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.

After a series of threats from an unknown “fan”, sitcom actress Meribel decided to uproot her life in LA and move with her daughter Honor to her old stomping grounds in Georgia. When Meribel left Georgia, she left behind her old life, including an ex husband. Which is scarier- living in fear of an unknown stranger or living with your past? The transition to a town with old ghosts that haunt her is challenging and gets even more complicated when ghosts of her present start to creep back in. Does moving to a new town mean that obsessive fans will stop obsessing? Or does it present a completely new set of challenges? Who can she trust?

This book kept me interested throughout its entirety and overall I I felt had a very well thought out plot and for the most part well rounded characters (minus Meribel and Marker Man whose motives and backstory left me with many unanswered questions).

This was a captivating novel. Part thriller, part womens fiction. I enjoyed Honor and Meribel very much. The mystery of the stalker was tight! I kept guessing who it could be throughout and was not disappointed at the outcome!
Thank you to the author,publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Author Joshilyn Jackson is new to me but I’m happy to admit that her novel is the first book that I finished reading via NetGalley. This novel is about an actress named Meribel Mills who decides to leave a town she loves to escape a stalker. Her packs up her things and travels across country from LA to Atlanta. The decision is not taken lightly given that Meribel’s daughter Honor is autistic but the stalker escalated from writing letters to breaking into her apartment. This novel is exactly what I needed to read. I’m a big fan of the Thriller genre. Though, I haven’t read any of her work prior to reading With My Little Eye. I’m glad that I did. Each twist was enough to keep me engaged. The authors choice to allow to use the third person point of view to tell the story for other characters while using first person for Meribel was a great idea.

With my little eye is worth a rating of four stars out of five for me. A definite must read for fans of thriller books and crime drama tV shows.

I remember Joshilyn Jackson visiting our library when her first book was published. It was so astounding, I couldn't wait for her next book. None of her other books have lived up to God in Alabama, until now. With My Little Eye was riveting and I kept guessing the whole time... never figuring out who her stalker was until she told me.

I enjoyed this book. The characters were interesting and somewhat quirky. It kept me guessing til the end who the stalker was. A few good twists and quite the wild ride at the end!

What a ride! This one took me a bit to get into, as I had a hard time relating to health conscious actress Meribel Mills. But once it picked up, it picked up! I kept thinking I had it all figured out and it threw me every time, which I love. My only complaint is that it ends a bit abruptly. I would have liked an epilogue.

Having a stalker is super creepy. Don't know who to trust. This story brings that home. Which guy is doing this to her? Which guy is pulling other stuff. Loved this book.