For a debut novel, this was great - atmospheric and chilling with a satisfying ending.

A mother is home alone with her two young children when she realises a man has broken into her house and is after he daughter. Unfortunately, there's a blizzard outside, and the house is in the middle of nowhere, so there's no point in running. Luckily, they manage to hide in a secret room and now just need to stay quiet. This is how the book starts, but there's much more to the story.

I have to admit I wasn't completely sold to start with, but the story grew on me as it went on.

Recommended.

I am afraid I didn't find this book as thrilling as I expected .It was too slow for me ,and I wanted more to happen.

It seems 2024 hasn’t really started of as a great reading year. Also Night watching was bit of a disappointment. Maybe it is me, because other reviews call it fast paced, edge of your seat,…I found it slow and at times boring. Maybe I was expecting something else. I was expecting to read about a woman trapped in her own house with an intruder hunting her and her children. 20% of the book is exactly that and was really good. Very gripping and claustrophobic.

I think this book is marketed wrong. This is not a thriller, but a slow character story of a woman with trauma and the way she is treated by society. And that would have been a wonderful story if it was executed well. The marketing is of, this is not a fast paced thriller. This isn’t even a thriller to be honest.

Going back to the character study, it could have been good if there would have been more editing. Now the story really drags at time. I understand the author is trying to call out certain injustice against woman with trauma, but she doesn’t do it in a captivating way. Even I, a fellow woman found her annoying at times.
And then the “twist” of the story. Well… it was horrible. Completely unbelievable and with no real connection to the story. Even if you wanted to guess who had done it as a reader, you wouldn’t ever have guessed.

I have mixed feelings about this novel. I found it got off to a slow start and then went from being completely immersed in chapters to feeling not much was happening. I’m glad I stuck it out to the end as that made the book and for that reason I would rate it 3 stars. Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin UK and the author for the chance to review.

Thank you for allowing me to read this preview version of the book. I did enjoy it but am surprised at the gushing plaudits it received from other authors. Where they talk about "tread of footsteps, unusually heavy and slow, coming up the stairs.." I found the story heavy and slow. Really enjoyed the conclusion though and found that wading through it was worth it in the end.

I really tried to get into this book but it was too slow for me . I’m sorry I can’t recommend it on the quarter of the book I read

I’m sorry but it’s my first 1 star of the year. We are thrown straight into the home invasion which I wouldn’t mind but it then went on for 50% of the book and just got really repetitive and incredibly slow paced. Given that we are thrown straight in you have no attachment to the characters and what they are going through. Also, it throws in random flashbacks which takes you out of any potential suspense.

The premise had a lot of potential but unfortunately it just really didn’t work for me.

Thank you to netgalley for providing an ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review

I really didn't take to this book at all. I had high hopes when I started reading, but soon got bored with the story and gave up reading properly about half way through.

Definitely a slow burner of a book, but worth persevering with to find out if the main character, a traumatised mother, was protecting her children from an intruder, or her mind was playing tricks on her and it was all her imagination.
Thank you to netgalley and Penguin Books for an advance copy of this book

The boogeyman awaits ★★☆☆☆

Waking suddenly in the middle of the night, a mother realises somebody is in the house. Alone with her two young children, she acts as quickly and quietly as possible to run and hide with them in the secret crawlspace.

As they hide in the dark, The Shadow from her daughter’s nightmares stalks above.

The first half of the book is set in that claustrophobic space, proceeding a little slowly. The tension is partially obscured by the references to the intruder as The Shadow and the undulating narrative style.

The second half of the book is full of doubt and confusion but leads to a compelling and creepy grand reveal.

A slow burning thriller with a difficult narrative style leading to a gripping finale.

Nightwatching, by Tracy Sierra, is a tense, nerve jangling read that will have you double checking the locks on your doors, and thinking twice about your answer when the next checkout operative asks you if you want to keep your receipt ... It's also a book that will have you second guessing yourself and all of the characters in the story, including our protagonist. The tension is set at high from the very start and only increases from there, the kind of book that is frightening and addictive in equal measure.

On the surface, this is a story of a home invasion. In the dead of night, a mother is awake having just settled her son following a nightmare, only to hear noises in her house that don't belong. She see's a shape in the shadows, a man who has no right to be in their home, and knows, instinctively that she and her children are in grave danger. It is a fight or flight moment, a split second decision which would change the course of their lives, and one which has far reaching consequences for everyone. And it is one which really makes us, as the reader, stop and think. How would we react in the same circumstances? We all think we know, but when faced with a terrifying reality such as this, would you do what your head tells you is the right thing?

This for me is one of the strengths of this book. Tracy Sierra has employed a very clever narrative trick in making her narrator third person, but also in never actually naming her characters, They are simply referred to as Mommy, Daddy, the son, the daughter. Even the police are simply Sergeant and 'the boyish policeman'. In doing this she draws us into the story, allowing us to place ourselves front and centre, not giving us the chance to say 'that would never happen to me'. And this is something she also explores in the story, through the main protagonists eyes - the judgement of others and the overriding anxiety that accompanies it as people look to victim blame and to cast doubt on her narrative. It's executed brilliantly, and it wasn't until I had finished reading that I made the connection. That this could be any of us, anywhere. Yes, the story is clearly set in rural New England, but aside from a few scenes, the first half of the book is set almost exclusively in the house, and that allows us to place ourselves in her shoes. To feel the fear she and her children feel.

The story splits itself between the present dangers and memories of the protagonists past, all of which come to inform the way in which the story flows. There are many surprising reveals, and many situations which serve to cast doubt on her testimony, but also more gentle moments that allow us a brief escape from the nightmare. Even though we are present through all of the action, there are so many red herrings that even I started to doubt whether this was real or part of her imagination. Certainly we come to understand that her's is shaky perspective to follow, and there is reasonable doubt in all minds as to what is going on. Again, the author plays it perfectly. distracting us from what should have been an obvious and perfect conclusion until just the right moment, Sleight of hand and misdirection force our attention elsewhere allowing the darkness to build once again. With the ending, you can feel the tension ratchet another few notches and there is an overwhelming sense of jeopardy that accompanies those final few scenes. There is also a lot of chance for self reflection and contemplation as we are forced to look inward to assess assumptions we made whilst reading.

This is a very clever, suspenseful and tense read, one that really does grab the attention. Considering the cast and the setting are so small and finite, it leaves a big mark and I think will be very popular amongst readers of tense psychological suspense. Recommended.

This well crafted story of a family plagued by a homicidal maniac takes the reader through the terrors of a mother protecting her children. Fairly slow moving but worth persisting. Recommended.

I'm sad to post this as I just couldn't get into the book. This could partly be down to me as I'm struggling to get into a lot of books at the moment so I'll leave a 3 star review.
I just felt the start was a bit waffly as I would put it. Almost no need for the first chapter.
Maybe I will come back to it and I hope I do

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin General UK for my early copy of this brilliant book that is due for release in February 2024. I was absolutely hooked and finished it in 24 hours. Creepy and suspenseful with well developed characters and great writing, this was a fantastic book that I highly recommend. Fantastic!!

I'm not usually a fan of this sort of story ie someone home alone and attackers break in etc but Nightwatching was a well written story and the pace was just right and just creepy enough to keep me entertained, it will make you think how would you react to footsteps sounding in the night, when you know you are alone with your children.

Home alone with her young children during a blizzard, a mother tucks her son back into bed in the middle of the night. Then she hears a noise - old houses are always making some kind of noise. But this noise is disturbingly familiar: it's the tread of footsteps, unusually heavy and slow, coming up the stairs....

She has three choices. Should she hide? Should she run? Or should she fight?

What an impressive debut novel. A mother with two young children will do anything to protect them at all costs, but who is it she's hiding from? The story is told from the unnamed mother's point of view. This book is so much more than just a thriller. The mother and her two children were huddled together during a blizzard in their old, isolated home. She realised they were not alone in the house and gathered her children into a hidden room. We get an insight into the woman's thoughts and emotions. The narrative alternates between the present day, and flashbacks into the lives of the woman, her husband, and his family. We gradually learned more about the mother and her family, and I began to question her reality. This atmospheric read pulled me in before the end of the first chapter.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #PenguinGeneralUK and the author #TracySierra for my ARC of #Nightwatching in exchange for an honest review.

This is hard book for me to describe as although I did enjoy the read I did struggle at times to connect to the story. It’s a slow build of a book and as it progressed the tension mounted and sure as heck never quite knew where it was all going to end.
The writing is superb and the author did a fine job of keeping the reader glued to the page but for me there were times when I lost my way and wasn’t quite sure what was going on but it had a very good conclusion. So overall it was a good read and I’m sure I’m in the minority by giving it 4 stars.
My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin General UK for giving me the opportunity to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I wasn't able to finish this book due to time constraints but loved it, couldn't put it down unless sleeping. I will be buying it as soon as it is published, My apologies

Oh my!
This book really put me through the wringer. Tense is not enough to describe it. I also felt claustrophobic and anxious reading it. A great read.

Thank you for the arc.
I struggled to get into this novel I tried a few times but couldn’t connect.

Rather than leave a bad review for a book I clearly am not into I will leave a modest rating and allow others to make their mind up.

Thank you.