3,75/5

First of all I want to thanks NetGalley and the publisher to provide me this ARC.

The first thing that it come up to my mind when I was reading this book is “Got a secret, can you keep it? Swear, this one you’ll save”.
If you are looking for a turning page book with pretty little liars vibes and a cool secret society, this is for you.
Even if I previously guessed some of the plot twists about situations and people around Maren, the protagonist, I found the book enjoyable.
I expected more justice and drama at the end of the story for what we found out, but it’s ok.

3.75!!

I really enjoyed this book! You really got thrown right into the story and I was immediately hooked. This was such an unique concept, and I loved all the different plot twists and how it kept me on my toes. I really enjoyed reading about the different games and seeing how Maren figured it out! I will say, I was definently able to predict a few things! There low-key was a love triangle between Gavin Maren and Remington, and I was rooting for Gavin and Maren! Maren ended up with Remington, but low-key their relationship kinda felt forced.

overall if you're looking for a cute YA mystery/horror I highly recommend!

Thank you to the publishers for giving me an ARC in exchange for a honest review :)

I thought that this was a great and refreshingly new story. I loved all of the twists and turns that kept you guessing until the very end. I never knew who to trust.

Great to have a secret society mystery that can be enjoyed by then entire range of YA readers. Not having to worry about sexual content makes it an easy book to hand to parents of students who can decode at a higher level but lack maturity to handle sexual content:

I absolutely loved this book! It was amazing! I loved the whole secret sorority aspect of it, most definitely not something done in a lot of other books which made this book so unique!! A definite must read!

This was not the book for me but I feel there are readers who would really enjoy this. Thank you to netgalley and publishers for an arc of this book.

**Netgalley Arc***

(3 stars)


Our main character Maren attends a prep school, that seems to have a few mysteries. When her best friend Polly goes missing she must begin a secret inititian run by the game master of a mystery group in order to try to figure out what happened. She there meets Remington whose best friend is also missing.

The beginning of the book was a bit hard to get into at first, but im a bit biased because I don’t love books in first person. It did however pick up once they really started to get into the games. Overall the book was okay. There were various twists and turns and a lot of them were predictable, I didn’t always mind it though. Overall the book was enjoyable I just didn’t love it because I wish the big twist was surprising.


Thank you to netgalley and publishers for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

DNF @74%.

I got so close to the end of this but I couldn't make myself read any further - I was getting so bored. I found the characters very one-dimensional; the history surrounding the society was interesting but it wasn't believable enough that something so sinister was going on for so long (especially with such little backstory on the society's formation).

I also didn't get the point of the society. Why were they doing what they were doing? Perhaps this explanation came closer toward the end of the book but, unfortunately, I just don't care enough to finish and find out.

☠️ THEY’RE WATCHING YOU by Chelsea Ichaso ☠️

★★★★★

🍷 Drink Pairing: Red Wine x Poison???? Just kidding, it’s not even wine since we are in fact not at the society 🫠 Poured myself a glass of tart cherry juice after seeing all of the TikTok videos about how it naturally puts you to sleep... perfect for this story since the secret society tends to drug their members 🤫

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the eARC of this book!

🌟 Review: This. book. 🤯 Did I stay up until 2am to finish this? Yes, I did!!!!

For some background, we follow Maren at the elite Torrey-Wells Academy as she decides to get to the bottom of why her best friend went missing. In order to get the answers she craves she must infiltrate the school’s secret society and solve her way through puzzles, deciphering who she can trust, and ultimately a challenge that she never sees coming.

The characters, the setting, everything was just SO good and REALLY kept me hooked. I didn’t know who to trust, and gave myself whiplash trying to toggle back and forth between who I thought was good vs evil.

I really don’t want to give anything away but once this book is out, I’ll be posting a part two to this review going into detail on all of my thoughts, theories, and everything I loved about this.

If you (like me) love mysteries, secret societies, games/puzzles, dark academia and boarding school romances (+ love triangles) then this is for you!!! I literally could not wait to review this so I’m sorry that we have to wait for January 3 to pick it up in stores but I promise you it’s worth the wait!

- VOD

Not the book for me but I would recommend it and by it in for the library. And I truly hope it dose well.

This book kept me on my toes and I really enjoyed the characters. It was a little slow in the first few chapters, but then I wasn't able to put it down. Will purchase this for the library I work at once it's released.

They’re Watching You is a young adult, mystery/thriller book that gave me all the spooky vibes that I was looking for.

Maren’s best friend Polly has been missing for 2 weeks. Maren knows she wouldn’t just disappear without a trace so she sets out to find The Gamemaster to become officially “invited” to the secret society that Polly was apart of.

The setting for this book was great. I loved all the secret meetings and the games they had to compete in. This book is the definition of you really can’t trust anyone. It is a little dark at times so just be mindful about that.

Overall, I really enjoyed my time reading this one. I’ll definitely read more from Chelsea Ichaso in the future!

This book has it all. A secret society, deadly trials, missing best friends and A LOT MORE! If you’re looking for a fast paced thriller that’ll keep you guessing then I highly recommend picking this one up! Book is set to release on January 3rd, 2023 so make sure you grab a copy.

Thank you so much to Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for the e-arc!

I don’t generally read YA books, but this one was quite good. The story has many twists and turns and takes the reader on a wild ride. The romance was also nice. This is a great ‘escape’ book for a bit of fun reading.

This book would be fall into the creepy autumn read category. That’s right, I said creepy, not spooky.
I tend to enjoy a good boarding school mystery and this one did not disappoint, especially since it had it’s own twist. Secret societies within this category of book is quite common, but make that a cult and you have something a little more fresh. Once we figure out that we are dealing with is a fully, the question is: how far does it go? Who is involved? Who can we trust?
The author did a good job of keeping me guessing - who did what and who is the mastermind? I think I also spent the majority of the book going back and forth between the guys in our love triangle. While Maren seems to be falling for (growing closer to) both Remington and Gavin, which boy can she trust?
Overall, it was a fun quick read.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital eArc.

The premise of the book was so promising! Games/competition is one of my favourite tropes, not even talking about the private school + secret society combo; I was so excited. And this part of the plot kept me hooked even while the main character was incredibly annoying. I was definitely hoping for more of Secret History, even Midsommar vibes, but it seemed like the author had decided to choose the simpler and more comfortable route. The book was still quite entertaining, I just wish the author had pushed the concept further.

This was seriously FUN! After a bit of a thriller slump, I was pleased to find that this book hooks you from the get go. An elusive secret society at a New England boarding school is linked to Maren's roomate's disappearance and she decides to infiltrate their ranks. It hits all of the boarding school thriller vibes for me - dark academia, deadly games, and a plot that had me questioning everything. I did find some of the characterization a bit lacking, especially with Remington, and there were a few plot holes... but man it was entertaining.

*Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

Secret Society, Elite Academy, I’ll grab a book anytime with these buzzwords. Dark Academia can be fun and creepy. This story was neither, btw.

This story started out so strong. We have Maren, who is wanting to know what happened to her BFF Polly, who has been missing going on two weeks. The rumor spreading is that Polly ran away, left. Maren, is not so sure about that? The reader isn’t so sure about it either, that’s the point. So Maren, begins an initiation of sorts into the secret society, I will say the games and riddles are pretty cool! Each time she completes a task she is rewarded with a clue.

Maren, is tenacious, and trusts her gut, making her a a good Protagonist. She really is concerned about the whereabouts of Polly, and what may have happened to her, to the point of putting her own life in danger. She develops really well throughout the story. This is the strongest point of the book.

The plot has holes, the character development is weak and flat.. Take for instance Remington, he has no personality at all. In addition, this is a HS, how can a society in a HS have so much influence, power, and reach? It was just a bit far fetched for me. The whole secret society appeal was vague, I needed more history with the with the Secret Society, especially if they have been around for years.

The ending was a surprise for me, not because Ichaso, did such a good job of building up the story that I couldn’t see the outcome, but because it was SO out of left field! I mean it really wasn’t even in the field.
OMG! And at that discovery I tossed the book down and rolled my eyes.

I really wanted to like this book. I just couldn’t. I guess it would be entertaining for some, especially if you like a dash of romance too. It just didn’t come together for me.

Thank you NetGalley and SourceBooks Fire for the eARC. I received the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Oh I loved this. The author did such a great job of paining the scene without going on and on with endless detail. The characters were believable. I was constantly wanting to know more and to find out more about this world. This was truly a page turner and one that stayed with me for a while after it ended.

4.5/5 stars (rounded up to 5 stars)

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!
*
When a secret society has you in their sights, it can lead to power, privilege… or death.
*
Wow. Where to even begin with this review other than I Loved this book! It had everything I wanted, a secret society, dark academia, cultish vibes, creepy crypts in the underground, and the characters participating in games. This book definitely keeps you on your toes trying to figure out what is going on with the secret society and did the society actually play a role in the mysterious disappearance of the MC Maren’s roommate, Polly. I love it when books include games and puzzles because I feel like it just adds an extra element to the book and trying to figure out what all is going to happen. This book provides the drama, thrills, and keeps the reader turning the pages. I think the only thing that I didn’t care for as much was the love triangle between the MC and two of the other characters. I just felt like it was trying a bit too hard and didn’t add much to the overall storyline. But overall, I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it!
*
This review will be posted to my Instagram blog (read_betweenthecovers) in the near future!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3 stars.

Spoilers ahead. I will not reveal anything big - most of the review vaguely alludes to plot, structure, and characters.

---

I will start out by saying that I wasn't a fan of the last Ichaso book I read, so this is me giving her a second shot. I thought the premise of this book was very interesting - what's not to like about a culty secret society and a missing girl in a boarding school setting? But I found it to be unfortunately predictable in most cases. The twist was undercooked and didn't live up to the stakes raised earlier in the plot. The main character is almost entirely a blank slate - and what small details we have serve as plot devices rather than character development. Most of the side characters, too, were mostly relegated to being plot devices to more things along or pick things up. I wanted to know more about them as people - why are they there, what motivates them, what do they feel? Overall, a decent book that many YA readers will like, but it fell short of expectations for me.

---

Again, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.