Heather Gudenkauf's latest novel "Everyone Is Watching" is a fantastic novel that captivated me from start to finish. As a fan of reality competitions, I was immediately drawn into the story. The book centers around five contestants who willingly agree to be live-streamed 24/7 for two weeks on a sprawling estate, with the entire world participating in the voting and deciding who will win the grand prize of ten million dollars. Each contestant has their own reasons for wanting the prize money, some are altruistic while others are driven by selfish motives.

What I found most intriguing about the book was the way it kept me on my toes with its multiple mysteries within a larger mystery. The author crafted an intricate storyline that kept me engaged and guessing until the very end. Throughout the book, I was constantly trying to figure out the true motives of each character, and the unexpected twists and turns kept me hooked.

Heather Gudenkauf is a gifted writer who knows how to create complex characters and a gripping storyline. "Everyone Is Watching" is undoubtedly a 5 star novel that I would highly recommend to anyone who loves a good mystery or thriller. It is a thought-provoking read that explores the darker side of human nature and the price we are willing to pay for fame and fortune.

How far would you go to win ten million dollars? This was a gripping and clever thriller. Each characters’ personality was well developed. Allowing the reader to cheer for some contestants while jeering at others. The whole time I was wondering who was going to win and what was really going on. I was on the edge of my seat.
All players came into the show with secrets. All will leave exposed and changed forever.

I enjoyed how the author brought all their stories together.

This was an OK read for me. The storyline is a common one these days, with 5 strangers competing on a reality game show to win money (though in this case it was a whopping 10 million dollars!). It soon becomes clear that there are secrets being kept by pretty much everyone involved and that the "game" might be higher stakes than anyone expected.

The premise was pretty similar to the other books in this genre, though this one had a little more depth as it related to Fern, the assistant, and her boss, Cat, who is pulling the strings from behind the scenes. I got lost sometimes as to who was who as it related to the contestants, as their chapters were listed by their reality show nicknames (e.g., "the executive", "the best friend", etc.); I think I would have connected better with them if the chapters were their actual names. I liked the backstories that were dispersed throughout the book to help understand who these characters were and what was at stake for each of them. I thought the actual challenges they had to do were ridiculous and there is no way these things would have happened in real life. The end was OK and there was one twist that I definitely didn't see coming, though there were some unanswered questions when all was said and done.

Overall, this was an OK read but I'm not sure it really stands out amongst so many similar books in this genre. I do enjoy this author's works in general, though. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have coke to really enjoy this author and look forward to their books. I really enjoyed this one, just not as much as her previous book. It took awhile to get into, but I think that’s only because of the multiple povs and nicknames, or descriptions as the title instead of just their name. So I did find myself not really sure who’s pov reading until I was a few paragraphs in. Other than that, I really enjoyed it.

I have to admit this book was just too far fetched for me...
A group of contestants enter into a reality game; but all isn't what it seems as secrets begin to be revealed from their pasts. Plus the games they played made be laugh out loud... like who's really playing this for a 10 million dollar prize?
The end was totally unrealistic and also very rushed. I just found it hard to reconcil who Fern was in regards to her " act of kindness in the end"
I loved the authors previous book, this was just too much of a stretch to be believable.
Solid 2 stars!!

Thanks to be publishers for THE ARC. Beyond grateful and humbled. 🙏🏾

We've all heard this reality TV setup before: five strangers must live together in a giant house, do crazy challenges, and compete for a massive cash prize that only one person can win. One Lucky Winner, the reality show at the center of Everyone Is Watching, takes that idea and gives it a sinister twist, with truly dangerous additions to the competition (such as a sandbox laced with scorpions and a "Game Changer" token that's a switchblade). As the massive hit show progresses, the contestants become increasingly concerned that someone is out to get them, and that their presence on the show is anything but random. But the $10 million prize is too hard to give up on...

One of the blurbs on this book refers to it as "Big Brother meets Clue," and I guess I can see that — cameras everywhere, contestants who are linked but strangers to one another. The challenges are horrible, and there's a lot about this book that stretches the bounds of believability (that 20 million people would watch the torture without someone intervening, the bad guy not occurring to anyone, including the show's host, etc.). A quick read, but a meh one.

Everyone is Watching was a fun, fast read. This thriller is set in the world of televised reality competitions, with lots of secrets and hidden agendas. I would recommend this to my library patrons as a good beach read.

Unfortunately this plot was not my favorite, I didn’t really get invested in any of the characters besides Fern, and I felt like there were several loose ends I wanted wrapped up. I still love Heather Gudenkauf’s writing though and will certainly keep reading every book of hers!

Unfortunately I wasn't able to finish reading this book because the formatting of the ARC on the Netgalley app made it look super zoomed out and impossible to read. Font was way too small.
I plan to read this once the book is released in an easier format

Read this in a day and half , was hooked right from the start ,and didn't want to put it down .
Had my all time favorite tropes.
Paranoia and suspicion run high
Invite to a location that is a somewhat creepy setting
Lies and secrets
Shows how people will do anything to come out on top .
Plus this is now of of my favorite books for February

Thank you NetGalley, Heather Gudenkauf, and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an advanced galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Five seemingly unconnected strangers arrive to a secluded estate to compete for a $10 million dollar prize on “One Lucky Winner.” Secrets begin to come out and the game turns deadly. It appears someone is out for revenge…

This felt very “Squid Games” but more vengeful and personal. The premise of the game had potential to engage the reader and keep us wondering more, but there were too many holes to do so. I appreciated the timeline shifting but it wasn’t “even” enough to my preference.

Overall, not my favorite from Heather, but entertaining enough.

Wow! This thriller hooked me from the beginning and never let go! Heather Gudenkauf is an amazing storyteller and it really shows in Everyone is Watching. You'll love it for the reality show story line, and stay for the drama and tension it creates. Highly recommend!!

I LOVED this!! It was unlike anything I’ve read, and the ending left me completely satisfied! Suspenseful, thrilling, fun, and twisty! I loved the flashbacks from some of the contestants and how everything ties together.

Five random contestants
Grand prize: $10,000,000
What would you do to win???
Heather Gudenkauf’s newest novel Everyone is Watching is such a fun read! If you are a fan of reality game shows, then this one will be perfect for you. This was an original story that I devoured in a couple of days. It was a hard one to put down. When you discover that the contestants aren’t so random and, indeed, have a connection, I hope your jaw hits the floor as hard as mine did.
Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced readers copy and thank you, Heather, for writing it.

Ten Million Dollars, a live streamed reality show, everyone with secrets, and no where to hide. The book is binge worthy and different than any of the authors previous novels. Thank you NetGalley and Park Row Books for an advanced copy of this novel.

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC ebook copy of this book and I enjoyed it! The author has a great way of keeping you interested throughout the book and has a few surprise twists near the end. The storyline was original, I just felt that there could have been more in-depth details added in about the game and more character development in the beginning.

I loved the idea for this book, a very dark reality tv game show. I’ve never read anything like it before. So gripping and. Interesting. The pacing in this book felt off to me, the first half was slower and drawn out and the second half was so fast paced.

This is unlike any Heather Gudenkauf book I have ever read and I've read all but one of hers. Yes she is an auto read for me.

Imagine given the chance to win $10 million in the space of two weeks! The cost is higher than the five contestants ever imagined on this Survivor like reality show. The challenges are unimaginable, dangerous and quite revealing. Five strangers, a host with her own agenda, the creator who is secretive all made this an addictive read.

Told from a number of povs this was intense and easy to keep track of the different characters. I had to suspend my belief many times but alas I still could not look away or put this book down. I just had to know the what, where, why and how everything was going to fit together. As the secrets are slowly revealed, the connections made it ended in an explosive conclusion that happened rather quickly.

Heather Gudenkauf has yet to disappoint, be sure to check this one out come March 26th or better yet preorder it.

My thanks to Park Row for a e-arc in exchange for a honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback. 🙂

If you enjoy reality tv shows centered around competition with a little bit (or a lot) of drama sprinkled in, this book is for you. I enjoyed the thrilling aspect, the “who’s going to crack next” atmosphere, and the insight into why each individual was fighting so hard for that top monetary prize. It left me wondering, if I were handpicked and dropped into a reality competition show environment… what would I do? What secrets would I keep and what secrets would break me? What would be the unraveling of those around me? What would YOU do? Everyone is watching, after all…
3.5 📚

Everyone is Watching is very different from the other Heather Gudenkauf books I have read. Trying to figure out all the connections between the characters had me captivated and intrigued. This was not your typical “who done it” mystery!
The very first chapter leaves you reeling for what the game is all about. I loved how that very same part came back full circle to explain everything and be a huge turning point in the book.
It left me wondering about all the characters at the end and wanting more of the aftermath. Thank you NetGalley for the preview of one of my favorite authors!