A thriller much in the style of Get Out. It feels wrong to say it was a fun enjoyable read, because it deals with such heavy topics but somehow it was. Quick pacing, a lot of suspense, and a touch of local history? Very up my alley. I thought that the bulk of the action was a bit rushed at the end, I would've sacrificed the relationship building between the two main characters in favor of slowing down the ending.

When No One Is Watching by Alyssa Cole is an excellent book that contains multiple elements: historical fiction of sorts, mystery, thriller, romance, and interweaves those concepts with darker subject matter: society flaws, inequities, gentrification, and racial disparities.

Ms. Cole is able to create an entertaining and thrilling novel taking all of these elements within each other to create a unique and memorable read.

4/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow Paperbacks for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon and B&N accounts upon publication.

This book moved slowly and I had trouble connecting with the characters. However, I gave it a chance and found out that i did end up enjoying it.

“When No One Is Watching” is a slow-burn thriller that gradually builds up to an explosive, heart pounding conclusion. The novel is told from the point of view of two main characters, who are so vividly drawn that you feel like you are inhabiting their skin. Sydney, an African American who returned to her mother’s brownstone in their Brooklyn neighborhood to care for her mother when she became sick, is dismayed to discover that all of her old neighbors are suddenly disappearing, to be replaced by affluent white couples who treat their black neighbors with scorn and distrust. This transpires at the same time a pharmaceutical company is reopening a derelict hospital to perform opioid addiction research

The other main character is Theo, the boyfriend of one of the wealthy white women who has taken up residence near Sydney’s mother’s brownstone. Theo comes from a humble background, and is quickly discarded by his live-in girl friend, who relegates him to a hot, cramped attic in their shared brownstone. Theo befriends Sydney during a block meeting at which he volunteers to help her with a research project involving a historic tour of the neighborhood that she is planning for the annual Labor Day festivities. As more and more odd incidents occur and more people suddenly disappear, Theo and Sydney are thrown together as unlikely partners in an attempt to discover whether or not there really is a conspiracy to take over the neighborhood or if they both suffer from paranoia.

The writing seemed a little convoluted and basic at times, while the characters weren’t appealing. The story didn’t come together very well for me.

I received this advanced copy from Scene of the Crime Early Reads and had no idea what it was about before I started reading it.

The story centers on a 30 something divorcee, Sydney, who returns to her childhood home to live with her sick mother. She comes to realize that her Brooklyn neighborhood, that was mainly a Black community, has now changed as more and more rich elitist white people have started moving in to the homes. Sydney also comes to realize that her mother and fellow neighbors have been getting harassed by BVT realty who wants to buy their homes. Sydney starts to look into the history of Gifford Place, BVT realty, and VerenTech, the pharmaceutical company who wants to build a research center in Gifford Place. What she uncovers combined with the strange happenings she notices in her neighborhood, makes Sydney question if she is paranoid or going crazy. She reluctantly enlists the help of her white neighbor, Theo, who has a shady past to investigate the strange happenings, even though she is not sure she can trust him either.

This story centers around gentrification, the process of changing the character of a neighborhood through the influx of more affluent residents and businesses, and systematic racism, which unfortunately is still a factor in today's society. It bases the story on real events from the past and events that could really happen today, which is what makes this book frightening. Alyssa Cole tackles some tough subjects in this thriller while also making it entertaining. She shows how marginalized people can easily be discriminated against by those who are in power.

This is a slow burn of a book. It starts out slowly and picks up speed all the way through to the exciting ending. It has a mystery, some thrills, and a little romance. It makes you think and sticks with you after you're finished.

Thanks to Netgalley, William Morrow, and Harper Collins Publishers for the advanced readers copy. The opinions are my own.

This book was not for me. I couldn't relate or like the characters. Too much violence and descriptions about the violence.

Rear Window meets Get Out in this gripping thriller from a critically acclaimed and New York Times Notable author, in which the gentrification of a Brooklyn neighborhood takes on a sinister new meaning…" One of the FB book groups I'm in had this as a giveaway so I got it. I saw Rear Window many years ago, and admit I have never seen Get Out so I wasn't sure what to expect. I was reading it, thinking that it was a great book. but I wouldn't call it a 'thriller'. Then BAM! what the heck is going on?! and I raced to finish the rest of the book! You can pre-order it now! #Netgalley #whennooneiswatching

The description of "Rear Window" meets "Get Out" is the perfect way to explain this book. The ominous feeling throughout the book, combined with touching on racial inequalities and gentrification, was a unique pairing but felt extremely compelling. I could imagine this book as a film so easily! I have a feeling this will be a huge book club pick in the fall. Highly recommend.

I would like to give this 3.5 stars but will go to the 4-star rating.
A thriller based on social cleansing and gentrification. A slow walking tour through an upcoming or rather a historical neighborhood depending upon your view, is part of the catalyst for Sydney, our protagonist who is African American, to create a walking tour of her own neighborhood. A chance meeting during the tour with her new neighbor and white male, Theo, starts an uneasy friendship and eventually a relationship of sorts. Theo takes the place of a missing research assistant to Sydney.
The reader follows along and learns the history of Sydney's Brooklyn at the same time many, many nefarious characters, law officials, and corporations are brought in to flesh out the social cleansing and gentrification angle. We learn through Theo's eyes and alternating chapters what it's like to witness, if not feel, systemic racism as it applies to Sydney and her neighbors in a way that never reached him before.
In Sydney's chapters it also seems she is recovering from some sort of mental breakdown and desperately wants to speak with her mother for support but only manages to get her voice mail to hear her voice. With mother and her best friend missing, a nasty divorce, and now missing neighbors, Sydney is all alone and struggling to make sense of what's happening. She begrudgingly begins to trust Theo to help sort it out.
There is a lot going on in this book and the ending is really over the top but the message within is its saving grace.
Thank you to both Netgalley and Harper Collins for the chance at an early read.

"History is wild." Indeed, so is this novel. In an awesome, you did NOT, kind of way that is just what we (white America in my case) need right now. Sydney has returned home to Brooklyn after a bad breakup and is living in her mother's brownstone. On a tour of her neighborhood, led by a white woman with no real interest in the contributions of the African-Americans who built a community there, Sydney catches the eye of Theo, a white guy with a shady past. The novel starts slow, but carefully describes the many ways that gentrification is destroying communities. Sydney soon decides to design her own "counter" tour, a Black history tour of the neighborhood and Theo signs on to assist. Sydney and Theo, though, have secrets and when neighbors start to mysteriously disappear they will have to make decisions about how much to trust each other. This novel is a bit of slow burn, but when it heats up, watch out. Cole makes some long overdue connections between today's land-grabbing gentrifiers and those who founded this country by stealing land and eradicating any trace of what came before. The novel gets wild, but no matter how deep it goes, it's never more wild than the insanity and terror that is foundational to this country. Jordan Peele should buy the rights to this novel RIGHT NOW.

Part romance, part thriller, all heart, this novel will have readers smiling as they watch two people start falling for each other, put them on the edge of their seats as the characters encounter hair-raising moments, and keep them there as they try to puzzle out just what exactly is going on in this gentrifying neighborhood. The author adds real history while keeping the narrative focused on the present, and keeps the tension up at the same time as she's doling out real info on social justice and racism in the United States. When No One Is Watching is a must read for thriller lovers and romance readers alike, as well as those who want a look into a Black neighborhood facing the creeping horror of gentrification. The ending packs quite a punch.

Hey suspenseful novel that leaves you guessing to the end. A real page turner. Very relevant to current situation in America.

WOWWWWWWW!!! 5/5
That was an amazing book. It was also kind of fitting to some of what is currently going on in our present world today. This book touched on gentrification, racial bias, social justice, and the histories of enslavement... A LOT!

Sydney moves back to her childhood home in her home town of Brooklyn after a divorce from her husband. As she sits upon the front stoop of her mother's brownstone, she quickly sees how the neighborhood she once knew has changes dramatically. The neighborhood is now being bought out by white people when that never has been the case previously. Her neighborhood was once known as the low property valued neighborhood or "red zone." Across the street from Sydney, a new couple, Kim and Theo, has taken over and moved into one of her previous neighbor's home. While Theo wants to get acquainted with his new neighbors, Kim is the total opposite. Kim comes from a rich family and feels that her new neighbors are beneath her, and is not afraid to voice it.

As Sydney takes on a neighborhood tour project with the assistance of Theo, she discovers many disturbing activities going on. She starts to question why everyone is suddenly selling their family homes to let this new company come in take over the neighborhood they previously owned. It seems to quickly become a "us" and "them" situation.

As the back story as well as the present story is told, a bottom dropping, plot twist is thrown in. This plot twist hit me like a ton of bricks as we're told what is really going on in the neighborhood.

I don't know whether I would call this a Historical fiction, a Thriller or a I don't know what, but it was a true page turner. I could not put it down! I especially loved how the flow of the book was written, given historical facts, while also weaving in and leading up to the plot twists.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for the advanced readers copy!

4.5

A timely social injustice/gentrification thriller expertly executed.

I loved so many things about this novel. It was different than the "norm". It was smart and the characters were written and developed well. I enjoyed the use of alternating POVs - a black woman who grew up in the neighborhood setting and a white man who recently moved in. The tone and the dialogue were current and sharp. There was so much covered - racism, grief, family PLUS Brooklyn history woven in seamlessly.

Many thrillers become repetitive until the climax. This was not the case here. The story propels forward and you want to continue turning pages. The build-up was tense. The only small gripe I might have was that the ending was a bit rushed.

Overall this was an excellent read that I would highly recommend!

I want to thank Scene of the Crime and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this novel prior to its September release in exchange for an honest review.

I would give this a 3 1/2. It had two likeable main characters, funny at times, Howdy Doody! It started out as a thriller with a conspiracy note thrown in. Then it almost became a horror story. It was easy to follow along with the storyline. This is the first book I've read by this author and I would read another thriller by her.

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

When No One is Watching is told through two POV's. Sydney and Theo, two completely different voices. If you're a fan of the amazing movie "Get Out" then I highly recommend this.

I was very surprised to hear that this is Alyssa Cole's first suspense/thriller. This book was a whirlwind, in the best way possible. The plot had a little bit of everything. Suspense, violence, conspiracy, friendship, romance, steam all put together in a social justice thriller. The writing was fantastic, and the plot moved at the perfect pace, with an exciting and thrill-seeking ending.

This story got me thinking., and feeling. There was sadness in almost every page, because of the experiences the main character, Sydney, had to go through. Those scenes were hard to read, but important...because it exaggerates truth of what happens in the world. Theo was also an interesting character to read, and left you questioning things throughout the story.

Overall, an excellent book and I highly recommend it.

This book had me going in and out.. sometimes it grabbed me and sometimes I felt like it was dragging me along.. Sydney notices that neighbors keep moving, leaving and something is going on as a pharmaceutical company building draws more upper class people to her neighborhood. Good premise and story, but sometimes I felt that the pacing of the story was slow.

The ending wasn't what I was expecting, and there was a bit more violence, steaminess, and swearing than anticipated. Themes of racism mixed with suspense pulled me along, and there were things addressed that I don't recall learning about in school. I've never read this author before, but I may checkout future books.

I cannot believe that I have never heard of or read Alyssa Cole. I was hooked from page one. As A Black woman, I know these characters. I can see them and hear them. Ms. Cole is my new favorite author and I cannot wait to go back and read ALL of her books.