I enjoyed reading this book. It had a good story to it. I liked the variety of characters in it. It was a well written book. I like the authors style of writing in this book.

Everyone is watching by Heather Gudenkauf

Meredith is a mother of two who is struggling to make ends meet. Who is not winning at life and drowning in medical bills with her daughter who has a chronic illness.
She gets an email stating she was entered in to win 10 million dollars. Blowing it off like most of us do as a scam. It keeps popping in her mind. As she researches more it is legitimate and she jumps at the offer. It’s an opportunities to compete against others on a world wide watched show to win the money. Meredith has nothing to lose and is game until she gets involved in the game and realizes the chaos she has jumped into.

Cat is trying to create a sought after reality show, hoping that it takes off and makes her the next big thing! Her assistant Fern is feeling like she does everything, bringing this reality show to life. Sure Fern owes a lot to Cat as she saved her in a tough predicament with her previous boss, but after the stress gets to be too much. Fame can make you do crazy things.

All the contestants come together in an insane chaotic mess of revenge, and it gets intertwined with stories to keep you guessing g how it all goes together! What a crazy read!

“Big Brother meets Clue” was all I needed in order to pick up this book. Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review <3

The blurb is kind of perfect without telling us too much — we follow 5 contestants on a game show located in a creepy mansion, live streamed across the world. Like any good locked-room mystery, the contestants soon realize that not everything is at it seems, and someone knows their deepest, darkest secrets.

Was this a fun read? Yes, once I suspended my disbelief, I was along for quite an entertaining ride. Was it predictable? Also yes. Somehow I had no idea what was going on, but I knew exactly where it was headed at the same time. I realize that doesn’t make sense, but most locked-room mysteries don’t until the very end! I could be nitpicky about the backstories and pacing, but I honestly have no notes. This was a fun mystery/thriller with an original premise, and I’ll definitely check out more from this author in the future.

Love the idea of reality tv in books. I think it's so interesting for some reason, so I was interested in reading this book. It wasn't a 5 star or anything, but I thought it was entertaining and I really liked it.

Some of the characters were superficial, but I mean, so many are superficial on reality shows. It was quick and entertaining read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this ARC!
This was such a fun, fast paced, addictive story that had me hooked! It was well written and easy to read the dual time lines for character development and multiple pov’s. The characters are likeable and I could even see myself relating to some. This story has clever intriguing twists that kept me flying through the pages to see what happens next and how it all came together, it did not disappoint. I absolutely loved it! I can’t wait to see what this author comes up with next because it will definitely be an auto buy for me.
This book does have a trigger warning for SA and mentions R*, it does not go into detail and is not graphic.
Everyone Is Watching
By Heather Gudenkauf
Pub date 26 Mar 2024

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for an ARC of this title. My reviews never contain spoilers and are freely given.
Five people are selected to compete in a reality show that will stream live online. One lucky winner will receive 10 million dollars. They soon realize that this is not a typical game and the stakes are higher than any of them could have anticipated.
With the popularity of reality TV this book will appeal to fans of the genre.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I’ve been contemplating how to rate this one. I would say it’s a solid 3.5 so I’m rounding up to a 4. The premise is intriguing and the layout unique, but as an avid thriller reader I found the ending very cliche. I know the author spent a lot of time weaving this novel together and I can’t quite pinpoint what would have made it a 5 star read for me.

Part of what held me back from fully enjoying this was the immaturity in the banter of mostly professional adults in their 30’s to 60’s. I feel like a criminal attorney, clinical psychiatrist, and retired senator should have had a better ability to read their surroundings since their careers consist of lie detection (and spreading them at times). While I understand the need for the mother to win the massive prize for winning the show, I can’t fathom how a mother of a chronically ill young child could turn over her cell phone and have zero communication with her children for two weeks. And the naïveté of the assistant left me frustrated because she worked with her boss for ten years and had zero idea what was happening behind the scenes. Also, the best friend and the boyfriend being names of two of the contestants while the other three were labeled based on their jobs gave away for me that something else was going on.

One Lucky Winner is slated to be the hottest new reality show, awarding $10M to the winner. For two weeks, five contestants will compete in challenges while the viewers wait for social media alerts to inform them when the show feed is live and the challenges are taking place. The contestants are labeled for viewers as The Best Friend, The Boyfriend, The Confidant, The Executive, and The Senator. Every move they make during the two weeks is filmed to be used at any time with all competitions aired live. As the competitions begin and the contestants discover there is true danger behind the challenges as well as personal connections to events in their pasts, they begin to wonder what is really happening. Can any of them stick it out long enough to win, or is this all a ruse to force them to pay for past crimes?

I received this ARC from Harlequin Publishing and my review is voluntary.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and Park Row for providing this book, with my honest review below.

Everyone Is Watching had such an interesting premise and I felt it had interesting characters. We follow five contestants vying to win $10 million dollars in a two week competition that is a bit mysterious. Some of the contestants find they have prior connections and all have secrets to hide. The story becomes very cat and mouse very quickly, with the competition revealing clues to their secrets and flashbacks in the plot provide some more context.

I enjoyed this thriller and the game format it followed. My criticism is that I did wish some of the prior conflict linked to the reason the contestants are targeted was better illustrated. The flashbacks were great but one character in particular would have benefited from more first hand exploration of their experience and how it led them to make the decisions they did.

A great structure to the story and premise, with excellent writing. A few pages more vividly illustrating the motivation would make this a home run. I would recommend it to thriller readers and am rating it a 3.7 due to the premise.

OMG! It had me thinking and trying to solve it from the very beginning (which I was wrong!). You question every character and why they were chosen and who would want them to die. They each having a reasoning that will SHOCK you. The characters were explained throughly and there were no un-answered questions, the twists and turns were unexpected which had been hard for me with some books but not this one! I would re-read this book again and again! I had pre-ordered a physical copy prior to receiving this version from the Author, I still have my pre-order in and will NOT be cancelling it. 5/5, highly recommend! I enjoyed every page!

Five “lucky” contestants get the chance to compete in a live on air competition for the chance to be the One Lucky Winner of $10 million. The stakes are high when that much money is on the line & each of them will stop at nothing to win. When each of their darkest secrets risk being exposed they’ll have to decide on if the money is worth the risk.

After reading The Overnight Guest I was excited to see Heather Gudenkauf had a new book coming out. I love a book that switches from past to present & different point of views such as this. This kept me engaged from the very beginning & I flew through it. I was convinced I had it all figured out but several twists kept me guessing until the very end. The very last sentence pulled at my heartstrings in a way you wouldn’t expect from a thriller. This was a 5 ⭐️ for me!

Thank you to NetGalley, Heather Gudenkauf & Harlequin Trade Publishing for the opportunity to read this ahead of its March 26th release date!

This will suck you in on the first page….I will definitely check out the rest of her books! Thanks to the author and NetGalley for letting me read this I exchange for an honest review!!

4.5⭐ rounded down

I wasn't sure what to expect with this one, but I found it a fun and entertaining story that kept me working to put the pieces together. Five supposed strangers brought together in a secluded location all competing for $10 million dollars.
The Best Friend, The Confidant, The Senator. The Boyfriend, and the Executive all put it on the line to win the game while they compete over live stream. But when the games grow more and more dangerous, it is obvious that these contestants were not picked at random but are here for a reason. And as their truths come out, and the stakes grow higher you will find yourself racing to the end unable to put it down.
I really enjoyed this book. The characters, some of them likeable many were not, but all of them together made for a fun paced, delicious read that will keep you hooked until the end.
Thank you Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was such a unique and clever premise. Think Survivor meets locked room mystery. Entertaining and quick read for me.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

📖//REVIEW: EVERYONE IS WATCHING BY HEATHER GUDENKAUF//📖

⭐⭐⭐⭐

I have devoured all of Heather Gudenkaufs books since The Weight of Silence first came out in 2009, and this was no exception. In this story, five random people are chosen to complete on a live television show. The winner will walk away with millions. The other contestants? They will be lucky to walk away at all. This was a clever thriller that had me guessing until the end. I'm not usually a fan of game-show type plots, but this was done in a way that kept me intrigued throughout the book. Each of the characters personalities are masterfully carved over, and the book does a good job of bringing them all together. I can't wait to grab a copy for my shelf!

Expected release date: March 26th, 2024.

Thank you to Net Galley, Heather Gudenkauf, and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.


#arc #advancedreadercopy #netgalley #bookreviewer #bookblogger #2024release #heathergudenkauf #thrillerbooks #harlequintradepublishing

For lovers of reality TV, Survivor, Squid Game, and an intertwined web of secrets, Everyone is Watching dives straight in to the messy lives of these five reality show contestants. The premise of this story hooked me, but right away I could tell there was not going to be a single likeable character to root for. The challenges that the game show participants complete are so well-written I felt like I was really there! Overall this book kept me engaged until about the last 10%, when it started to feel messy and rushed at the ending. Overall I would recommend for people who are interested in the summary, but this will not be one of my favorites this year. Thank you NetGalley for this eARC!

Centered around 5 people in hopes of winning 20 million dollars secrets will spill out in this thrilling read. Only one can win but will they all survive?

I didn’t love it, but didn’t necessarily hate it either. The premise was fantastic but I found that the challenges seemed a bit too unrealistic and absolutely bonkers. I would have definitely sent myself home, even with $10 million on the line! I found myself wanting to keep reading to see how it came together. The author did a great job tying it all together and I’m excited to read more of her works!

Thank you for the ARC!!

This was such a fun read given the circumstances that happened throughout the entire book. Had so many twists and turns, the revenge unveiled towards the end really blew my mind. I thought I knew who threw this game together and their why but I was completely wrong! The author really had me going in the wrong direction but I love that about everything I read. Jaw dropping at time and verbal OH MY GOSH! I gobbled this book up, it flowed extremely well for me like drinking water. It was a great read. I highly recommend this book if you’re into reality tv thriller/mysteries.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book & give a true review on what I thought.

This is going to be a DNF for me at 50%. I don't think I'm the right audience for this book. I have heard so many good things about this author so I just thought I'd give this one a try.

First off I'm not a fan of reality shows and this one is OTT unbelievable. I didn't like any of the characters. We knew from the beginning that something was going to be horribly wrong.

After the first challenge I can't believe anyone would stick around for the next one - yet they all do.

I'm an outlier on this but I can't finish a book that I think doesn't really have anything interesting to say and where all of the characters are unlikable and even criminal.

I hope that this book finds it's audience!

I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Because I did not finish the book I will not post this review to any publishing sites.

I loved The Overnight Guest by Gudenkauf so I was so excited to read her newest novel! While this story has a different tone, I honestly loved it just as much. This was such a unique, fun, fast paced, locked room(ish), popcorn thriller that I enjoyed every moment of! It was so easy to get caught up in and so hard to put down.
The concept of a thriller taking place within a live-streamed game show was something I didn’t realize I desperately needed! Obviously this isn’t your average game show and things get sinister. People aren’t who they say they are and everyone has secrets. You get POVs from the contestants, the host of the show, and even the viewers at home. FUN, RIGHT?!
Insanely entertaining from start to finish! It will be impossible not to enjoy this one. I highly recommend you add this one to your list! 🤩