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.

I don’t like giving bad reviews but I felt his book was hard to read/follow. I found myself skimming through a lot. I used to really enjoy this authors books, but this one wasn’t for me.

Eyes

I received this ARC from NetGalley.

I have previously read this author and enjoyed her work. This one … not so much. Too many things didn’t make sense. Why would an actress think she could leave L.A. for an acting job in Atlanta and not be found by her stalker? Uh, hello nitwit, ever heard of social media? One character has a habit of killing the young daughters of his girlfriends. Why? No idea. And then there’s the melodramatic ending which would have been better suited to a crappy movie than to a good book.

Thank you for the opportunity to read an ARC of “With My Little Eye”.
I went back and forth with 3 and 4 stars because I felt the first 19 chapters or so were slow and I felt it was hard to keep going at times but once a reveal of a character happened-the book took off and I found it hard to put down. The twists and turns were insane and I swear I was in a constant state of anxiety-but in a good way. I loved the way that Joshilyn Jackson portrayed Meribel’s daughter Honor. She was one of my favorite characters! Those reasons are why I rated it 4 stars. Although, I have to say without giving anything away….I wish that the ending was wrapped up a bit better.
That being said, it was definitely worth the read and I will be looking into more titles by this author. Thank you again!

“With My Little Eye” is the latest captivating thriller by Joshilyn Jackson, author of “Never Have I Ever” and “Mother May I.”

Meribel Mills, an actress best known for playing a teen in her twenties, leaves Los Angeles because of the threatening letters she receives from "The Marker Man," his signature being that he drafts letters with grotesque pictures by using fruit scented markers. She returns to Georgia with her adopted autistic daughter, Honor, in tow, but she still feels as if she is being watched. Then the letters start up again. Could they be from her first husband who has moved on with a new wife and kids, her hunky neighbor (Cooper) or the boyfriend (Cam) she left in L.A.? Or is the Marker Man someone else entirely and if so, how far is he willing to go?

This thriller is told via Meribel’s POV (first person) as well as the third person POV of Honor, her homeless friend (Xena), Connor and the Marker Man. The tense writing keeps you guessing, and I really loved getting into Honor’s head in particular. In a few places, the novel did stall, and the tug of war for Meribel’s heart between Cam and Connor was a bit overdramatic. Overall, I recommend this book to anyone wants to stay up all night to finish this hair-raising tale.

Many thanks to Joshilyn Jackson, NetGalley and William Morrow for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Imagine moving across the country to get away from a stalker, only to have him follow you. Imagine not knowing who you can trust. This book is full of twist and turns, with an ending you never see coming. All I can say is, wow!

This book was just okay for me! It started out a bit slow and didn’t pick up enough for me.
It’s a classic stalking story which kept me entertained. Meribel is an actress who has a stalker. I like the story line, but it just dragged a bit for me. Overall I’m glad I read it.
Thanks

In With My Little Eye, Meribel Mills is a C-list actress who flees LA for Georgia after her stalker's behavior escalates. She ends a relationship with her boyfriend before moving to Georgia. Once her and her daughter are settled, the stalking resumes. Who is the culprit? The list of suspects includes her ex-husband, her ex-boyfriend, and her new neighbor.

I read and enjoyed Jackson's Mother May I, so I was hoping that this one would be as good or better. Unfortunately, this one was a miss for me.
The beginning of the story was slow and the writing was very disjointed. There seemed to be a lot of plot points that made no sense or didn't contribute anything to the story. The last 40 pages really picked up the pace but the ending then seemed rushed and was disappointing.
I think the biggest reason I didn't enjoy this book was Meribel. Her character is awful. She is extremely superficial, and there are a lot of in-depth descriptions of her beauty routine, plastic surgery history, and restrictive diet. Who cares? And for a woman who moves across the country to avoid a stalker, she makes a lot of stupid decisions.
Like deciding to leave her daughter unsupervised with a man she barely knows because she saw her stalker and got spooked. Sounds reasonable enough, but instead of splashing water on her face and getting back to being a parent like a normal person, Meribel decides to take a full shower, blow dry her hair, and do makeup. All while her autistic daughter is with a man who is practically a stranger.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book

Kind of a crazy book. You have to get past the fact that an actress moves cross-country to get away from her stalker and yet starts acting again, under the same name - not exactly hard to find. After that, the book picks up steam and gets better with lots of POVs and strange characters who alternate being bad and good.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC - this will be a good summer read for people.

Stalking stories are always a immediate read for me and "With My Little Eye" has some nail biting moments. Meribel Mills is an actress pushing 40 who was in a popular TV show when she started receiving disturbing messages from a stalker. At the time, Meribel was divorced and living with her adopted daughter Honor, a young girl who is autistic and the two of them move to Atlanta to get away from the stalker and to shoot a new TV show. It isn't long though before Meribel begins receiving letters, written in fruit scented markers which make threats to her life. At first the letters come through forwarded mail but before long they are left at her doorstep and she always feels someone is following her and watching outside her window. Who is the stalker and what lengths will they go to get at Meribel?

I liked Meribel and especially liked Honor who had a fully fleshed out personality and liked to read. However, the story went on. a lot of different tangents and it seemed like several novels put together as one. The story about the stalker, nicknamed "marker man" was interesting enough to be the entire plot. But there were several other plots including one involving a neighbor Cooper that seemed unbelievable and had nothing to do with the main storyline. Meribel seemed to spend a lot of time daydreaming about her ex-husband James and stalking his wife on social media as well as driving to spy on his family in person. I was never sure why she was daydreaming about him because she also had a romance with a man she met at a dog park named Cameron, and a budding romance with her neighbor Cooper. There is constant talk about food and Meribels perfect diet and even her neighbor and the marker man himself describe the dishes they are making. When not talking about food we are getting descriptions of every outfit the characters are wearing, again unnecessary.

During the last third of the book there is a totally unneeded long chapter about a trip taken to a water park including everything ate and drank and what outfits were worn. The idea was to get Meribel out her apartment but it could have been done in another way. Another sub=plot about a homeless girl was just flat writing and I never got a real sense of Xena/Maxene and her personality. The ending was very abrupt although I liked the scenes at the campground. I didn't hate the novel and I really liked Honor but the story needs tightening up. Thank you to NetGalley and he publisher for a copy of this ARC in exchange for a review.

2.5 ⭐ rounded to 3 because of the character of Honor. She completely saved this book & the coffee shop downstairs of her apartment sounds bomb . 😂

I was stoked to get an Arc of this but unfortunately it was sooo boring I could not get into it . Merebiel was not an interesting or relatable main character , I enjoyed hearing about & from her daughter Honor but that aside there was a lot of characters in this book that I still don't understand their role .. they seemed very unnecessary & made the book almost ridiculous.
Sadly this book fell flat for me but I still want to read Josilyn Jacksons other works .
Thank you Netgalley for the Arc . 🖤

I have really enjoyed other of Joshilyn Jackson’s novels, but for some reason, this one just did not do it for me. It seemed quite different from her other books that I have read.

The premise for the storyline is an interesting one: Meribel, a fading actress, moves with her daughter from LA back to her home state (Georgia) because of a stalker (Marker Man) who has been sending creepy letters to her and whom Meribel believes has even been in her house. Once in Georgia, though, she continues to believe she is being watched, and basically every man in her life becomes a suspect.

The novel started off pretty slowly and was a bit difficult to get into, but soon the plot picked up — only to sort of bog down again in the middle. There were plenty of twists and turns to keep me reading, and then the ending fell flat for me because it seemed way too abrupt.

Nonetheless, i remain a fan of Joshilyn Jackson and look forward to her next work.

Thank you to William Morrow and Netgalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for honest feedback.

It pains me to rate anything by Joshilyn Jackson anything 2 stars but this book was just not it for me. The multiple POVS was confusing. If it had just been Meribels and Marker Man’s I think the book would have been stronger but I felt like you lost the plotting when you threw in an occasional chapter from someone else’s POV.

I also felt like the book could have been 2 separate books (Meribels story and Coopers story). Both plot lines had the making of a good thriller but slapping them together made the book feel disjointed at times.

I didn’t care for the abrupt ending either. The book was finally getting good and it just ended. It almost seems like the author had 2 different book ideas but not enough to flesh them out so decided to put them in the same book. We really only get full resolution on Coopers storyline. A Epilogue would’ve been a nice way to wrap Meribels storyline up.

Meribel Mills has discovered the dark side of fame in the form of an escalating stalker. Fleeing across the country to save her young teen daughter and herself, she also learns that it isn't really possible to be both celebrity and anonymous in any location.

I received a Netgalley digital ARC of this book. There were a fair number of typos and a couple of glaring errors I ran across that hopefully will be fixed for final publication.

For a main character, Meribel seemed...flat. I found her 12-turning-13 daughter, Honor, a much more interesting and well-rounded character; whereas Mirabel was often reduced to "oh she's an actor" tropes. (Actually, there are more than a few eyeroll-inducing "my actor brain" mentions that essentially implied being an actor brings about superpowers. While actors may be wired differently...just no.)

As a thriller, after a somewhat slow build for over half the book, a lot of unexpected twists happened in quick succession. Were this not a book waiting for review, I definitely would have put it down several times instead of pushing through.

Character flaws aside, this one gets 4 stars from me for the truly surprising plot twists, a thrilling final few chapters with parallel stories, and for excellent inclusive writing for a character with autism. It's not my favorite Joshilyn Jackson book, but it's a solid thriller.