I'm not sure that I actually liked this incredibly intense psychological thriller, heavy with conspiracy theories and rabbit holes, but it was unique and propulsive. Focusing on a family at the center of a QAnon-esque conspiracy, this novel covers the sheer insanity of the last ~4 years of sociocultural experience AND manages to scare the pants off of you. Worth a weird and disorienting read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Mark your calendars for January 2025 because this is an absolute gem of a thriller that you won't want to miss. If you enjoyed Netflix’s "Worst Roommate Ever," this book will be right up your alley.

Meg Russo’s story is one of resilience and courage. After the heartbreaking loss of her husband, she and her college-aged daughter are determined to rebuild their lives and their family bookstore. But when unsettling threats from a group of unhinged conspiracy theorists—who believe a book predicted COVID-19 and that Meg’s musician father worshiped the devil—start to chip away at their sense of safety, the tension skyrockets. As the pressure mounts, these two strong women must dig deep, confront their fears, and uncover the truth before it’s too late.

I’ll admit, the first chapter had me bracing for a typical hormonal-middle-aged-woman-in-crisis-whose-kids-hate-her story or a confusing multi-timeline plot, but I was pleasantly surprised. The narrative stays focused and engaging.

It reminded me of my college days when I was assigned a persuasive paper on an off-the-wall conspiracy theory and chose the one about Paul McCartney being replaced after a car accident. The book perfectly captures that fringe backward logic and wild speculation, like people playing records backward and seeing clues that aren’t really there. And set in a post-COVID world, with Facebook and Reddit fueling rapid misinformation, it feels more relevant than ever.

If you consider yourself a light conspiracy theorist, you’ll likely find this book intriguing without feeling offended or put off. The characters each fall somewhere on a spectrum of skepticism. However, if you’re very sensitive to themes of mental illness, particularly schizophrenia, this might not be the right fit for you, though it’s not overly dark or scary. I’d also note minor trigger warnings for antisemitism, illness, car crashes, and loss of a parent.

This would make an excellent, quick book club read, opening up rich conversations about the spread of misinformation, the spiral of delusion, and how wild theories—amplified by the anonymity of the internet—can take root and lead to real-world harm.

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

“We Are Watching” by Alison Gaylin is an intense and suspenseful psychological thriller. A couple is driving their daughter to Ithaca College when a car pulls up next to them and the passengers begin to taunt the daughter. The car crashes and the husband is killed. While trying to cope with her grief the mother starts receiving strange messages, visitors and threats. She discovers that a book she has written as a child, which was never published has become the source of a cult doomsday prophecy. The journey from broken wife to saving her daughter and herself from these fanatics is tightly woven and will keep you turning each page.

Ms. Gaylin uses conspiracy theories fed through social media to make this story very real and quite terrifying! A quick and exciting read.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book was so much better than I expected. I am so excited to buy it. Thank you so much for the ARC, Netgalley. This author may be an instant buy for me now.

While driving their daughter Lily to college, Meg and her husband Justin find themselves pursued by a car full of aggressive young men. The Russo family ends up being forced off the road and Justin is killed in the accident. Now it’s months later and Meg and Lily are trying to go on from this awful tragedy. But suddenly, they find themselves being targeted on social media and the book store Meg runs vandalized. What is behind these strange attacks? Does it go back to Meg’s father’s music career and his famous cult following. Or is it related to Meg’s own childhood novel that she wrote called “The Prophesy” which some believed to be a doomsday conspiracy novel. As the threats worsen, Meg finds herself doing everything she can to protect herself, her daughter and her father. This was a fast paced ride that came to an intense climactic finish! Loved this read and highly recommend it!

Creepy psychological thriller about a family being targeted by a violent group of people from all over the country determined to kill them. Meg and her daughter are trying to cope and heal after a terrible accident that devastates them and turns their life upside down. Just as they are starting to feel like things are getting back to normal many bizarre things start to happen, such as vandalism to their business and strangers showing up and threatening them for no apparent reason. As they try to get answers about the strange occurrences they find they can trust absolutely no one, even friends they know and trust. Fast paced, terrifying thriller that is not to be missed.

This was a very different psychological thriller for me. Using conspiracy theories as part of the novel was an unexpected twist for me. Meg and Lily are being targeted due to conspiracy theories that started with Meg’s dad. It definitely had some scary, unusual vibes to the story. Some of it was a bit far- fetched though. Overall, a quick, thrilling read.

Thank you to Net Galley and William Morrow Publishing for the ARC to read and review.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book. The Collective is my absolute favorite book. I saw this and immediately requested and read it in only a few days. This plot line was different from other mysteries I have recently read. This story was so original and fabulous! The characters were extremely well developed and I felt like I got to know each of them. Highly recommend

I enjoyed The Collective so was eager to read more.

We Are Watching starts with a fatal car crash and grows into a S*tanic Panic scare which has cursed main character Meg Russo’s family for generations. It started with her dad’s prog rock band, then when Meg was fifteen the fantasy novel she entered into a writing competition fanned the flames. When a video surfaces of her daughter Lily performing the notorious guitar solo it’s seems no one in the family is safe from the conspiracy theorists intent on harming the family.

It’s original and very good, with convincing threats or fears around each family member. Scarily believable in today’s world, where popular authors have received death threats and organised trolling / hate posting runs rampant.

The characters are very well developed. I liked the setup more than the finale, which isn’t too unusual, but it kept me entertained and reading.

Recommended.

Thanks to Netgalley and William Morrow

Meh. This was book about a family that is harassed by a group of conspiracy theorists. The plot wasn’t very interesting to me, I thought it was a bit “out there”.

Thanks to Netgalley for this eArc for my review.

A thriller that I couldn’t put down!! A paranoid Dad/Grandpa has his daughter thinking he is a little crazy when he says the “wolves” are coming for him. After the death of her husband Meg finally goes back to work at the family book store and after a customer comes in causing a scene events start unraveling. Meg starts looking through things of the past along with her daughter, doing a little snooping in the attic and they see that maybe grandpa Nate is not so crazy after all.
12-22-22 is coming and will the wolves get this family where can they save themselves before then. This literally made my heart rate go up a couple of times!

Thank you NetGalley for the arc!!

We Are Watching by Alison Gaylin is a gripping psychological thriller that keeps you on edge from start to finish. The story centers on Meg Russo, who is grappling with the aftermath of a tragic accident that claimed her husband and left her and her daughter facing a new nightmare. As they become targets of a violent conspiracy group fixated on an old novel, Meg is thrust into a harrowing battle to protect her family. Gaylin’s writing is both intense and engaging, creating a chilling atmosphere and delivering plenty of twists. The blend of psychological depth with suspense makes We Are Watching a standout read in the genre, showcasing Gaylin’s talent for crafting compelling, high-stakes narratives

This book started off a little slower until about the 25% mark. Once I got past that part I couldn’t put it down.
It was very interesting, and I had no idea where the premise of the book was going at all.

An accident, a cult and the numbers 121222, conspiracy theories, and the impact of social media are just some of the main things in this book.

This was definitely a unique thriller and now I’m gonna check out other books by this author.

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC of this book for an honest review

This book starts out with Meg and Justin driving their daughter, Lily, to her first year of college. They get into an accident that kills Justin, and then they start getting messages/threats from a weird cult-like group of people. I was a little put off by the way the car accident happened at first, but it ends up being a huge part of the plot, so don't let that fool you.

It was a little bit slow at first, but once I got more into it I was totally hooked. These people truly are everywhere and it was super unsettling. Meg and her family really couldn't trust anyone and it made me on edge every time they talked to someone outside of the family.

I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review-
Meg is driving with her family taking their daughter to college when a car swerves by them, driving erratically causing Meg to loose control killing her husband. A tough time follows his death but she if finally able to open their bookstore. Then she is threatened, and targeted with someone trashing her store. They want revenge believing her and her family are satanic. How is she going to protect her family? How can she stop these people?

I liked this one and felt it was good but like other readers I liked Gaylin’s other books better . I don’t like when story lines jump around but I still felt it was a good read
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review the book

Alison Gaylin we are watching

This story rotates around a family consisting of Meg Lilly and Justin. When Meg and Justin are taking their daughter Lilly to college and are bombarded by the group of skinheads that cause a fatal accident that claims the life of Justin.

Fast forward to Meg and Lilly trying to rebuild their life, with Meg who is a co owner to a bookstore and Lilly who is trying to find her way through music with her friend Carl. When unsettling things start happening at the book store, it becomes more apparent that maybe the accident involving Justin wasn’t an accident and this family has a target on its back!

This book was interesting and captivating. I was intrigued by the premise of the story and the overall plot. Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for the advance copy!

This one was definitely a different tone than the other Alison Gaylin books I have read. It took me awhile to really get the groove of the writing and switch back and forth between her and her daughters chapters. I didn't love it as much as her previous series but I was excited to read another book from her because it felt like it has been ages since she has written something!

Thank you, NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review We Are Watching by Alison Gaylin. This is the second book I’ve read by this author. I loved the premise of the story but it just fell flat for me. It dragged on and I had really had to push to finish.

A cult, an accident, and the numbers 121222

I had no idea where this was going, but we went there for sure. Lol

I struggled to engage when I first started reading, but it picked up about a 3rd of the way through.

I’ve never read anything by this author, but I’ll definitely read another one.