Member Reviews
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC for review.
I am hit-or-miss with Joshilyn Jackson. Some of her novels I love while a couple of them are 1-stars. I think it often has to do with how I feel about the characters, not about the writing. The writing is always good and I don't want to put the books down! That's how I felt in this novel. It centers on actress Meribel, her daughter Honor, and a stalker that won't leave Meribel alone. She moves across the country for a new job and to evade the stalker. Despite that, threatening letters continue as she and her daughter befriend various neighbors. I like the character of the daughter and enjoyed her neurodivergent perspective.
I did not like the various shady characters who came through. I thought that the beginning-middle could have used some editing of the stalking descriptions, It felt like that part went on for a long time, and the ending was very abrupt in contrast.
Thrilling and suspenseful reading. I love books and authors who develop characters that you can actually "see " and feel the raw emotions.
I usually love Joshilyn Jackson novels, but I was a little less thrilled with this one. I still liked this book a lot, there was a lot of suspense, I was engaged throughout this read, and I never guessed the stalker.
This novel centers on an actress who moves cross country to get away from her stalker. Her stalked however, follows her!
That storyline was fantastic! Her daughter was a great character as well - and I really enjoyed her storyline.
I really liked the neighbor character, but his weird drama was unnecessary and didn’t co tribute much to the story line. It was also just so weird!
The ex husband was also a piece that I’m not sure was super necessary, and I wish there was more of the current boyfriend.
Overall, still a good book, very engaging, suspenseful, and a quick and easy read.
Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins Publsihing for the ARC of With My Little Eye by Joshilyn Jackson. Having read Mother May I and Never Have I ever I knew Ms Jackson’s new book would be great!
Meribel and her daugher Honor have left LA to escape a stalker that has gone too far. Is Atlanta far enough away to keep this stalker at bay? Read this thriller and find out!
I liked this book, centered on an actress slash single mom who moves across the country to escape a stalker who sends her letters. Meribel and her 12 year old daughter Honor uproot their lives, but it quickly becomes apparent that the stalker has figured out where she is. There are 4 men in her life- a best friend, an ex boyfriend, an ex husband, and a new friend, but can all of them be trusted?
I thought the book moved at a fast clip and I liked most of the characters (the ones you are supposed to like!). I really enjoyed Honor as well as Meribel’s overall mothering style and how she handled her autism (note that I have no experience with autism myself and can only hope that the portrayal was accurate). The book starts throwing some twists about halfway through and a couple of them caught me by surprise. The end of the book is very action packed and moves quickly, though it was abrupt and I wished there was an epilogue.
Overall, I liked the book and thought there were well-drawn characters and good twists. I’d recommend it to those who like psychological thrillers. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange doe an honest review.
The story centers around single mom and sitcom actress Meribel Mills. Meribel begins to receive creepy fan mail written in fruit-scented markers she just brushes it off. But soon after Maribel begins to suspect that someone has been in her home while she was gone: objects have been moved and she smells a strange cologne on her sheets. The letters she receives begin to get more disturbing with horrifying drawings of her on them. Maribel decides to move herself and her daughter from LA to Georgia, her home state for a fresh start.
When Maribel arrives in Georgia she constantly has the feeling that she’s being watched. Could her stalker have followed her across the country?
This extra creepy story had me on the edge of my seat! I thought at several points that I had figured out who the stalker was but Joshilyn absolutely blindsided me! The story starts slowly introducing the reader to the characters but halfway through the pace quickens up.
I loved Joshilyn’s characterization of Maribel’s daughter Honor as being on the spectrum. As someone on the spectrum myself, she did a fantastic job of not stereotyping her. I only had a minor complaint, I thought the ending was great but I would have loved an epilogue.
I’m a huge fan of Joshilyn Jackson’s thriller novels, Never Have I Ever, and Mother May I; I am constantly recommending both of them to thriller readers. So I am delighted to say that With My Little Eye lived up to my high expectations and I cannot wait to see what this brilliant author comes out with next!
With My Little Eye by Joshilyn Jackson Will be available on April 25. A massive thanks to William Morrow and Netgalley for the gifted copy!
Thank you for allowing me to read this book as an ARC in return for an honest review.
I always have loved all the books by this author. This one was honestly a little letdown. While it started off good and had me interested. Then it felt like it was just dragging on with way too many boring details and way too long chapters. I had a hard time wanting to pick it up to read.
Then, about 2/3 through it became really interesting and fast paced. It was one thing after another and so good. And then bam, the end. I was like huh? What am I missing? What kind of ending is this? No epilogue, no further chapters to "tie it all together." It was a total letdown and disappointing! Not a way I would like a book/ story to end.
We never know where the Marker Man had come from, what made him go after Meribel, so much older. No lookbacks into his past. What happened to Maxene? What happened with Marker Man? At least finish the story without leaving the reader hanging. I started really liking the book towards the end but then that ending ruined it totally!
I thoroughly enjoyed Honor and what was going on in her head. I truly hope that what was described was through research with an autistic person and how tney would feel and think. Honor imo was the best part of the story!
Since this was not the final version of the book, I truly hope the author will still add that epilogue to not leave the reader hanging.
1.25/5 stars! This stalker thriller had me hooked based on the premise and I dove right into the story. Meribel is simply trying to keep herself and her daughter safe. After moving across the country to avoid a stalker, Meribel begins to fear he's found them yet again. The story itself was disappointing. The main character felt really flat and it felt like the audience had to constantly suspend reality just to get through this story. This genre is too plot-driven for that to be acceptable. Not the book for me.
I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily
Actress Meribel Mills and her daughter, Honor, move from LA back to her home state of Georgia, hoping to escape her stalker. Marker Man, the nickname her daughter gives him due to his propensity to write his threatening letters in fruity, vibrant markers, seems to be following them. Meribel senses danger all around her, but who is Marker Man?
I liked the different angles the story could have gone, with all of the men in Meribel's life potentially being the stalker. However, much of the story dragged on, but I pushed through mainly to find out Marker Man's identity. When I finally began to understand the underlying tensions between the characters and was reinvested, the book was over. I would've liked an epilogue to find out what happens after the excitement of the final chapters.
Thank you, NetGalley and William Morrow Publishers for the digital ARC.
I've read other joshilyn Jackson books but I couldnt get into this one. Big tuen off is chapters are to long. Each chapter being 20 40mins I just couldn't read.
Thank you Netgalley and William Morrow publisher for the opportunity to read and review this novel. This is not my first novel by Joshilyn Jackson but it is probably my favorite so far. I went back and forth between 4 and 5 stars and settled on 4 as the story did go off the rails for a bit. Meribel is a mid level actress, who attracts the attention of a stalker. The stalking escalates to a point that drives Meribel to accept a part filmed in her home town of Atlanta. She moves her and her tween daughter Honor back to Atlanta to put some space between her and the stalker. Meribel leaves a potential relationship with Cam who she has developed feelings for. She meets Cooper a man also hung up on his ex that lives in the same apartment building, Meribel also has an ex husband in Atlanta she has unfinished business with. We get multiple character perspectives which I really enjoyed. This did have me in suspense and I thought the author did a great job with the character development. I will definitely be picking up this authors next book.
Wow! I really enjoyed this book. The suspense will keep you flipping pages trying to figure out what was going to happen.
Meribel is a celebrity and who does like fan mail? I mean, it's great until it isn't! Not all fan mail is good. She soon finds this out.
Meribel has unfortunately acquired a creepy stalker. It becomes so unnerving that she uprooted her daughter from her familiar surroundings. They move across country to provide safety for her. Honor, her daughter, has autism so this move is extremely difficult. Changes are hard especially for a pre-teen with autism. When she finally meets a friend Meribel is so happy.
Then it all starts happening again. How can she get away from her stalker? Is her daughter in danger? What will happen? You must check this one out. The twists in it really left me speechless.
Thanks so much to William Morrow and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. I will definitely
be purchasing this to add to my library!
I have read other books by Ms. Jackson, so when I saw this one, I hit request. Unfortunately, this one fell short for me. I got about 1/4 of the way through and quickly lost interest and felt confused by the characters and the storyline. Sadly, this was a DNF for me. I appreciate the chance to read it early, thanks to the publisher.
Well wasn't this a delightful way to spend a Saturday afternoon! I loved how Jackson once again pulls in the things she loves, knows, and writes so well: Atlanta, the theater, and autism, combining to tell a story that had me continually going WAIT, WHAT?!
I loved Jackson’s previous novel MOTHER MAY I (as well other novels) so I was thrilled to get an ARC of the upcoming WITH MY LITTLE EYE. Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow. Unfortunately, this read fell flat for me. The storyline and multiple POVs were confusing and I found the storyline to be all over the place. I did find parts of it interesting and the ending was suspenseful. I would have preferred shorter chapters to keep me focused. Not my favorite Jackson novel but it won’t deter me from reading more of her future books! All opinions are my own.
Unfortunately this one was tough for me. I was definitely engaged at the beginning and intrigued. The last 1/4 of the book is when things really pick up and get exciting and then the story ends abruptly, I honestly had to look at my kindle because I thought I skipped something. That was super disappointing
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with this ARC.
Actress Meribel Mills has moved from Los Angeles to Atlanta, uprooting herself and her tween daughter Honor in the hopes of eluding an escalating stalker. But even moving across the country doesn’t help, because the letters keep coming and the postmarks are getting closer and closer to Atlanta. There’s no shortage of potential suspects in Meribel’s orbit – an ex-husband she ghosted years ago, a handsome but maybe sketchy neighbor in her apartment building, and a love interest from L.A. that just happens to pop up in Atlanta right when the stalker does.
This book starts out as a bit of a slow burn, but once the characters and their relationships are established, the pace picks up and this turns into a fast-paced, entertaining read. Although I never really warmed to Meribel, I adored her daughter Honor. Honor is autistic, and her voice is so authentic and endearing. The sections where we are in Honor’s head with her and she is overstimulated and trying to cope are insightful and exceptionally well done.
Many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for providing me an advance copy of this book.
This book had an interesting premise but ultimately failed to deliver a satisfying ending. Meribel Mills is an actor who has to move across the country in an effort to escape her stalker, whose threatening letters keep getting more and more disturbing. It doesn't work, however, leading Meribel to wonder she and her daughter will ever be safe. I only finished reading the book to find out who the stalker was, not because the story was engaging. It also had an abrupt ending, which was very unsatisfying.
With My Little Eye
by Joshilyn Jackson
Pub Date: April 25, 2023
William Morrow
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
From the New York Times bestselling author of Never Have I Ever comes the hair-raising story of a mother who moves herself and her daughter across the country to lose a dangerous stalker—only to discover that it will take more than distance to escape him.
HIS GAME.,HIS RULES.,HER LIFE.
Honestly, I struggled with this one. There are things I liked, but far more things I did not like. The ending was not satisfying. I cannot recommend this one.
3 stars
I really struggled through most of this novel. There were a few reveals toward the end that picked up the pace for me but overall I was left wanting more.
Meribel was an ok character and I enjoyed how the book was told through chapters with alternating points of view. There were some distracting elements that took away from the suspense of Meribel and her stalker (the entire side story with Cooper was over the top and unnecessary, in my opinion). The last 1/4 of the book is when things really pick up and get exciting and then the story ends abruptly, I honestly had to look at my kindle because I thought I skipped something. After a lackluster beginning I was looking forward to a little more clarity at the end of the book.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with this ARC.