I have loved most of Joshilyn Jackson's books, but this is definitely the exception. I wanted to include spoilers in this review, which is not normally what I would do, but while most of the book is bad, the ending is what makes it not worth reading. Jackson's thrillers always are a bit dark and have an edge, but this one seemed dark for dark's sake.

The main character, Mirabel, is an actor who has a very creepy stalker. She moves across the country to Atlanta to escape him. Atlanta is her hometown and there is a non sensical story line about her ex husband, but that could have totally been left out. And while she was scared enough to move, she was not scared enough to make better decisions about staying in TV (hello...IMDB will tell your stalker right where you are) leaving her autistic daughter alone and just letting men she hardly knows sleep on her couch. So is she scared or not?

Then toward the end, it turns into a whole other creepy story about teenagers who make bad decisions, but never have to pay consequences. They even kill a man and that is just left alone since he was a bad man.

And that stalker that was supposedly the main story line, several suspects are introduced in the store, but no, it's just some random crazy guy.

Give it a pass and choose one of her other novels. Any other.

Actress Meribel Mills is accustomed to unsettling fan mail, but when she receives letters written in fruit-scented markers from a stalker known as "Marker Man," she knows that something is different. Despite police reassurances that stalkers rarely become violent, Meribel fears for her and her daughter's safety when she discovers that Marker Man has been in her home, leaving behind the scent of unfamiliar cologne and stealing objects. As a former on-screen victim, Meribel knows that she cannot afford to underestimate Marker Man's intentions.

Meribel and her daughter move from Los Angeles to Atlanta to escape the stalker's reach, but she still feels his eyes on her, and she is unable to identify him. With every man in her life suddenly becoming a potential suspect, including her ex-husband, her former lover, and her new neighbor, Meribel is left alone to defend herself and her family as danger looms.

The stakes are high as Meribel fights to protect her loved ones from a ruthless predator who will stop at nothing to claim her as his own.

I requested this book because the author’s name stuck out to me as one I remembered liking. I really did not much care for this one though.

Meribel is an actress who is being stalked by a mysterious Marker Man. She moves across the country to get away from his letters but she’s an actress so she’s not exactly in hiding. The majority of the book is her trying to figure out who Market Man is while also taking care of her teenage, autistic daughter that she adopted after abandoning her husband when she lost their baby.

I felt like there were too many unnecessary storylines. The ex-husband part was completely irrelevant. The weird past relationship with Cam was underdeveloped. And at 52% through the book, I thought maybe I was hallucinating when I got to the twist. Totally out of left field and didn’t really add to the main storyline at all.

This took me forever to get through and I didn’t feel like it was really entertaining until the very end.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy in exchange of an honest review.

Sadly this one was a DNF. I quit the book about 50% in. I was very intrigued by the premise. Unfortunately the storytelling didn’t work for me. I couldn’t connect to the main character and I wasn’t invested in the story.

Personally I think this is a “me” thing. I think there are others who will absolutely devour this one.

Thank you for the early copy in exchange for an honest review.

I have always enjoyed reading books by Joshilyn Jackson but this one was really lacking. There were times when I didn’t even want to finish reading it. With My Little Eye is about Meribel, she’s an actress and mother to her adopted daughter, Honor, who is autistic. Meribel is being stalked by someone she has called Marker Man. She moves from California to Georgia trying to run and hide from him but he finds her anyways. It wasn’t until almost the very end when it started to get exciting and there was enough action to hold my attention. When I requested this arc from NetGalley and was approved I was really excited, but I have to say it was a real disappointment. I was torn between rating it at 2 or 3 stars which is something I never do, but because the ending was good and how much I normally enjoy this author, I have gone with 3 stars. I’m just hoping her next book will be a little better. I’d like to thank NetGalley for the arc to read and review. I’m sorry that I didn’t enjoy it more but perhaps other readers will.

Joshilyn Jackson has another twisty, fun, thriller!!! Meribel Mills is a B-list celebrity who just moved to Atlanta with her daughter, Honor (who I'm obsessed with). Meribel and Honor fled LA because of Marker Man, Meribel's stalker who sends her creepy letters with drawings (scented marking drawings, thus his name). Meribel's ex-husband ALSO lives in Atlanta, she has a cute neighbor who may be a love interest, and another man who she left in LA but still loves... love square?? She thinks she left Marker Man behind but then she starts getting letters...

This book was so fun and twisty, absolutely recommend!!

This book didn’t really get going until after the first half. In my opinion, that is a lot of set up and it was a little confusing as the story kept switching point of view. This made me almost bail on reading the rest of the book. But it's not very long, so I persevered. The story definitely picked up in the second half and I couldn’t put it down. So much happened in a short span of pages. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read and review an advance copy of this book.

With My Little Eye by Joshilyn Jackson is a creepy, twisty thriller about a famous actress who moves across the country with her adopted daughter to escape a stalker. Joshilyn Jackson is one of my fave authors and I enjoyed her most recent novel.

I was hooked on this book for most of it! The big reveal left a little to be desired, though, and I think the wrap up was way too quick. There are a lot of pieces left to be addressed, and I was shocked when I turned the page to find the acknowledgement section.

I received an advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

Thank you to Joshilyn Jackson and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for my review.

This was a solid thriller/suspense novel from this author. I loved the stalker plot line, the surprising twist, and overall I enjoyed the mother and daughter characters.

Something’s though I didn’t care for was the corniness of the two male leads and the way they fight for Meribels attention. I also thought the book kind of just ended. It didn’t feel 100 percent finished and I wished there was like an epilogue to kind of let us know how the characters lives ended up.

Overall I would recommend this book if you’ve read previous books from Joshilyn Jackson and liked them, or if you are getting into the thriller genre and want a good entry book into it.

Meribel Mill is an actress and a mom, living in LA. She uproots her life and moves cross country to the suburbs of Atlanta to escape a stalker and provide security for her daughter who has autism. They are settling in to their new life and condo, upstairs from a lovely coffee shop when Meribel feels as if she is being watched. Her stalker is back and she sets out on a mission to identify the stalker, in order to protect herself and her daughter.

I enjoyed this new novel bay Joshilyn Jackson. The cast of characters was small enough to create an interesting story without causing confusion. It was suspenseful and while the twist didn't punch me in the gut, it was interesting all the same.

The description for With My Little Eye by Joshilyn Jackson drew me in from the beginning. It sounded intriguing, and it gave me chills. If Jackson wanted attention, she got it. But With My Little Eye ended up not doing it for me. I tried hard to like it, but I was glad when I finished it. So much about the novel felt unrealistic, and I could not help but roll my eyes at the “drama” Jackson portrayed. Is it there? Yes. But her connections were flimsy at best. I disliked every character in With My Little Eye, and I’m relieved to finally leave them behind me.

I didn’t like the soap opera “my truck is bigger than yours” vibe between Cam and Cooper…and hopefully everyone understands TRUCK as a euphemism. To me, Cam was nothing but a cliché. Sure, there’s this…connection that he shares with Meribel. She feels SAFE with him. Okay, great, but why? She broke things off with him, he comes to Atlanta to get her back. Cool, but I want more about their relationship—beyond the physical. Jackson doesn’t write out any sex, but she makes it pretty easy to tell that’s on the characters’ minds. And the sexual tug between Meribel and Cam is what Meribel focuses on with tunnel vision. That’s not enough for a good, strong relationship—one for which Cam would cross the country for.

Cooper was interesting, though I never truly understood his motivations. It was as though Jackson needed to add in other elements, so she turned him into something he didn’t need to be. And don’t get me started on the so-called stalker. Sure, he was creepy, but I didn’t need the chapters from his perspective. Or Cooper’s. Or Cam’s. I wanted more of Meribel and Honor, and fewer dives into the minds of twisted men. It all seemed stereotypical. And the stalker? For me, Jackson did not adequately explain his fascination with Meribel. Now, I know criminals aren’t often right in the mind. Sociopaths, psychopaths, whatever you want to call them. So things don’t HAVE to make sense. But if I’ve learned anything from my readings of John Douglas and Mark Olshaker, it’s that the bad guy’s actions have a base—and the stalker’s didn’t. When the “big reveal” occurred, I raised an eyebrow and said, “Really?”

With My Little Eye by Joshilyn Jackson just ENDED. I wanted an epilogue. The novel ends, yes. All questions answered, crimes solved, characters able to move on. But the book ends, and the characters don’t move on. Joshilyn Jackson does not let them, because as I said, With My Little Eye STOPS. Like going through a corn maze, and the “end” is nothing but a brick wall. You’re promised a prize, and it’s nothing but cold coffee. Lukewarm—or cooled—hot chocolate, if you’re like me and don’t like coffee.

I’m always looking for new-to-me authors. I read quickly, so my TBR pile tends to be on the smaller side. I may give Joshilyn Jackson one more shot to impress me, as With My Little Eye didn’t do it. Not even close, but it also didn’t do enough for me to say no to her entirely.

I love a good suspense novel and With My Little Eye hit the spot of dark and twisty turns that keep you hooked and reading on just to understand what is going on. I really enjoyed this read, following Meribel and her daughter, Honor, who move across the country after Meribel is faced with a deranged stalker. The book itself could have been a little shorter, but the multiple twists more than make up for that. I hesitate to say more because I think it's best to go into this book knowing as little as possible and just enjoying the ride.

One of the highlights is the relationship between Meribel and Honor, who holds her own as one of the main characters in a way that often children in thrillers do not. Honor felt real and her autism was well written on the page. I also really liked the dynamic between Meribel and the various men in her life and her struggle with identifying what she needed versus what she should want or once wanted.

This is my first Joshilyn Jackson book and I'm definitely going to pick up a few more from the author after this one.

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I've been following Joshilyn Jackson's career ever since I nabbed a copy of gods of Alabama when I was a Borders bookseller. I have read or listened to all of her books - she is a delightful narrator - and thoroughly enjoyed reading her blog back in the day. Sadly, With My Little Eye fell wasn't for me. I didn't relate well to Meribel and the myriad of men in her life, and that's ok. Jackson has a proven track record for writing beautiful and witty characters, and I'll line up for the next one.

Thank you to William Morrow & NetGalley for an opportunity to read this book.

I stopped reading this book at page 70. It just was not for me. I found the main character, Meribel, to be irritating and her constant thoughts about the men in her life was unsatisfying as a plot line. She seemed to be a one-dimensional character that only thinks about men and her daughter. I wish that she had more development and had other interests.

I really enjoy Joshilyn Jackson’s books and did enjoy this one….up until the extremely abrupt ending. I thought this book was great— good characters, good story, lots of twists. But I felt like I had no closure at the end— it just kind of ended which was a letdown to me. I needed a wrap up and it wasn’t there.

Meribel is offered a role in Atlanta which she initially resists because that is where she is from and left her ex-husband years prior. However, when her unknown stalker the "Marker Man" starts to become more active in stalking her she decides this would be the best move for her and her adopted 13 year old daughter. She becomes friends with her neighbor Cooper and becomes involved in a complicated relationship with him as well as her ex-husband and ex-boyfriend/bodyguard.

Pros:
- Stalker plot
- Honor, the 13 year old adopted daughter of Meribel who is on the spectrum

Cons:
- The book is told from two POVs and the chapters do not designate whose point of view it is so it confusing at times
- The storyline overall was hard to follow and wasn't overly intriguing
- The ending left me wanting for more

Thanks to Netgalley and William Morrow for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Meribel was famous in the 90s and is now just trying to live her life with her preteen daughter, Honor, who is autistic. When Meribel gets a stalker who starts to take things too far and she feels like she is in danger, she moves her and her daughter across the country in order to hide from him, but soon she fears that Marker Man (as she’s begun to call him because of the sickly sweet odor of the writing of the letters he leaves for her) has managed to follow her to Atlanta. In the meantime, while she’s trying to avoid her stalker, Maribel spends her time stalking her ex husband’s new wife on social media constantly. Her neighbor Cooper offers some protection and Honor, who has trouble making friends, makes friends with Coopers ex’s daughter and they cause their own situations that Meribel is forced to deal with thinking that Marker Man has escalated.
Sadly. The characters were flat. There were too many sub plots and the ending was weak. This didn’t live up to my expectations of this author, but that won’t keep me from reading her future work.
Thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

Thanks NetGalley for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.

To keep it simple, this book was well written, intriguing, and kept me on my toes. There were minor moments where it dragged. And, the ending fell flat. It was a complete letdown considering the time spent building the story up. A complete slap in the face to the readers that stuck it out through the end.

This book follows the story of Meribel Mills, an actress who moves from LA with her daughter Honor to Atlanta to get away from a stalker who has been sending letters for a year now. The letters had been getting more sinister and frightening, forcing Meribel to make the move.. She is struggling with fear of the stalker and dealing with her autistic daughter - trying to make things seem normal and calm for her. She’s making a new friend, dealing with her history of living in Atlanta, which means thinking and cyberstalking her ex-husband. Then she starts receiving more threatening letters and even gifts at her door - the stalker has somehow followed her. Who does she turn to, who can she trust.

I found this book to be very suspenseful. The characters were well written and interesting. It kept me guessing throughout the story as to what would happen next. I highly recommend this book, I give it 4.5 stars out of 5.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. It is due to be published at the end of April 2023.