I am a sucker for reality game shows, especially Big Brother and I am all about the Traitors! In this book there’s a reality game show with ten million dollars up for grabs. Sounds like a huge amount, right? Well it should be considering this is a game with dire consequences. I don’t want to give anything away but I was definitely hooked with this one.
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Thank you #parkrow and @netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I typically don't watch reality TV, but this sucked me in from the get-go and I was enthralled the entire time.

I haven't read anything by Heather Gudenkauf before but the premise of this one was too good. This was such a gripping thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. Everyone is watching centers around 5 contestants that are competing for a life changing cash prize.

Through the novel we see the contestants and their secrets and hidden agendas. Filled with suspense, betrayal, and unexpected twists, the stakes are even higher than imagined.

I loved this and this is a must read for anyone who loves psychological thrillers or reality tv!

Wow! If you like watching reality shows, you are going to love Everyone is Watching. Trust me. Intense, dangerous competitions, ruthless contestants, lots of secrets, and a huge dose of revenge. This was nerve-wracking to read but not enough to keep me from turning the pages as fast as I could.

How far would the five contestants go as they battle it out for the prize of ten million dollars? Some of the situations they found themselves in were deadly and merciless, but that's lot of money and each of them had a reason for needing the cash. Who will be the last one standing?

I was totally engrossed in this storyline and loved every minute of it. I highly recommend Everyone is Watching. Be prepared for a nail-biting time.

What would you do for $10 million? That's the question asked by this new reality show where the 5 contestants are carefully selected not only for their ability to connect with different members of the audience, but also for their secrets. Not only do they have to participate in near-death obstacles at all hours, the show doesn't have a regular programming time and is instead live streamed at the drop of a hat. Very innovative for this format. Sounds like a great premise - and it is.

The tension builds as we are introduced to three different POVs - Fern, the undervalued assistant to the show's tyrranical creator who is just looking for her time to shine; Maire - the mother of a child with cystic fibrosis who will do anything to win the money; and Camille - a psychiatrist with money troubles. We don't get to hear from the other contestants, although they are all harboring secrets as well.

The book is split into multiple POVS, flashback chapters, and viewer commentary via social media comments and a few chapters from their POVs. This mostly worked, but I felt that some of the chapters didn't really move the plot forward and not much happened. We repeated a lot of information and scenes to draw the story out longer. Then, once the tension builds to the exciting conclusion, there really wasn't much there (in my opinion). Some things weren't explained. Some things were anti-climactic. Some things were wrapped up in a tidy little rainbow of happiness. With how dark some moments of the book were, I almost expected the reveal at the end to be just as dark.

Overall, I really enjoyed the writing, the dialogue was believable and well-done, and although the characters were all flawed, I found myself rooting for some of them anyway. I did enjoy the reading experience, just wished for a more explosive ending. Perhaps I just need to take a little break from thrillers for a while because they all seem to be blending together lately.
3.75 rounded up to 4

I love how Heather moved a little away from her usual books. I had a waiting list for this book at my library after I mentioned it was a must read.

This was a fun read about a reality show with a promise of a 10 million dollar prize gone very wrong! There wasn't a lot of character depth and the plot was pretty out there but it you are looking for a fun not too hard to follow read this is a great one!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in advance of publication.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing, Park Row, and NetGalley for an Advanced copy of this book.

I really enjoyed the twists and turns along the way during "Everyone is Watching." I appreciated the changes in perspective so that as the reader, I was able to understand a bit more of each character's thought process during the competition (and prior).

However, there was something about the ultimate climax and final resolution that felt *anti*-climactic. The book seemed to be building and building, and then when the big reveal happened, for some reason, it didn't "land" for me. The plot and characters were very well-written, but I was left wanting more.

A must read author for me!

5 contestants are chosen for an exclusive game show and an even more exclusive prize: 10 million dollars! The five people, The Executive, The Best Friend, The Confident, The Senator, and The Boyfriend, come together in North California to participate in extreme challenges, televised thrills, and secrets revealed, to see who can emerge as One Lucky Winner!

Positives:
The story, both past and present, is told from different perspectives of some of the characters
The game show aspect, challenges, and reality TV aspects all worked together.
Fast-paced with a satisfying conclusion
Lots of connections and slow reveals of the characters and their pasts intertwining makes for an interesting read

Negatives
I had just read another book with a very similar set up/background

This one worked for me! Enjoyable read and another reason to keep reading this author's works.

This was incredible. The story starts out with a bang...literally. From there it's a rollercoaster ride of deception, betrayal, and a vast array of emotions. I don't love the feeling of existential dread in thrillers so I love that I never felt that the entire time I was reading it. The layering of the contestants stories without it feeling too pushy was great. I felt like I was actually watching reality tv while enjoying this story.

That was a wild ride! This book kept me guessing until the end. Fast paced and a fairly fresh idea kept me interested. Thrillers run the risk of following similar templates but this was a different type of adventure.

My first from this author but definitely not my last. I really enjoyed the character depth and the twists that brought out all the buried secrets!

Fast paced, fun, twisted and original! Releases today! 3/26/24

Thank you @netgalley and harlequin trade publishing for a copy of this title. All my reviews are unbiased.

When five people are invited to play for ten million dollars on the set of the new reality TV show, One Lucky Winner, they each think that this may be their lucky day. Without another thought, they pack their bags and travel to a posh villa in Northern California where they’re told the rules upon entry. They must relinquish their phones and under no circumstances can they leave the property or access parts of the villa deemed off limits. Despite the remote location and limited understanding of the game they’re about to enter into, they all quickly agree.

As the competition begins, however, it seems this TV show is like no other of its kind. With dangerous challenges and insinuations about each of the contestants, there just might be more going on behind the scenes than they imagined. And as the games proceed and their battle is live-streamed worldwide, they each find out that this reality show isn’t just about who can finish first and claim the reward. Someone just might have an ulterior motive for bringing them together and, before they’re allowed to leave, each of their long-held secrets may be revealed to the world. If, of course, they don’t lose their lives first.

Holy amazeballs! Everyone Is Watching was one rollicking good time. Starting off with a bang, the plot had the pace of a runaway train. With unparalleled suspense and definite foreboding, I sped through the pages until the last final reveal. Trust me when I say that I did not want this book to end. At the same time, however, I couldn’t stop myself from flying through this unputdownable psychological thriller in just one sitting.

The characters ran the gamut from two that I was rooting for despite their transgressions to several thoroughly unlikeable individuals that definitely deserved to lose in my eyes. While perhaps on the more melodramatic side of the persona meter, I still got swept up in their debacle and had my definite favorites. This was helped by the multiple POVs and flashbacks, which gave a delicious glimpse into several of their backgrounds and what misdeeds had landed them in the hot seat.

The plot was the shining star of this riveting novel, however. Fast-paced and thoroughly twisted, the back-and-forth layering of the storyline drew me in deep. And if you know me at all, I’m always down for a thrilling tale of revenge. After all, stuffed to the brim with intrigue and long-buried secrets, a tantalizing web of deceit revealed quite the plan, all said and done. Given that Gudenkauf wrote this plot, though, I’m unsurprised by the addictive quality that rivaled any real-life reality TV show. Now I just hope that it makes it onto an actual screen one of these days…

The were, unfortunately, a few minor flaws. Requiring a definite suspension of disbelief, the plot had a certain over-the-top feel. I also wish there had been a bit more exploration for all of the characters and not just those narrating the plot. At the same time, however, it was intense, well-written and had that special something that only Gudenkauf can muster. For that and the general entertainment value, I was more than happy to overlook the above in order to enjoy each and every word.

A popcorn thriller through and through, I was simply bowled over by the thought-provoking observations about social media and how far people will go to get what they want. Not to say that those critiques got in the way of the action-packed premise. Oh no. There were plenty of adrenaline-pumping events that had me racing through the pages. All said and done, despite this one not necessarily being my favorite by the author, it still ranked right up there near the top. Rating of 4.5 stars.

Thank you to Heather Gudenkauf, Park Row Books, HTP Books, and NetGalley for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

This is my favorite Heather Gudenkauf book so far! What would you do for 10 million dollars? That is the big question in this book. I loved all the twists and interconnecting characters. This book kept me entertained and wanting to continue to read cover to cover. I loved the reality game show aspect. This book is a must read!

Great read! I really enjoyed the depth of levels written throughout the novel. It was a very quick read and the ending came up very fast.

This one was not what I expected. , It was a fast read but I didn't really connect with any of the characters. However I would totally suggest anyone to read it because I did enjoy it and felt the story line was really well done.

The Best Friend. The Assistant. The Senator.
The Executive. The Boyfriend. The Confidante.

What would you do for $10 million dollars? One Lucky Winner is a reality TV show in the book that pushes contestants to the limits, both physically and psychologically, through livestream.

Story in Emojis: 🏃‍♀️🔪🔫🍷🔐🧩🤿💰🌊🪢💊📃

The paranoia, the secrets, the betrayals, the blackmail, the peek into each contestant’s past and reading the twisted choices the contestants must make in the game… it comes all together to make this book a quick, entertaining read!

I’ve read the Overnight Guest by this author (audiobook 5⭐️) and now this book. I really enjoy her work with thrillers because the stories she writes up are refreshing, she takes good care to describe characters and how they’re feeling, there is always something didn’t expect. This is a unique and relevant take on a psychological thriller - about the dangers of social media and distorted reality, I thought it was really cool. As you’re reading, you feel not only uncomfortable for contestants and the choices they have to make, but also by the viewer engagement and interaction. It just shows the worst sides of people - both on and off this television show.

Loved the set up of each chapter labeling each character. The ending of many chapters were action packed leading me to have to continue reading the next one (what’s sleep?)

I loved the inclusion of The Vault (where the contestants give their commentary to a camera in an empty room) and having the viewer usernames and comments come through every so often. I was truly transported into reality competition show, the author did a superb job making it believable!

I noticed in the eARC on page 144, on one line of dialogue “I think I can do that” it gave a different character name. I’m assuming since it’s already in publication, it has since been corrected because the eARC has the date 2023-06-22 at the bottom of each page!

4.5 stars

Thanks Harlequin Trade Publishing, Park Row Books and Netgalley for this eARC!

I have read all of Heather Gudenkauf’s books so I was happy to receive an advance reader copy of Everyone is Watching from NetGalley. This book had such a unique and timely premise—five people are brought together for a reality show in which the prize is 10 million dollars. The five people, the show’s creator, and her assistant who becomes the host of the show, all have secrets to hide. Finding out how all the people tied together kept me reading. This was a fun, fast read. Thank you, NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing, for the copy of this book!

Fans of Squid Game, Big Brother, and other competitive reality TV shows will enjoy this new popcorn thriller from Heather Gudenkauf. Everyone is Watching follows five drastically different contestants as they compete for 10 million dollars, live on TV. As the game progresses, we slowly see that someone knows what secret every contestant is hiding.

This was a super unique premise which I have never come across before. In a world of thriller books, it is tough to standout, and Everyone is Watching most certainly did. I was hooked from the first page, curious about what each contestant was hiding and the reason they were all brought together. I loved the alternating POVs, and the snippets of what happened in the past were my favourite part. I’m not a big fan of reality TV or game shows, so I wasn’t particularly entertained by the challenges, but I think other readers would be. While I guessed the big twist quite early on, it was still fun to watch it all play out.

Thank you so much to Harper Collins Canada and NetGalley for providing a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

Everyone is Watching is a captivating thriller about 5 seemingly strangers competing for 10 million dollars. The game show they’re on is hosted by Fern who is the assistant to a social media icon (who no one knows is the brains behind the game. I couldn’t put this book down because I needed to know if the contestants would survive the games and I needed to know why they were chosen for the game show. Overall, I really enjoyed this one, but felt it could have more thrills in the backstories

Five contestants: Maire “The Best Friend” a mother of two young girls, barely scraping by, Camille “The Confidant” a psychiatrist, Richard “The Senator” a retired senator, Samuel “The Boyfriend” a prosecutor and “The Executive” are all invited to compete for $10 Million Dollars in a reality TV show. Locked away from the world on a beautiful winery in Napa Valley. They arrive and it’s quickly apparent that things are not as they seem, but they’re all intent on winning, each for their own reasons. As the game plays out snippets from the past come to light, secrets the contestants do not want revealed.

Everyone is Watching was a page-turner! While the plot was a little predictable, I wanted to find out how it’d all turn out. I was rooting for several characters, but there were a few I wanted to pay for their actions! It’s hard to write much without spoiling things, but I will say it was an entertaining, popcorn thriller!