Member Reviews
This book had me going "oh jeez, not this again. Can't people come up with something better instead of doing the same old thing?" But thankfully I kept reading because my assumptions were COMPLETELY wrong and I absolutely love that!
It took me a while to really get into this one, but the wait was well worth it. All the time spent setting up the story and introducing the characters pays dividends in the end when things begin to spiral out of control.
Sometimes authors bite off more than they can chew when they have a lot of characters that work together to tell a story. Lisa Jewell, however, masterfully builds suspense and drama through multiple characters. I thought I knew the twist, but in reality, I never saw it coming! A fantastic read that will keep you guessing until the jaw-dropping last page!
Lisa Jewell's, Watching You, will definitely keep you in suspense until the very end. The book's twisted characters all seem to be watching as the plot thickens and doesn't reveal until the climatic ending.
I love Lisa Jewell so much. I enjoyed Watching You very much. She has a way with books and her writing is perfect. I will definitely be recommending Watching You.
Watching you starts with a murder scene and a clue that may or may not be significant, then goes into all that happened before it that lead up to the murder. We are not aware of who has been murdered for quite a while.
Knowing someone was murdered and where this person died is in your mind as you meet each of the characters from Joey (again, a pet peeve of mine is why do women get men's names when there are so many beautiful names for women?) who was living the life of ease in Ibiza recently and brought home a brand new hubby Alfie with the cute butt to her perfect brother Jack and his weirdly quite pregnant wife Rebecca to intriguing Tom, the school superhead, his strange wife Nicola and their son Freddie.
The plot was something that will keep your attention, while not being deep. I'd call it a murder mystery for the beach and not a stay up all night have to know who did it type of story. I enjoyed it and would give it 3.7 stars.
Thank you NetGalley for the advance reader copy in exchange for an honest opinion.
I was so excited to to read this because I LOVE Lisa Jewell's books. She is one of my favorite authors. I hate to say that I didn't love this book. I didn't care for the story until everything was revealed. I never fell in love with the characters, except for Jenna. I didn't connect with them. Luke and Rebecca were hardly in the book but became essential characters to the story. I couldn't believe how easy the killer admitted to the crime after a few moments with the police. Honestly, I wasn't sure where the book was heading or that it was even about a murder. Freddie was definitely on the creepy side, with all his people watching, taking photos and filming of unsuspecting people. Once the murder occurred, I pretty much figured out who was behind it. That part wasn't a mystery, but I was surprised for the reasons behind it. That was the twist I never saw coming. I did enjoy discover the truth behind the characters, they ended up not being who I thought they were.
I definitely recommend this book, especially if you are fans of Lisa Jewell. I didn't hate the book, I just didn't love it as much as her previous books. It started slow for me and eventually picked up speed. I did love the twist and that people aren't always what the seem. The book still contains Lisa Jewell's writing style.
Thanks to NetGalley, Atria Books and the author, Lisa Jewell, for a free electronic ARC of this novel.
This is my first time reading a book by Lisa Jewell. I was very intrigued with the premise of the story and love a good mystery.
The author does a great job of weaving a thread between all of the characters, to connect them. The story starts off with murder, like many thrillrrs, and you have to figure out exactly what has happened. The author did a good job leaving clues throughout the story, keeping me guessing throughout.
I did feel it was a little slower pace then I like, but it held my interest throughout the story. The ending did feel rushed a little for me. It seemed that it built and built then really quickly everything came together and the story was over.
The characters were relatable and interesting. I found this story overall well wrottand enjoyable. I would recommend this for anyone looking for a good mystery.
Loved! This had me turning the pages from the start!
Although I had figured the who done it, there was so much more!
As always, Lisa Jewell delivered!
Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to preview Watching You by Lisa Jewell. Jewell likes to keep you guessing, and this book will keep you in the dark till the last minute.
You are watching someone, you are obsessed, he is older but so interesting, and you want him. But someone is watching you and you have no clue. There are alot of characters in this novel so you have to keep up with what is going on in this neighborhood.
Good book, characters could be developed more so you could understand the plot better. Needs better editing.
Simply terrific!! I was absolutely hooked from the start. Watching You begins with a detective examining a murder scene in the kitchen of someone's home. As readers, we don't know who has been murdered or why, nor will we until about 80% of the way through the book. I loved the suspense. The most delicious part of Watching You though was that author Lisa Jewell wrote it so beautifully that I thought I knew who all the characters were at their moral center. I was very, very wrong. It didn't all come together for me until I was nearing the end, and I was absolutely gobsmacked! (A wonderful British word that says it all.)
Many of the reviews I've read (after I finished the book) complain that there are too many characters. I wholeheartedly disagree. Jewell does a brilliant job of developing all of the characters in Watching You, and I wasn't confused for a minute. This novel is about a neighborhood where everyone is being watched or doing the watching. In one house we have the Fitzwilliams -- father Tom, headmaster of a private school; his wife Nicola, who is a bit of a mystery but slavishly devoted to her husband; and their 14 year old son Freddie, who spies on pretty much everyone in the neighborhood, but particularly the pretty girls. In a second home we have Jack and Rebecca Mullen. Jack is a surgeon and Rebecca is a systems analyst. Jack and Rebecca (who is pregnant) have also temporarily taken in his younger sister Joey and her new husband Alfie. Joey and Alfie met while working at a resort in Ibiza and are trying to find their way now that they are back in the real world. Joey is the central character of the novel as intermittent chapters are dedicated to her interrogation at the police station for the murder of whoever was found murdered in Chapter 1. Finally, in a third house we meet Jenna Tripp, a 15 year old student at the private school where Tom Fitzwilliams is headmaster, and her mother Frances, who is the neighborhood crazy lady. Mrs. Tripp has serious mental issues, believes she is being "gang-stalked," and is constantly watching everyone in the neighborhood, but particularly Tom Fitzwilliams. Every one of these characters comes to life in the talented hands of Ms. Jewell.
I think this is the first novel of Jewell's that I've read, but I've already downloaded two more. I give Watching You 5 stars! Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for providing me an advance Kindle copy.
This story kept me hooked and on the edge of my seat until the very last page - even when you think it is over, it isn’t! While there are a lot of characters in this book, the author does a nice job developing most of them up front and then uncovering pieces of the others as the story unfolds. It was a compelling story full of mystery! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC to enjoy!
The premise of this book is a little sinister; that you never know who else may be privy to your seemingly secret indiscretions. This would be worst nightmare stuff for most of us which is why I think I found the book so compelling. I thought that the main victim and culprit of the central plot were the least developed characters, and would like to have understood them a little more. However, the book was a very enjoyable thriller with lots of intriguing sub-plots, and I couldn't put it down.
This was an ARC from NetGalley
Newlywed Joey Mullen is obsessively infatuated with her charismatic, handsome and very married neighbor Tom Fitzwilliam. Headmaster at a local private school, Tom appears to be an attentive dad and hopelessly in love with his wife but some villagers believe he has a sordid past, quite possibly connecting him to the apparent suicide of a former female student. This steady boil novel with its ever growing web of intrigue, suspense and red herrings is for anyone who enjoyed Jewell's earlier works. Thank you for this advanced copy.
This book has many typographical errors, missing sentences, missing paragraphs? Should I keep reading?
Watching You by Lisa Jewell involves a large cast of characters and revolves around the newly appointed school’s director. It starts slowly and I found the story being interesting at 55% of the book.
I read Then She Was Gone by the same author and was hooked from the beginning. This is different for this one, I still enjoyed it.
The age old question of "How well do you know your neighbors?" popped up when I read this book. Neighbors, secrets, and a skeleton lie at the heart of this story.
The format is very similar to Big Little Lies where someone dies in the beginning and the story is sprinkled with little bits of police interviews. It begins with the police investigating the crime scene, and then the story is told in reverse order leading up to the day of the crime. We don't know who was killed, or why, but there was a very obvious clue left near the dead body.
There are many themes that are explored in this book – love, loss, lust, guilt, betrayal, marriage, mental illness, obsession, stalking, Asperger’s, domestic violence, teen angst, bullying, friendship, poverty, divorce, grief…. there is a lot wrapped up in this book. All of these topics are covered subtly and respectfully (not graphic).
I love Lisa Jewell's writing and the way that she builds her characters. This story has a lot of them, but you get to know them over time and it's easy to keep them straight. The book is evenly paced and kept me guessing. I wanted to know Tom's true character, and his motivations. Is he a saint, a creep, or just unlucky? I was led down a path and formulated my opinions which turned out to be WRONG! The book kept me guessing until the very surprising and satisfying end.
This is my second Lisa Jewell read. My first is I Found You. The two books have very different plots, but both are great thrillers. The writing is stellar - I will be tracking down more of Ms. Jewell's books.
I cannot say enough good things about Lisa Jewell's stories! I literally cannot put them down without finishing the whole story. She is an expert at capturing your attention and keeping it until the very end. And there's always a great surprise waiting for you... Love this book!
Melville Heights in Bristol, England is supposed to be a great place for kids to grow up. It it seems as if Tom Fitzwilliams, the Headmaster, has some hidden secrets. Jenna Tripp, one of his students, notices now he looks at some of the young girls in her class. Mr. Fitzwilliams only lives across the street from her. She does notice that there seems to be someone who is constantly peeping out of the top window of his home. Who is it? And why are they doing it? There has been a murder, and it’s Mr. Fitzwilliam’s wife. Of course, the police think he is involved. But there’s a bit of glitch. The police find a tassel from a boot in the victim’s blood. It seems that Mr. Fitzwilliams was to meet a young woman in a hotel. Her name is Josephine (aka) Joey. Joey is a newlywed, and has just moved in with her brother, Jack and his wife, Rebecca. The newlyweds will stay with Jack until they get settled. However, but Joey has fallen prey to Mr. Fitzwilliam’s charms. It seems as if he is not happy with his home life and is constantly looking at young girls and women. Jenna notices this too and tries to dissuade one of her classmates from having anything to do with him. There is still the murder of his wife to contend with, and Joey is the one who is being blamed for the murder. Who killed Mrs. Fitzwilliams? What is the motive? Whatever the motive, the murder was vicious and very personal. Even Mr. Fitzwilliam’s son, Freddie, is wondering if his father is capable of murdering his mother. Freddie has heard things in the night coming from his parents room, and they are not very good sounds either. He even hears his mother crying sometimes. Freddie has seen so many things going on from his perch upstairs. He keeps a journal and takes pictures without anyone knowing what he is doing. Is it possible, that someone else also is keeping tabs on the Fitzwilliams as well? Is it possible that someone might actually have evidence of who killed Mrs. Fitzwilliams? This book will definitely keep you on your toes until the very end. The plot was very throughout, and the character development was great as well. I look forward to reading more from this author.
This book is a good one. There’s constantly a lot of activity going on, so it doesn’t have very many lulls or dead spots. The characters are all a bit odd, but I suppose it’s fitting for this book. The ultimate outcome does become quite predictable early on, but the exact causes and then the end twist is still a fun little jolt of excitement. I always enjoy reading her books and this one was no exception. It was enjoyable and I’d recommend it certainly. Thanks so much for my ARC made available through NetGalley.