What a fun idea and so very modern. I love the idea of reality TV only channeled through social media, And this reality show is very dark, not quite Squid Games but definitely meaner than The Bachelor. Five contestants all vying for $10 million. They all have their reasons for being there but when they arrive some of them start questioning if there is another reason they were picked. Who is the creator of the show and what do they know about the contestants secrets.
It felt claustrophobic and urgent, the games were cruel and brought out the worst kind of behavior. What would you be prepared to do for that amount of money?
There are twists and back story and the social media chat gave the plot some meat.
I have read all of Heather Gudenkauf’s novels and they are all full so suspense and thrills. This will keep you guessing until the end.
Thanks Netgalley for the ARC.

Full disclosure, I am not a fan of reality television shows. However, the writing of Heather Gudenkauf has a way of drawing you in and not letting go. This is a twisted reality tv show where five contestants are battling for ten million dollars. This book is a complex puzzle dealing with the connections of the participants. Good writing and a well thought out plot make this an exciting read! #EveryoneIsWatching #HeatherGudenkauf #NetGalley

Such an interesting and creative book idea! A huge thank you to Park Row publishers and to NetGalley for this ARC.

I often have to pause and ask myself how Heather Gudenkauf pumps out brilliant novels.
This one is so unlike her usual who-dun-it that it’s hard to put down, easy to get sucked in and perfect for where we are as a society. Think big brother meets squid games meets….oh, I don’t know…an escape room?
An OG thriller kind of book, this one shouts in all the right places. Perfect for basically anyone that likes to read. A hundred stars!

Five people compete on a live-streamed reality tv show to win $10 million. They're kept isolated on a remote estate and face increasingly alarming challenges as secrets from their pasts are revealed.

I loved The Overnight Guest and will happily read future books by Gudenkauf, but this was... not my favorite. The setup was fun, and I liked the multiple viewpoints and flashbacks as the characters' histories were disclosed, but things got way too bonkers for my taste. I think people who appreciate some of the more over-the-top aspects of The Last One by Will Dean and The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz would be really into this!

Ok so full disclosure - I can't stand reality tv. I think it's the downfall to our society. It normalizes and makes rude, inconsiderate, and nasty behavior acceptable. However, I love Heather Gudenkauf and was excited to read this arc. Yes, reality t.v. was the setting but this book was about so much more than that.

With that being said, this book killed it! I was completely hooked from page 1. I could not put this one down. So many twists and turns...games...secrets. Great read!

This is a must read for 2024!

Thank you #netgalley and #htp #parkrowbooks for the eARC.

Everyone is Watching by Heather Gudenkauf is a quick read that will leave you wondering what comes next. Fans of reality TV game shows will appreciate the story. This game, however, isn’t only offering a 10 million dollar prize. It’s full of secrets and revenge. I enjoyed each character and the author’s ability to make me both like and dislike each one. I would definitely recommend.

An intriguing story about 5 people who come together on a reality show to compete for $10 million. Nothing goes right and old secrets start to surface. It was an interesting read!

I received an early copy of this book in exchange for a review.

I have read other books by this author which I enjoyed so I requested this one without even reading the blurb to find out what the book was about. I might not have requested it if I checked into what the book was about before starting it.

I will start by saying I am not a reality TV fan and this book is about 5 contestants who are vying to win ten million dollars. They have a variety of reasons for needing/wanting the money as we find out as the story unfolds. Of course there are challenges and "game changers" won or found along the way. As with such "shows" the contestants are on camera almost all the time. Unlike most shows however this one is broadcast at varying times of the day or night so the viewing audience must monitor closely to catch the newest installment. The viewing audience also gets to vote on their favorite contestant and those votes can help save a contestant or help send them home. The challenges are quite intense and mostly physical, contestants are injured and eventually we find out there is more going on than just the "game" to win the ten million dollars.

I actually got involved with this one and ended up enjoying it much more than I thought I would when I started. The book didn't change my view/opinion of reality TV or make me a fan but it did keep me reading to find out what would happen next and how it would turn out in the end.

Good job Ms. Gudenkauf! I'll be recommending this one to others.

I definitely didn't know how this one was going to end! It was a fun, twisty read!

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

I see the authors name, I know immediately this book is going to be good. And this time was no exception.
I felt like Heather Gudenkauf strayed out of her comfort zone a bit with Everyone Is Watching. It didn’t feel like the other books she has written. But it was great!
A unique story playing into the popularity of reality shows. I don’t want to give too much away but I didn’t guess the antagonist correctly throughout the whole book. Loved it!

Interesting premise and lots of action with reveals throughout. I enjoy a reality TV show, so a suspense novel set during one seemed like a great fit, and I did read through this quickly. The action picks up quickly once all the players are on hand.

I enjoyed how the POV alternated between Maire, Camille, and Fern; while they did have slight differences in personality, I felt like they felt too similar. Camille seemed at first like she'd be the wildcard, showing up tipsy/drunk and intimidating Maire on first meeting, but that fell away quickly. The male characters were largely undeveloped/uninteresting, there to serve the action and highlight the women.

All the above sounds critical, but I enjoyed this Big Brother meets Squid Game concept. All three female protagonists had a lot to lose, so the stakes were high.

The newest reality show One Lucky Winner has 5 contestants vying for $10 million dollars. Mairi desperately wants the money because she has a chronically ill child and a deadbeat ex, but each contestant has a need for the prize money. The challenges are horrifying, even involving scorpions and guns which are allegedly not loaded. But everyone there has a secret, which the organizer seems to know and exploit. Infidelity, murder, sexual assault—this game seems prepared to air all the dirty laundry, much to the contestants’ dismay. I had never read anything by this author, but her clever plotting and amazing character studies were so intriguing that I read the whole book on a coast to coast flight instead of watching a movie. I just couldn’t put it down. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this advance copy.

Everyone is watching by heather guderkauf. This is a cringe wrote book about what people will do for money on tv

This was such an intense, high stakes read! Omg did i feel the anxiety turning every page. I really loved this book. This author does so good at being a page turner and making it so hard to put a book down. I loved every minute of this book. Each character was so flawed but i felt for most of them too. I liked the slow unravel of everyone’s deep dark secrets and this torturous game. Soooo good!

Thanks to Netgalley & the publishers for my review copy. Wow. This book is something else... in a good way! I was engaged right from the beginning & ended up finishing it in one day because I just had to figure out what the heck was going on & who was doing it! I don't want to give any spoilers away, but we go behind the scenes of a reality TV show, promising it's lucky 5 contestants the chance to win TEN million dollars. Not a measly one million dollars, but TEN! The contestants find themselves engaging in some interesting (to say the least) and provoking competitions all pushing the boundaries of how far they are willing to go to win it all.

But really, what wouldn't you do for ten million dollars? Read this book and see if you could go this far for the chance to have the money to make your wildest dreams come true.. How far would you go?

TW: rape, sexual assault, child illness.

I am a big fan of Heather Gudenkauf's, so I was thrilled to get Everyone Is Watching on NetGalley. I thought the premise of a reality show with contestants competing against each other for ten million dollars and to keep their secrets hidden was current and promising. The characters were pretty likable, but not totally believable--there was just something off about Fern. Her character was the one I struggled to trust and understand the most. There was enough action to keep me going and it was easy to dislike the Executive. Overall, I rated it 4 stars.

Spoiler alert for the ending. Cat having a terminal disease that pushed her to kill herself along with the Executive was fitting. I also liked that her fortune was left to Fern and then Maire getting $1,000,000 was like a bow on the perfect package ending.

This was a really solid read. I was a little hesitant to read this one because I don't really watch TV or enjoy reality TV but this was really engaging and fast paced! Such a fun read!

LONG-time Gudenkauf fan here. However, I'm not a big TV watcher in general and not at all a fan of reality shows, so I held my breath as I opened up the book. However, Gudenkauf knows how to do it right!
Contestants completely cut off from outside world? Check
Each contestant issued a taser at the start? Check.
A conniver who knows the Achilles Heel of each contestant? Check.
Oh yes, I was in for this one.
Fast-paced and quite engaging. Perfect for those who like psychological thrillers.
I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Imagine you're invited to participate in a new concept reality show where all the competitions are live-streamed at irregular times. Now imagine that the challenges have no rules and the 5 participants are provided with tasers during the first challenge if they feel they should need them. Now imagine that someone knows something about each of the participants that they don't wish to be made public. Heather Gudenkauf once again hooked me from page one and I read this in one day. Highly recommend.