"Adopted by her controlling foster mother at the age of eight, twenty-year-old Tara has seen little of the outside world. Lonely, punished for the slightest offense, her only distraction comes from watching the Feely family’s online videos. They’re an affectionate vlogging quintet and an internet sensation. Most important, they are Tara’s mental refuge. Then the opportunity arises for them to be something more. When Tara accepts an internship with the close-knit clan, they’re her escape."
This novel has all the creepy elements! Tara found comfort in the vlog show about a family, one she wished she had. So she got an internship at the studio and soon discovers that this tv family isn't perfect after all. This is a page turner with twists!

3-4 stars. This was an okay read, which I was able to finish, but didn’t love, like I do my complete 4 and 5 star books. I did think it was well written and definitely provided some thrills and chills; but something was lacking that had me wanting to rip through the page and find out what’s next. Overall, I would recommend to those looking for a quick, intriguing read, but not someone wanting lots of twists and turns and an unbeatable pace.
Will make sure I buzz it up on different platforms!

This was a really interesting and different book than my normal fare. It hooked me early on and I was definitely invested in the main character, Tara. That said, this was not an easy read (see TWs below).
CW/TW: abuse (lots and horrible), sexual assault.
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Summary/thoughts: Tara is a 20 year old woman who lives with Mother, her extremely abusive foster mom. Mother gained custody of Tara as a young girl and has since ensnared her in a shoplifting scheme. Mother is a horrific character, completely irredeemable and nefarious. Tara is sweet and smart but does not leap off the page as a fully formed character (at times her actions and voice do not seem true to form). Tara secretly watches lots of YouTube and becomes obsessed with a particular YouTube family, so much so that she applies to be their intern in secret.
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The most interesting aspects of this book are the ideas around perception - who are the people we see on screen? Even when portraying themselves, there is always more to the story and people are never truly exactly as they are. This aspect was interesting and a different take on the traditional abuse-victim-escapes-and-finds-refuge story. Where this book falters a bit is its predictability and the depth and realism (or lack thereof) in its characters. It is an interesting story but not necessarily for me. I recommend it only to those readers who can handle stories of extreme abuse as those parts of the story were horrible to read. As an an alternative, I recommend Bleeker’s debut Wreckage which was far better in my mind.
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3 ⭐️

This was an okay read, not great and for me definitely not edge of the seat as some reviewers have said.

The story is about Tara (Angela) who has been living with her controlling and abusive foster mom, basically locked away since she was 8. Now age 20 she manages to escape her foster mom but is very unsure and makes so rather poor choices. I wasn’t a big Tara fan and also didn’t care for her internal dialogue, but all the same I wanted to know if this story had a happy end and what kind of end so I kept reading.

The main character is a shelter recluse, all be of her foster mothers doing. Tara seeks escape from this perfect family called the Freely’s. But when she gets to their house she realizes something isn’t right. If you like cults and munchousen by proxy you will like this book

I really liked this story. It was a real page turner for me. An original story, something completely different from the usual thriller books. Will certainly read more Books by Emily Bleaker in the future !

What It Seems is a thriller about a 20 year old girl, Tara, who was a foster child from age 8. Her foster mother is manipulative and abusive and forces Tara into morally questionable situations. Tara's only outlet is the friends she's made among her dolls, a bird she named Sampson, and the YouTube families that she watches when her foster mother thinks she is working on one of her projects. An opportunity arises for an internship with one of the YouTube families that she adores for an internship, but Tara's foster mother keeps her under lock and key. Tara's dreams of meeting her YouTube family are but a pipe dream.

I am a thriller lover and enjoyed the original premise of the story. However, I predicted many of the plot twists that come later in the story. I still think that What It Seems is a solid read for lovers of the genre, and though the story starts slow, it picks up and has you turning pages before you know it. What It Seems is a solid 3.5 star thriller for me.

Bleeker sees a real return to the form she showed in WRECKAGE with this ripped from the headlines look at what it's like to be trapped in the middle of someone's skewed perception and what might happen if you escape. For fans of The Act. Highly Recommend.

I received this book "What it Seems" from NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own. I ended up finishing the book but really didn't like the story line. The book was okay.

I would probably give the book 2.5 stars almost 3 stars. I LOVED all of the authors previous books, but this one just didn't click with me. I wasn't a fan of any of the characters. I know I should feel for Tara/Angela but she was just as irritating. Although, I'm sure she had some type of brain injury. The story was pretty predictable. I was just wondering how long it would take before the Feely family realized the truth about Angela. Alyssa and Stan Feely are pretty messed up. Who has their children abducted to increase their subscribers on YouTube??? The whole family was completely fake. I thought the book was taking a strange turn when Alyssa wanted Angela's baby. How did Mother eventually find Angela? Did I miss that part? Of course, everything works out in the end and Angela has no lasting scars from the 18 years she suffered with Mother. I would have thought she would have needed extreme therapy. But no, instead of therapy she posts her happy reunions on AllTheFeels, because viewers are important.

Give the book a try, it just wasn't for me. It was a quick read. But I do recommend all of the authors previous books. I look forward to reading more from the author because I'm a huge fan. I loved the cover of the book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Lake Union Publishing through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I really enjoyed this book. It kept me interested the whole time and was thrilling. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for review.

Examining the era of YouTube stars, along with a failing foster care, Tara (Angela) and her life story was powerful, intense and absorbing. I ended up staying up all night to finish this one! Quite a nice twist at the end that I didn't see coming - which is always nice.
I am a fan of Emily Bleeker, and this novel continues my appreciation of her writing. So grateful for the advance copy from Lake Union and NetGalley. If you love a twisty mystery, with modern gripping themes, grab this quick read!

Suspenseful, intriguing. A story of a young woman who escapes her captor realizing she was taken from her family @ a young age & finding her voice to ask for help while saving another child @ the same time finding her happy ending..
Would recommend to others.

First off I want to thank @netgalley & @lakeunion for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
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I was intrigued by the synopsis of this book, unfortunately for me it did not live up to my expectations. I was expecting more suspense, more mystery, more action. It was still an enjoyable read that I was able to read in one sitting.
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The writing style was nice and easy to read. It did keep me flipping the pages, but there was something missing for me to make it great. I didn't like the part with the YouTube family, I felt that it could've been better if there was more darkness in that family, but they were just dysfunctional. I would've just liked a bit more suspense and thrill. But I still enjoyed it.
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The ending was good and left to some openness to the book which I like. If you like lighter suspenses with some family drama then this might be the read for you.

This story of a twisted woman and how she treated her “daughter” was spell-binding. What a scary situation for a child to grow up in! I was cheering for Angela as she broke away from her prison and learned how to be herself in her new world. Great book!

I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book is a real page turner! Tara was a foster child at age eight, she is now twenty. Mother is beyond cruel to her but Tara escapes at night by watching a You Tube family, the Feelys. All is not as it seems in this book and you will be especially surprised at the ending. I was like, OMG, with my mouth hanging open! There is so much more to this story but I don't want to leave spoilers. Tara is an intensely written character and she will make you feel many emotions. Sadness emanates from her. Mother is well developed as are the other characters. This book will stay with you because what is truly happening, could be true. All I can say is grab this book! An incredible read filled with suspense.

3 stars. Thank you #lakeunionpublishing and #emilybleeker for the copy. This is my true and unbiased opinion.

This was a fast and easy read. The use of "Mother" when referring to the really evil foster mom seems sorta corny to me. It just felt a little too Disney Evil StepMother to me. The book goes fast and I felt bad for the main character but I didn't like her enough to really feel that invested. I"ll try another book, but this one was lackluster to me.

What It Seems by Emily Bleeker is a full length, stand alone novel that put me in e roller coaster of emotions. This is not a romance, it's a dark novel with thriller elements, raw and gritty and reading Alngela's story gutted me. The 20 year old formerly foster child is not in a good place in her life, to be honest, she never was. Her past is a rough one and she's still under the thumb of Mother, a woman who manipulates her, brainwashed her, is her puppeteer.
What It Seems is a story full of unexpected twists and turns and had me from chapter one. I read the book, cover to cover in one sitting, I simply couldn't put it down. My heart was hurting for the heroine who's trapped in her sad life.
I loved the excellent writing and the storyilen as well as the hard earned and well deserved hea. 5 stars.

I found this book to be a solid read (a 3.5 stars). Tara (Angela) is a 20 year old young woman who is totally dominated by a creepy and truly awful 'foster' mom. She has been abused physically and mentally since she was 12, so if that's a trigger for you, you might want to avoid this book. At 20 circumstances occur that allow her to try to escape. That escape is successful, but as she tries to find her way as an intern with a you-tube vblog family, circumstances are equally stressful, just in a different way. This is a story of how a young woman finds her way out of a hellish life and begins to figure out who she is and if she's strong enough to survive.

Overall I thought the story arc was strong. The blurb about the book makes it seem as if the vblog family is something scary or sinister. While their reality is different than portrayed on you tube, there's nothing particularly sinister about them. But, there is enough evil in the mother for anyone.

I have an aversion to protagonists that are hand-wringers. When half the book is full of "oh poor me, whatever should I do" internal dialog, I usually stop reading. This one straddled that edge for me.....but when I did find myself thinking, oh just stop whining and DO something, I remembered her upbringing and the PTSD she was undoubtedly dealing with, and kept reading. I'm glad I did.

Thanks to #NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for a copy of this book - the opinion expressed is entirely my own.

A good novel with a fast paced and unique plot. The main character is interesting and compelling. A quick read.