Everyone Is Watching by Heather Gudenkauf

My rating:
4.5/5 (rounded to 5)
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

5 contestants are chosen to participate in a live streaming reality show fighting for the grand prize of 10, million dollars. The players quickly learn that this will not be an easy task. What will they do to win the grand prize?

This book was SO good! I blindly requested this one due to the author and it did not disappoint. I loved the multiple POVS, short chapters and learning about each contestant’s pasts.

I am a huge fan of reality tv shows so this was such a fun read for me. If you like Big Brother or the show The Traitors, you will absolutely devour this! It was also giving hunger games vibes and at times reminded me of the movie Nerve.

Overall I felt like this story really came together and I was so intrigued the entire time. I’m rounding up to 5 for this one because I really enjoyed it. I am such a mood reader and this was just perfect for what I was looking for in the moment!

Thank you HTP publishing and netgalley for the ARC! You can read this one on March 26th, 2024, so add this to your TBR now so you don’t forget it!

Five strangers receive an email offering them an opportunity of a lifetime to appear on a reality show offering a 10M dollar prize. Two weeks in a luxurious spa resort and a series of difficult challenges to be One Lucky Winner.

The Best Friend.
The Confidante.
The Boyfriend.
The Executive.
The Senator

Cut off from the world - but having their dangerous and potentially deadly challenges live-streamed to the world - these five quickly realize that this is more than a reality show. It’s a fight for their lives and they don’t know who is pulling the strings from behind the curtain.

Another winner from this author. I absolutely flew through this book and hated to see it end. Can not wait to see what she comes out with next.

I think my students will enjoy this take on a dangerous reality high stakes game. Five contestants with secrets, fast moving and a few twists. I have read others by this author that I liked a lot more, this felt more superficial, characters not believable, except at moments and hte storyline not believable, others of her books were deeper and moving

Imagine an amazing mixture of Survivor, And Then There Were None, and Hunger Games - mix that with some reality tv and here we are… obsessing over this new book by Gudenkauf!

Whoa! This was amazing!!! I was hooked from the very beginning. Reminded me of a mix of the movie "Saw" and Big Brother, and maybe Squid Games. I could not read it fast enough! I did not see the ending coming and I thought the end was perfect. Will be recommending this one to everyone!

Heather Gudenkauf never disappoints and I have read every book she's written. The characters in this book are well developed and really interesting and the premise of the book is something we see all the time, Reality TV. I wanted to know so much more about the players I'm this book and Ms. Gudenkauf delivered. 5 stars for me!

Everyone is Watching was a quick and intriguing read!

Five contestants invited to play for 10 million dollars, but no one knows what to expect except that it will be life streamed everywhere for all to see. As the game starts, everyone soon learns they are all hiding something.

I really enjoyed the concept of this book as well as Heather’s writing style. She does a great job of developing characters and pacing the plot. All of her books are an instant read!

A creepy reality show where 5 contestants compete to win $10 million, or maybe just a disastrous revenge plot, but who is running it? The live stream is bringing in millions of viewers, but how many of the contestants will survive to try to claim the prize?

Gudenkauf puts a new meaning to realty shows….and this is one you don’t want to be on!! You will stay up and and keep saying “one more chapter” - good luck with that! A true psychological thriller and page turner until the very end! Thanks for the advanced copy & this needs to be made into a Netflix series!

Thriller meets reality-television....yes, please! "Everyone is Watching" is twisty and full of suspense. Perfect for an October read!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of Heather Gudenkauf's newest thriller, Everyone is Watching. When five seemingly random strangers are chosen to compete in a new reality show that offers a chance to win ten million dollars, they leave their lives behind and arrive at the remote location ready to win. There's the senator who seems like a respected family man until his secrets are revealed, the single mom whose daughter has cystic fibrosis, the executive who has mistreated his employees for years, the therapist who has some skeletons in her closet, and the attorney who may or may not be on the right side of the law. With the challenges becoming increasingly brutal and dangerous, the contestants slowly realize that they may be fighting for survival as the ultimate prize.

This is a propulsive and captivating locked-room thriller that examines how far some people will go to win.... or to get revenge.

Omg this book was fantastic! It had me on the edge of my seat the whole time! Everyone is watching is about a reality show that is streaming worldwide in which the competition is not what it seems. Dangerous things happen during the challenges, and the 5 competitors must be the last one standing in order to win $10 million. This book had some twists, and I always love when the author does a back story from the past to explain the connections between the characters. 4/5 stars!

A very high stakes reality television show where all the contestants are desperate and have some kind of connection with the host of the reality show. The show is quite dark but it’s more like a 'survivor' kind of task than Squid games kind for the most part. It is a very interesting setting without a doubt and very soon into the book we get to know that the contestants also realize some connection with the host but until the end they don’t know how their past is connected to the host or the production team of the shoot. There are five people who are contesting in this live streamed show and we get to know the interesting past of each of these contestants, which in turn make small sub-stories for each character. It clearly is to make the reader's question - "How far would people go to get $10 million" and to find that you can read this book and understand the psyche behind each contestant and their attempts. I was absolutely hooked due to the interesting and engaging plot, but I did feel the mid part of the book a bit lacking in pace. If the readers can sail past the slow sub stories they are in for a fun twisty suspense filled book!

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.