Wow! This book starts and never lets you go. What a ride. I couldn't stop turning the pages, completely riveted from the opening line—questioning everything and trusting no one. Fair warning, if you want to sleep, don't start this book just before going to bed. Haha. An absolute ripper of a debut from Tracy Sierra. I can't wait to see what she does next.

Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for an advanced copy.

I had the privilege of getting an early look at Tracy Sierra's upcoming debut novel, "Nightwatching," thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, and let me tell you, it was a heart-pounding, five-star read from start to finish.

Sierra's story begins with a mother and her two small children, huddled together in their old, isolated house during a raging snowstorm. The children are asleep, and the night seems peaceful until a sound shatters the tranquility. The woman's instant alertness, combined with the realization that they are not alone in the house, sets the stage for a nail-biting psychological thriller.

The narrative alternates between the tense present and well-crafted flashbacks that delve into the lives of the woman, her husband, and his family. Despite the occasional lengthy internal monologues that tempted me to skip ahead, they provided invaluable insights into the protagonist's thoughts and emotions, enhancing the overall experience.

Beneath the surface of this gripping tale, Sierra weaves a scathing commentary on the treatment of women by some men – the doubts, contradictions, belittlement of their instincts, and the potential for violence. It serves as a stark reminder of the harsh realities women face.

Sierra's debut novel is nothing short of remarkable. She masterfully maintains the tension throughout the story, keeping readers on the edge of their seats. While I occasionally thought the plot might take a different direction or hinted at dark twists that never materialized, it only added to the suspense and kept me eagerly turning the pages.

"Nightwatching" is a fast-paced and thoroughly enjoyable read, perfect for fans of psychological thrillers. However, a word of caution: it's not the book to pick up if you're planning to read it alone at night! Tracy Sierra has crafted an exceptional debut that deserves to find its place on bookshelves and in the hands of avid readers.

Once again, a heartfelt thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me the opportunity to read this advance copy of "Nightwatching." It's a literary gem that I highly recommend to anyone seeking an exhilarating and unforgettable reading experience.

NIGHTWATCHING by Tracy Sierra
PUBLISHED DATE - 8 Feb 2023

I really struggled with this book from page one!
The writing style and characters did not hold my attention.

Sadly, this book was not for me.

I WANT TO THANK NETGALLEY FOR THE OPPORTUNITY OF READING AN ADVANCED READING COPY IN RETURN FOR AN HONEST REVIEW.

Nightwatching is an absolute rollercoaster, I loved the tense fast pace yet also minutes felt like hours and vice versa. Everything was so skilfully written and I didn't know who to trust and that all added to the suspense. You won't want to put this down and I completely flew through this book, highly recommend.

There’s a blizzard outside, a mother is alone with two young children, there is a stranger on the stairs of the old New England house, so where to hide to protect them from his evil intent?

Wowza, this is one incredible book, can I breathe now??! Right from the first few words the tension is so thick you could cut it with a knife as you feel as if you are standing in that house with her. Her fear is tangible, it seems like a living thing, the freezing outdoor temperatures matching her frozen fear. The creaky old house alerts her to the presence and its atmosphere is a strong and powerful thing. Claustrophobia? Not half, it’s almost smothering in its intensity, the menace gives me chills. Suspense? Too right there is and it’s there from the beginning to the very end. Fast paced? You bet, almost heart poundingly so. Twists and turns? There absolutely are, as you question what you learn and your thoughts turn in a multitude of directions, hoping and praying all will be well.

The quality of the writing here is simply fantastic. It’s written from the unnamed mothers perspective and that is quite fascinating. Her internal thoughts and monologues are riveting as she silently responds to the intruder, hatches plans, reflects on incidents in her life, including tragedies, muses on her motherhood and the guilt she feels, all of these are sharply incisive. There are several occasions where you feel anger on her behalf and though occasionally you do feel some doubt, her brave persistence is truly admirable.

The characterisation is exemplary. You do SEE her, the sweet children, her truly awful father-in-law, and the police officers who question her.

Overall, I can’t praise this book highly enough. As psychological thrillers go this is one of those stellar ones as it’s a genuine “under the covers“ read.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Penguin General UK for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review .

This was a rollercoaster of a read! When a stranger breaks into a woman’s house, she is thrust into the most terrifying situation with her two young children. Time becomes weirdly distorted for her which the writer captures well; minutes seem to last for much longer than that and those minutes take up entire chapters. The effect is monumentally brilliant and I found myself racing through the first half of the novel to find out just whether the little family survive. The second half of the novel, however, lags a little. The woman is so full of anger – rightly so — but somehow doesn’t take her anger out on the right people which was jarring. It felt a little like the author was pontificating which slowed the pace. Otherwise though, a really enjoyable and spine-chilling read.

With many thanks to Netgalley and Penguin books for this free arc and I am leaving this unbiased review voluntarily

This book is not just good it is seriously good! Atmospheric, fast paced, and the tension throughout this book is breathtaking. Loved the way the author wrote this in the form of the first person entwined with monologues giving us further insight into the mothers’ thoughts. The build up to the end, not knowing if the mother was telling the truth, lying or imagining everything is so cleverly done. Highly addictive read and an incredible debut. 5⭐️ and then some

A women and her two small children are at home in their old house late at night, in a raging snowstorm, the children are asleep. The woman hears a sound, she’s on instant alert and realises that they are definitely not in the house alone. What should she do? Run? Hide? Can she alert anyone without giving their location in the large house away?


This is an on the edge of your seat psychological thriller which manages to sustain the tension of what is happening in the house, even while including flashbacks to allow us to discover more about the woman, her husband and his family.


The internal monologues of the woman gave us a deeper understanding into how she was feeling and what she was thinking. At times I thought they were rather long and must admit I skipped ahead a little bit.


Underneath the story there is a blistering commentary about the way some men treat women; the way they query and contradict, belittle a woman’s instincts and reactions to others about whom they feel wary. Not to mention the violence that can be meted out.


For a debut novel I think this is a really accomplished piece of work, it deserves to do well.


Thank you in to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.

The premise of Nightwatching held me in a vise-like grip. A mother at home late at night with her two sleeping children realises there is someone in her house. What does she do? Can you imagine anything more terrifying?!

I read late into the night to find out what would come after. Full marks for intense, sustained tension. After that I felt the story lagged a bit. Too much overly complex backstory? Too much mental dialogue and self criticism? Hyper sensitivity to male chauvinism? Not sure I warmed to the mother so didn't feel the empathy I would have expected. I couldn't get a good read on her. It felt like harder work than it should be but I did persevere and was glad I did. The direction of travel was very good and the end seemed satisfying.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a great story with great characters and the author has a great writing style. I will definately be looking to read more by this author.

I really loved this book I was not a big fan of the writing style but the story was intense and kept me at the edge of my seat. I highly recommend this for all thriller lovers!
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this ARC book.

This was tense!

It's every mother's worst nightmare. Alone in the house with small children, no immediate neighbours, cut off by a storm - and there's somebody in the house. That's the premise of this taut thriller. Told in the present, with flashbacks as to how the narrator got to this point, it's written anonymously. I'm not sure we ever find out the protagonist's name, or those of her children, but that doesn't take away from the very real sense of danger that permeates every page.

There were points when I thought this was going to turn into something else, and I suspected a dark twist that was definitely foreshadowed but didn't materialise, I don't know how deliberate either of those red herrings were. Either way this is a fastpaced and enjoyable read but be warned, this is not a book to read when you are alone at night, or indeed at any point! 3.5*

I really struggled to get into this book. I don’t think writing it in the third-person helped me understand the character.

Absolutely brilliant book, had me hooked from the first page. It literally had me sliding further & further under the covers whilst I was reading. A scalpel-sharp incisive exploration of what it means to be a mother & a woman in todays society. Utterly fantastic read.

Omg what a claustrophobic thriller this was I was hooked from the first page until the very last. It was a very creepy suspenseful book with a very realistic storyline. Highly recommend this thriller to everyone. Thanks to netgallery and the publisher for my advanced copy.

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 this sound is disturbingly familiar: it's the tread of footsteps, unusually heavy and slow, coming up the stairs...In that split second, she has three choices. Should she hide? Should she run? Or should she fight?

Phenomenal! Gripping and claustrophobic, I was completely hooked. It’s so rare I come across a book I genuinely can’t put down, but NIGHTWATCHING is the perfect blend of creepy, haunting and absolutely thrilling. One to watch!

This absolutely took over my life for the day until I'd got through every last page! It's more than just a thriller, it is just realistic and relatable in terms of a mother's guilt, depression, how people perceive you, how Authority figures judge women and how far a mother will go to fight for her kids! It's so cleverly written and nothing is what it 1st seems. It was so tense and atmospheric and absolutely filled with suspense. Such a good book!

#Nightwatching #NetGalley
Chilly.
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 sound is disturbingly familiar: it's the tread of footsteps, unusually heavy and slow, coming up the stairs...In that split second, she has three choices. Should she hide? Should she run? Or should she fight?
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin UK for giving me an advance copy.

Wow what a book! Thank you to Netgallery and the publisher for this ARC the publication date is the 9th Feb 2024! I loved this book lots of twists and turns which kept me on the edge of my seat throughout my favourite character was the mother as I would always wonder what would happen next.

It’s late, a mother is woken by her young son having night terrors. She’s just got him back to sleep when she hears a noise. A footstep. It’s too heavy to be her daughter sleep walking. Someone must have broken in, she’s too far from her phone, there’s a snowstorm outside and her two children to protect. She has to make her decisions quickly.

I was hooked from the first chilling chapter. A claustrophobic and tense thriller, about a mothers choices when a monster breaks into her home. I was so desperate for the family to be safe that I couldn’t stop reading. Gradually we learn more about the mother and her family and begin to question her reality. An atmospheric story that I would recommend, although maybe don’t read it when you’re home alone like I did!