I was intrigued by the book blurb on this book and felt compelled to read it. I had read a couple of reviews and readers seemed to be terrified by it and advised not to read it late at night! Well…………I wasn’t terrified but it’s definitely a scary thought some man being in your house when you are home alone with your kids. Luckily, this mother lives in a very old house with more than one staircase and connecting doors and secret panels and hiding places.
It’s quite hard to summarise my feelings as I read it without spoilers, suffice to say at times it was a bit slow, at times it was a bit of an imagination stretch and at times I wondered (as I was supposed to I presume) if there actually was an intruder or if it was all in the mother’s mind.
I was definitely intrigued enough to read on and see what ultimately happened. I don’t suppose any of us knows how we would react in that situation.

I couldn’t resist requesting this book after seeing it mentioned on social media by a number of authors that I admire. This wouldn’t necessarily be my type of read, as I find reading books that involve children in precarious situations to be a bit much for me, but this book lived up to the hype.

A mother is at home alone with her daughter and son when she becomes aware of a presence in the house. Does she try and get out, fight or hide? What follows was a vivid story of a mother and her devotion to her children,

There is one part in particular near the end that actually made me gasp out loud when reading. I really couldn’t predict which way the story would go whilst reading.

Thank you NetGalley for a thrilling, if scary, read.

In the synopsis of Nightwatching......

There was someone in the house.
In that split second, she has three choices.
Should she hide? Should she run? Or should she fight?

What she shouldn't do is go in to some sort of introspection mode. Anyone ever faced with a life or death choice isn't afforded the luxury of a novel's worth of self-analysis. I know, I've been there several times.

So, for me it was in no way scary or even thrilling and didn't bear any semblance of reality.

This is scary in as much as how quickly the police believe that she is psychotic and imagining what has occurred.

The story was really scary in places, although it was slow in parts hence 3 stars.

Wow wow wow, I hated how scary this was at the beginning and could not stop thinking about it. I wanted to just read this book all day long, well written, believable, and I would recommend this to anyone.

A completely spellbinding book, the story of a woman who, having had to face assumptions and comments from an early age because of her skin pigmentation, is already doubtful of her own worth. But with her husband in an old house in a new area she has a happy family - though her father in law makes it clear that she is not to his taste. Tending to her mother in law up to her death does not change her father in law's opinion of her and he tries to create tension between her and her husband. Incidents pass, some small and some serious, life changing and her childhood anxieties rise, leaving her feeling exposed and as though she is being watched.
The author describes the feelings of desperation, the fear of net being believed and the self doubt to perfection. A book that will make you check the doors and double checking your own actions. A reminder to keep faith in yourself. Five stars.

I enjoyed this but found it a bit slow in places, the premise drew me in but I just don't think it lived up to the hype. Still an enjoyable read

Oh my God! What a Book!

I assumed at first glance that this book would be a straightforward thriller about an intruder in a house, but it was just so much more.

The un-named lead character was so relatable and so multi-faceted. It was great to read something involving Vitiligo also, as it's not spoken about much in places that I see / watch.

This book had me on the edge of my seat throughout, heart beating fast and dying to read more. Admittedly, it also scared the daylights out of me reading alone in the house.

I devoured the ending of the book. It was fantastic! I cannot recommend this book enough.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for the ARC of this book.

Nightwatching has a gripping plot and is well-written, but personally I found the constant tension drawn out, unenjoyable and DNF. This is a personal view that I'm sure many others will disagree with - there wasn't enough light and shade for me.

This book held my attention from the start and even though it moved slowly in places and I was willing the author to up the pace, it still had me gripped. I switched from being sure of knowing what was happening and then doubting my judgement. Was there really a murderous man in the house stalking them intent on killing them or was she actually delusional and becoming a danger to herself and her own children? Did her husband actually die accidentally or was he pushed by either her or the mysterious Corner?
It was obvious the police did not believe her, but was she telling the truth? It was very neatly wrapped up in the end. A gripping story!

This is just superb in so many ways. For me, it is a literary thriller - one that did (sorry, cliche, I know!) keep me on the edge of my seat/reading into the small hours. It's gripping. It's clever. It does things that other, similar novels don't do.

Here, we are introduced to a mother (unnamed, throughout) and her two children. They are living in their remote New England home and there is a blizzard outside. The mother wakes to comfort one of her children in the middle of the night and sees a man coming up the stairs. What happens next is scary, creepy, somewhat implausible but, above all, very original.

'Nightwatching' sees the mother and her children hiding in the secret place - one is always thinking what is the intruder going to do next? What if he sets the house alight? Maybe they'll never get out, or perhaps triumph will overcome adversity and the best wo(man) will win. This is claustrophobic and harrowing. From the outset, I thought the whole story would take place in the hidden place, perhaps akin to Emma Donoghue's 'Room', but it changes direction more than once - and writing more about this would spoil it for readers.

The anonymous nature of the characters and the specific place adds to the isolation of 'Nightwatching'. Yes, okay, it is hard to imagine that all of this would take place - but the way Sierra switches what readers feel (from believing the woman, to questioning her, to being on her side again) is extremely clever. Here, I was taken on a journey that was nail-biting but also one that made want to know the truth. Read this and you'll see what I mean.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for a review..

I hadn’t heard much about this book, nor the author, before reading the blurb on NG which peaked my interest.

I have to say, I found this book captivating. Giving no spoilers, I had no idea a book where a lot of chapters take place in one location could be so enthralling. It’s such a good story, the writing is fabulous and I found myself on such a rollercoaster with the protagonist and what she thought was happening, second guessing alongside her. I loved this!

Nightwatching is a compelling, fast-paced read from the very start. The passages and settings are so precise and descriptive that I was filled with terror for days while reading this novel.
It is a clever story that goes full circle and puts readers through many doubts and feelings. The second quarter of the book gets a little slower, with a lot of reminiscences about the past, but it picks back up quickly and efficiently, with a couple of twists along the way. All of them are delivered quickly and punchily, in the same fashion that defines the writing style throughout.
A very engaging read that chilled me to the bone!
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Pamela Dornan, who kindly shared an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

After reading the reviews I was really looking forward to this book, however it completely failed to live up to premise for me. The first part of the book dragged for me and I did not get the sense of 'dread' that everyone was referring to. It also irritated me that the author did not name her characters. I am afraid that I gave up and did not finish this. Not for me I am afraid.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for the advance copy of this book.

TRACY SIERRA – NIGHTWATCHING *****

I have to admit. For the first hour, I became agnostic towards her constant internal feelings, this obsessive, possibly deranged, woman. Then I somehow slotted into her wavelength, her own “am I making this up, no I’m sure I’m not”.

There was someone in the house.

A chilling opening made worse by this being the premise of the story. A recently bereaved mother in a haunted house trying to protect her children from a man she thinks she has seen before. Or has she? And why does her young daughter recognise his voice?

Don’t want to spoil the plot, so won’t say any more, other than I couldn’t put it down. This is a tense and brilliant book about a vulnerable mother not being believed by anyone, trying to protect her children when family and police and neighbours think she’s making everything up. Is she? Isn’t she? And why, when she answers questions asked by the police, do they disprove everything she believes is fact?

Why indeed?

Chilling and tense from the outset, this is not one for the fainthearted! Creepy footsteps chill a woman, a mother alone at home at night. She has just got her children to bed and is terrified when she hears the noise of someone in the house. The story messes with her mind and reality and the tension build until you are unsure what is real, but it is definitely a terrifying nightmare.

A mother alone at home with her children. It's dark and there's a blizzard outside. She hears a noise. Someone is in the house. Her first thought is naturally to protect hide and protect her young children. You can imagine the tension that is ever present as the intruder circles ever nearer to their claustrophobic hiding place. Will he find them? Will she be believed should she live to tell the tale?
Tracy Sierra gives us a blanket-clutching plot line that runs from beginning to end. A gripping drama, not for the faint-hearted, delivered at a pace that matches the heart rate of the terrified participants. Scary!!

A widowed mother and her two children are home alone in their old house. It is a cold outside and a blizzard is raging. When they hear a noise, there is an intruder in the house, so he takes her kids and hides in the secret room in the back of the fireplace. She has forgot her phone so there is no way to contact anyone. She hears the intruder going through the house trying to find them. Tautening them as he goes. The mother thinks that she recognises the voice of the intruder. The man who works in the sandwich shop.
Thank you, Penguin, for a copy of Night watching by Tracy Sierra. I saw some good reviews for this. So, I thought I would give it a read. I must be one of the minorities here by I found the first part of the story involving them hiding the secret room quite annoying. I was so invested in the storyline and wanted to know what happens next and the story then reveals unnecessary backstory that I lost the connection. I didn’t like any of the characters. Even the Police was not reassuring. I struggled through out this book that I couldn’t finished it. 2 stars from me.

Oh my goodness. This book. From the very first page I literally could not put it down and yet dreaded picking it back up again, for fear of what was still to come. This book was so suspenseful, I literally held my breath the entire time I was reading, and I’m sure my blood pressure was through the roof! I was right there with the mother and her two children in that house experiencing everything right along with them, and I will now read every single thing this author ever writes without hesitation. I’m blown away to think this is a debut novel. It was equal parts brilliant and absolutely horrendous and I cannot recommend it enough. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I will be buying this one for my bookshelf.

'I know that voice. The man in the corner. From my dreams'.

Night has fallen and as a blizzard screams outside, only muffled silence can be heard after the mother puts her son back to bed. Until, the distinctive creak of the stairs. The creak of somebody coming up them, but no, it's an old house and there's a storm, the voice of doubt tells her. Until she sees the shadow of a large man holding a weapon, wondering which room to enter. 'In the gripping swirl of her animal frenzy, adrenaline, and helplessness, she remembers the hidden place'.

'Nightwatching' kicks off with terror. The syncopated, palpitations are visceral as the schematic mind of the mother calculates every noise and movement of the house and the monster within it. Hidden in a long-lost alcove, she waits with her children and lives out the nightmare. All the while the corrosive thoughts of self-doubt eat away at her resolve and ability to take action. As we listen to her innermost thoughts, we also learn more about her life leading up to this moment, and just how fragile her state of mind is. What do you do when no one believes you?

I enjoyed this thriller and it definitely kept up the intensity, although I would have enjoyed more pace at times. You will read it cover to cover because nothing seems completely real and so you're just not sure how it could possibly end!