🥇T H R I L L E R 📺 THURSDAY🥇featuring “Everyone is Watching” by Heather Gudenkauf! Let the games begin!

BOOK REVIEW: 🖤🖤🖤🖤/5

FIVE contestants are chosen to compete on a reality tv show called “One Lucky Winner”:
🏆 The Bestfriend
🏆 The Boyfriend
🏆 The Senator
🏆 The Executive
🏆 The Confidant

$10 million dollars is on the line, but only ONE winner will be crowned. These contestants will be pushed to the EXTREME, with zero contact with the outside world and live cameras streaming their every move 24/7 👀!!!

BUT how far is TOO FAR?? And how much would you push your morals aside for $10 million dollars?? This group of 5 contestants look like strangers from the outside … but as their dark SECRETS start to surface within the challenges it becomes obvious that someone is trying to put them on BLAST for their PAST SINS in front of the entire world to see! WHO is behind all of these SICK and TWISTED games?? And will anyone make it out ALIVE??

EEEK this book was so so fun! If you are a fan of The Squid Games, The Family Game or reality TV in general, then this one is for you! This story is totally gripping, intense, nerve racking and full of unexpected twists and turns!

Thank you kindly to @heathergudenkauf @parkrowbooks @harpercollinsca @netgalley for my advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review! This book releases on March 26, 2024! #newyearnewfear #sponsored

I'm not sure how I felt about this story- I didn't love it, I didn't hate it. It was a decent story, but it just felt lackluster to me. The Overnight Guest was so good that I think my expectations were just too high.

Thank you to Netgalley & Harlequin Trade Publishing, Park Row for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a great mystery with multiple POVs of three women in not great situations. There was great tension and the characters were perfectly done. They were complicated and fell into the shades of gray area which made them all the more compelling. Also, the plot progressed nicely and believably. Too often you wonder why would someone stay in that situation. In this one it was easy to believe the desperation for the ten million dollars. The twist ending was great!

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC of Everyone is Watching by Heather Gudenkauf.

I loved the concept of this book. A reality competition show set in a fairly remote location with 5 contestants. The Best Friend, The Boyfriend, The Confidant, The Senator and the Executive. They are competing for 10 Million Dollars on a reality show called One Lucky Winner! This show is being live streamed all across the world and the contestants have no idea what the show entails or why they were specifically selected for the show. They all have reasons for wanting to win the money but at what cost? They all have secrets they want to keep buried but they start to wonder if there is more to this show then it first appeared.

I was so excited going into this book. I love reality TV in the vein of Big Brother or Survivor. I love locked room style mysteries, I love hidden secrets and trying to piece together theories of what is going on. The description of how the reality show worked was very true how reality shows are produced, right down to the private confessional that the contestants have to give. I had so much fun with this book!

My only criticism is that the ending felt rushed and I wasn't totally happy with the direction it went in. I had figured out the twist fairly early on. It kind of fell flat for me, but I did overall enjoy this book and would recommend it. This is my second book from this author, having read The Overnight Guest which I also enjoyed.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for this ARC opportunity!
The few page of this book jumped right in to what I thought was going to be an epic ride but I was slowly lead the other way.
It didn’t get going into the 10 million dollar “one lucky winner” ordeal until about 25% of the way in. There’s a lot going on in this book so you really need to pay close attention to all the people and their relationships/relatives.
At 46% Camille is having a conversation with Nan and even though we believe Nan to be Fern due to the “revenge wanted on her boss”, one of the lines flat out has, “says Fern”. Not sure if this was a slip or not. But later on in the book, Fern denies every being Nan and it someone else.
Overall the book lacked suspense to me. I had no emotional ties to anyone in the book and didn’t care what happened to them. The courses they had to do were somewhat interesting but again, never had any suspense to me. Not sure if I was emotionally not connected to this book or what. It did remind me of squid games/big brother on steroids but not edge of your seat material. Rounding up a 2.5 rating to a 3.

My sights were set very high for this book. As a fan of mystery novels and an even biggest fan reality tv, I had an idea of what I was expecting. So I was a little tentative that this incredible plot wasn’t going to live up to my expectation. Well, who was I to worry in the hands of heather Gudenkauf? She delivered on her promise and has created a story like no other. The way the story is written holds your attention and paints a picture of each contestant, challenge, and all of the conflict. No spoilers but the Cat storyline has you hooked the entire time, it’s like this nagging voice in the back of your head throughout the book saying “Is she okay?”
Heather Gudenkauf is the queen of complex storylines woven together to create a masterpiece that has you turning the page in anticipation. I especially loved how she ended multiple chapters with cliffhangers that were answered in super creative ways a chapter or two later. Her storytelling of each challenge the contestants faced put us right in the middle of the competition, barb wire and scorpions anyone?
The book was set in a great format, going chronically at first to build relationships and setting, and around the halfway mark began going back in time giving us backstory needed to understand the mystery more.

I don’t just recommend this book for you to read, I urge you to run and grab yourself a copy on March 26th! You will be on the edge of your seat, and if you are like me, will stay up way too late into the night yelling at your book “ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?”

3.5 *** Stars.

I really liked the idea of this book. —5 people are competing for 10 million dollars in a game show with no limits.

Everyone has a past. Everyone has secrets.

Unfortunately it kind of fell flat for me. It was kind of slow....kind of perdictable at parts. It didn't have a "wow" factor for me.Overall it was just....okay.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing/Park Row for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest opinions.

Wow wow wow!! This was such an original thriller. The concept of this book was so clever! The back stories of the characters were well told! Once I started this book I was absolutely glued and could not stop!
Read if you like
-reality tv (big brother vibes)
-locked room thrillers
-alternating POVs and timelines
-secrets and deception
I gave this one 4 stars, it would’ve been 5 stars easily but I felt like the ending was a tad rushed and it got just a tad bit unbelievable!

I must admit I was skeptical about this book after reading the blurb about it. I have loved every one of Heather Gudenkauf’s books, but this book did not seem like her norm. Did I really want to read about five contestants on a reality show? Would I be able to keep all of the characters straight? It turns out the answers were definitely YES!
I loved Everyone is Watching!

There is so much behind the scenes of this book. The characters are well developed. I felt like I knew so much about each one! I loved their nicknames: the Senator, the Boyfriend, the Best Friend, the Confidant, and the Executive. They were each interesting in their own way. Throw in a host with a range of issues, and it makes for a fabulous read! I could not turn the pages fast enough!

Thank you, NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing, for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed above are my own.

I really thought I would enjoy this one, but I couldn't connect with any of the character perspectives, and it made it hard for me to get into the swing of the plot. I've seen a lot of readers who did enjoy it a lot as a fun, summer-y popcorn thriller though, so don't let my review deter you from picking it up.

Big Brother meets ultimate revenge game show.

Five contestants show up to a beautiful Villa in hopes of winning 10 million on a brand new game show, one lucky winner. Little do they know they all have secrets, someone is pulling their strings and this fun game show could turn deadly at any minute.

Talk about a slow burn. I was interrupt and this certainly didn't help, about 50% in if at like nothing had really happened. Good to know that the last 30% of the book was absolutely fantastic. The twists and turns and the strings that connected all these characters together was super interesting. Really enjoy her books, I don't know if this would be in the top three but close.

3.5 rounded down, I was in a rut and don't take this rating to Heart.

Thank you netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book begs the question, what would you do for money.? How far would you go? Is there a limit?

I completely enjoyed this book by new to me author. 4 stars

Publication date: March 26th, 2024
Page count: 320
Genre: psychological thriller
Setting: Northern California estate

A story of revenge, set in the context of a reality tv show. 5 contestants invited to compete for $10 million- a hard opportunity to pass on.

A fun read! Fast read. Easy to keep track of all of the characters despite the context.

Thank you to author, publisher, NetGalley for advanced copy. This is an honest voluntary review.

i liked this book overall. it had an interesting concept—5 people are competing for 10 million dollars in a game show unlike any seen before. it’s live streamed, and every contestant has a secret they want to keep hidden. but how far will the go for the $10 million—or to keep their past a secret?

while i liked this book, i didn’t love it as much as i was hoping to. i liked the multiple POVs and was able to distinguish each character. some things felt a little too unrealistic for me, and i wanted a little more from the ending. i wasn’t WOWed by anything really. this book gave me a similar vibe to The Last One by Will Dean, so if you liked that book, you would like this one. while i didn’t enjoy this as much as The Overnight Guest (which i loved), i will still check out more from this author!

i would recommend this if you like:
- reality game shows
- characters with secrets
- Italian villa settings
- just being along for the ride

thank you so much to Park Row Books, Heather Gudenkauf, and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I never miss a season of Big Brother or The Challenge, so when I read the synopsis of Everyone is Watching I knew this would be one I would enjoy. This is a pretty original plot and a fun twist on the locked room mystery. I enjoyed the flash backs about the lives of the contestants and learning how they were all chosen to be on this reality competition show. The twist at the end of was great and kept me turning pages to see how everything would turn out.

Thank you to NetGalley and Park Row for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Five contestants are chosen to live in a house together for a reality show but no one knows exactly what they are supposed to be doing. Unable to leave the house or have contact with the outside world, the contestants begin to get anxious as everything is not what it seems. Hard to put down due to all the twists. Kept me guessing until the end.

This book reminded me so much of the Clue board game vibes, and I loved it.

A mysterious email. A dream prize. 5 carefully chosen contestants. The premise of this book promises suspense & thrill and the book delivers.

Secluded on a grand estate, the contestants compete in dangerous challenges all trying to gain an advantage. The challenges hit a few of them just a bit too close to home, leaving them questioning if their invitation to compete was random or planned.

The overall theme of this book may feel familiar to you, but don’t pass it up. This book offers a unique and original backstory which any reader of psychological thrillers will find to be a fresh take. I would recommend this read!!

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted (free) ARC!

📺 BOOK / REVIEW 📺

Gahhhh - I ABSOLUTELY LOVED #everyoneiswatching by @heathergudenkauf 🤩. My gal pal @katerockbooktours told our #bookclub this one was totally f*cked up (in the absolute best way possible) and that I needed to grab it immediately!!

I am not a huge fan of reality TV, but I used to binge watch Big Brother when I was younger. The fact is that, as viewers, we get a total birdseye view into other people's weird and twisted lives - and it is a nice diversion from our own challenges and issues. That is the experience you'll get reading this. It's like a trainwreck. You can't help but watch.

The book delves deep into past secrets, and everyone is somehow connected to one another, though it takes 99% of the book to figure out how and why. The challenges that each contestant faces are INTENSE, so this isn't a season of bachelor in paradise!! I was rooting HARD for Maire the entire book - I really understood the lengths that a mother will go to protect her kids. And there is a lot of satisfaction in how this story ends.

Such a unique and enjoyable read - highly recommend. This one publishes March 26 by @parkrowbooks (thanks to you and @netgalley for my #gifted #arc) 🫶.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨️

I’ve read several of Heather’s past novels and enjoyed them! I was a bit apprehensive for this one as I’m generally not into reality tv or competition based tv or books. I was pleasantly surprised by this novel. While a few parts were predictable, the action kept me interested. An interesting variety of characters and high stakes made this a compelling read

I LOVED THIS BOOK! It had some vibes of Survivor, Squid Game and Hunger Games. There are only 5 contestants competing for $10 million. These 5 were chosen specifically for 1 reason… REVENGE!