OMG! THIS BOOK!

This is the kind of dark, fast-paced, give me nightmares book that I feel like I've been looking for all my life!

Nightwatching made me squirm, it made me question everything I know about dark and creepy psych thrillers and most of all, it kept me guessing right until the very end.

Tracy Sierra's writing leaves you no choice but to keep turning the page and keeping reading one more chapter. It propels you along at a rate of knots, and I found myself almost skipping over words in my eagerness to read more.

My only criticism, and this is a personal thing, it that some of the back story slowed the pace of the book too much for me. I've no doubt there are readers out there who were/will be grateful for a little rest!

‘Nightwatching’ a totally gripping psychological thriller, and the well-written, if somewhat unreliable main character had me questioning the events that occurred even as I was reading them! There is so much atmosphere – the snowstorm, and the build up to Christmas are a truly fitting setting, which made the events feel even more sinister. I initially struggled with the fact that none of the characters are named, they are referred to as the protagonists’ husband, father-in-law, son, daughter, the sergeant and so-on, I did feel this made it harder to relate to them but was very in-keeping with the style of the story. All in all, Nightwatching is an absolutely chilling read which I am more than happy to recommend.

I struggled with this book at first but pleased I kept going with it. All I will,say is it gets better. !
My thanks as always to NetGalley and to Penguin General UK - Fig Tree, Hamish Hamilton, Viking, Penguin Life, Penguin Business, Viking for the early read

The definition of a thriller. I read the final 50 pages or so frozen in terror.

This book was truly gripping with so so much terror in the suspense. There was also a lot of insightful comments and discussion about the evidence, believing victims and women being labelled as crazy.

This book will be huge in 2024, I have no doubt.

This is a book about a mother who protects her two children by hiding away in the house when there is an intruder. She escapes to call the police. They don't believe her and at times she wonders if she had gone mad. The reader follows her journey to prove that she wasn't making anything up. Unnerving

I thought this book was going to be a standard thriller but I’ve had to read it in two sittings and it’s frightened the life out of me!
A mum of 2 small children wakes in the night to the realisation that there is someone in her house. In her need to protect them she finds a hiding place, and thinks about all the things leading up to this moment. The latter part of the book looks at her psychological state, whether she has lied, whether she is believable or simply a vulnerable, unreliable female perpetrator, rather than a victim.
I think I held my breath through a large part of the first half of the book, but then either raged or reevaluated my feelings through the second. This is a sophisticated, clever book. More like Ashley Audrain’s The Push, than a big-standard thriller, with its questioning about expected female behaviours and motherhood. Very, very good.
Thanks to Net Galley.

I’d like to thank Penguin General UK and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Nightwatching’ written by Tracy Sierra in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

After settling her son back to sleep the woman can hear someone moving around the house, where she knows every squeak and creak of the floorboards, and realises she and her children are not alone. She’s positive she knows him from somewhere, and her daughter calls him the Corner Man as he’s the person she sees in her nightmares standing in the corner of her bedroom. Paralysed with the knowledge that she won’t be able to get to her husband’s gun or her phone to call for help, she shuts them in a hidden cupboard until they can escape.

Although ‘Nightwatching’ is classed as general fiction/mystery and thriller, I’d call it a horror novel as it certainly had me spooked late last night. It’s cleverly-written with a well thought-out plot and is oh so scary with a predator who the children believe is a monster, but I have no idea how the mother can fall asleep while they’re being hunted? I thought it a pity that throughout no names are given to any of the characters except the Corner Man as I do like to be able to form a connection with those I’m reading about, but despite this it was a compelling and disturbing novel that kept me reading while looking in the corners.

Thank you to Netgalley for this advanced copy.

I’m not sure entirely how to rate this book. There are so many twists and turns and at every point you are questioning whether the FMC is right or whether there is something more.

It definitely had me on toes and once nearing the end, I couldn’t put it down.

I personally didn’t like the ending but that doesn’t take it away from how the book was well written with past and present events.

Nightwatching I would class as a bit of a horror, after reading the first couple of chapters I genuinely believed I was going to have nightmares, I have a lot of corners in my room haha, luckily I didn’t have nightmares though!
We start the book stood in the sons bedroom doorway when she realises there is someone in the house, fear paralysed her until she realises she has to get her and her children to safety if they are going to survive the night.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced reading copy.

Nightwatching is an incredibly tense and unnerving book, I loved the ambiguity around our narrator's reliability and felt the story had great pacing, it was a genuinely terrifying read at points!

If you're looking for a thriller that's going to have you looking round every corner and has you genuinely afraid to fall asleep, you have to get Nightwatching on your TBR immediately!
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Of all the books I've read, this is one that really stuck with me even in my dreams— everything I want in a psychological thriller. From the synopsis, I had a strong feeling this would be good but it was even better than I expected. The writing kept me completely gripped and I was obsessed with the unreliable main character; she had me questioning the events that occurred even as I was reading them happening, while also making me feel guilty for doing so.
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It's hard to say too much without spoiling anything but this was, without a doubt, one of the scariest books I've read. I'll admit it took the first few chapters to really become used to the writing style, what with the odd flashback and constantly reading our MC's inner thoughts (both of which I came to love), but before I knew it I was fully engrossed and became desperate to find out what was real and what wasn't.
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This is a perfect winter read as it's set during a snowstorm in the days leading up to Christmas; I also thought this was the perfect setting for this style of book and ultimately made it more spine-chilling. This was such a tense and creepy read, I need all fans of horrors and thrillers to pick it up as soon as it's out!

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for the eARC!

Well this was a thrilling treat.

This was like reading a nightmare unfolding before my eyes and I was genuinely scared at points.

The characters were well written and relatable.

This suspense packed psychological thriller is guaranteed to cause your chest to tighten, your spine to tingle and your heart to pump faster. It’s every mother’s worst nightmares rolled into one.

A mother living alone with her two young children in an old, large and rambling house awakens to the sound of footsteps slowly creaking up the stairs. An intruder has broken in. Somehow, she needs to get her children to safety. Somewhere they can hide and wait while he burgles their house, takes what he wants and leaves. But this is not a regular burglar. The mother will need to be very smart indeed if she’s to find the courage to outwit him and keep her children safe.

Life hasn’t been easy for the mother lately. She has tried to get on with her father-in-law but he is always criticising her and her children. She did her best to help him with the recent illness and of his wife, but matters came to a head when his wife died and now she has refused to see him. Her husband blames her, saying she must have done something to upset him and this soon became a constant bone of contention, upsetting their previous happy marriage.

The family’s house is isolated, surrounded by trees and a long way from the closest neighbours in a newly developed estate. The mother and her husband liked it for that very reason and have always felt safe here, but now he’s not at home. It’s winter and a blizzard is raging outside, so there is no way she can drag two tiny children in just their nightclothes into that. She needs to keep them quiet and hidden and try not to frighten them.

The writing in this masterful debut novel is excellent. Right from the start the tension builds up relentlessly and at times is almost unbearable. The reader may find they need to put the book down occasionally just to take a breath. There are periods of respite where the mother reflects back on her life and marriage, their time living in the house and the problems with her father-in-law.

The mother is under so much pressure at times that her metal state becomes fragile and she starts to question if she is imagining the intruder, or wonders if it’s all just some horrific nightmare and she’ll awaken soon back in her bed. Although none of the characters are named, they are well drawn, particularly the fragility but also strength of the mother and the hideous nature of the intruder. The atmosphere is claustrophobic, extremely creepy and very intense and the plotting perfectly timed to keep the reader glued to the pages, needing to know how it will all end. If you enjoy spine-tingling psychological thrillers, don’t miss this one!

Do not read this book when home alone!

Nightwatching is an incredibly tense and gripping thriller. I made the mistake of reading it when home alone and I was petrified. The first chapter had chills running down my spine and it felt like I was right there with her. I cannot recommend this enough.

This was an ok thriller! I personally didn't find anything spectacular about it, and did find it a little predictable, however when reading it at night it did creep me out a bit and give me an uneasy feeling! I thought it was well paced and it did keep my attention. I would have just liked some more surprising twists and turns.

Overall I enjoyed this novel. I thought it was quite unique and different.
A little slow at the start but I stuck with it as the story and the background of the main character unfolded. I actually found it quite terrifying in parts like a horror movie! and could really picture the setting of the old house surrounded by woods in the snow. I could imagine this novel being turned into a movie or TV drama.
A satisfying ending too as the plot lines and twists were wrapped up. I’d recommend Nightwatching but maybe not to read it alone late at night!
Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for providing an advance copy in return for my honest opinion. I have also published this review on Goodreads.

This is such a difficult book to put down!

Living an an old house means there are lots of creaks and noises. After settling her son back into his bed, a mother is standing in the shadows when she sees a man in her home; but she knows that he can't see her so she stays, unmoving, while her mind panics. When he goes into one room, she quickly gathers her children and takes them down another staircase, all the time impressing on them the need to stay silent. With a blizzard raging outside, it's unlikely they can get out - but the house has a secret hidey-hole which only she knows about. Will that keep them safe?

This is a heart-pounding, blood-pumping read which had me hooked within the first couple of pages and kept me there throughout. I had picked up on a clue, so expected it to end as it did but it is a gripping read- quite terrifying in places and as scary as can be! I never fail to be impressed at how brave some characters are! However, as a dog lover I always find myself thinking - both when reading and watching tv - that if they had a dog they wouldn't be in that position. Thank goodness, from a literary point of view, that not everyone has a canine protector! Thrilling beyond belief, this is an easy 5* and definitely one I would recommend.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley; this is - as always - my honest, original and unbiased review.

A mother is home alone with her two children during a blizzard when she realises that an intruder is in the home. After hiding her children she needs to try and find a way to escape. Does she know who the intruder is and will she manage to get help?

I saw a lot of high reviews for this one so was keen to read. Unfortunately I didn’t love this one. I appreciate that the story is written well and there is a creepy, tense atmosphere throughout, however I found that I was quite bored for the majority of the book. I couldn’t connect with the characters and found there wasn’t too much going on with the plot, with a lot of repetition. I can see why others might have enjoyed it but sadly this one wasn’t for me at this time. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this copy in return for an honest review.

Full review to come on Goodreads and Amazon. Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for a review copy

I had read about this book on social media where there were rave reviews about it so I was pleased to receive an ARC. It is the story of a woman trapped in a snowbound house with her two young children. She is convinced that there is someone in the house, someone who is after her daughter. Someone who she calls The Corner.

What I liked about this book. It's billed as tense and it's certainly that. The beginning of the book where she is hiding with her children in a space behind a wall, is heart pounding. The description of her father-in-law and his behaviour is very good.

What I didn't like. I didn't like the fact that characters weren't named. They were her husband, father and mother in law, daughter, son, the sergeant, the boyish police officer. This made it hard to relate to any of the characters. The flashbacks were very long, too long for the time she had to process them. I didn't like it that no one in authority took her seriously. Surely there would have been some dissenting voices?

Overall, a readable book which I'd recommend to those who enjoy tense thrillers. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.