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!

I love an excellent locked room psychology thriller. Every One Is Watching by Heather Gudenkauf is fantastic. This propulsive, edge-of-your-seat, highly addictive book grabbed my attention from the beginning and did not let me go until the very end. A huge thank you to the author, Park Row Books and NetGalley for the advanced electronic copy of the book.

Five contestants, one reality game show and only one person can walk away with the ten million dollars. Each contestant selected and named specifically for the show. However, this reality show has a few stipulations to the game. The five contestants cannot leave the isolated location, and there is absolutely no contacting anyone on the outside. They have to complete the strenuous physical challenges, complex puzzles and deal with the emotional pressure if they want to win. And of course this is all taking place while millions of people watch them participate via livestream. But each of these contestants harbor a dark secret. As the competition grows more fierce they become more competitive, and start to turn against one another. Will anyone walk away with that ten million dollars, or is there something more nefarious to this competition than they actually realize?

A well plotted, compelling, fast-paced storyline told from multiple perspectives of the characters with so many unexpected twist and turns it left me wondering what I had gotten myself into as I kept turning pages late into the night. Every One Is Watching is a riveting, suspenseful thriller that is not to be missed out on.

Mystery/Thriller

Reality television is a killer!
The author combines many of the crazy stunts and events from today's reality shows to create One Lucky Winner - five contestants vie for a grand prize of $10 million. These five contestants must compete in both games of chance, skill, athletic ability and critical thinking, while overcoming obstacles called Game Changers. These ploys definitely manipulate the outcome of the contests, and could be deadly but is that all a coincidence?

The five main characters - The Senator-Phil, The Confidante-Camille, The Best Friend-Maire, The Executive-Ned and The Boyfriend-Samuel all have long buried secrets, and they all want the money. Will they do anything to get it? The Assistant-Fern of the show also plays a large role. One of the contestants is responsible for the worst experience of her life. She wants nothing more than to see him leave, but this is her chance to host the show and get out from under the thumb of her boss Cat. Cat is the producer of the show and owns the property where One Lucky Winner is being filmed.

The story slashes at the public's need for sensational television. What is the cost? How far is too far? While still trying to remain true to the author's previous "whodunnit" type novels. This story and format is a departure for Gudenkauf and is largely successful. I found the story to be engaging and compulsively readable. Where it fell short for me was in the character development. The five main characters, the assistant and Cat had so much potential for juiciness and just felt a bit flat.

I love this author and will continue to read whatever she writes. Kudos to her for trying something new.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC of this novel.

The way I was HOOKED on the very first page!

This book was amazing! Frankly, the premise definitely intrigued me right away, I thought the idea was really original with a live-streaming game show and five competitors ready to do anything in order to win 10 million dollars.

And it did NOT disappoint!

There are secrets, lies, shocking twists, and very very high stakes! There were multiple POVs and flashbacks, and I thought the pacing was perfect!

I don't want to spoil anything, so instead I'll just tell you to read this book! I don't think you'll be disappointed!

This was such a fun, twisty locked room thriller accurately dubbed by the publisher as a cross between Big Brother and Clue!! Full of dark secrets, a group of seeming strangers are selected to compete on a reality tv show for a chance to win $1 million dollars. Told in flashbacks we slowly get to know each contestant's secrets and how they are connected both to each other and the mysterious show runner, Cat. Dark, fast paced and with a killer ending, this was great on audio narrated by my fav, Brittany Pressley and a quick, entertaining listen perfect for reality tv shows. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

Enjoyable mystery/thriller. It won't change the world (some stock characters and situations, misdirection, and you have to suspend that disbelief), but it will entertain you.

Although New York Times and USA Today bestselling, and Edgar-nominated author Heather Gudenkauf was born in Wagner, South Dakota, her family moved to Iowa when she was just three years old. She grew up there, considers Iowa her home state, and it usually serves as the setting for her books. In that respect, Everyone Is Watching, set on Bella Luce, a sprawling, isolated estate in California’s beautiful Napa Valley, is a bit of a departure, but Gudenkauf did not abandon Iowa entirely. One of the main characters hails from Calico, Iowa.

Gudenkauf aptly describes Everyone Is Watching as “fast-paced, diabolical, twisty.” Gudenkauf says the story was inspired by her desire to explore reality television. She thought it would be fun to consider “what would happen if the show was actually trying to kill you? Who’s behind it and why? And how long will the contestants hold on because of how desperate they are for the money?” At the center of the action is Catalina “Cat” James, the owner of the estate. She is a wealthy influencer who broadcasts live makeup tutorials two nights per week on Instagram while opining about and reporting on various aspects of pop culture and lifestyle. Her image is, of course, carefully curated and she is concealing her status as the creator and driving force behind a new reality competition program, One Lucky Winner, until the finale. The fourteen-day contest will feature unspecified but “over-the-top” challenges that will test the participants “physically, mentally, and emotionally.” Not only will the prize be the staggering sum of ten million dollars, but the show will also be livestreamed at a variety of times, with viewers receiving notifications to tune in. There will be only five contestants, each of whom signed both a nondisclosure agreement and broad liability waiver, and be eliminated from the contest on the basis of audience votes.

Cat is aided by her steadfast assistant, Fern – The Assistant. They met ten years ago when they worked together and were both fired because Cat stood up for Fern when the owner of the company abused her. Now it is Cat who abuses her – verbally and sometimes even physically. Cat is not just exacting and perfectionistic. She is demanding, demeaning, has unrealistic expectations, and insists that Fern work long hours for little pay. Fern remains in her employ because she is grateful to Cat for coming to her rescue years ago and has yet to find the strength to assert herself when Cat bullies her. Is that about to change? “Lately, Fern had been rethinking things.”

Each of the contestants received an email informing them they had been nominated to compete. Those who accepted the invitation are Iowan Maire Hennessy – The Best Friend — a forty-year-old divorced artist and mother to two young daughters, one of whom requires significant medical care. After Maire’s husband lost his job at the grain elevator and ran off with a nineteen-year-old waitress, Maire has received no financial assistance from him, and his health insurance was canceled. Maire is burdened by bills she cannot possibly pay and the knowledge that she is most likely going to lose their family home to foreclosure. She desperately needs the prize money in order to care for her children.

Samuel Rafferty – The Boyfriend — is a handsome, forty-two-year-old district attorney from Atlanta, Georgia. He’s single and recently gained fame when he successfully prosecuted a high-profile case. He and Maire have a connection that they believe no one knows about, and have not seen each other since a fateful night twenty years ago that irrevocably changed both of them. Richard Crowley – The Senator — is a former U.S. senator from Texas with a possible run for the White House in his future. The long-married father of four grown children is sixty-eight years old but in good shape and his political stances are definitely divisive. There are aspects of Crowley’s private life that, if revealed, would permanently derail his political aspirations and rip his family apart.

Camille Tamerlane – The Confidante – is “San Francisco’s premier psychiatrist” and hosts a popular podcast. She has a Victorian home in the coveted, historic Marina District and an office with a view of the Bay, and is in high demand as a caregiver. She is also heavily in debt. Her credit cards are maxed out and she is treating patients “off the books” for cash rather than billing their insurance carriers and keeping mandated records. Only those patients and her trusted receptionist, Geraldine, are aware of her shoddy clinical standards. She is sure that no one really knows what happened to the podcast listener who became obsessed with and stalked her.

The arrival of the last participant shocks Fern. She was responsible for issuing the final email to the contestants, and she did not invite The Executive — Ned Bennett, a well-known creator and producer of a true crime television series, and the employer who subjected her to workplace harassment. Cat denies contacting him, as well, so how he ended up at Bella Luce, ready to compete is a mystery to Fern. But Cat decrees that he will be staying and, so far, Fern has no indication that he recognizes her.

With everyone assembled (and Maire and Samuel shocked to encounter each other), cameras installed throughout the estate, the camera crew in place, and Cat ensconced in her private office where she can watch the drama unfold on multiple monitors, the games begin. At the last minute, Fern steps in as the program’s host – an opportunity too good for her to pass up. With Cat lambasting her through an earpiece, the competitors meet and learn that not only have they surrendered their cell phones but they will all be sleeping in the same room. In each challenge, they will vie to collect a Super Clue, “a tidbit of information that once put together with all the other Super Clues, will help you solve the overreaching mystery of Bella Luce.” They should also be on the lookout for Game Changers “in many forms.” They may be “tools” and the participants must decide whether to use them to possibly “steer the game in your favor.”

The chapters of Gudenkauf’s narrative focus on the individual characters, relating their experience from their perspective. She also takes readers back in time, incrementally revealing the parts of their pasts that the players have kept hidden until now. Exposure would spell personal and professional disaster for each of them. Gudenkauf cleverly includes commentary from the show’s online audience members, some of whom recognize the competitors. Some scenes reveal the reactions of loved ones as they watch the livestream. Some of the people who matter most to the contestants inadvertently learn of their participation by watching the livestream or from the media, and a couple of those revelatory scenes are nothing short of heartbreaking.

As the game proceeds, Fern and the players are tested – physically, emotionally, morally, and ethically? Why are they so determined to remain in the competition? Essentially, “anything goes.” There are few rules, the physical challenges are both strenuous and dangerous, and the types of Game Changers provided heighten the risks. It quickly becomes apparent that the Super Clues are pieces of a puzzle detailing aspects of the participants’ secrets and, thus, cause for alarm as they ponder who knows about events in their past. They soon realize that the invitation they received was ruthlessly issued by someone intent on exposing parts of their life they have actively concealed for years. How far will they go to outlast the other competitors in order to claim the ten million dollars and keep their secrets? Will they cheat? Will they commit a criminal act? Are they willing to harm someone else? Or even kill? Each player must assess how far is too far, what boundaries they will not breach. Which is what, of course, causes the show’s audience to keep growing, the ratings climbing higher and higher.

As the contestants’ angst grows, Gudenkauf skillfully accelerates the story’s pace and unveils salient facts that keep readers guessing about Cat’s motivations. Is she seeking revenge? If so, aside from Ned (The Executive), how is she connected to the other contestants? She, like each of Gudenkauf’s other lead characters, is severely flawed and, in many ways, insufferable. They have all made mistakes in their lives, to varying degrees and for an assortment of reasons. In each instance, they had a chance at a particular juncture to choose right or wrong . . . and they succumbed to fear and temptation, opting to do the wrong thing. Now, they have spent years masquerading as upstanding people, afraid of being discovered to be the frauds they know they are. Gudenkauf deftly illustrates their panicked reactions to the threat of exposure. Most of them are highly motivated by the prize money, particularly Maire, who is easily the most sympathetic character. And the event that took place twenty years ago is the most morally ambiguous of the characters’ past wrongs, but her love for and devotion to her daughters, especially the one who desperately needs ongoing medical attention, is never in question. Some of the other characters are unabashedly narcissistic, some perceive themselves as victims, and some have simply behaved despicably in the past. Gudenkauf challenges readers to consider whether people can truly become enlightened and alter their behavior accordingly, as well as whether forgiveness and redemption are tenable. In Fern’s case, can she harness her own power and use it to live a productive, fearless life?

Everyone Is Watching is binge-worthy entertainment and an inventive consideration of the inherent dangers of reality television through which Gudenkauf slyly examines the power and influence of greed, fear, power and a debilitating perception of powerlessness on people have placed themselves in desperate situations.