When actress Meribel is offered a role that requires moving her family across the country, she jumps at it. In no small part because she has been receiving increasingly threatening letters from a stalker she has dubbed Marker Man. After making friends with a neighbor and reaching out to her ex-boyfriend who still lives in Atlanta, Meribel is settling in nicely.. Until Marker Man resurfaces with letters that are as equally horrifying as before. Unsure who to trust and how to proceed, Meribel struggles to manage her day to day activities and keep her daughter on a relatively normal schedule. .

This is the longest book - and not in a savory, good way. The action scenes were good, but there was so much boring in between them. I really couldn't get invested enough to finish this in a timely manner. I was bored most of the time. There was a good twist a little more than halfway through, but even that excitement petered out quickly. Overall, not Ms. Jackson's best book.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review.

I've long enjoyed Joshilyn Jackson's work, so I was super excited to read her latest, With My Little Eye. Unfortunately, it was not quite as enjoyable as her past books but it was still gripping and worth the read, in my opinion.

Let's start with the bad... basically, the plot seemed super far-fetched and the characters were just random and odd (not in a good way). Meribel is a b-level actress with a stalker. Her 'lower tier" status was emphasized, but also so was her wealth and Hollywood level amenities. It just was confusing in that sense. At the beginning, there was one clear mystery but as the book kept going, a couple other side plots and romance(s) were added in. There was just too much going on and nothing was satisfactorily explained.

But I did like the characters! Meribel as a mom was just wonderful... as was her 12 year old daughter, Honor, who happens to be on the spectrum. Meribel has a great sense of humor that was her saving grace during her stalking ordeal, and Honor adds a depth of wisdom and insight that made this book even better than it would have been otherwise. I also adored the ending and how Meribel leveraged choice to support herself through a really bad situation. More power to her!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

Meribel Mills is an actress who keeps getting disturbing letters from a man she is calling Marker Man. He has been in her home and is constantly watching but who is he? Her ex husband, new neighbor or the lover she just left behind. This book will keep you guessing until almost the end. I found it very entertaining and would recommend it.

And here we have another winner from the talented Joshilyn Jackson! Her books are always hard to put down and that's no different here. With My Little Eye had me looking over my shoulder!

I have really enjoyed all of Joshilyn Jackson's books, but sadly, With My Little Eye was a disappointment. I was so looking forward to reading this and I don't really think I'd recommend it.

I loved the character of Honor. She reminds me so very much of my grandson who is on the spectrum, although he doesn't have all the same issues Honor had. She just warmed my heart though, especially with how she tried so hard to do everything right. I also enjoyed Sheila. Once we got to know her, she was such a sweet young girl and especially kind to Honor.

Cooper - it's like his personality changed halfway through the book out of the blue and the way it was handled made it seem fake. As for Meribel, the character was pretty one-dimensional, as was Addie. Once the character of Maxene was introduced, it's like the book became almost two books, like the author wanted to write two separate mysteries, but decided to cram them both into one.

From that point on, it felt confused and frenetic and I finished it because I'd come this far and wanted to know who the stalker was. I should have given up because the ending was terrible. As a friend said, it's as if the author had had enough and just wanted to be done. I sincerely think a good, solid editor could have helped save this book.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and publisher for an ARC at my request. My thoughts are my own and it pains me to leave a review like this for an author whose work I have loved until now.

I just reviewed With My Little Eye by Joshilyn Jackson. #WithMyLittleEye #NetGalley

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for my ARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be published April 25, 2023.

This is my second book by this author. I really enjoyed Never Have I Ever. I wish I could say the same about this book.

The plot centers around an B-list actress who is being stalked so she moves across country with her autistic daughter Honor. There are many characters, many plot lines, many stalkers. All this to say it was a hot mess, with the exception of Honor’s character. Boring and a weak ending. Sadly cannot recommend.

Meribel moves across the country from LA to Atlanta to get away from her stalker who she calls Marker Man - he sends her creepy letters and pictures made with scented markers. Unfortunately, she senses that someone in Atlanta is watching her - is it Marker Man or someone else sinister? For me, this was a slow, confusing psychological thriller. It felt like nothing really happened until the very end and it was wrapped up really quick. I think it would have benefited from an epilogue since I felt there were a few small loose ends.

This book was told from several POV's and it was often hard to tell why this particular character had their own voice and backstory. Things definitely come together at the end, it just took awhile to get there and at the end it felt a little unfinished and/or rushed.

This book has an interesting and original twist on the stalker trope.

Truncated synopsis: Meribel persevered through a traumatic past by moving across the country to LA, where she began an acting career, adopted a daughter, made best friends and eventually met a great guy. She was living the dream. Unfortunately, she's getting older, roles are harder to find, and she has a stalker whose behavior is escalating.

Meribel decides to accept an acting job back in her hometown to get away from the stalker and keep her and her daughter safe. But what happens when the threatening letters start up again with postmarks moving towards her?

What I enjoyed: Meribel. She was likeable as a person and definitely as a parent. She had little traditions and arrangements that gave depth to her relationship with her daughter.

She was scared of/ angry at the stalker and took measures to keep her and her daughter safe, but she also had a sense of humor which kept the stalking business from getting monotonous.

That leads me to her daughter, Honor, who was hands down my favorite character. She's 12 years old, autistic and wise beyond her years. The people she befriends are interesting to say the least and I was happy that Honor and her gang had their own side plot going which was arguably better than the main event.

Bonus points because I couldn't figure out who the stalker was!

The cops were frustrating because they wouldn't take her situation seriously even though it clearly merited an investigation.

There was a lull especially when attempts were made at casting suspicion on a highly unlikely character.

That being said, overall, I found this book to be quite enjoyable and I recommend reading it!

Review to be posted on Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Bookstagram (Books_Beaches_and_tea).

NetGalley ARC. I’m a fan of this author was excited to read her new release. This book was just okay. Interesting enough, though really far-fetched. If you have not read anything by this author, I recommend picking a different one to start with.

This book was decent, but I thought it would be a lot better. It was a little slow at the beginning, but it picked up the pace and held my interest - I wanted to know who was stalking Meribel. I did not like how the character of Cooper completely changed halfway through the book. I don't think his storyline was necessary and didn't add anything to the main plot. I also would have liked an epilogue - the conclusion was not satisfying. Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC.

This was a real page turner with lots of suspects and some big surprises! Loved the lead character, once a popular child actor, now a ''close to 40' fighting for parts actress. Also appreciated her autistic daughter (lots of great research to get this character realistic). Lots of characters you didn't like as much too! A quick and enjoyable read. I've read a couple other of Joshilyn's books and have enjoyed them. Time to plow through her whole collection!

Read if you like,

● disability representation

Steam level - 2

The plot -

It started with the letters…

For actress Meribel Mills, disturbing fan mail is part of the price of fame. So when she starts getting creepy letters written in fruit-scented marker she is mostly unphased and diligently files them along with her other messages from unhinged fans. After all, she’s a single mom approaching forty, not the kind of hot young celeb who sparks dangerous obsessions. But there’s something different about Marker Man…

He’s been in her home…

Meribel’s sheets smell of unfamiliar cologne, and objects have gone missing around the house. Plus, the letters have become more perverse, with drawings of a naked Meribel tied up or chopped into pieces. While the police insist that stalkers hardly ever escalate to violence, Meribel has played the dead girl one too many times on TV to risk becoming her in real life. She and her daughter move from Los Angeles to Atlanta for a fresh start—but no distance is great enough.

He’s watching her…

Years of being in front of a camera have given Meribel a superpower—she can feel eyes on her, a creeping sensation like bees inside her skin. And someone definitely has her in their sights. Could Marker Man have followed her all the way across the country?

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.

My thoughts -
I love me a good thriller, throw in a stalker, I'm in. Even though the characters were a little to much for me, I enjoyed it a lot. The writing was good and easy to go through. I hope to read more from this author, soon.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange of a honest review.

Joshilyn Jackson has done it again and hooked me from the very beginning! I really enjoyed her last book, and I liked this one even better!

When an actress re-locates across the country to escape her stalker, we get to see what sort of madness ensues. I loved the multiple perspectives that this book is written from. We have Meribel, the actress- we get to see her fears for her life, her fears as a mother to an Autistic child, and her fears to commit to anyone amidst the chaos that is her life.

We have the hot neighbor, who desperately wants to settle down and have a family of his own.

We also get to see the perspective of the stalker- which is extra creepy, because you don't know who it is.

My favorite character was Honor, Meribel's autistic daughter. As a Mom to a kid who's 'different' I loved getting to see inside her head a bit. And their relationship was just so sweet and genuine- and Honor's complete lack of understanding of sarcasm, and love of puns, sounded a lot like my house.

Everyone in this book has a past, and we get to take a peek inside of that as the story unfolds. I loved the ride that this book took me on, and I couldn't put it down. I'm totally a Jackson convert and will pick up anything she writes in the future!

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced e-book copy. I have read a few Joshlyn Jackson books, and this one was just as great as the others.

OMG this book!! There was so much going on, I did not want to put it down. It kept getting better and better with every shocking secret it was revealed. The ending was super unexpected and everything was in its perfect place. Well done!! I'm glad Joshilyn Jackson has a twisted mind to come up with such a great novel.

I'm definitely recommending this book to my friends!
Thanks Joshilyn Jackson, HarperCollins, and NetGalley for this amazing ARC

Not as good as some of the author’s others, but better than her last one. I liked the characters, and liked some of the surprises. A bit far-fetched in some areas, but overall pretty good. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

With My Little Eye by Joshilyn Jackson
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Meribel has a stalker that is sending her creepy fanmail. She uproots her and her daughters life in LA and moves to Atlanta, hoping to escape “marker man” as they have dubbed him.
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What I liked:
-I loved Honor. She was a fantastic character and I really enjoyed the representation of her being on the spectrum. She had a lot of great moments in this book and she pushed herself to be brave several times. I think she was arguably the bravest person in this story.
-I thought the cast of characters was great overall. Lots of people, lots of secrets, lots of suspicions.
-Lots of surprises in the last 30% of the book!
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4.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫Excellent thriller that kept me guessing and turning the pages to see what happens!

My first Joshilyn Jackson book. I thought it started off so good! It was exciting, fast-paced, and gripping! Our actress, Meribel, has a stalker and moves across country, back home oddly enough, to get away from him. She broke up with a man in California. She has a daughter who has autism. An ex-husband she hasn't seen in two decades and fled from unceremoniously. There's a lot going on. I was invested for most of the book but could not swallow two parts about the ending. I was annoyed more than anything by the last quarter of the book. If she'd kept going with one of them, I think I would've been onboard. But the other one was just, ugh. Too many red herrings is just...not necessary.

Honestly I did not love this one. I have liked this author in the past and this one was ok. The writing was good but the plot moved too slow for me and I did not feel engaged the whole time.

Enjoyed it. I was all set to give the book 4 stars (rounded up from 3.5 stars), but that ending just got me. It was so abrupt and there's so many unanswered questions. How did the stalker choose Meribel? His stalking has been going on for a year. Why didn't Cam's cameras catch anything in LA? The reader doesn't know anything about him, not even his name. We know he's crazy and delusional. Did the police figure out what really happened to Cooper? We all know Honor wouldn't be able to keep it a secret or lie. Cooper's backstory was the most shocking part of the book. I never expected that. Meribel is so paranoid about safety, but instantly trusts Cooper. I really wished there was an epilogue. What happened to the crustless quiche, that Cooper brought over to Meribel for dinner? It just gets forgotten. Meribel makes so many horrible choices. Her reaction around Cam is more like a hormone filled sixteen year old. I kept waiting for Marker Man to make his move and actually do something instead of sending those disgusting scented letters. Why didn't the Atlanta police take the letters more serious? He was threatening to kill/dismember/harm Meribel? I really felt like Cooper's story ended up being more interesting than Marker Man. Even though what was happening in the camper were serious and scary, I amused by all of Meribel's Scooby Gang descriptions.

Overall, I recommend the book, it wasn't my favorite by the author but I enjoyed it. The book kept me in suspense into the very end. I never guessed who Marker Man would end up being and still can't tell you. In the end, I loved Cam. I was suspicious of him from the start. I really loved Sheila and Honor together. They were an unlikely pair, but they somehow complimented each other. Sheila and Honor were exactly who Xena needed. Sheila can thank Xena for saving her life. I look forward to reading more books by the author.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from William Morrow through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.