this book was reviewed in 2024 on Day Drinking with Authors

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Meg and her husband were on the way to drop off their daughter to college when a tragic accident occurs resulting in her husbands death. Her daughter is still struggling months later and Meg is barely surviving. And then suddenly weird things start happening at her familys bookstore and Meg starts to wonder what is really going on. Her daughter is also expeirencing odd things and starts to do her own research. In this research she discovers that her grandfather was not as crazy as she was told and that maybe people are really after her and her family. Through Meg and her daughters efforts they work to restore their lives back to normal.

This was an interesting book and at first I liked it but it got to be a little out there. I understand the purpose and what it was about but I think it was just too far out there for me. It was well written and did have the suspense aspect which I did enjoy. It was a good book.

TL;DR: The latest thriller from Gaylin (THE COLLECTIVE, also an incredible thriller), is about a widowed mother who will do whatever it takes to protect her family from conspiracy theorists who believe the family is covering up dark secrets. Like THE COLLECTIVE, #WeAreWatching is pulse-pounding, page-turning entertainment; an edge-of-your-seat suspense novel, but also one that explores themes of internet culture, misinformation, and the dangers of group think.

Book started out strong, but by about 80% I was losing interest. It started to feel very repetitive, and I just didn't really care how it ended.

Meg Russo lost her husband in a terrifying car crash while they were driving their daughter to move in day for college. The accident stemmed from the family being terrorized by a group of young men in a car next to them. After the loss of her husband, Meg and her daughter Lily try to move their life forward, but soon realize there may have been more to their loss then they imagined.

We Are Watching is a very well done suspenseful, conspiracy theory story with characters that truly stand out. The plot was really well thought out, guiding the reader from the current evil circling the Russo family to where it all stemmed from decades before. Really well done!! The narrator also did an amazing job with bringing the many characters to life in the audiobook.

A solid thriller with a fast pace. The premise was creative and timely and I raced through to the end.

Entertaining and suspenseful.

If you're surrounded by conspiracy nuts or just kooks with crazy ideas, then this psychological thriller will hit in a different way. Sometimes people in this day and age get a little derailed by a seemingly normal event or person and that's what happens in this book. Misinformation and conspiracists attract these truthers who, unfortunately, carry things way too far when they decide to act.

The plot centers around a family who are targeted and pursued by violent online conspiracy theorists. The Russos -- Justin, Meg, and their daughter, Lily -- are threatened by some obsessed cult who latched onto the family because of their deluded notion that music lyrics (written by rock musician Nathan who is Meg's father) and a book (written by Meg as a teenager) contain proof of Satanism, a curse, and predictions of the end of the world which the group believes is coming in just a few days time. The true believers' behavior is escalating as the "end" approaches and everyone in the Russo family is in extreme danger.

This was fast paced and a bit out there, and I liked it. Certainly some suspension of disbelief required, but the concept was well developed and the characters interesting. I always wonder, though, how people can get so drawn into an idea that is kind of bonkers.

I was able to listen to the audio book while also reading along in the e-book ARC, both provided by the publishers for review. The narrator, Jennifer Pickens, did a great job of voicing all the characters and bringing dramatic flair to the story. Her performance definitely enhanced my enjoyment of the twisty and somewhat chilling novel.

The premise had me instantly: a grieving mother being hunted by conspiracy theorists convinced her late husband’s YA novel predicted the apocalypse? Wild, timely, and unsettling in all the right ways. The blend of psychological suspense and cultural commentary was definitely gripping at points, especially when the story leaned into the paranoia and chaos of internet-fueled extremism.

But while the concept is strong, the emotional arc didn’t always land for me. Meg’s grief and the escalating tension started strong but lost momentum as the plot got more convoluted. Some of the reveals felt more out-there than earned, and I wanted a deeper emotional payoff—especially between Meg and her daughter Lily.

Still, if you're into thrillers that tap into the current zeitgeist with a slightly surreal edge, this one delivers a fast-paced ride. It just didn’t fully live up to the intensity of its premise. Solid, but not unforgettable.

3.5 really good for fans of the Stillhouse lake series. I enjoyed the premise a lot I just wish the actions scenes had been longer or more intense. That would have elevated it to a 4 star read for me.

I really enjoyed this book. It had creepy cult vibes that kept me guessing through the whole book. I never knew who could be trusted. It definitely surprised me several times. I have read several books by Alison Gaylin and I really enjoyed her storytelling.

This is one of those wild, what the heck did I just read kind of books - which honestly is exactly the kind of thriller I enjoy! With the original plot though, there was definitely a lack of depth here, it doesn't seem like one that will stick with me for a long time. But these kinds of books are perfect for when you need a popcorn thriller to keep you entertained. I would definitely recommend this to someone who asked for an original and fun thriller that you could get through in a weekend!

3.5 stars rounded up. This thriller started off strong for me, but my attention drifted a bit in the middle and never fully bounced back. I felt like I spent most of the book waiting for something big to happen, which was fun in a way but also really wasn't. It was suspenseful and weird in a realistic, sort of timely way though and could be creepy at times.

I read an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All comments are my own.

I've loved a previous book by this author and I was so freaking excited to get her newest one! Unfortunately, this one didn't grip me or live up to my own hype for it. And I've learned that thriller revolving around conspiracies are maybe not for me.

Meg Russo had it all—a loving husband, a gifted daughter headed off to college, and a car ride full of hope... until everything flipped upside down. Literally. One strange encounter with an erratic car and a horrific crash later, Meg is widowed, grieving, and holding onto her daughter Lily like a life raft.

Fast-forward four months: Meg is trying to put the pieces back together by reopening her charming little bookstore. But instead of healing, she gets... doomsday cultists. Yep. Apparently, The Prophesy—a YA novel she wrote two decades ago—is now the holy text of a band of online nutcases who think it predicted a literal apocalypse. Satanic panic? Check. Social media-fueled rage? Check. Death threats and creepy messages in your bookstore? Check, check, check.

As the chaos ramps up, Meg realizes two things:

This is no ordinary fanbase.

Her husband’s “accident” might not have been so accidental.

This novel is a tense, timely ride that taps into modern fears about online extremism and how fast fiction can turn into fanaticism. The buildup is a slow burn, but once it hits its stride, buckle up. It’s fast-paced, unsettling, and weirdly realistic (which makes it all the scarier). The ending might not match the thrilling setup beat for beat, but the ride there? Totally worth it.

Meg is a heroine you root for, Lily is fierce and smart, and the danger feels all-too-real.

A twisty, relevant thriller that shows how fiction can become weaponized—and how far a mother will go to protect her daughter. Highly recommended for fans of psychological suspense, social commentary, and stories that leave you side-eyeing your Wi-Fi.

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC—this one gave me chills in the best way.

Thank you to William Morrow for the digital copy to review.

This was a WILD ride, it started with a bang (or rather, a crash) right from the start and was fast paced until the very end, and as such I read this in one setting. Intense, heart pounding and heart breaking, I loved the premise, thought it was well executed, and yikes, that ending was nuts.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This mystery thriller had an interesting premise, but it didn’t completely live up to my expectations. The story kept me curious for a while, but the pacing felt a bit uneven, and some of the twists didn’t have the impact I was hoping for. While I enjoyed the atmosphere and some of the character development, I wasn’t fully invested in the plot.

It was an okay read, and mystery thriller fans might find it enjoyable, but it didn’t fully captivate me.

Off the wall read with many unexpected twists and turns.
Lots of drama and suspense all based on a book written 30 years earlier.
The author showcases just how out there some people can be and how far they go off the rails.

There was a lot of hype about this one so I was really excited to finally get to it. Unfortunately, for me, it did not live up to the hype. It took me a long time to read it as it did not suck me so I put it down often .

The story of a cult that has formed slowly targeting a family is a slow burn. In today's (2025) political climate (while this book is not political at all), the conversation of cult followings resonated. It is amazing what people will believe and how far they will go to protect that belief.

Retelling any of the story is a spoiler in my opinion. I felt there were some gaps in the story but overall is was OK. I am not going to ignore it and may recommend it to a fellow reader.

Equal parts psychological thriller and chilling social commentary, We Are Watching dives headfirst into the madness of conspiracy culture. After a tragic accident that shatters her family, Meg Russo just wants to grieve in peace—but the internet has other plans. What follows is a heart-pounding unraveling of paranoia, loss, and the dark side of viral belief.

Gaylin nails the terror of being hunted not just physically, but digitally. A story about grief, guilt, and the dangerous power of fiction, this one will have you checking over your shoulder.

Let’s be real. If a book involves a cult, I’ll likely be reading it (along with half the population). But what if that cult was set around the destruction of you and your family? I loved the premise of this book, because it really showed how cultish behavior can lead to real harm on innocent people. This book was incredibly creepy and made me want to keep reading.

4.5 stars rounded up.