There was a lot I liked about this book- both Meribel and her daughter were fleshed out and compelling characters. Stalking stories are fascinating- especially ones where the object of the obsession flees.

What turned this from a 5 star for me to a 3 star was inconsistent characterization with a villain character. The issue I had was when we head-hopped into their mind for the first time they were pathetic and normal. But the next time they were clearly evil and abnormal. It would make more sense if someone saw them doing the drawing, noticed the similarities to the ex, and thought it was pathetic. Coming directly from their head though, it made them later seem like an entirely different person who was only a villain because the author decided they should be one.

Meribel had to move across the country because of a stalker.

She thought she had lost him, but he kept sending letters to her old address and then left a basket on the doorstep of her new apartment.

How could he have found her? She was being so careful.

WITH MY LITTLE EYE definitely kept the stalker's identity a secret as I kept reading to try to find out what was going on.

I do have to say I was not anxious to get back to the book or really interested in the confusing story line, but I kept reading because I wanted to know who the stalker was.

The ending was very suspenseful but not enough to raise my rating.

Even the revelation of the stalker wasn't that riveting and came out of nowhere.

I actually was disappointed because I always enjoy Ms. Jackson's books. 2/5

This book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy of this book. This was a wonderful mystery! I will be looking for more books by this author. The essence of motherhood, a mother that will stop at nothing to protect her kid.

I'm bummed, as I was looking forward to this one. Usually, her books are a win for me - but this one didn't connect. I struggled to get through this. Was it Mirabel, was it the pace, or something else? I can't put my finger on why I didn't love it, but this wasn't for me. However, I greatly appreciate the copy and the chance to read it!

**Received an ARC from Netgalley**

I finished this book a few days ago, and I've been putting off writing a review because it was so disappointing. I usually get sucked into Joshilyn Jackson's books and her complicated characters, but this was just so...not that.

I wasn't a fan of Meribel, and that pains me to say. I usually roll my eyes when people talk about unlikable characters, but I just couldn't make myself care about what was happening to her. I was not a fan of how it seemed every man in her life was in love with her because I didn't see what was so great about her. And if I had to read one more time about her "actor's superpower" I was going to scream. And she was so proud of it that she had even mentioned it in multiple interviews with the press????

I did finish this book as fast as I could just so I could be put out of my misery.

3.5 rounded up,

Actress Merribel Mills moved across the country leaving her life, friends and boyfriend behind to escape a stalker. But did she leave everything behind for nothing? She feels eyes on her in their new city and desperately wants to keep her daughter safe. Who can she trust? Mysterious characters will have you second guessing everyone and curious to know who is for the good and who is deceptive. Quick read, clean language, mystery and romance, no vivid sexual descriptions.

Honestly, this book srarted out really slow to me, to the point where I was trying to decide whether I wanted to keep reading it. Then, around 45% on my Kindle it all seemed to come together and started to get interesting. I still have to say it was not my favorite. There were several choices of bad guy here, and I did not guess the one that it turned out to be. Once we knew who it was, the end of the book came very quickly. Too quickly, really. I was surprised that the ending did not resolve some of the issues that had happened, not only with the main character but also with her daughter and her friends.

This was not my favorite Joshilyn Jackson novel. Honor kept me entertained but I grew tired of Mirabel quickly. I did want to find out who her stalker was but I really needed an epilogue or something more out of the ending. There were some twists along the way that kept it interesting and the momentum going. Overall it was an okay read and I can't pinpoint exactly what didn't work for me but it felt like it was lacking something.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Meribel Mills packs up and leaves LA to move to Atlanta to take on a new acting job. She's really leaving, with her daughter, to try and start o er away from a stalker who has been sending her notes written in marker. She dubbed him the "Marker Man" and hopes to be safe and away from the terror of his notes.
But she isn't and the notes continue and she feels his presence all the time.
The story is good in premise but gets s little lost in the side stories with her daughter and friends.
It had its chilling moments but also, some not so interesting and definitely not attention keeping passages.
Character development was on the mark but storyline a little tedious at times.

A good story line but confusing at times. Lots of mini stories in one book.

Would be nice if the chapters had the names of the character so we knew who the chapter narrator was.

Oh my goodness this book was creepy and insane, but in the absolute best way possible! I was hooked until the end!

Whew! This one was a page turner that kept me up until 2am!

The twists in this one came at me out of nowhere and I literally leaned back away from my book and said “what the hell just happened?!?”

I love that so many of Joshilyn Jackson’s books take place in the South, this one is all in Atlanta.

The characters in the book are interesting, Meribel’s daughter Honor is my favorite!

This was a great thriller!

Thank you to #netgalley for this ARC of #withmylittleeye

2.5 stars rounded to 3, and I feel that is VERY generous!

I was not a fan of With My Little Eye at all! Synopsis sounded very interesting and seemed like it had great potential. I do not see how Maribel thought she could just pack up and move cross country to take a job and it not be announced, and Marker Man miss that announcement? The story was all over the place, drug on (in some places) more than it needed to and left to many unanswered questions. The whole situation with Cooper was unnecessary fluff that was not needed and did not add to the story. I would have like to seen more explanation behind Marker Man. His chapters were quick and did nothing for his story line. The ending was ridiculous once Marker Man did finally manage to get Maribel. I feel like more explanation would have been nice to wrap everything up. Again, even the Cooper fluff left more questions. What happened with that situation? Did they find out what happened? What happened with Max? His girlfriend? Did Maribel and Cam finally get back together? Did she continue the job she came to Atlanta for?

Thanks to Netgally, William Morrow, and Joshilyn Jackson for this review in exchange for an honest review.

Look for With My Little Eye April 25, 2023

Meribel Mills is an actress receiving creepy letters from a man, also known as "The Marker Man", since he writes these letters with a fruit scented marker. She is scared for herself and her adopted autistic daughter, Honor. Meribel decides to move from California to Georgia in hopes to escape him, but once she's in Georgia the letters don't stop coming. She feels she is always being watched, who is this Marker man and what does he want?

I found the concept of WITH MY LITTLE EYE intriguing. It was a bit slow to start, but I felt compelled to still read as I needed to know who this stalker was. I can't imagine this happening to myself if I were a single mom. How scary!! Overall, I did enjoy this book but I would have loved an epilogue.

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

This review will be shared to my Instagram (@coffee.break.book.reviews) in the near future.

Absolutely fantastic plot! Could not put the book down once I began reading it. Cannot wait for it to be released. Will recommend it to everyone I know!

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for an ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review.

Oh no. Just no. I love this author and this pains me to say: one star is too many. There was at least three different plots and the main one, ya know the one blurb that sums up the book, yeah, I'm not sure it should've even counted. There were WAY too many characters. No growth. Just so bad.

This was a stalker thriller that kept me guessing until the shocking ending. The character I really liked was Honor, who was autistic and it was refreshing that she was portrayed as intelligent and very capable. I felt the book was fast paced and satisfyingly creepy!

Holy $hit! What did I just read? I feel like I sprinted through the final chapters of this book!

Mirabel is a somewhat well-known actress recognized for her role as Didi in a show called “Belinda’s World”. While she is no longer young and in the spotlight, she has garnered the attention of a stalker in LA that she has nicknamed “Marker Man” due to the graphic letters and drawings he sends to her written using scented markers. When Mirabel is offered an acting role in Atlanta, she decides this could be a fresh start for her and her daughter, Honor, away from her stalker. Mirabel leaves behind a full life which includes a comfortable home she’s built for Honor, great friends and neighbors, Honor’s beloved stray cats, and a budding relationship with her new boyfriend, Cam. As Honor is on the spectrum, this move was especially hard for her, but she quickly makes friends with her neighbor, Sheila and a homeless teenager nicknamed Xena. Mirabel also makes a quick friend in her neighbor, Cooper, and just as Atlanta is beginning to feel like it could become a home, the Marker Man makes his appearance. As Mirabel and Honor begin to reevaluate the men in their life, they make some shocking discoveries. But the Marker Man is someone they never saw coming . . .

The story is mainly told from the point of view of Mirabel and Honor, but it includes chapters from most of the character’s points-of-view throughout. I really enjoyed this choice! It gave you a chance to get inside everyone’s mind, even the antagonists of the story. I thought that Honor’s perspective was so well done! I enjoyed her chapters so much and it was a wonderful insight into the mind of someone with autism. The story was a little slow to get started as the character building needed to take place but as I continued to read, I could not put this book down. I was surprised several times and the final chapters were intense and amazing! I would have killed for one more chapter ;) I can’t wait to see what Joshilyn Jackson writes next. I’ll be a reader for life!

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, where to begin! I really enjoyed this book. The characters are well developed, quirky and interesting. The story follows actress Meribel Mills and her daughter Honor as they relocated from LA to Atlanta to escape her stalker, The Marker Man. They’ve barely settled into the rented condo when things start to go sideways. Such a crazy, twisted tale! When you think you’ve figured things out, another red herring. Short chapters told from different POV keep the story moving and make this a quick read. Great female characters! This would make a great Netflix movie!

I really like Joshilyn Jackson books as the author is semi-local to me and I can relate to so many of the locations. Meribel and her autistic daughter, Honor, move from L.A. to Atlanta to get away from Meribel's stalker. The book, however, is not so much a story about Meribel and her stalker as it is about relationships: Meribel and Honor, Honor and her friends, Meribel and her neighbor, and Meribel and Marker Man (the stalker). Honor is by far my favorite character in the book. It took me a long while to warm up to Meribel, she seemed to just flit about at the beginning of the book. I did enjoy the book as it developed, however, and I'll rate it a solid 4 stars. Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow Book for a copy of the book in return for an honest review. #WithMyLittleEye #NetGalley