This beauty comes out at the end of December and you are going to want to read it! This is my second Lisa Jewell book and like I said after the first one, The She Was Gone, I don’t know why I am so late to the party!

There is a dead body in one of the houses in Melville Heights. (And I have to admit I thought it was one person but was so wrong) The story takes us between the police questioning a few people, to the stories of the people living there. They all seem to revolve around Tom Fitzwilliam, the headmaster at a local school. There is Joey, who recently moved in with her brother and pregnant wife. She feels a connection to him. There is Jenna, who’s mother has some serious mental issues and believes that Tom is watching her ever since a vacation they took. Jenna also has serious doubts about Tom’s character around female students. Tom’s son, Freddie, who keeps an eye on the comings and goings of the street, feels like he both loves and hates his father. Then there is Nicola, Tom’s wife, who seems to try to be something she’s not for him. It all swirls and ebbs around and around until you start to not trust everyone and isn’t that the most delicious part of reading?!

This is such a page-turning read and I could not wait to see how it all played out. Each of the main characters are written with such clarity and you really could feel what they were all about. I really loved the progression in Freddie. And who doesn’t love that little tidbit at an ending that makes you go AHA! I will read more and more from this wonderful writer, at least until I finish her library, and wait for more.

Thanks to Netgalley and Atria for this fantastic book.

*4.5 stars*

Holy moly macaroni! I was happy to be approved for an ARC of this via Netgalley, but I had no idea how intensely I'd be sucked into the world of Melville Heights and Tom Fitzwilliams.

Immediately we find out that everything is not what it seems in this posh neighborhood. Joey is there to find herself after a sudden marriage, but instead of putting down stable roots, she's immediately drawn to Tom, the man everyone seemingly admire. Tom's teenage son is constantly watching people from his room, taking pictures, and making notes. And Jenna's mother is convinced that a secret mob of people are out there, trying to drive her crazy.

And who exactly is Tom, the charismatic "fixer" of schools, the man who sweeps his family into a new city every few years because of his career? Is there something darker on his agenda?

It was fascinating for me to go into this book with presumptions about who these people were, only to be steered, through strong story-telling and character development (yay!!!) to wildly different conclusions. The whole novel was intensely interesting, and heartbreaking in sections as well.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.

I was hooked from the opening crime scene. I really wanted to know what happened and how everything got to that point. There are a few twist and while a few might be more obvious it was still intriguing all the way to the end. I would recommend this book.

I enjoyed reading this book. It had a good story to it. I liked the variety of characters in it. I have read another book by this author and liked it too. I hope to read more books by this author.

What do you do when no one is who you thought they were? The famous "rescue " head master sent in to change low achieving schools is not the shinning star everyone seems to think. It seems that everyone in the neighborhood is watching and making assumptions about their neighbors but who knows the truth that will solve the murder of the head master's wife?

I have loved many books by Lisa Jewell so I could not wait to read this. The premise was interesting and from the beginning, I did not know where this story was going. I loved the use of the police interviews interspersed throughout the book. There were a lot of characters to keep track of but I liked most of the characters and found myself invested in the story. However, I enjoyed her prior books more and felt she was so great at bringing a strong emotional component to the story, which is more rare in thrillers. So going into this story, I expected that same emotion but didn't feel it as much. Overall, I enjoy this writer and will read everything this writer does but this book doesn't fall in my top picks from her.

While I wouldn't classify this as an intense psychological thriller, it was still a page turner for me.
I'd say it's a bit out of the box as well, and has some quirky characters, which for me made this all the more entertaining.

Told from 3 POV's, the story revolves around the residents of a small neighborhood:
There's Joey: recently married and trying to find her way in life but not being very successful.
And Jenna: A very likable character who is a student with a mother who has mental issues.
Last is Freddie: The son of a popular Headmaster of the local school. At first I found him to be a bit creepy, but he soon grew on me as more backstory was revealed.

Incredibly well written plot that like an onion, slowly peels back layer after layer, until the lives of these characters are shown to be intricately woven together. What results from the past rains down in their future, with an ending that I didn't see coming!

Highly recommend!

ARC provided by NetGalley

This is one of those books that I tried really really hard to like, but I just could not get into it. Lisa Jewell is hit or miss for me, sometimes I really love her stories, and sometimes I can't stand them.

Thank you to Atria books for the free review copy via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This was an extremely fast read for me. I found the pacing to be good. I also really enjoyed the multiple viewpoints in this novel. While the novel really centers around Tom Fitzwilliam, the reader doesn't see his point of view but instead, this book focuses on those around him that are influenced by his decisions. I think this was an interesting perspective to take because of how it influenced me as I was reading. I wasn't sure what assumptions to make about this character, which I liked. This is what ultimately had me hooked into the story line. 

I did find this story somewhat predictable. I wasn't super surprised by the ending but felt that it was a great one for the story. I think it worked well and that the epilogue tied up the ending as best as possible. 

If you're looking for something that is fast-paced and an easy read, I recommend checking out this book on December 26 when it is released.

For some reason I kept getting confused between two characters, I guess I can't keep track of characters whose names start with the same letter? So that was just a personal issue for a couple of chapters but I did kind of forget who was who a couple of times throughout the book. Overall a good little mystery!

3.5 stars

This was good, but definitely not my favourite book by Lisa Jewell. I find that Jewell's novels are often a cut above many other psychological thrillers. She writes well and her characters are well developed. Watching You is definitely well written and tense, but I figured out what was happening quite early on and I'm not sure the denouement worked as well for me as in some of Jewell's other books. The story focuses on a group of characters in a small town in England. Joey - aka Josephine - and her new husband are living with Joey's brother and his wife. Joey - and every other woman and teenage girl its seems - is attracted to her neighbour, Tom. Tom, his wife and son have recently moved to the community, where Tom is the new head of the local school. There's a suggestion that of something sinister about Tom. But is there? My favourite characters were Tom's son and another teenage neighbour. Jewell is always strong in her depiction of children and teenagers. I didn't love the adults or ending. But my 3.5 star rating reflects that it was still worth reading. And I'm looking forward to Jewell's next book.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read an advance copy.

I am a big fan of Lisa Jewell and she did not let me down with this highly addictive psychological thriller. Her characters jump off the page. Teenage drama, teacher infatuation, and secrets galore made for a great read.

*will post in additional online publications upon review.

Tl;dr: Billed as a thriller/mystery, Watching You is neither, but it is one hell of a piece of psychological fiction that manages to implicate the reader as much as it does the characters in a fascinating look at assumptions.

Watching You is set in the (fictional) town of Melville Heights in Bristol.

We have:

Tom, school head extraordinaire, brought in to turn around the local public school. Tom is very, very good at his job, turning around school after school. Sadly, this requires him and his family to move every few years, as there's always another school that needs him. Tom is handsome, though not outrageously so--what he has is charisma. That's not found in:

Nicola, his wife, a largely silent woman given to attempts to fit in with every move that happens, along with bouts of exercise followed by periods of depression. There's also:

Freddie, Tom and Nicola's almost fifteen year old. Freddie wants to be a spy, he thinks, and isn't sure that his father is as wonderful as everyone else seems to think because his mother devotes herself to his father, often at Freddy's exclusion, and his father seems to never notice or care about it, or her, or Freddie. But that gives Feddie plenty of time to watch their new neighbors (though he's not especially into terms like voyeur or stalker, although both titles fit him, imo) Anyway, Freddie especially likes looking at two of his prettiest new neighbors:

Joey, mid-twenties, newlywed to Alfie after a whirlwind romance in Ibiza, and now currently living in increasingly nonmarital bliss with him in her brother Jack's home with his pregnant wife, Rebecca. Joey fell madly (impetuously) in love with Alfie, but is intrigued by Tom from the moment she sees him, and he, in turn, seems interested in her, although she's never quite sure...

Which brings us to: Jenna.

Jenna another object of Freddie's attention, is a student at Tom's new school, and although she does her best to present a polished look to the world, at home her life revolves around placating her mother, who is convinced there's a large group spying on her--and that Tom is their leader. Jenna just got to me--trying so hard to be what she thinks people want to see while dealing with a father who seems very happy to be a distant part of her life and her mentally ill mother and how her best friend, Bess, has decided she's in love with Tom--who is, Jenna decides, spending a lot of time (alone time) with her. Oh, and her mother's theory that she and Jenna saw Tom in a rather odd situation during a long ago family trip turns out to be true and so:

What is Tom hiding?

A lot, but not what you think. (Kinda*)

What role does Joey play in what happens?

An important one, but not how you think. (Kinda*)

Is Jenna right to be wary of Tom?

Kind of.

Is anyone who they say they/act as they are?

Yes. And no.

That--perception--is the heart of Watching You, and it's very, very well done. Not only do the characters frequently think they alone see who someone else "really is," readers (or at least this reader did) will too. It's fascinating because, in the end every character is a mix of what they represent themselves as, but as something different as well. All the major characters, bar Jenna, who emerges shining as true and bright as the self she's kept hidden under her "normal" guise, are fascinating shades of gray, running the gamut from light to very, very dark.

Well, I sure sound enamored with Watching You--and I am, but it doesn't quite reach as far as it could have for several reasons:

--It is obvious who the murderer is. Like, they basically exist to be the murderer and it's frustrating because if you bill a novel as a thriller/mystery, then I expect some element of that to be there. And while Watching You is amazing as a study of appearance and perception, there's no ta da! moment/twist like I expect in a thriller/mystery. There's an attempt at one, at the very end, but it was expected as both an explanation/justification and while it worked okay, again, neither mysterious or thrilling.

--Freddie. He's my other problem. His behavior gets really, deeply creepy and then a reason for said behavior is presented and I was deeply uncomfortable with how it was wrapped in a romantic subplot. Because while yes, the reason behind Freddie's extreme interest in certain people can happen with those who have his explanation, it's something that actually needs to be addressed by more than just saying "look! explanation!" and moving on. (Of course, ymmv on this)

Having said all that, I do think Watching You is worth reading, because Ms. Jewell writes smoothly (has done for almost decades now--I still remember tearing through Thirtynothing back in the day (!)--and manages to keep a large cast of characters moving nimbly through a fast paced plot, which is no small feat. *Plus there's something so satisfying in reading about people making assumptions about each other's "true self" and finding out that everyone is a mix of who they say they are and who they really are, while realizing that you, of course, made assumptions too.

Although I had a little difficulty following all the characters and the back and forth, I found the storyline interesting and compelling. And I certainly didn’t guess the ending, or at least the last chapter. A hit for Lisa Jewel for sure. Thank you for the opportunity to read it!

Watching You by Lisa Jewell is a quick reading edge of your seat psychological suspense thriller that will leave you guessing right up to the very end of the novel. This book has murder, mystery, intrigue, and suspense all woven together into a fast-paced read. Joey is living with her brother and his family in a nice neighborhood. She's newly married and is trying to figure out how to become the adult she knows she should be. She becomes infatuated w/her neighbor, Tom. This infatuation will lead to an explosive and possibly life-altering evening. Read and enjoy!

Ms. Jewell has done it again! Another well written fast paced page turner that literally keeps you on your feet. Every time I even remotely thought I knew where this book was headed Ms. Jewell did what she does and showed me how wrong I was. If you are a fan of Lisa Jewell, you will not be disappointed, if you've never read Lisa Jewell buckle up for a fantastic ridge. Enjoy!! I received an advance copy of Watching You curtsey of NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks once again for the fantastic opportunity.

I made the worst mistake as a book reviewer. I read this, then got busy and didn't write this review for a couple of weeks. So as much as I enjoyed this book, I am struggling to remember its details. That doesn't mean I didn't like it, but I guess it wasn't a story that sticks with you long after you read it.
Watching You kept my attention, and it did keep me guessing until the end. In truth, I struggled a bit with some of the decisions characters made, which seemed dumb. But I know that as a writer, your characters need to do dumb things to further the plot line. All in all, it was a good book with a twisty plotline that I really enjoyed. Don't let my short review make you think otherwise.

4.5 stars

Watching you is a fabulous title for this book. I grew up in a community where neighbors kept an eye out for others. They also knew your business and you knew theirs - at least you thought you did! So, what happens when a new family moves into your quiet, safe neighborhood? What is their story? What are they up to? Tom Fitzwilliam is an educator who frequently moves his family from town to town as his job involves coming into troubled schools and "fixing" them. His wife, Nicola, is a frequent runner and his son, Freddie, enjoys taking pictures of his neighbors and "watching" them from his room. When they move into the tight community of Melville Heights, Bristol, all eyes are on them!

Joey and her husband, Alfie, recently moved in with her brother, Jack and wife, Rebecca, who reside two doors down from the Fitzwilliam family. Joey quickly develops a crush on Tom Fitzwilliam. He has confidence and swagger which intrigues both men and women. Jenna, who lives in the neighborhood, is a student at Tom's school and she is not impressed with Tom Fitzwilliam at all. He is a little too friendly with her best friend, Bess, who also has a crush on Mr. Fitzwilliam. Complicating things for Jenna is the fact that her mother is also obsessed with Mr. Fitzwilliam.

So, what is Tom Fitzwilliam's story? Could the rumors about him be true? Is he the victim of vicious rumors? What is it about him that makes him so appealing to others?

This book starts strong and immediately drew me in. Someone has been murdered in the beginning and the reader does not know who or the motive behind the murder. I love when I get to put on my super sleuth hat and attempt to figure out what is going on in a book. Jewell did not disappoint. She provided interesting characters - some more likable than others and presents us with information and rumors which kept me guessing and turning the pages. This book is told through various POV's and through police transcripts. This really worked for me and I was determined to figure out just whodunit and why. I did figure out the ending, but it did not hamper my enjoyment of the book at all. There are a lot of characters in this book, but I found it was easy to keep track of them. Each has his/her own purpose in this book. I enjoyed how this book looked at obsession, attraction and how our personal thoughts/emotions/perceptions shape how we think, react, and the interpretations we make based upon what we see and hear.

I was captivated by the story and enjoyed how the plot unfolded at a nice pace. I found this book to be a fast read, with its revelations, twists, turns and aha moments.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This book was a complete page turner. It had me guessing until the end. I completely devoured it and went looking for other books by this author!

I received a free e-copy of Watching You by Lisa Jewell from NetGalley for my honest review.

An amazing, gripping, edge-of-your seat thriller that is sure to please. A gripping read that will have you up all night and wishing it would never end.