Member Reviews

Thank you to Netgalley & Atria Books for this ARC. I love Lisa Jewell. She is always able to spin a poetically beautiful thriller where not much happens until the end but keeps you enthralled nonetheless. This was definitely a lighter read, with the thriller part happening only in the last 10% but I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

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Lisa Jewell was true to her usual form in Watching You, crafting a clever and compelling story with engaging, multi-faceted characters and a well-plotted mystery. I did guess at the ending early on, but not how it came to pass, so I was very happy to read on and wasn't bored. This is just one of those authors I will always reach for when she has a new book, because I just find her style so readable. Recommended!

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This was another fantastic suspense that I enjoyed so much! Watching You by Lisa Jewell was a fun mystery and I wasn’t quite sure what direction the story would take the reader in. There were so many places we could go with this.

There is the handsome head teacher of the local school and the young school girls who have a crush on him, plus the newly married woman who has an intense attraction to him. There’s the woman who everyone thinks is crazy, who has her eye on him, remembering him from an incident years ago. There’s his pretty wife, the picture of beauty and health, always out running. Then there’s his son, a voyeur who takes notes and photos of what happens in their tiny community.

Here’s the plot:

You’re back home after four years working abroad with a brand new husband in tow. You’re keen to find a place of your own. But for now, you’re living with your big brother, camped out in his spare bedroom. And then – quite unexpectedly – you meet the man next door.

He’s the head teacher of the local high school. He’s twice your age. And he’s devastatingly attractive. Soon you find you’re watching him. All the time. But what you don’t know is that someone is watching you. Or that what has started as an innocent crush is quickly turning into an obsession as dark as it is deadly.

Through the book there is a running police investigation, there is a dead body in a pool of blood but who is the murderer? I thought this was put together very well and I really wasn’t sure which direction the story would take me in!

I HIGHLY recommend this one if you love a twisty novel full of suspense. This will be published in December.

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I like never knowing what I'm going to get with a Lisa Jewell book but always ending up liking it. That was true here. Lots of different angles and I was back and forth the entire time.

Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

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First of all, it's been ages since I've read a book by Lisa Jewel. I believe that was in 2008 following my final divorce and figuring out what to do with my life. I remember purchasing one of her books at the grocery store in a little town where I had lived at the time. The reason why I remembered it so vividly was because it was totally out of my genre and I had stayed up all night reading it.. I believe it was 31 Dream Street.
When I requested this Watching You, I had no idea it was the same author. Her name kept nibbling at me until I looked it up. Imagine my surprise ! Yet, this novel is a completely different genre from 31 Dream Street and mine!

Wow! What a whammy or should I say double whammy? The beginning drew me in right away and managed to keep my nose in the book like it's supposed to. There were layers upon layers of secrets which kept coming for these characters. Just when you think you know who dunnit, another twist slams into you time after time, making it all the more delicious ! The ending was just perfect where I whispered wow couple of times.

I received this intense copy from Atria Books through Net Galley in an exchange for my unbiased honest review . THANK YOU! I thoroughly enjoyed it!

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Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me with a digital copy to review.

Being able to fully become engrossed in a book is the best feeling. I noticed how sometimes when I review for publishers or review for netgalley I end up feeling a little pressured to get through a book. It’s to the point where I have a tough time REALLY enjoying the book. I’ve decided that if I do feel pressured I will totally put the book down and possibly DNF. This is a hobby that I enjoy and I refuse to make this feel like another job in my life.

Thankfully, WATCHING YOU kept my attention in a good way. I enjoyed the different perspectives and figuring out the mystery that the author presented to the reader. I couldn’t wait to get to what would happen next. It was a fast paced book that I was able to lose myself in. I just really enjoyed it.

The plot of the book was what made the story come together at the end. You are presented with a tasteful amount of characters and they all relate to the mystery in some type of way. There weren’t too many to keep track of and it flowed beautifully.

If you are looking for a really good book to read on a rainy Saturday night then I recommend this one ! You won’t regret it.

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"Take nothing on its looks; take everything on evidence. There's no better rule."
-Charles Dickens, Great Expectations

There are books that feel like you read and read and they never seem to end. There others you wish would never end. 'Watching You' is one of those books you just want to keep reading. My fascination with mystery/thrillers led me to this amazing book. I was so happy to have received this ARC but kept putting off reading it for a few days. What was I thinking? This is such an adrenaline rush of a read! Every page reveals a stunning new detail which is why it’s so difficult to put down!

'Watching You' is one of the best thrillers I’ve read this year. Written in different perspective and outstanding voices, Lisa Jewell has created her best work yet! Because of my love for thrillers I believe there are times and books that feel too simple for me and a lot of the times the story reveals itself to me half way through the book. This is such a different and refreshing story that grips you from the first page and it does not relent! Twist after twist and turns. I was blindsided so many times that I had to stop reading just to catch my breath!

One of the things I enjoyed most about this book is how very wrong I was when I thought I knew it all. Jewell leads you to believe one thing while something entirely different is about to happen in the next page. Some characters you’ll love and others you’ll hate but then it all twists in a way that makes you question everything!

Each of the characters plays a very special and important role in the story. This book also made me realize that we are often too quick to judge and that not everything you hear or imagine or even see is the truth. While you start to hate a certain set of certain characters, you begin to unravel the mess and end up with a completely different idea of them. Definitely a memorable book and one I recommend without hesitation. Loved it!

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I really enjoyed this book. It’s a great psychological thriller. The title says it all.. everybody is watching everybody. It is well written with a great plot. It all comes together beautifully in the end. Great read. I highly recommend it.
Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the advance reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion of this book.

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4 stars. I enjoyed this book. I felt the beginning was a little slow moving but once it took off, it was really good. It kind of had an “American Beauty” feel to it.
Honestly, everyone was watching everyone watch everyone but no one knew anything about who they were watching.
The ending was strong and it all made sense when it came full circle.
Thank you #NetGalley, the publisher and the author for my free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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Thanks for the early review copy!

I recommend this book to fans of thrillers. I've read other mysteries from Jewell and once again she did not fail to craft a good thriller!

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I've read Lisa Jewell's books back from way before she started this "thriller" kick. I think she is a good, engaging writer so even when the plot twists are a tad unbelievable yet predictable as they are in this, I always enjoy reading her work.

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The book starts off with a murder scene, where someone in Melville Heights has died. It then goes back to the months leading up to the murder, switching from the perspectives of various characters living on the street in Melville Heights. There is Josephine "Joey" Mullen, the sister of Jack who lives at Melville Heights. She and her new husband Alfie Butter have moved in with Jack and his pregnant wife Rebecca. Joey is attracted to Tom at first site and becomes obsessed. There are the two teens. A mother who is convinced she is being stalked and persecuted. Tom Fitzilliam, the new head of the local school, and his wife Nicola. Their son, who likes to watch all the comings and goings of the neighborhood and seems to be a stalker.

Lisa Jewell cleverly weaves reveals into the story, and you slowly see different elements to the backstory. It’s a gripping, enjoyable read. I found that the synopsis was misleading. I had some unanswered questions at the end of the book though. <spoiler>Do we take this reveal at the end about Nikki/Nicola to mean that Tom never had affairs with students? Did he never beat his wife? What is his culpability in all this? It sounds like he really didn't contribute to Viva's death, but has he done other questionable things?</spoiler>

ARC was provided by Atria Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

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I am very selective when it comes to psychological thrillers and often find them too gruesome or poorly written. This is my second Lisa Jewell book and I have been very impressed by her writing and her ability to weave together a completely creepy and engrossing novel . There were quite a few characters to keep track of but she did a great job of introducing everyone with vivid details. I enjoy books about community drama and crime and she set the scene wonderfully for this. It's tense and well written and also included many issues besides just being a "who did it?" kind of thriller. I received a copy of this book from Atria Books via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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"The one who watched him when he was watching her."

Every second of free time that I had I was reading Watching You by Lisa Jewell and when I wasn't reading, I was thinking about Watching You.

This is one of the best books I've ever read! It's full of mystery and makes you question every character you read about. There where times I thought I knew who the murderer was, but once I got to the end I was shocked!

I honestly can't praise this novel enough! Don't just take my word for it, pick this one up. I promise you, you won't regret it!

Thank you to #NetGalley for the advanced copy, in exchange for my honest review on #WatchingYou.

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Watching you is a crazy, twisted thriller!! It will shock you. It will take your breath away. You won’t want to put it down

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

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Thoroughly enjoyed this book even though it's not my typical type of mystery/thriller. You really got to know the characters and their flaws which made it enjoyable. Well done.

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Another great suspense novel by Jewell. I love her interwoven stories and the many twists and turns. A fun and satisfying story.

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"Watching You" began slow for me. I kept going though, and it became a page-turner. I had kind of figured the end of the mystery as it unfolded, but the last twist at the end was extremely surprising. I loved it!

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Who is watching whom? In a lovely neighborhood it seems everyone is watching everyone else. Several stories wind around each other and begin to coalesce into a whole. In amongst the individual tales are the police transcripts which make you beg for more information.

Excellent 16th novel from Lisa Jewell. Highly readable and wonderful plotting. All is not as it seems.

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This was really good! My first book by this author and definitely not my last! Yes, it's a little slow moving at times and you're not going to like some of the characters much. The story though is so different from most plotlines in suspense these days. Being slightly more character driven kept me reading and anxious for a fair outcome. Some twists I saw coming, but others took me by surprise. You won't want to put it down towards the end, so stick with it in the slower beginning. Thank you to Atria Books for the ARC!

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