3-3.5 stars. I didn’t love this book but I didn’t hate it. I’m very conflicted. I liked the premise of this book, very much giving big brother vibes with bits of squid games wrapped up in revenge. However, I was hoping for more. Something was missing but I can’t pinpoint what. The pacing? The characters? Implausible, eye rolling moments?
It took way too long for anything to happen. I saw no reason to spend 25-30% of the book just for the contestants to show up and start the game. The types of characters participating in the game made no sense. Am I to believe a former senator with presidential hopes is going to blindly participate in a game like this?

I really liked the author’s easy to consume writing style. If I had the time to do so, this would be an easy 1 or 2 sitting read. Although a bit predictable, I enjoyed the ending and how everything was wrapped up. I did feel satisfied at the end.

This was a really fun read. Loved the game show aspect, all of the secrets and challenges in this book. Lots of action, written in different POVs and timelines but never confusing. I rate this one 4 stars because I had such a great time reading it, however I had the plot twist figured out from the beginning and the ending felt a bit rushed. I still recommend this read, thank you Netgalley and HTP books for the arc!

This book was Survivor meets Fear Factor meets Squid Games. It is about revenge, secrets, and what you'd be willing to do for $10 million. 5 people are chosen to compete on a new reality TV show that will entail challenges, secrets, and live feeds. What the competitors don't know is that they are all connected in some way. A few of these suspicions are clear from the beginning, but ultimately, there is one thing they all have in common. I really liked the idea of this book, and had trouble putting it down, but I wanted a little more answers at the end. The ending seemed a bit abrupt and I felt like I still had questions that needed answering. Overall, a fun read.

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a free, electronic ARC of this novel I received in exchange for an honest review.

Expected publication date: March 26, 2024

This was my second book by Heather Gudenkauf, and unfortunately, I didn't love this one quite as much as the first. It was still a fun read though! I think a lot of people will enjoy this one because it felt like reading a story about Survivor contestants, but it was Survivor on steroids. I think it was just a little too over the top for my personal preference, but I still recommend it if you're looking for a fun, fast-paced read. 3.5 stars!

I assume that the creators behind any reality show can only hope that everyone is watching and talking about the show. This show is a bit different though. There are only five contestants on One Lucky Winner vying to be the last one standing and walk away with $10 million. Each one of them has a nickname,The Senator, The Executive,The Best Friend,The Confidant and The Boyfriend. Except for a small crew and the host, Fern, the participants handover their phones, and have no contact with the outside world.
But from the first challenge, something about this show is off. The challenges are, shall we say odd, and someone seems to know all the contestants deepest, darkest secrets. But the public is hooked, and for reasons that will become clear as you read this book Fern is just thrilled. Why were these people chosen and will any of them survive this game?
Told mostly in the present with several chapters from the past, explaining more about what each player is hiding, this was a fun read. I was trying to put the puzzle pieces together and did not guess how it would end. Very different than the last book I read by this author.

I didn’t love and didn’t hate it but I felt it wasn’t as good as many of her others.
This one seemed far fetched and just didn’t hold my interest. I loved The Overnight Guest
Thanks to Netgalley and publisher

The author does not disappoint with her newest psychological thriller or reality game shows gone wrong. What would you do for 10 million dollars? Five people receive invitations to participate in a new gameshow called One Lucky Winner where they will compete for that title and the huge cash amount. However, when you're playing for 10 million dollars don't expect easy competitions and don't expect safety either. I enjoyed the twist of the show being broadcast on the internet not on a network which led to viewers comments that could be read and added to the storyline. An interesting commentary on society's hunger for consuming shows that push boundaries of both physical and mental safety. I enjoyed all the action in this book and the twists that would come. Some were predictable but some caught me off-guard. Overall a great thriller! Thanks to NetGalley and the editor for a a free copy for an honest review.

Five people are invited to be contestants on a reality TV game show with a $10 million prize. The only catch? There are no real rules - is that a real taser? Is that gun loaded? - and it seems that there’s a connection between these five seemingly unrelated people.

Gudenkauf is a good writer and she kept me guessing the whole time. I was reminded at certain points of Will Dean’s The Last One, as well as Small Game by Blair Braverman with a dash of Squid Game.

The narrative jumps from present day (as the five contestants are competing against each other) to flashbacks from different (female) characters’ points of view, which is when you learn that everyone’s backstories are somehow connected. There were a few times where the plot became a little unbelievable, but Gudenkauf somehow made it work. I did like the end and how the plot came together and I liked the underlying message of feminine power.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing/Park Row for sharing an early digital copy of EVERYONE IS WATCHING in exchange for my honest feedback.

My sincerest thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for sending an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. (I cried when I received this! No, really!!)

Five different people, each with their own dark history, compete to win $10 million in a gruesome reality tv show that unfolds in front of a live audience. The Boyfriend, the Confidante, the Best Friend, the Senator and the Executive. What are they willing to do to win that money? Buckle up, because these 5 are about to take you on a very twisted ride!

4.5 stars. I enjoy shows like Big Brother, Survivor and The Challenge, so this was one of my most anticipated reads of 2024. Even my husband was enthralled with the premise and had me giving him updates after every chapter I completed. Had I not been able to predict the connection prematurely, this would have been a 5 star read for me. (There is one specific omission I would recommend that, in my opinion, would have been better at the conclusion of the story instead of near the beginning. This would contribute an additional element to the story’s suspense and keep the reader consistently guessing.)

The characters and their development have really stayed with me. These are some pretty terrible people who are able to grow and transform into better versions of themselves and I found myself rooting for each of them at some point in the story.

If you enjoyed The Overnight Guest by this author, or are a fan of faced paced, suspenseful mysteries, this is a book you won’t want to miss!

Publication date: 26 March 2024

This is my favorite book of the year! If you love reality shows and suspense thrillers, you will love this book! Five contestants are chosen to participate in a reality show, competing for a grand prize of ten million dollars. The show appears to have a Survivor type format, with daily challenges and the audience voting off one person at the end of the night. The difference, however, is that these challenges are intense! The producer of the reality show is also aware of secrets from each of the contestant’s past and provides clues to the secrets during the game. I have heard comparisons to Squid Games, but I have never seen the show.

I couldn’t put this book down as I tried to figure out why someone wanted revenge against these contestants. This is a fast-paced thriller that is my first five-star read of the year. Some of the twists are predictable if you read thrillers, but I think the overall story is unique enough that readers won’t mind guessing some of these twists. There’s also the “what would you do for ten million dollars” theme that I really enjoyed. The character of “the best friend” vying to win the money so that she could try to save her ill daughter’s life was intriguing. I enjoyed seeing how far she was willing to go to win.

I highly recommend this book and rate Five stars out of five! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advance review copy. E

This book is wild.

I watch a lot of reality TV, so Heather Gudenkauf’s premise for Everyone is Watching definitely piqued my interest. Five contestants come together to an estate in California to compete for a $10 million prize. They all have their reasons for wanting the money, and the realization that they’ll do whatever it takes to be the winner.

Early on, it becomes very apparent that this isn’t your average reality TV premise and that these folks weren’t randomly selected. Each of these contestants has something to hide, some have connections to one another or folks behind the scenes, and the competitions within the show are deadly.

The chapters were focused on each contestant in the present, and for some, their past. There’s also chapters focused on some of the people watching the show (though I didn’t think many of these added to the story outside of the very first one). Knowing how heavily reality TV is produced, mixed with how elaborate many of the set-ups for the challenges were, the number of people who were on set/involved on the production side was a bit unbelievable. Fern was clearly very competent and resourceful, but her pivot to be the host (without any direction or coaching) really felt like a stretch. Initially I felt a lot of empathy for Fern and all that she faced, but as time went on she became complicit and deeply woven into the destructive events of the show.

That being said, the book was compelling and I kept reading furiously to find out how the story would come together and understand the why behind this complex and harrowing show. There was a lot of tension, twists & turns and unexpected moments. It definitely had that can’t look away quality of reality TV.

Content warnings: gun violence, mentions of sexual assault, stalking, child illness

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Five people have been invited to partake in a special new reality show; one in which they have no idea what to expect. Not only will there be extreme physical and mental challenges, but it will also be live streamed all over the world.

Who will the winner be?

The Best Friend.
The Confidant.
The Senator.
The Boyfriend.
The Executive.

Then, we also have The Assistant, a woman named Fern who is tasked with not only being the assistant to the producer of this show, but also the host. As the contest goes on, it becomes clear these people were not selected as randomly as they thought.

Reality TV isn’t necessarily my favorite thing to watch but it sure was exciting to read about! I had an idea that there was more at stake here than just the prize money, but the way it was revealed was twisty and fun. Told in dual timelines, bits of the character’s pasts were revealed and it was fun trying to figure out how they fit together.

“Everyone is Watching” release March 26, 2024! Thank you to Park Row Book/HTP for the ARC!

This review will be shared to my instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly :)

I really loved this book! If you like reality tv, you’ll enjoy this book. It was a quick read, I couldn’t put it down, I was dying to know what happened next! There were a few twists here and there and it all came together in the end. Finding out the real identity of the person behind the “show” and the reasoning behind it was a “what?!” moment! I loved every minute of it! Definitely recommend reading it!

5 stars! This hooked me from the beginning and got better along the way! A great locked-room mystery with a satisfying conclusion. Definitely reccomend!

🥇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?!?”