I have been a fan of Joshilyn Jackson and was looking forward to this read. I found myself frequently rereading in order to determine the point of view. There were so many characters I struggled to keep track and again rereading. I almost wanted to make a “family tree” type list so I could keep them straight without rereading.
Maribel, a famous childhood star, moves cross country with her daughter, Honor, in order to escape unwanted attention from a stalker she has named the Marker Man. She receives threatening letters and feels eyes watching her and suspects so many different men, again difficult to determine which character is which as the reader begins to eliminate suspects and hone in one particular man.
I found quirky Honor to be the most interesting and realistic character and most enjoyed the parts of the book that featured her more.
All in all, a somewhat confusing read that took me much longer than normal to navigate through. Due to that confusion my rating is two stars. The plot line deserves a better rating however. I wish it had been tightened up a bit with fewer characters that did not seem necessary and more clearly delineated point of view chapters.
My thanks to Joshilyn Jackson, William Morrow, and NetGalley for affording me the opportunity to read an arc of this just released book.

Who’s stalking actress Meribel? Her people think it’s a crazy fan. She thinks it’s her ex-husband. Or maybe her ex-boyfriend. Or maybe someone else.
The narration was well done with different people for each character. I especially liked Honor’s POV.
What more can I say? Not much without a spoiler warning for all the twists and turns!! 😱
*thanks to William Morris and NetGalley for the advance reader copy for review.

This was my first book by this author and to get right to it, I'm not entirely sure I vibe with her writing style. At the forefront of the book, we have the Marker Man, a deluded fan who is heavily stalking Meribel, a famous actress. I find the stalker premise to generally be so suspenseful and creepy, but there was SO MUCH else going on (someone give Honor and her friends their own YA novel) that by the end, I wasn't even that interested in finding out who was doing the stalking. Literally when talking to a friend about the book, I completely forgot to even mention the identity of the stalker. OOPS. How does the main stalker become irrelevant by the end of the book about said stalker?! That's all I got. Average April continues...

Thank you so much NetGalley and William Morrow for my eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Meribel has a stalker, one that started out with just letters, but when things escalate, Meribel takes a part in a new show in Atlanta and quickly moves out of LA. When her stalker follows, Meribel is questioning everyone around her. How did he find her so quickly? Who is he? Trying to keep herself and Honor, her autistic daughter, safe she doesn’t know who to trust. Will she be able to keep them safe before he escalates again or is it already too late? My Little Eye didn’t live up to my expectations. It had all the components, but just didn’t deliver. The story came across convoluted and by the end just had me scratching my head. Still an entertaining read, but not one of her best. Thank you to Harpercollins and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

Wonderful, all the way through! She knows how to gets up a twisty story & I loved every second of it

𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘤 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘮 𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸.

I was fortunate enough to read an arc of this book before it came out, and let me tell you, I read it in pretty much one day. I took it on set with me & while we waited hours to film, I flew through this book!!

I first read one of Joshilyn’s thrillers because she is actually one of my mom’s favorite authors, and I decided to pick up her book “Never Have I Ever” and loved it so much!! After reading both of those, I can’t wait to keep reading more of her books. & a bonus, she’s a local author and sets her books in/around Georgia which makes reading her books even more exciting!!

If you’re looking for a thriller to take on an upcoming beach trip (yes I’m looking at you) or just searching for a fresh read, do yourself a favor, and pick up “With My Little Eye” because it will have you on the edge of your seat until the very last page!!

Thank you again to William Morrow for providing the opportunity for me to read this arc!!

This novel starts slow, but looking back, I realize that allowed me to settle into Maribel's life before I found myself unhinged just like her. We have all had that feeling of being watched but what if that feeling never went away??
As a thriller--With My Little Eye, isn't as thrilling as Mother May I but holds its own.
I am not sure how much I care for Maribel but either way I was breathing heavy and looking over my shoulder as she did in a mere effort to try to have a daily routine.
I have loved this author since her first foray into southern lit and women's lit and she still entertains me now with her well plotted mind-game-thrillers.

This is an author I’ve heard good things about and was looking forward to this mystery, the synopsis sounded exciting. However, it was a slow burn for me and I felt a younger audience would relate to the characters better than I did. The tweens were very distinct and held my interest more than the adults.
Meribel is a semi-recognizable actress with an escalating stalker. She’s broken off with her boyfriend and fled LA for Atlanta to escape his sickly scented letters. I simply didn’t like her, she seemed quite immature for late thirties or over forty (Hollywood age). She has an Ex-husband, an old boyfriend and behaved like a hormonal twenty year old. Her new neighbor and current on again off again lover are questionable, unsavory, shady characters. I didn’t trust any of them which made for many suspects for the identity of the stalker.
While Meribel was extremely knowledgeable about triggers and tantrums for her adopted autistic daughter, Honor, she was oblivious to possible dangers to her from the stalker. I could not figure out why Meribel adopted her, it felt like it was to fill her own emptiness, not for the child. Honor was integral to the story and probably the only reason I finished reading it.
The finale did contain twists, action and surprises, it was well executed. It was the two-thirds preceding that I struggled with. I may be in a minority and might try the author again in the future.
The digital advance reader copy of “With My Little Eye” by Joshilyn Jackson, William Morrow, was provided by NetGalley. These are all my own honest personal thoughts and opinions given voluntarily without compensation.

With My Little Eye by Joshilyn Jackson is a riveting thriller that follows Meribel Mills, an actress who finds herself being stalked by a mysterious man. "Marker Man" (as he's been dubbed by Meribel's daughter, Honor) started by sending troubling fan mail. He quickly progresses from creepy letters to sneaking into her home. In an effort to escape him, Meribel uproots her life in LA and flees to Georgia. Even after the move though, things still aren't right. Meribel can still feel someone watching her. Is it her neighbor? Or her new boyfriend? Or her ex-husband? Everyone is a suspect!

My thoughts:
From the very beginning, Jackson sets a suspenseful and chilling tone as the reader is introduced to Marker Man's disturbing behavior. The letters and drawings freaked me out! As the story progresses, Meribel's life becomes more and more complicated as she struggles to deal with the stalker and protect her daughter. Jackson does a good job of developing the characters, making the reader invested in their well-being and rooting for Meribel's safety. The twists and turns in the plot kept me guessing! My heart was pounding as I read the last few chapters!

Overall, With My Little Eye is a captivating thriller that left me eager for more from this author. I am now on the hunt for Jackson's other books, Mother May I and Never Have I Ever.

Read this if you like:
• Thrillers
• Suspense
• Fast paced storytelling
• Multiple POVs 

Reviews also posted on Amazon and Goodreads.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!
*
His Game
His Rules
Her Life

Wow! Where to even begin with this review! I got soo pulled into this book and absolutely loved the stalker aspect of it! I felt like Jackson did such a good job at depicting what it is like to be an actor who is having to deal with a stalker and how much it drains you mentally and having to constantly be on edge. Jackson also did such a good job at the suspense leading up to the ending and keeping the reader engaged throughout the entire book. I did feel like the ending was a little rush and I personally would have liked it to be more flushed out a little bit and to see more of what happened afterwards, but overall would still recommend this book!
*
This review will be posted to my Instagram blog (read_betweenthecovers) in the near future!

I loved the premise of With My Little Eye. Meribel Mills, an actress, moves herself and her autistic daughter, Honor, to Atlanta from LA to escape a creepy stalker. This stalker has been sending her disturbing letters. While there were some hair raising moments in this novel, it fell a bit flat for me.

The chapters alternate from different POVs. I struggled a bit with some of the different views, such as from the stalker and also Honor. I felt myself more drawn to Meribel as her character seemed the most realistic.

However, the story was very drawn out and I often found my mind wandering. There also seemed to be some repetition and also some things that didn’t really seem to add to the story much.

There are some twists that I saw coming and some that I didn’t, but overall none of the twists were especially compelling. I also would’ve liked a little bit more from the ending. It just seemed to end suddenly. An epilogue would’ve been good to help tie up some loose ends.

Overall, the “bones” of this book is good but I hope it gets a hefty dose of editing before it’s published. Although this book wasn’t for me, I definitely would give this author another chance.

So, this book had me engaged and really wanting to know who the culprit was who was stalking Meribel, but I have to admit that there were times when I thought the story dragged and I just wanted it to move along. There are a lot of shady characters which means multiple possibilities for who could be the villain, so that intrigued me. The character of Meribel was definitely three-dimensional but not totally likable or relatable. She was somewhat self-centered but seemed to come out of her self-absorption when her daughter Honor was endangered. Honor, a teen on the autism spectrum, was an endearing character who was portrayed so realistically that I just wanted to give her a hug. She was my favorite character and the one who was most likable. The guys who wanted to be with Meribel were not all that impressive; buff, yes, and enticing, too, but not too deep. I liked that Cam followed Meribel just to make sure that she was safe but he was there one minute and gone the next. Like many characters, I didn’t know whether to trust him or not. The whole point of the story seems to be that Meribel is desperate to escape a stalker and escapes to the other side of the country to try to make that happen, but the bad guy seems to follow her everywhere and there is no safe space. When left on her own, Meribel digs deep and determinedly protects herself and Honor. This is a good story with a few slow parts and some parts that didn’t seem necessary to the central tale, but it is worth reading if you enjoy some suspense and a lot of drama.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guidelines Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

Fame can be a fickle thing. There are pros and cons to anything in life, but celebrities see these different poles at the most extreme. On one side, there is the enormous success that stems from their notoriety. They are able to live a life of luxury, filled with the wealth and status that that lifestyle affords. On the other hand, any true sense of privacy goes away. Everyone knows just about everything about their life. The good, bad, and ugly are all displayed for the world to see. It is this darker side of celebrity that Joshilyn Jackson chooses to focus on in her new thriller With My Little Eye. In the book, she imagines a celebrity who has lost any sense of anonymity. It is as terrifying as it is electrifying.

Meribel Mills is starting over. At least that's what she keeps telling herself. She jumped at the opportunity to take on a regular role in the latest cop procedural to grace network television. Yes, roles like this are rarer and rarer for an aging actress in an industry that is cutthroat to women. It wasn't just the chance for steady work that appealed to Meribel, however. It was more about the opportunity to relocate from LA to Atlanta. This is a chance to leave behind the stress of Hollywood and bring her adopted daughter a life of routine and stability. Even as the family of two begins to settle into their new luxury apartment, Meribel can't help but fear that none of this will be enough.

When the first letter arrived, Meribel barely took note of it. Years had passed since her breakout role, but she still received the occasional piece of fan mail. This one was strange, of course, but that's the price you pay for being a celebrity. But the letters didn't stop. With increasing regularity, she would open the mail to see another letter written in bold, fruit-scented marker. The notes became more disturbing with each new appearance, some even containing threatening drawn images depicting Meribel in various violent states. Meribel had crazed fans before, but this Marker Man was different. As paranoia and fear invaded her every thought, she couldn't help but feel as if this man had been in her LA home, her sheets smelling of unfamiliar cologne. Finally, determined to put a stop to this stalking, Meribel moved her entire life to Atlanta, praying that the Marker Man would leave her alone for good.

As she sits in the cafe in the lobby of her new building in Atlanta, Meribel feels hopeful that this move was the right decision. Surely Marker Man can't find her here. But then she gets that uneasy feeling that has plagued her with each new letter. Someone is watching her. She can feel his eye taking her in, reveling in her every move. As the rain hammers the street outside, Meribel just catches a glimpse of the figure of a man standing beneath an umbrella. She can't make out any of his features, but his gaze is undeniable. The Marker Man is here. Despite her best efforts, Meribel hasn't evaded her worst fears. Her nightmare is just beginning.

I first became aware of Joshilyn Jackson when I read her book Mother May I a couple of years ago. That thriller wowed me by combining a riveting plot with deeply drawn characters. With My Little Eye brings many of the elements that I enjoyed in that previous book while blazing a terrifying new path for the author. Jackson just knows how to get under your skin, and she's not afraid to fill each page with paranoia and dread. There's a well-rounded cast of characters that make up this story, and Jackson smartly shifts perspective from character to character to give the reader a deep insight into each of their threads. The main plot about a stalker drives much of the action in the book, but I found the protagonist's twelve-year-old autistic daughter to be the most compelling. Jackson writes her through an empathetic lens that I found to be refreshingly impactful. Some of the plot points veer into the implausible, but the characters helped me mostly overlook that. I was blindsided by the revelation of who the stalker was and found the conclusion to be completely satisfying. With My Little Eye is another fantastic thriller from an author who is fast becoming one of my favorites.

Meribel is an actress who has a stalker. He was escalating so she took a job in her old home town of Atlanta, GA. She took her daughter and started her new life, but the stalker somehow found out.

I feel like this book picked too many twists. It should have picked one or two and stuck with it. I understand making multiple people the suspect but they were immediately taken out of the picture in the next paragraph. There were a lot of twists, and some of them seemed a little far fetched. Is Meribel a magnet for men who are not well?

That said, I did want to know what happened but it took me a couple hours to sit through the last few chapters.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

One-sentence summary:
An actress being stalked by a mysterious stranger moves across the country with her daughter to find safety, but when she realizes that she’s still being watched by someone who wants to do her harm, every man in her life becomes a suspect.

—--------

I really loved this one and read it in almost one sitting! It’s bold, twisty and - at times - shocking. I got soooo pulled into it.

Jackson did a great job building out the experiences of Meribel – a TV actress approaching forty who is traumatized from the experience of being stalked. This book NAILED what it’s like to be an actor in Los Angeles, as well as the sense of isolation, self-doubt and exhaustion that comes from being stalked. Sadly, on all counts, I know this a bit from personal experience…

Meribel’s adopted daughter, Honor, is on the spectrum, and her POV is written with realism and empathy. Honor misses social cues, lacks emotion at times, and experiences stims, and she’s just the most interesting, lovable and strong 13-year-old. There’s also some great humor – both of the absurd and dark variety – stemming from her. I’d read an entire series focused on Honor, I loved her so much. I also really liked Meribel’s ability to anticipate and understand her daughter’s triggers, moods and unique method of communicating.

This thriller is of the slow-burn variety, but it is VERY bold in its plotting, with lots of twists you probably won’t see coming, so it makes for the perfect summer, by-the-beach read!

This is out today!!

Thank you William Morrow for the ARC!

With My Little Eye
by Joshilyn Jackson
Pub Date: 25 Apr 2023

I feel the story started out slow, I almost quit reading at one point but decided to stick it out as it was an advanced reader copy. I'm glad I hung in as it did pick up and was suspenseful. I was totally surprised by the ending.

Synopsis:

It started with letters, he's been in her home, he's watching her. Who else might be watching—her ex-husband? The lover she left behind in LA? Her new neighbor? Suddenly, every man in her life is a suspect, but she can’t keep herself and her daughter safe from a monster she can’t identify. When the paths of all of these men collide, Meribel will find herself alone in the fight of her life, desperate to protect those she loves as danger closes in from all sides.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

In this thriller, Maribel Mills leaves California with her daughter to escape the stalker they call " marker man" because if the smelly markers her uses to send her letters. Maribel has a sixth sense in that she feels it when being watched. After a brief sense of relief of leaving her stalker in CA she again experiences herself being watched more and more. When the letters start coming directly to her new address, things start to escalate.
This is a page turner you won't want to put down!

3.5 stars, rounded up. A long build up to a rushed ending (I really wanted to know more about the aftermath of everything that happened). I loved the characters, with Meribel in particular being a complicated, interesting woman. There are so many eerie, tense bits and I didn't necessarily piece together how it was all going to coalesce. The weirdness of fan culture and the downsides of fame were really compelling.

I loved the premise of With My Little Eye -- an actress and single mom being stalked, and even a move across the country doesn't slow the stalker down. There's much more going on in this story, with quite a few storylines and many characters. At times it felt a little all over the place and slow-moving, but it all comes together in the end with some surprises and a big bang! The last 25% of the book is everything I love in a thriller -- fast-paced, nail biting, and unpredictable. While I typically don't mind open-ended endings, I would have appreciated more closure. I wouldn't mind reading more about these characters!

Grab With My Little Eye if you want a slow burn, drama-filled thriller with a heavy dose of suspense!

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for a complimentary digital copy of this novel. This novel is about Meribel, an actress with a 13-year old adopted daughter, Honor, who is on the spectrum. They end up having to move from LA to Atlanta because Meribel has a stalker. Between her stalker, her new neighbor, her ex-husband, and her ex-boyfriend, there’s a lot going on for her. The part I enjoyed the most about this book was trying to guess who the stalker was. However, I had a hard time following the characters. I felt the book was all over the place. In some chapters, there was information from the pasta d then suddenly it would revert to the present without warning. That got to be confusing and frustrating. The ending of the novel was way too abrupt! It just ended with no further details. I’ve read one of Joshilyn’s novels before and really enjoyed it, but unfortunately, this one didn’t have the same outcome for me.