This is the first novel that I have read by Nina Sadowsky. I love how this novel started out, it really drew me in with the first few chapters. First we meet a mysterious person at the beginning of the novel that has been watching people which adds an element of excitement and really helps drive the title of the book home. Then, a very dramatic hostage scene plays out that entangles our main characters. We meet Laina Landers who is a psychiatrist with several patients all with unique needs and quite interesting personalities and you start to get a sense of how much Laina really cares for her patients and helping them through their problems. Next we meet Cal Murray, a reporter who is annoying, persistent, and intrusive (all the traditional reporter traits), and is trying to chase this hostage story and be the first to break every single piece of related news. Throughout the novel we meet some other interesting characters like some of Laina’s friends, her business partner Dr. Harley Weida, several of Laina’s patients, a police officer also named Cal, and we meet Cal’s camera man Mike, to name a few.

I commend Nina for adding diversity to her book. I read a lot of thrillers and it is always the same description of main characters and no diversity so that was a nice change. I would add though that it would be nice to have more descriptions for BIPOC characters and not just something that says they are black or brown because everyone has descriptive features that help paint a picture of what a character looks like! Also, some of the race related conversations in the book were a bit unnecessary, but again, I very much appreciate seeing diversity within a novel and for a main character as well.

I have mixed feelings in some areas of this book. As I mentioned before, I was drawn in by the immediate situation that happened at the beginning, but that story kept widening and more and more characters were introduced which makes it a little harder to keep up and understand. However, It made a lot more sense the closer we got to the end. There was also a lot of romance in this book, and I don’t often read romance novels so some of the scenes were a little cringy for me since I am not used to it, but again, diversity, cross genres,...in my opinion it all really adds to the appeal of the book and the author.

Overall, this book was a nice introduction to the author for me and the ending was actually really good. I read so many books where the whole book is good and the ending is bad but this book had a great start and a fantastic and well thought out ending. I would consider this a slow burn but I would say give this one a chance! Trying to figure out who the watcher was throughout the novel kept me intrigued!

Thank you Random House publishing Group- Ballantine and NetGalley for providing a copy to review.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me an advance copy of this book to read in exchange for my honest review and opinion. This book will grip you from the very first page and will keep you guessing (even though you think you know what's going to happen) until the very end. The ending will take your breath away. Great read! Can't wait to read more by Nina!

Dr. Laina is a popular therapist and manages to diffuse a bad situation between two of her patients early on in the book. This draws media attention and makes Dr. Laina quite a sensation. Not all this attention is good, though, as it seems like someone is watching. Cal is an investigative journalist and soon finds himself getting closer to Laina, who finds him very attractive. Then, patients get gift boxes that confirm that there is a watcher and Dr. Laina herself gets burglarized and is left the same message that someone is watching. The ending is somewhat of a surprise.
This book did not hold my attention at times, and I did find the racial indicators distracting and somewhat unnecessary.
I do thank the author, publisher and Netgalley for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I did enjoy this book for the first half, but then it sort of soured on me.I tried to like the characters but they became one dimensional so I didn’t finish it but rather skimmed til the end. I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me an early arc.

This book definitely kept me on my toes the entire time. I was enjoying the mystery of it all. At times, I felt confusion because so many things were going on with so many questions that I’d put the book down and then come back to it. It ends nicely though with everything answered. Good book!

ARC received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest opinion.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC
Holy Smokes Batman this book has gone and rendered me speechless I'm still thinking about it days after I finished reading it and how I got it so twisted. I don't like to give anything away but this is a must read.

I found this a little heavy on the romance, which I think served a purpose for the story, and will probably work for others, but it’s not to my tastes. I prefer the central mystery to drive the story.

Since I wasn’t feeling the romance angle, it made the characters hard for me to connect to, as that was what drove a bulk of their narrations. This isn’t a criticism, it’s just not what I personally look for.

I could see the twists coming, including the big reveal, but I think it had less to do with hints along the way, and more just the only place I could see the story going.

WOW. Just wow. This book was amazing! It had me on my toes the entire time. Everything you could want out of a psychological thriller!

Wow, this was a wild story of psychotherapy and harassment that I literally couldn’t put down! The story of a renowned psychologist whose clients keep deteriorating despite her best efforts and a journalist trying to solve the puzzle.

The concept of this book is really enticing--a therapist's clients are being targeted by someone who is watching and harassing them. Why is this happening, and what does it have to do with her joint practice?

I loved the character of Cal the reporter in this story. His inner monologue and life experience were my favorite parts of the book. But other parts of this book fell flat for me--I found that it read slowly, and some of the dialogue felt really unnatural and jolty. Overall I'd give this book three stars, and recommend it to those who are interested in a multi-faceted slow-burn mystery.

Privacy has a good premise and a promising story at first, however; I found the main characters not only unlikable but pretentious. The subplot of the watcher was fun and mysterious! I just could not get past how much these main characters bothered me.

Here’s my confession: I saw some reviews which took issue at all the racism talk in the book. Some of those reviews indicated that they were tired of politics being placed in what should be an entertaining book. And reading that, from the point of view of a POC reader/reviewer, I was ready to love the book.

Reader, I did not, in fact, love the book.

First: the plot itself (leaving aside racism for the moment) – it’s clunky.

I found the mysterious happenings just kind of odd and awkward. It’s not suspenseful and it’s clear from the beginning that there could only be a couple of suspects. Once you find out the why of it all, it just leaves you scratching your head. It’s…not a good reason for things. In addition, the sex scenes were purple cringe. I think there’s an award out there for bad sex scenes? This may qualify.

Now, the racism:

Where do I even start??? In the afterword, the author thanks someone for being so frank about race. I do not think this was a paid diversity/sensitivity reader, but if it is, the author needs to get their money back.

Our main character is racist. She’s shocked that her jungle fever love interest doesn’t love rap. After sleeping with him, she feels the need to point out that she is white and he’s Black and wants to know if she’s his first white woman. Holy. Freaking. Hell.

And as for Cal, he’s a Black man in racist world. I know this, because almost every character he meets (even ones who are background) are racist against him. And if they aren’t, he expects them to be. By the way, this has NOTHING TO DO WITH THE PLOT. It’s just 300 incidents of hey the whole world clearly doesn’t trust Black people. I mean, I think the author meant well? Like I don’t think she’s an out and out racist at all, but this is not the way! (By the way: If I, with my brown skin, go to the Hotel del Coronado in San Diego, they are not going to be racist. They are going to give me a lovely room with a view.)

There’s a trans character in the book. I was pleased with this until I realized the whole point of having them in the book was HELLO WE HAVE DIVERSITY BECAUSE LAINA HAS A TRANS FRIEND. I mean it. That’s it. This character is wallpaper.

I did finish the book. I’ll admit that I was kind of reading to see how the author would next bring racism into a book that was not about racism and well, she certainly did it. The end of the book has the main character doing something so racist that I was just disgusted.

So, my apologies to the reviewers who hinted that this book descended to some weird political posturing. You were right.

*ARC via Publisher

I really enjoyed this new psychological thriller! Fresh look into the complex lives of therapists and their patients. So many crazy great lies and the deepest depths of deception. Nice storyline that flawlessly unfolds. Highly recommend.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

"People litter pieces of themselves everywhere, all the time, without so much as a glance backward. Dwell on this a moment, what you're serving up without a thought will stagger you,"

Synopsis: Dr. Laina Landers is good at her job. She’s an accomplished therapist, dedicated and compassionate. When she is summoned by a panicked patient who is being held hostage by her husband, she intervenes and dissuades him. Laina becomes a media sensation. But as her star rises, a target is placed on her back. Not everyone is impressed by Laina’s achievements. Someone has it in for her and is targeting what matters to her most: her patients. One by one, Laina’s patients spiral after they receive unsettling gifts that mock their deepest fears and hidden traumas. Liana’s own home is targeted, in a mysterious break-in where nothing is taken, but left behind is the same message sent to her patients: Watching you.

Personal Review: 3.5 Stars

To begin, this book is in the genre of psychological thriller meets romantic suspense. It starts off with a bang, incorporating an unknown narrator with the chapter title - Watching. The "Watching" titles are scattered throughout the book and the ominous culprit is revealed in the final chapter, which kept me hanging on, and left me floored at who the individual was. The character development from the author was given in bits and chunks and left me with more questions at the end of each chapter about Dr. Landers and her love interest journalist Cal. I liked both of these characters and the omission of details, until later on in the book. This book as a fast read and kept me intrigued with the crazy turn of events to each of her patients, the "watching" chapters with ominous narrator, and the romance between Landers and Cal. Overall a good read for lovers of fast paced thrillers.

Thank you NetGalley and Bantam Books for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

1 like

Interesting and well written I just personally couldn’t get into the story. Lana has someone who is watching her closely. And she is in need of someone to protect her and help her. This book is over sexualized and way too long. Definitely could have ended way sooner than it did. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A therapist and a reporter, both investigators of the truth come together to solve the mystery of what is happening to her patients. And then we have the watcher, the one who is manipulating behind the scenes. this book has an interesting take on trauma, privacy, love and ethics of modern life

Thank you NetGalley for opportunity to preview Privacy.
A therapist becomes a sensation when she helps in an investigation for the police
Dr Lana Landers cares for her patients. They are her life’s work. But soon someone starts to create problems for them and Lana doesn’t know why or who is capable of this destructive behavior.
Soon Lana finds herself in danger and she’s scared to “death”.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Laina who is a psychiatrist is worried when someone is attacking her patients. She is unsure of who it could be and who she can trust. This book kept captured my attention from the beginning.

I just couldn't get into this one... I didn't enjoy the shifts in point of view - both characters fell flat for me and I never connected with either, making it difficult to keep shifting back and forth. Despite an intriguing premise and a dramatic opening, I just never caught the rhythm here and this wasn't a good fit for me.

Great read. I loved the character development and the descriptive writing. Can’t wait to read more from this author