Just couldn't get into it, I always have a 5 chapters rule, if I'm not hooked by then I quit. Wasn't hooked by then.

This novel from romance author Alyssa Cole is part social commentary, part history, part mystery, with a dash of adrenaline-pumping thriller. Naturally, there's a smidgeon of romance thrown in.

This book highlights a predominately black neighborhood in Brooklyn that is mysteriously being gentrified after a large pharmaceutical company decides to locate in the neighborhood. I enjoyed learning about the history of Brooklyn and the struggles that blacks continue to have to this day. I thought it took a while for the book to get going, but once it did I couldn’t put it down.

I went into this only knowing it was a thriller and I think that was a problem for me...I was expecting a standard thriller and this was not..someone compared it to the Get Out and maybe that’s accurate? I haven’t seen it so I’m not sure but what i understand of the Get Out, it makes sense...it was a very slow burn without many sharp thrills...if I had known more about it, I would have liked it more I think? Although, I did feel the there were major convenience factors that bugged me...the ending wrapped up too conveniently and abruptly for me...also, Theo went from perfectly nice white bread guy to mobster drop out, which just happened to come in very handy during the climax...that being said, I think I might really enjoy this author’s romance novels so maybe I’ll give that a whirl?

A really fun and interesting read. I had an enjoyable time reading this and it held my attention the entire way through that I finished it within the day!

I was provided with a free ARC of When No One is Watching. This in no way influenced my review. When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole is a fascinating look into how a neighborhood shifts and social ties are affected by gentrification. It is thoughtfully written from the point of view of a longtime resident, who sees not only how it changes racially but also how it negatively impacts the economic situation of those who have lived there for many years. The racial tensions are obvious, but what is going behind the scenes by those in power is sinister and clandestine.

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for this complementary ARC.
This review is entirely my own!

This was a fast paced thriller. Cole really knows how catch the attention of a reader.
This was a really great book. I enjoyed every second of it.
I would RUN not walk to get your hands on this book.
It's that good!

This is hot and creepy! The suspense builds and builds and it went some places I was NOT expecting. Bravo!

This book was crazy good. It was a great mystery, a bit of a romance, some black history, some crazy white privilege, and at the end, some off-the-wall vengeance. It was hard to categorize, and I didn’t think advertising the book as a thriller was a good idea, although it was important for the reader to know the ending was not going to to be a neighborhood march and a big ole kumbaya.with the developers. Anyway, this story was different and great.

This book kept you interested all the way through! Sydney and Theo dig into the past of Sydney's neighborhood and the things they find make her worry that her neighbors quickly moving isnt by their own will. Great read!

The book was okay. I"m not much into the foul language and graphic sex scenes. The character, Sydney, was a hard character to like.

Sydney's moved back into her mother's house after a traumatic divorce, but her mother's sick and the neighborhood is changing more quickly than she can cope. When a whitewashed neighborhood tour prompts her to do some local historical research so she can give a tour of her own, she reluctantly allows her new white guy neighbor Theo to assist her in the name of working off reparations debt. Is what they discover a sinister conspiracy or a not-really-farfetched business plan to gentrify a black neighborhood? It was honestly kind of funny when the nefarious scheme was unearthed and Sydney and Theo had a real "whoa" moment and compared it to illuminati videos (although Sydney has good reason to be afraid of not being taken seriously and gets over her disbelief pretty quickly) because the whole plot sounds like simply the way business is done in America. The white people in this book might seem like cartoon villains and said nefarious scheme might seem outlandishly cruel to anyone who doesn't know this country's history. There's nothing that Cole imagines her white characters getting up to that doesn't have precedent, and even though gentrification (thinking specifically of neighborhoods in my own city, although of course it happens everywhere) is generally perpetuated without the added wrinkles she puts her characters through, that doesn't change the harm that it does to marginalized, non-white communities, nor the despicabilty of those shady real estate dudes who want to buy your house for cash. Be like Theo and do some historical research on redlining, white flight, the Dutch West India Company, and predatory lending practices to start with - and don't expect a cookie for it.

The beginning moved really slow and it took multiple chapters before the pace picked up. Once it did, the story became more suspenseful. A solid 3.5 stars.

While I liked the overall concept of this book; the mysterious and sinister sudden gentrification weaponized against a largely Black neighborhood, the book fell short in execution. The first 2/3 of the book are slow moving with small clues given about where it's headed. The last 1/3 of the book felt extremely rushed, especially considering the snail pace of the rest of the story and didn't tie up all the threads.

I always admire an author who decides to write a book in a different genre, outside their comfort zone. When No One Is Watching by Alyssa Cole is her first thriller, and it is a definite departure from her previous contemporary romances.

Sydney has moved back home to Brooklyn to help her ailing mother, and she immediately notices that the neighborhood is changing. Gentrification is underway. But beyond a few new white neighbors, is there something more sinister happening under the surface? Paranoia and fear creep in. Conspiracies and cover-ups. People disappearing. It’s up to Syndey and her new neighbor Theo (an unlikely duo to be sure) to figure out what is really going on in their neighborhood.

There was genuinely so much I loved about the book.

I loved learning about the history of Brooklyn and the historically Black neighborhoods, which she wove so skillfully into the narrative. The characters that make up Sydney’s neighbors were delightful; Cole really brought the neighborhood to life. The camaraderie and care was tangible.

I liked the dual narrator format--alternating between Sydney’s perspective as a local Black woman, and Theo, a white man who recently moved into the neighborhood. Their vastly different experiences provided two, unique perspectives on what was happening in the neighborhood. Cole unapologetically addresses topics like gentrification, redlining, over-policing of Black neighborhoods, and Black erasure from history, all while drawing out this gradual sense of unease. Honestly, I even liked the slow way in which the creepy elements unfurled;-the comparisons to the movies Get Out and Rear Window are legitimate.

But my main critique is with the pacing. In thrillers, pacing is key. And in When No One is Watching, the pacing just felt off. The slow build led to a frenetic conclusion--it ended with a bang AND a whimper. We’re given this shocking, gory, brutal confrontation, but everything that happened after it just felt anticlimactic.

If you liked Get Out and are a fan of suspenseful narratives, you’ll probably really enjoy When No One Is Watching. I keep waffling between three and four stars--I’ll round up to four. As a first attempt at a new genre, it was pretty darn good.

Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I received an advance copy of When No One is Watching for my honest review. As odd things start happening in a Brooklyn neighborhood, a woman who has lived there her whole life knows something isn’t right. She joins forces with a new neighbor to try to stay safe and figure out what is going on to protect her home and the neighbors that are left. Having received this book a few months ago and not remembering the description, the title led me to believe this was a different type of book. That being said, I was instantly drawn in to the odd things happening in this neighborhood and definitely wanted to keep reading to find out what was going on. I enjoyed the author’s writing style and I did like how the chapters alternated between two character’s points of view. I would recommend this book!

Sydney Green is dismayed by the gentrifying of her Brooklyn neighborhood. Saddened by all her disappearing neighbors, Green establishes a walking tour. Yet, the more she researches history, the more she wonders: Were the residents pushed out, or is there something more sinister going on?

Cole took a promising premise and completely tanked it, failing to use any nuance or subtlety. Not willing to commit to the unreliable narrator genre, Cole's portrayal of Sydney ends up just being off. Add in a forced romance with a token white guy not at all good enough for Sydney, and you have two highly unlikeable protagonists. Furthermore, all the rest of the white characters were unabashedly racist, with no attempt to hide it.

The plot slowly lurches forward in fits and starts until everything slams you at the ending, where things just get stranger and stranger. My advice: stay far away from this September book release.

I loved this! Strange things have been happening in Sydney's Brooklyn neighborhood and her new friend Theo helps unravel the mystery. I thought this was suspenseful and creepy right from the beginning and I didn't want to put it down. The characters were smart, funny, and I liked the dueling points of view. I also felt for the supporting characters that lived in Gifford Place and was very invested in what happened to them. The novel is also very relevant to what is happening in the United States as it tackles racism and racial history, gentrification, politics, and capitalism. I did feel the ending was a bit rushed (and violent compared to what happened up to that part) but it didn't take away from my overall enjoyment of the story. I think this story will provoke discussion and become a book club favorite. Bravo to Alyssa Cole for stepping into a new genre.

Well, where to start with this...

First the good: "When No One is Watching" does a good job of covering some very contemporary issues like race and inequality. The author also does a good job of dispersing interesting bits about the actual history of Brooklyn into the book, as well.

But now for the bad: For thrillers, plot pace and characters are incredibly important. Unfortunately the pace of the novel is off--for the first two-thirds to three-quarters of the book not much happens, and then it is really rushed to try to bring everything to a conclusion. There is also something about the characters that is off. Sydney, the main character is unlikeable. Now, there is definitely something to be said about having unlikeable and flawed characters, but she is just gratingly unlikeable.

I understand this is the author's first novel in this genre, so for a first attempt, it is not too terrible, but I also think that maybe this title is getting more hype than it should, also.

The creep factor is HIGH! It’s a good mash up of the original Twilight Zone and the Tell Tale Heart. Alyssa Cole builds the anxiety slowly, a run in with the bitchy neighbor that if you’re black, you know how life altering and terrifying that can be, the uber ride from hell, the lack of sleep. It’s subtle and you know something is happening but then the last third of the book takes on you a roller coaster with a steep drop before spinning you to hell and back.

I need more thrillers from Alyssa Cole, pronto!