested in their lives, she begins to wonder if things are going to turn dangerous - and whether that means she should step in.

What I loved about this book is that you have no idea what is happening in Elena’s head and what is real. Elena is a really unstable narrators and that makes for a great blurred line between reality and make believe. But it doesn’t take the story out of the realm of possibility either, which is nice.

Elena’s point of view is interspersed with snippets of other POVs, though we don’t really get a clear view of who they are at first. But the payoff is worth it. I really enjoyed the reveals in this one and thought everything was done really well. I think ending it any other way would have been too much (again - no spoilers!)

I was definitely glued to this one throughout, trying to put all the pieces together and guess the ending. It is a great book for anyone who loves suspenseful and tense thrillers.

The main character Elena is going through a rough time. She has just separated from her beloved husband and is living on her own for the first time in years. She feels lost and depressed. She has nothing to do, so she starts watching her neighbours through the window and gradually she becomes more and more obsessed with their lives. She wants to help them, but her obsession is clearly unhealthy. Through the most of the book it is hard to be sure if she is right to be worried about her neighbours’ well-being or is she deluding herself to forget about her own troubles.

“The Watcher” is not an easy book to handle, because the characters are very troubled. When I read that the author has a degree in social psychology I wasn’t surprised. The characters are suffering from anorexia, depression, compulsion (anxiety disorder?) and insomnia. They also have problems with communication.

To be honest I didn’t like the main character Elena. I couldn’t understand her behaviour and choices. She was just so frustrating. Also, relationships between her and other characters in this book seemed to be overdramatized. A few minutes of honest conversation would do much good to solve the most of the characters’ problems. For me there were too many twist and turns in the book. It is like the author wanted too much to surprise her readers to care about the rules of probability. But it may appeal to some readers, who like to be constantly surprised.

Overall, “The Watcher” by Caroline Eriksson was an engaging (even if a little frustrating) read. It will be perfect for readers that enjoyed “Gone Girl” by Gillian Flynn or “The Girl on the Train” by Paula Hawkins.

I received "The Watcher" from the publisher via NetGalley. I would like to thank the author and the publisher for providing me with the advance reader copy of the book.

There's a thin line between fiction and reality. Elena is watching The Storms but as you read on you cannot help but wonder who is being watched and why? She's convinced of what she's seeing and what their son, Leo, is telling her and as you read on, each page builds up on the tension and the mounting pressure she feels to make sense of everything and resolve it all.
I loved the pace and the alternating perspectives given in the story.
Thank you Netgalley for the eARC.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Crossing for allowing me to read a copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

The Watcher wasn't my favorite book I have read this year, but it was ok. The plot kept me interested, the writing flowed well. I did find the characters weak, at least in the beginning, but I guess that's true for a lot of books. It gives them room to evolve and grow.
Debated forever whether to rate a 3 or a 4 star. Since I can't give half stars going to give it a 4.

I decided to read The Watcher by Caroline Eriksson because it reminded me a bit of The Woman in the Window by A. J. Finn. Once I got the book, I started second guessing my decision because of the same reason why I picked the book. What if it ends up being too similar to The Woman in the Window? In the end, there were similarities but this was still unique in its own way.

Elena is house-sitting. She is a struggling author, who can’t seem to come up with any ideas for her next book. However, Elena sees something through her window that gets her writing again. Chapter after chapter, reality and fiction interspersed as Elena gets more involved in her neighbor’s lives.

I think what I enjoyed most in this book is not knowing what was real and what wasn’t. Elena was an unreliable character so I wasn’t so sure where I stood with her. In addition, some of her actions were downright suspect. I mean, who obsessively watches their neighbors? I am curious about some of my neighbors, especially one who keeps using her blender at odd hours. Seriously, I would like to know what she is up to in that apartment but I wouldn’t go as far as watching her.

The Watcher turned out to be an interesting read. Not the most original idea but still entertaining.

Let me preface this review by saying The Watcher is a very hard book to review without giving away some spoilers, but I am determined to not ruin this very good read for anyone, so if it seems a bit nebulous it was done on purpose.

Elena is attempting to come to terms with her recent separation from her husband. Temporarily renting an apartment from a friend of her sister's, her days are filled with depression and her nights with insomnia. An author who has hit a dry spell, she tries to distract herself by writing, but the words just won't come. One day, she is looking out her window and sees the young woman who lives across the street in her kitchen, frantically cutting and shredding a bouquet of red roses before she dissolves into tears.

Before long, Elena is compulsively watching the interactions, and comings and goings of the Stone family through her/their window. The more she watches, the more she believes something sinister is afoot. Soon, she is not only watching, but following members of the family in an attempt to verify her concerns. But what will she do if she learns her fears are correct?

I LOVE the way Caroline Eriksson writes! Her way with words is exquisite - there were several times while reading this novel that I stopped to reread sentences just to enjoy them again. And she not only knows how to build suspense until you can't turn the pages fast enough, but she's a master of twists and turns as well. What is not to like?!?

I will definitely be on the lookout for both past and upcoming books by Ms. Eriksson!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Crossing for allowing me to read a copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

This is a very readable and insightful psychothriller. The psychologist and survivor of a tragic car wreck, becomes obsessed with the family she watches out her window. Insight into agoraphobia, paranoia, and great suspense. Narrator remains consistent, although she waivers between sympathetic and obnoxious. Well drawn

I don’t know what to think of this book yet. I loved it, yet I’m not sure I understood it. But I’ll be thinking about it and write a review in the next couple days.

Well, after going over and over it in my head, I'm not sure that I completely comprehend everything I read. But I read enough to know that it is a keeper! I think I could read it again in 6 months or a year and gain additional insight. That's saying a lot for me. I very seldom want to reread books of any kind.

First of all, the story throws the reader for loop after loop throughout the book. Just when you think you know what's going on, it gives you a gem that twists you even more. I like that. The characters are perfect for this story.

I'll be interested in reading other reviews. Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Crossing for the opportunity to read this book and provide an honest review.

What is one neighbor hiding? What does the other one see? In this blindsiding thriller of paranoia, obsession, and love gone wrong, neither one will be prepared for the answer. And neither will you…

If you like novels about unreliable narrators, then you'll love this one! However the story is similar to some of the other books I've read before, such as The Woman in the Window or The Girl on the Train. It is well written and makes for a quick read. The first few chapters were a little slower, but the twists suck you in and the ending ties everything together nicely.

#TheWatcher #NetGalley

I would like to thank Amazon Crossing Publishing and the Netgalley website for this partnership.

I was immediately by the cover you can see the pretty Elena looking behind a blind.

Elena broken by her marriage, author settles in a sublet arranged quickly. She no longer sleeps, her things are not yet tidy, she finds a way to observe her neighbours; she finds them suspicious. She thinks the woman is beaten.

A breathtaking thriller read in one go, the story was so captivating, moving and full of suspense and twists and turns. Looking forward to discovering more of this author's books.

I did not enjoy this book at all. It was overly complicated and convoluted. The different perspectives made it hard to follow and left me confused. Once I realized what was going on in terms of characters, I was left feeling very "meh" about the whole thing.

I did read this very quickly. I like fast reads as it usually means I could not put the book down. That was not the case with this one though. I think I must have skim read it after the twist was revealed. I feel like this was advertised as a thriller, but that could not be further from the truth. It was more of a character piece that would have been better off being played straight rather than with the different perspectives used to try to trick the reader. It fell very flat to me

Elena moved in to a townhome temporarily while on a bit of a hiatus from her marriage. During this trial separation, she will allow herself no contact with her husband – instead focusing on herself and her career . . . which sadly is kind of non-existent. Living on residuals from her one hit novel, Elena passes the time proofreading other’s writing, having Friday night dinner with her sister and sitting at the kitchen window. Until she finally decides to take her publisher’s advice and . . . .

“Dig where you are.”

And then????

“It’s like what I write has repercussions in what takes place in the Storm house.”

I snatched this one after seeing my friend Michelle’s review and I’m happy to report I was not disappointed. While not quite as good as The Woman in the Window, this was waaaaaay more of a satisfying domestic thriller to me than The Girl on the Train. I enjoyed the three narratives (Elena, the husband and the new book) and didn’t mind that I kind of new what was going on before the big reveal. 3.5 Stars.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!