Thank you for the opportunity. Here is my video review. https://youtu.be/5EohfqWD94Y?si=xaK_jhwotGvO-Bxq

Title: We Are Watching
Author: Alison Gaylin
Format: 🎧
Narrator: Jennifer Pickens
Publisher: HarperAudio Adult/Harper Audio
Genre: Mystery Thriller. Cults
Pub Date: January 28, 2025 –
should have been 12/12/ 2022
My Rating: 4.3 Stars
Pages: 336

Wolves are out there! Waiting for doomsday on 12.12.22, led by the Bronze Lord. They have a mantra: “They are watching. They are armed. They will triumph.”
But are these people real, or are they the figment of a delusional old ex-rock star’s imagination.

Story starts when Meg (Magnolia) Russo and her husband Justin driving their 18-year-old daughter, Lily to Ithaca College. Both Meg and Justin are excited about Lily’s choice as they meet in Ithaca. Meg was attending Cornell and Justin Ithaca College. They met their senior year when Meg took a class on the other side of town
(As a High School Counselor and College advisor I visited both of the colleges they are completely different and yes are on the opposite side of town – both on hills facing one another!)

Back to story- Meg is driving and is rattled by another car filled with skinheads taking photos of Lily. Meg over react and loses control of the car. Justin had unfastened his seat belt to get something from the back seat and is the accident is thrown from the car.

The accident takes Justin’s life; both Lily and Meg are traumatized. Lily takes a gap year,
Even with therapy they both continued to deal with the ache of losing him.

Lily turns to pot and Meg decides to reopen her bookstore “The Secret Garden’ which she and Justin owner and loved.
On re-opening day, a female customer makes a scene, dropping books in the children’s section then making a scene for other customers to witness. She shows her fingers: one gone, three left, meaning Justin. The three left behind are her father, Nathan, daughter Lily, and herself.
We learn more about Meg’s father and things get stranger and stranger.

This is author, Alison Gaylin's fourteenth novel. I have read and loved the others I read.
The profanity didn’t seem as excessive in the others. In this case, I wish I could have bleeped out most of it –however – this story had me hooked!
Additionally narrator Jennifer Pickers was great in performing the characters!!

Things are indeed bizarre, and they get strange and then stranger. I love thrillers and there is also a desire to try to figure out whodunit – in this case who are the "finger missing 12 12 2022 bad guys.” I did have my suspicious but sure didn’t have details.

I know I am weird- I have a low tolerance for profanity but find reading an off-the wall story about cult groups an entertaining read.

Want to thank NetGalley, Harper Audio Audio/Harper Audio and William Morrow for granted me this early audiobook.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for January 28, 2025.

4.5 ⭐️ rounded to 5

The action starts right away and just keeps going with this thriller. Conspiracy theories, big and small, are no longer the denizen of crazed paranoid tinfoil hat wearing people. There are so many conspiracy theories out there and with the internet, especially the influence of social media, these theories can spread far and wide in real life just as portrayed Gaylin’s novel. But at the core of it, the question is who can you trust? How do you know that people are who they say they are, and aren’t pushing ulterior motives?

It is truly interesting to dive down the rabbit hole of a conspiracy theory. This book was like a deep dive into this world. Truly terrifying how willing people are to not just believe what they are told but will also aggressively push the agenda of the theory. All of the characters had their quirks but most seemed to be true trustworthy friends on the surface level. Dig a little deeper and things start to go nuts.

There are plenty of twists and turns and betrayals throughout, enough to keep you on your toes and to leave you wondering what will happen next. The perspective switches amongst multiple character, which really gives a robust picture of the overall plot. Although there were parts that seemed to push the boundaries of believability, overall this was a terrifying tale because it seemed not to be far off from reality, which is a terrifying thought.

I thought the author did a great job developing characters that were multidimensional and whose actions rang true to their character. The premise was terrifying to anyone with a family, and the feeling of terror was maintained throughout the novel. I listened to the audiobook, and I really enjoyed the narrator’s performance. The ending was not predictable, and there were shocks and surprises all throughout. This was one worth reading!