This book was disturbing, in that something like this could happen. It was a great read. Very suspenseful. Sydney returns to her Brooklyn neighborhood which is in the process of being revitalized. Neighbors moving away, going to visit relatives. The moves seem to often be sudden and with no good byes..She is working on developing a walking tour of the neighborhood. A fairly new neighbor, Theo, becomes her assistant in developing the tour. Some strange things start to happen to Sydney. The book has a lot of historical references, very enlightening.

The reviews are great for this, so I’m in a small minority here, but this just wasn’t my cup of tea. As an historian, I was drawn in by the themes of slavery and gentrification, but it turned out to be not my type of book after all. I’m not really a fan of the Samuel L. Jackson style of narration, so found the language jarring and grating more than anything. I ended up skimming most of it.

Thanks to William Morrow Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to check out this book for review.

When No One Is Watching
A Thriller
by Alyssa Cole
HarperCollins Publishers
William Morrow Paperbacks
General Fiction (Adult) | Mystery & Thrillers
Pub Date 15 Sep 2020 | Archive Date 10 Nov 2020

Thanks to Net Galley and HarperCollins Publishers for providing me this ARC. Really great book but I didn't like the violent and disturbing ending, (at least for an Indiana farm girl.).
Good solid read!

This book is stunning, and smart, and so very important. Gentrification, racism, suspense, and a whole lot of history they don’t teach at most schools combines for an absolutely incredible book. The story, and the characters had me on the edge of my seat. I cannot recommend this book enough.

A fast paced and gripping read. I read this all in one binge while sitting up with my baby at night. (Don't really recommend reading this creepy book in the dark, lol!) I'm a fan of Alyssa Cole based on her Reluctant Royals series of fun contemporary romances and I will say this is a departure for her. This book is dark and gritty, but there is a romance for her romance fans. I haven't read her historicals so I don't know how close this book might be in tone to those. But, even though this was a departure from her usual fare, I still enjoyed it a lot.

If you love the films of Jordan Peele (specifically Get Out and Us) then you will love this fantastic thriller. When No One is Watching is a fascinating blend of important issues pertaining to the history of systematic undermining and abuse of the black community by whites in the US and an entertaining and sexy (Cole’s background in romance writing shines through), scary story. It feels wrong to put that combination in a sentence but Cole is so good that she makes it work, so please excuse my clumsy phrasing. This book is such is a clever way to get people to pay attention to the extremely important issue of race in this country. Specifically this book handles a particularly insidious case of gentrification in Brooklyn, New York. The story of which will raise the hairs on the back of your neck. It is truly a creepy novel. I’d write more but you should just read this book! Right now!

This book started off great. There was drama, neighborhood tension, missing people, and mysterious things happening. The budding relationship between Theo and Sydney was tense and fun at the same time. And then things went weird. *Spoiler* the ending was abruptly violent and unbelievable. Maybe it was unbelievable because I'm a white girl from the Midwest...but it was hard to wrap my head around. Solid three stars.

For Fans of Woman in the Window

This book was AMAZING! In this story, Sydney realizes that something awry is happening in her neighborhood. People are going . . . missing. What is happening? Is it just in her head? Although not truly welcome.. Sydney, with the aid of her neighbor Theo, begin to investigate.

This was a compulsive, gripping, and tense thriller. An excellent psychological thriller that leaves the reader questioning the sanity of the protagonist. Cole did an excellent job with casting an unreliable narrator in this novel... and I love well-executed unreliable narrators. Five stars!

Oh man. This book is a TRIP. Exploring racial tensions in Brooklyn in epic, larger-than-life proportions, this read like a dramedy to me. Not afraid to poke fun at itself, but still getting down to the nitty gritty. A very ambitious and (for the most part) effective thriller.

I'm not sure what I just read...I was expecting a thriller (that's what the cover promises) but there was way too much swearing and steaminess for my taste on the way to the thriller part and then, spoiler alert




what the heck happened at the end? It was a gory bloodbath and then our protagonists just walked away from it? I appreciate poetic justice, but the villains seemed like caricatures, and finding out that our hero was far from it (petty thief? wannabe white-collar criminal? and not even really remorseful about it? oh, no big deal) was also a letdown. It was well-written and it did keep my attention to the end (thus the 2 stars) but it gave me nightmares and an icky feeling.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

This is an awesome book, and I have a lot to say about it, so buckle up!

This book is Get Out meets Rear Window meets The Stepford Wives, if the Stepford Wives wore Lululemon. As a past resident of Brooklyn very near where this books take place, I can tell you all her statements about gentrification are right on the nose. And not just in Brooklyn - this is happening all over the country. I WISH the “OurHood” posts weren’t so similar to NextDoor posts I see every day here in California. I loved the multiple perspectives, all of which the author nailed, and I especially loved Sydney.

I don’t agree with a previous reviewer that this book should flag that it’s about “social justice” issues for the reader. This book is about racism, which is a fact. It’s also about historical events like redlining, which are also facts. This is stuff that happened and that white people should be reading more about. The book will draw readers in. No ”racism warning” necessary. (And anyway the blurbs also mention Get Out, so the reader will know what she’s in for.) To be honest, I find the idea that the publisher should tippy toe around the issues in this book with a forewarning to be kind of insulting.

Like Get Out, this is a scary story with awesome symbolism and a lot of laughs. It does a great job contrasting the irrational fears of some white people with the very real fears of black people. And it is also just a great book to let anyone blow off steam about the annoying crazy neighbors we all see posting on NextDoor, and what they might really be up to.

To sum up, read this book. It’s fun, funny, scary, has something important to say, and you’ll probably learn a few things along the way. The ending is wild, but it works. I love this author’s voice and sense of humor and she will be on my list of must-reads in the future.

Thanks to NetGalley, HarperCollins and Alyssa Cole for a preview of this great book which I think people will definitely be talking about.

Alyssa Cole's When No One Is Watching had me on the edge of my seat before I even got to the mystery. The gentrification of her Brooklyn neighborhood and the tense nature of every interaction kept me stressed. Adding the mystery of what's happening to her neighbors and who the people changing her community are made it impossible to stop reading. Different from her romances, but rhf same storytelling that keeps you hooked.

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for this free ARC.
This book is like the movie GET OUT if it were made about a neighborhood instead of a family. There were so many parts in this book the full out pissed me off. Why white people think they are superior to everyone else, I'll never know. As crazy as a plot that this book has, Alyssa did a wonderful job keeping it real and honest. I'm very excited to read her other books!

When No One Is Watching by Alyssa Cole- At first I had to go back to the description to make sure I was reading a thriller. What starts out as a realistic fiction about life in the Brooklyn Burrough, suddenly turns sinister. Sydney is living back home with her mom in Brooklyn after a failed marriage. Her old neighborhood though has some changes, notably, new neighbors...new white neighbors. Theo is one of these new white neighbors. He and his wealthy girlfriend bought the 3 story brownstone as part of a gentrification project. He believes that they are rebuilding and bringing life to a dying neighborhood. But as his relationship falls apart, he spends more and more time with this "dying" neighborhood and sees the vibrant life still present in this neighborhood. Sydney and Theo couldn't be more different, but they both are noticing that something isn't right. Neighbors are moving out overnight with new neighbors moving in almost immediately, stores are updated and switching ownership in the blink of an eye, and no one knows where their former friends have disappeared to. As they get deeper and deeper into the mystery, they find their neighborhood is in danger along with everyone living there. #netgalley #alyssacole #whennooneuswatching

This book blew me away, exceeding all of my expectations. I'm a big fan of Cole's romances, and I've always been impressed with her ability to effortlessly switch genres, from historical fiction to sci fi to tweaking the traditional conventions of romance tropes to allow for stories that feature POC. She's a master writer, no matter the genre. When No One is Watching is no different! She drew me in immediately with a gradual buildup of suspense and a few subtle clues that something is off. I loved her take on the (very real) sinister side of gentrification.

WHAT a book!

Alyssa Cole is one of my very favorite romance authors, so when I heard she was coming out with a thriller I got very, very excited. This book does not disappoint -- it's a master class in how to build suspense. There's a pervasive sense of dread that intensifies with every page, but it's tempered by the burgeoning friendship and romance between Sydney and Theo. Cole's gift for witty banter is on full display here, and it's fascinating to see her deploy it in another genre.

Having recently read Ruby Lang's Uptown trilogy of novellas, I had already been thinking a lot about New York neighborhoods and gentrification, and I think that really primed my brain for this book. When No One Is Watching will freak you out, make you laugh, make you mad, and most of all, make you think. I can't wait to recommend it to just about everyone!

Many thanks for the opportunity to read and review!

Loved this book and couldn't put it down. It was nonstop discomfort (in a good way) with the realities of gentrification and structural racism along with the unknown of what exactly was happening to the residents of Gifford Place!

Alyssa Cole's latest thriller is a fast, well=paced read, with a healthy dose of romance. She takes on the gentrification of urban neighborhoods and its toll on the local communities. The characters are interesting and engaging, ones you root for throughout.

This is the first book I have read by Alyssa Cole and I was hooked from the beginning. I love how historical aspects of Brooklyn were woven through the story. While I found it a bit unbelievable what happened at the end of the book, it was still a great read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy. I cannot wait to read more by Alyssa Cole.

Alyssa Cole can do it all! I’m a huge fan of her romances and was presently surprised to see her skills adapt to the thriller genre. Great fun read