Thank you to NetGalley, the Publishers, and Joshilyn Jackson for allowing me an ARC of this book! I thoroughly enjoyed this book and kept me on the edge to see who Marker Man was. I enjoyed the characters, but do wish there was an epilogue! I was between 4-5 stars, there was some eye rolling instances or 😐 faces, but there was backstory/facts left out that would’ve made it a solid 5! Overall though, highly recommend!

With My Little Eye is a 2023 thriller/suspense/mystery release from Joshilyn Jackson, a new author to me. I found the book on NetGalley and was lucky enough to receive an early copy; it hit my reading queue this week, which is generally about 6 weeks before publication. Set in Atlanta, the book follows a somewhat popular actress who has a young daughter and has recently left Hollywood to escape her stalker. I highlight these two facts because they are key components of the story, which overall had a lot of potential but for me didn't deliver well. Meri dumped Cam when she left LA and developed a new friendship with a potential love interest on the East Coast. Add to that Marker Man, her stalker, who finds her in Atlanta. Clearly he's connected to one of these two men, or thru her daughter, an autistic twelve-year-old who is depicted extraordinarily well. The first half of the book flew by, setting up the story and giving us a bunch of drama. By the middle, the POV begins to change more, and we hear from different characters including the stalker. Unfortunately, there are no chapter titles or headers to denote who is speaking... and as you change chapters, it's super easy to get confused once your head is still in that of the prior character which leads you to believe the new character might be the same person. When the stalker is talking, you think it's one person but then it becomes someone else... ultimately, there is extremely poor structure to the book which made a complete mess of the story. Definitely had lots of promise but was executed intentionally in a confusing manner which made for a difficult read as opposed to a "OMG, I must find out who this stalker is." In the end, the reveal was boring and had very little to do with the main story. The book ends with a second plotline coming forward and it has absolutely no follow-up to explain what happens to the characters we've gotten to know. Had the writing not been good and the premise intriguing, I would have given this two stars, sadly... I'll try another book by the author but this was on the disappointing side for me.

I always love anything by Joshilyn Jackson, but this is definitely one of my very favorites! It pulled me in from page one, and didn't stop 'til the last page. It is so rare for a book these days to grab and hold my interest like that, so I was definitely impressed.

I've read every book Joshilyn Jackson has ever written and always pre-order her next, so I was super pleased to get my (virtual) hands on her new book even earlier thanks to an advance copy from Netgalley... and no surprise, I devoured it in one day on vacation. With her last 2 books, she has gone more into what I (lovingly) term "thriller-lite", this great combination of twists and some suspense along with excellent, sympathetic main characters who feel real and fleshed-out. I particularly love that the characters are mothers, so there is a lot to relate to and also to think about, how far a mother/parent might go to protect their secrets if it means protecting their child, and things like that. This new one stars an actress, Meribel Mills, who is an adoptive mother to a pre-teen with autism, and this relationship felt so real and lovely and really centered the book - which I appreciated, because in general it went much more into thriller territory, which to me involves some ick things that I don't always like reading about the psychology of. Such as: Meribel has a very creepy stalker and relocates with her daughter from LA to Atlanta to try to escape him, but of course he tracks her down and the story ensues. It's interesting to me to read about it from her perspective, but then adding in his perspective? It's kind of ick. In the end, there's some pretty standard thriller-feeling things with the stalker's words/actions along the way and the breathless final scenes related to him, but the character development and just this warmth that I felt toward them turned it from something I might feel meh, passed the day by the pool fine, to really enjoying (though admittedly not 5 stars like her last one for me, given that more standard thriller feel). I did appreciate some of the other twists related to the cast of side characters that felt a little more unique/unexpected, and it definitely was unputdownable with the twists and the action. This will be a great one to put on your summer reading list!

Intriguing fast paced thriller. The ending really flew by and kept me on edge of my seat. There was a lot of various stories within a story happening in this book that kept me engaged and curious how the story would unfold. Meribel Mills is an actress that starts receiving very cryptic letters from a stalker. She decides her best option is to move back home to Georgia for her and her daughters safety. Hoping the stalker will not be able to find her there. She has this ultra sensitive sense that can feel her stalker watching her. For a while things seem normal again but while at a coffee shop in her building the feeling comes back and she knows her stalker is back. She has a past relationship with her bodyguard, Cam and he comes back into the picture too. This storyline reminded me of the movie Bodyguard! Meribel also makes friends with a neighbor, Cooper. There’s a lot of characters and not sure who is good and bad. The ending was quick and so fast paced. Many thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for the digital review copy of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

3.5 stars, a thriller following a tv star, her life raising her autistic daughter, the drama of being stalked by a violent man and the people they meet along the way. While the last part of this book gripped me, the beginning and set up on the novel was not as intriguing, it felt slow to connect and the stalker felt fairly random. All of the characters stories coming together towards the end had me hooked and very interested in what was going to happen. Overall I enjoyed reading this early release copy! Thank you for the opportunity!

I really love Joshilyn's writing style but this book didn't hit the mark for me. It felt like there were too many story lines, and Cooper's story line could have been it's own book! I also wish there would have been an epilogue to see how Honor was doing months or years later with everything that happened.

4.5 STARS!

Meribel Mills is an actress that is getting disturbing fan mail from a stalker. She is a single mom to a 13 year old girl, Honor, who is on the spectrum. Meribel starts getting disturbing fan mail letters that are fruit-scented markers with hand drawn pictures of her. Although the police insist that stalkers hardly every escalate to violence, Meribel has played the dead girl one to many times on TV to risk becoming her in real life. She decides to move from LA to Atlanta to get away from the stalker. But, eventually the letters continue to come to her new home and the stalker follows her out to Atlanta.

The author did a great job with characterizing Honor as an autistic child. I felt I was brought into Honor's world with her description of a young girl on the spectrum.

This Psychological Thriller, Mystery creepy novel had me on the edge of my seat. Once the story got going it was hard to put down. Some surprises at the end of the book. The ending was fast-paced and tense. The only thing I didn't like was the ending was to abrupt. I wish there was an epilogue to finish it up.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Actress Meribel Mills has been receiving creepy letters for a year from a stalker she names The Marker Man. Unfortunately the police in L.A. have been unable to find the man. She hopes that by taking an acting job in Atlanta, she will be able to distance herself from her stalker.
As she and her daughter Honor settle in, the letters catch up with her and also the feeling of being watched. Will her stalker be identified and caught before he catches her?
Honor is autistic - I enjoyed reading the way she coped with life in general and her developing friendships with her neighbor Sheila and the homeless girl she calls Princess Xena.
Interesting information revealed about her neighbor Cooper who Meribel is friendly with.
I would have appreciated another chapter as the ending was abrupt.
3 1/2 stars rounded to four.
#WithMyLittleEye #NetGalley

This was a fast-paced story with multiple characters.
The main character is an older actress. She is worried about aging-out of her career.
She has an autistic daughter, who interior conversations were fascinating.
Meribel is being stalked. The stalker is nasty (aren't they all?).
There are multiple men from her past and present who are candidates for the stalker.
That's all I'm going to say about the plot.
I thought it was well-written. I liked the way the author filled in the characters' backstop.
I enjoyed this book. It kept me turning the pages. I give it 4-1/2 stars.

Meribel Mills moves her and her daughter across county after being stalked by a man she calls “Marker Man” as the letters depicting Meribel cut in pieces, are always drawn in fruity smelling markers. Soon after moving to another state, Meribel begins receiving Marker Man’s letters again and Meribel feels as though she is being watched. Could Marker Man be her ex-husband James, or could he be her ex-lover Cam following her after their breakup. Meribel is determined to find out and keep her and her autistic adopted daughter safe no matter what it takes. This book has many layers and keeps you guessing.

I honestly had trouble even getting into this one. The characters annoyed me. I think part of it is that I don't care for the psychological thrillers that are so popular right now. I did not finish this book. I see that the author has a lot of good reviews on other books and I may try one of those. I am not leaving a review elsewhere since I did not finish the book based on my own personal reasons. I do appreciate the opportunity and it is rare for me to not finish a book.

✨Book Review✨
With My Little Eye by Joshilyn Jackson
Pub Date 4/25/23
3/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you @netgalley for my eARC copy of this read for my honest review

Aww I really wanted to love this one as I have enjoyed others by the author like Mother May I. The description of the book is what pulled me in.

I love me a good stalker read. But this one was just okay for me.

I felt like the story dragged on a bit. It was very descriptive in ways that didn’t really bring much to the plot and then the ending is just there. quickly done in a few pages. And then just ends like ‘oh that’s it’. I wanted more.

I do always enjoy the titles the author chooses as they are names of childhood games. So that is always fun to see. I enjoyed Honor the most out of this read. Her parts were the most entertaining.

I would still like to read more from Joshilyn this one just wasn’t a favorite.

Thank you Netgalley & William Morrow for an eARC of With My Little Eye by Joshilyn Jackson.
Meribel Mills is an actress who moves herself and he daughter across the country to lose a dangerous stalker who is undoubtedly obsessed with her. Has Marker Man followed her to her new home?

This is an intriguing read - I love the obsession/stalker trope, so I picked this one up as soon as I got access to an early copy (Thank you again WM!) I found myself constantly guessing. What's going on? Is it the ex husband? The lover she left behind in LA? Her new neighbor who has a lot of interest in her? Every man Meribel knows is a suspect - Which has the reader studying everything they say with a fine-toothed comb.

Unfortunately, this one was just OK for me. I found that it took a while to get to the conclusion you're reading for, and then ended quickly from there. There were a lot of storylines that towards the end, I realized were just filler. I liked this one, but am not in love with it. That being said, Joshilyn is a talented writer, and I read everything she writes - auto-buy author for life! I'm looking forward to seeing what she comes up with next.

Meribel is aging out of the ingenue parts and she's been playing a lot of dispensable women lately. She had a juicy role as the mean girl on a sit-com and even a familiar tagline (Rah Rah Whatevah) but that was a while ago. Unfortunately, along with the perks of TV fame, she also acquires a stalker who writes her mash notes with fruit scented magic markers. The letters are getting really disturbing, law enforcement is less than impressed, and she decides it's time to take her neurodiverse adopted daughter and flee LA for Atlanta, her hometown. But the stalker traces her and comes too-she can feel it. Is the Marker Man someone she knows...her ex? the sexy security expert/soldier? or maybe the cute guy in her building? She doesn't have a lot of time to find out before she loses everything.
Buckle up people-Jackson is about to take you on a thrill-ride that you won't easily forget. And word of warning-don't start the book in the early evening (as I stupidly did) because you'll have to read it in one big gulp and you'll have to think about it into the dawn.

I received an ARC from NetGalley for an honest review. Meribel Mills is an actress and a single mom with an adopted daughter who has autism. She moves from California back to her home state of Georgia to protect her herself and daughter from a stalker who is sending creepy, inappropriate letters and drawings. It was a slow start but then I was intrigued and hooked. I thought a couple times I knew who the stalker was but I was wrong each time. I love that the author made the MC a strong female character. One thing I would have changed or added is an epilogue. I would have loved to see what happened afterwards. I would recommend this to my friends!

Loved this edge of your seat novel, definitely one of her best. Maribel is a successful actress, not huge, but definitely recognizable. When a stalker becomes more and more threatening, Maribel is forced to move her daughter and herself to a different town. Having high hopes that the move will keep them safe, Maribel soon finds that her stalker has once again found her and is now upping his game. Fast paced, excellent story that is not to be missed.

I’m definitely in the minority of not finishing this one. The story didn’t hold my attention and I could not connect with any of the characters. Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for this ARC in exchange for my review.

Actress Meribel Mills receives an escalating set of letters from a stalker she deems "Marker Man" thanks to his scented marker covered notes whose drawings depict her chopped up or in danger. Even worse, they come directly to her home in LA and seem to indicate he's watching her every move. So Meribel and her tween daughter pack up and move across the country to Atlanta. But before she knows it, Marker Man is back at it, with intimate knowledge of her movements in her new city. Meribel feels watched--but by whom?

Whew... this was a slow one at first! I usually love Jackson's thrillers, but EYE didn't have the usual zing. This felt like a version of YOU, but from the perspective of the stalked (mostly). The beginning is a lot of description and repetitive lead up with not a lot of excitement. The best part of the book was Honor, Meribel's adopted almost thirteen-year-old daughter. Autistic and awesome, Honor carries the book with her literal wit and humor. Meribel is a great mom, too, even if she makes some questionable decisions in other parts of her life. There's an ex-boyfriend, an ex-husband, and a new neighbor who all play roles.

EYE picks up as it goes along and gets exciting as it nears the end. There's a very dark twist that I quite enjoyed, as well. A lot goes on, for sure, even if at times it feels like a typical stalker novel. Where it rises above is the surprises and the lovely relationship between Honor and Meribel. The messages about exactly what the boundaries of stalking entail also make you think--is it stalking to look at someone's Instagram without them knowing? Looking up an ex online? How much does Meribel "deserve" her stalker by being a famous actress? When does someone cross the line?

Overall, I enjoyed this one and would recommend it, even it was not quite as thrilling as I'd hoped.

With My Little Eye
by Joshilyn Jackson
Pub Date: 25 Apr 2023
William Morrow
General Fiction (Adult) | Mystery & Thrillers | Women's Fiction

In her previous role on a sitcom, Meribel Mills achieved success as an actress. Due to her fame, she is now afraid of the stalker who broke into her home and sent disturbing mail. She and her adopted autistic daughter Honor move from LA to Atlanta to escape the crazed person she nicknamed "Marker Man".

Despite moving, threats persist, and Meribel feels watched, but by whom? Could it be a crazy fan? Is it her ex-husband? Is it a neighbor, with whom she just became friends or her ex boyfriend who appeared to love her? Meribel is filled with unease and suspicion as she searches for a normal life with her daughter, Honor.

With My Little Eye is New York Times bestselling author Joshilyn Jackson's tenth novel. A former actor, Jackson has been awarded for recording her own audio books.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for sharing this novel with me. Your kindness is appreciated.