Wowza! This is yet another Clare Mackintosh title that made me stay up all night reading!

If you like this type of suspenseful read, don’t miss I SEE YOU! Thank you for my review e-ARC from Net Galley!

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Here’s the overview:

Description

The author of the smash bestseller, I Let You Go, propels readers into a dark and claustrophobic thriller, in which a normal, everyday woman becomes trapped in the confines of her normal, everyday world…
Every morning and evening, Zoe Walker takes the same route to the train station, waits at a certain place on the platform, finds her favorite spot in the car, never suspecting that someone is watching her…

It all starts with a classified ad. During her commute home one night, while glancing through her local paper, Zoe sees her own face staring back at her, a grainy photo along with a phone number and listing for a website called findtheone.com.

Other women begin appearing in the same ad, a different one every day, and Zoe realizes they’ve become the victims of increasingly violent crimes—including rape and murder. With the help of a determined cop, she uncovers the ad’s twisted purpose…a discovery that turns her paranoia into full-blown panic. For now Zoe is sure that someone close to her has set her up as the next target.

And now that man on the train—the one smiling at Zoe from across the car—could be more than just a friendly stranger. He could be someone who has deliberately chosen her and is ready to make his next move…

This book was... different. Confusing at first. I will be honest, I had a hard time in the beginning. It wasn't making sense. I knew that it would eventually, but it took a little too long to start to come together for me.

Once the book picked up and really started, I was hooked. I had no idea who was behind everything. Everyone was a suspect. I thought that each character was guilty at one point or another. I never saw that ending coming.

This is one of those books that will keep readers guessing from the get go. It definitely is not obvious who and why. When it happens, it smacks the reader in the face.

This was my first book by Mackintosh. I own another of her book and plan on reading it after reading this one. For those who like a book that will keep you guessing and turning the pages like a crackhead, this is definitely a book for you.

Exceptional! Very believable characters and some very effective red herrings.

It all starts with a classified ad. Zoe Walker sees her own face staring back at her from an ad that also includes a phone number and a website called FindTheOne.com. Other women begin appearing in the same ad, a different one every day, and Zoe realizes they’ve become the victims of increasingly violent crimes.

I See You is well written but the plot? Just meh. I couldn’t believe people would pay for this “service.” An unbelievable “business venture” in my opinion. The whodunit did make my jaw drop and my eyes pop with an excellent twist at the last moment. I’m calling it a cliff hanger with the door left open for a possible sequel. I See You may have proved more fascinating if the reveal were made sooner and the motives explored a bit more. If there is another book, I’m not interested enough now to be interested in reading it.

Is it just me or do the cops in books always come across as incompetent? Why is it that every day citizens are trying to solve crimes? How had the cops not tied the ads to the murders etc? Why did Zoe have to point this out? The cops seemed a bit slow, except for Kelly Swift. She’s supposed to be good at her job, but she comes into the investigation late and beats everyone else to solving the crime. I didn’t find that believable. The side story with her sister was distracting. I guess its intended purpose was to show what motivated her, but it distracted this reader when I wanted to know what was happening to Zoe and the other women.

There were moments of tension and suspense but I found these moments all ended with an anticlimactic moment. At the end of the day, I’m glad I read this book, but it’s probably not one I’ll grab to read again.

I loved "I Let You Go" so I was very excited to get my hands on this one. The plot was intriguing and I stayed up late reading "just one more chapter" which turned in to many more chapters. I was certainly surprised by the final reveal; a few red herrings along the way made me think I had it figured out, but I didn't. Good read!

These are my Happily Ever After Novel Thoughts...

Oh. My. Gosh. This book is twisted in the best way, especially if you love psychological thrillers that sneak up on you out of nowhere and make you rethink certain aspects of your life.

I thought I had it all figured out, but hadn't a clue! Not until I hit the 100% mark did I know all facts.

This book is a great reminder to not be so set in our routines. We need to be a bit unpredictable in our lives or else we could fall victim to someone watching our very worn path of life.

I love how it just pulls you in and you get two different POVs, one from Zoe Walker and the other from PC Kelly Swift. Zoe is a victim and Kelly is one of the investigators. Such an interesting book! Definitely a must-read if you want to go on a ride and don't mind there's little to no romance and absolutely no sex.

Grab this book and read to find out Zoe gets a Happily Ever After.

I read I Let You Go last year and really enjoyed it so I was happy to read and review Clare's newest book. The image that came to mind when reading this book was this:
crazy straw
Now, I know this seems crazy but hear me out. As I kid, I loved these straws. I used them all of the time and would love to watch the milk on its slow ascend up towards the twists and turns until I was able to drink it. I would could make the liquid go as fast or as slow as I wanted once it hit the twisty section.

I See You reminded me of these straws so much. It started out slowly but once you hit that action it was a crazy, can not put down, full of twist and turns kind of book. I loved it for that reason. If you want a psychological thriller that keeps you on your toes until the very end, get this book. Just know that after the slow beginning, the payoff at the end is worth it!

This was a really well written story. I actually liked the main character, unlike some of the more recent books I've read. And it had me guessing the whole time I was reading it. I was not expecting the twist, and then the the other twist! It has kept me thinking about it even after I've been done with the book for several days. Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

“We are all creatures of habit. Even you. You reach for the same coat every day; leave home at the same time every morning. You have a favorite seat on the bus or the train…. I know you buy the same paper from the same shop, your milk at the same time each week. I know the way you walk the children to school; the shortcut you take on your way home from Zumba class. I know all these things, because it’s never occurred to you that anyone is watching you. Routine is comforting to you. It’s familiar, reassuring. Routine makes you feel safe. Routine will kill you.”

The start of this book grabbed me and I settled in thinking “oooooo this is going to be a good one!” I for one, am most definitely a creature of habit so the premise of this book put me on edge when I started to think about how predictable my own routine is. Couple that with social media and how easy it is to have access to anyone and their information these days and I thought for sure this would be a 5 star read. Every few chapters we get a glimpse into the thoughts of the mastermind behind everything – this set a creepy and ominous tone and I loved it. But then things just fell apart. The more I read, the more I did not like Zoe Walker. I felt that she was very underdeveloped for a main character. I know that I was supposed to be in great suspense the more paranoid Zoe became, but instead I found myself getting aggravated with her. By the middle of the book I felt like things were just dragging, so much so that I started skimming (this is never a good sign). I will say that I loved the character of Kelly, the detective and found her back story much more intriguing. Strong, flawed, struggling with decisions from her past, I felt like Kelly would have been a much better focal point for the story.

I had the killer partially figured out but struggled with the end. I don’t want to give anything away, so I will just say it did not seem to me that the killer would have gone to such great lengths for the reason that was given as the motive behind everything. It just fell flat to me. I had such high hopes for this one because I loved I Let You Go so very much, but this just didn’t deliver for me. 3 out of 5 stars. Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkeley Publishing for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review

What I keep hearing about this book is that it doesn't live up to Clare Mackintosh's debut that was published last year, I Let You Go. Fortunately for me, I See You was my first Mackintosh novel, so I'm happy to say that I was able to mostly really enjoy it. Enough that I'll probably read I Let You Go at some point, with high expectations.

I See You is a topical and creepy thriller about a one-sided 'dating' website that targets London-based women. Their pictures will appear in a newspaper advertisement for the website, and soon after they'll become victims of some crime, ranging from theft to murder. When Zoe Walker sees her photo in the paper and discovers a link between the crimes, she's sure that someone's marked her as the next target.

Tense and addicting, this had me on the edge of my seat. While the plot itself is at times slow moving, there's a certain fear and paranoia that permeates the narrative; it leaves you guessing about these characters and their motives, but it also makes you think about your own life, about the privacy settings on your Facebook account, about the dangers of living in this technological fishbowl of a society, where your movements are constantly tracked.

Alternating chapters with Zoe, we get the point of view of Kelly, working with the Murder Investigation Team to track who's behind the series of attacks. I wasn't surprised to learn that Clare Mackintosh had worked in the police force before becoming a writer, given the meticulous level of detail to this side of the story. All in all, it's very well done.

Sure, I See You requires a certain suspension of disbelief, but I think the mark of a good author is the ability to make you believe something that you might not, ordinarily. It's an outlandish premise, but Mackintosh had me thoroughly convinced. It wasn't until after I finished this book that I started ruminating on flaws in its design - and there certainly are flaws, certain things you need to accept without question (I won't go into detail in order to keep this spoiler-free). But ultimately, I don't care so much about that. This was a good story, and a downright terrifying psychological thriller that leaves you guessing - literally! - until the last page. A really enjoyable reading experience and a great way to spend this snow day.

Also, I pride myself on my ability to figure out whodunnits pretty early on in the story, nine times out of ten. But I have to shamefully admit that I fell for the red herring here. :(

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Netgalley, Berkley, and Clare Mackintosh.

https://lovintoread.blogspot.com/2017/03/i-see-you-by-clare-mackintosh-is.html

" Routine is comforting to you. It’s familiar, reassuring. Routine makes you feel safe. Routine will kill you."

Zoe Walker is a normal, everyday-type person, which is one reason this book is pretty darn scary. If bad things can happen to her, they can happen to anyone. She's a divorced mom whose children are almost grown. She's a bookkeeper for a realty company plus does some accounting on the side. Her ex-husband still loves her which makes her live-in boyfriend very jealous.

She has a routine. She takes the Underground and Overground trains to work every day. Same time, waits in the same places, stands or sits in the same spots if they're available. One day she's glancing at a London newspaper and sees her picture along with a web address in a dating-type column - and she did not put it there.

She finds out that other women's pictures have also been displayed in the newspaper and various crimes have been committed against some of these other women including rape and murder.

Kelly Swift works as an officer for the British Transport Police but she really wants to work on the Murder Investigation Team working on these pictures and crimes.

The story is told from both Zoe's and Kelly's points of view and it held my interest from start to a shocking finish.

I like the author's writing style. The story drew me in and I couldn't help putting myself in Zoe's shoes. Fast moving, scary and believable.

I recommend this to anyone looking for an exciting psychological suspense thriller, British mystery, or police procedural novel.

I received this book from Berkley Publishing through Net Galley in exchange for my unbiased review.

Read all my reviews at: https://brainfartsandbooks.wordpress.com

This book was absolutely fantastic! Can you tell? It held my attention the whole way through and had such intricate, but necessary, details as I read on. Brava, Clare Mackintosh, brava!

I don’t even know where to start my review, seeing as this book was so great. Zoe Walker is the main character and connects with PC Kelly Swift who seems to be the only person who takes her claim seriously. The claim? That Zoe’s picture is in the classifieds for an advertisement for a website named FindTheOne.com. Sounds like an innocent dating site until you actually click on it and figure out what it’s main purpose is for. The story unravels, detail by detail, until you don’t even know who to look for. I always try to guess the perpetrator in books like this but I was guessing until the very last page. Yes, you read it right. The very…last…page. Grab this book and a glass of wine…you’re in for a fantastic roller coaster ride!

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Random House, and Clare Mackintosh for my free copy of this book.

I finished <i>I See You</i> right before I left for work, and Mackintosh had me a little creeped out and looking over my shoulder. So, bravo! That's what a good psychological thriller does.

Imagine Zoe's surprise when she sees her own picture in an advertisement for FindTheOne.com, some sort of dating site. Zoe then realizes that some of the women pictured have been victims of violent crimes, and this is where we take a turn to the sinister side of things.

I love, love, loved! <i>I Let You Go</i>, so I had expectations for this book. This was a much slower build, but Mackintosh did an amazing job building the characters and ratcheting up the paranoia as she dropped breadcrumbs for me to follow. I will admit, I was distracted by the red herrings, and the last 10% of the book!!!! My head was spinning for all the reveals. I did not see that coming at all. *Applause, applause* I feel, that Mackintosh's background is such an asset in her thrillers. She brings all the crime drama to another level, which definitely adds to the overall reading experience. She also does an impressive job building the mood. I felt the fear, the tension, the frustration. I felt it all, and my heart was definitely pounding out of my chest during the last bit. The ending - left he hairs standing up on the back of my neck.

For me, this was another fantastic thrill courtesy of Ms. Mackintosh, and I am looking forward to reading more of her work.

Zoe is divorced, hates her boss and has two grown children who still live at home. She and her partner Simon are more and more in love. She leads a routine and ordinary life, taking the same train every morning, choosing the same seat in the same carriage, stopping at the same cafe, and giving 10p to the girl who sings outside the train station on her way home. And it is this routine that gets Zoe on the radar of someone who puts her picture in the classifieds of a London newspaper. Every day the picture of a different woman appears in the newspaper with a phone number and a website that lead nowhere. As some of these women are robbed, assaulted or killed, Zoe's fears for her safety rise.
This story is dark and captivating with many twists and much suspense, and relatable characters. The author perfectly portrays Zoe's fears as she starts suspecting everyone, even the people she loves. The novel doesn't focus only on Zoe's story, but also on one of the detectives investigating her case. Kelly is a hard-working police officer, who often gets too involved with the victims of the cases she is investigating. She is very invested in her job but is also driven by personal reasons. This is a chilling and disturbing novel that will make you rethink your commute to work.

Looking for your next vacation read, the one you cannot put down, the one where you want the world to stop tugging on your shirt sleeve? Look no further - Clare Mackintosh's latest (I Let You Go) is a serious page turner, as was her last one. Written up in the New York Times book section for hot new mysteries, this one deserves all the accolades. Playing on the real fears surrounding CTV, social media, and our obsession to let the world know everything about our lives, Mackintosh weaves a tale of suspense. Two women take center state: Kelly, a police officer, dying to be more than just on patrol and to work in the 'majors,' a dark past that keeps her back, and an insatiable curiosity and spot-on memory; Zoe, an ordinary mum, stuck in a dead-end job, torn between the current husband and the cheating ex, who sees a picture of herself in a newspaper advertisement as she rides the subway home. As Kelly begins to piece together the pattern of rapes and murders, Zoe must protect not only herself, but her nineteen year old daughter. Macintosh throws in numerous possible suspects, leading us down one dark alley after another, with a shocker of an ending. This book does not disappoint.

Wow! I definitely did not see that ending coming. Kept me riveted until the final page and up late reading after a full day at Disney World.

It took me a little while to get into I See You. It starts out a little slow, mostly establishing the characters. But once it fully settles into the main mystery I was hooked.

The story follows Zoe, a woman who finds her picture advertising a dating site she’s never heard of in the paper, Kelly, a police office trying to gain some redemption from past mistakes, and snippets from the anonymous villain. At first I found the switch in POV between Zoe and Kelly a little jarring, almost feeling like they were two completely different stories. Once we get further into the story, though, I found myself really enjoying each perspective. While they both had their flaws, they were likable characters that I was rooting for the whole time. I also really liked Kelly’s new DI, Nick.

I thought the author did a good job of conveying Zoe’s paranoia. While the book didn’t really have the creepy atmosphere I was expecting, it snuck up on me later, when I wasn’t reading. The idea of how most of us are creatures of habit and how easy it would be for anyone to use that predictability against you is a scary thought. I’ve always been someone who closes all the blinds as soon as it gets dark enough outside for people to be able to see in. The thought of being watched has always creeped me out and I think this book will make me a little more paranoid than I already am.

The mystery was pretty well done. I suspected several people of being behind the website all throughout the book and while the villain was one of my suspects, it still surprised me. I think it worked, though. And I LOVED the ending.

Overall, I enjoyed I See You. Though it started out a little slow for me, it did end up really sucking me in and I had a hard time putting it down. The mystery was well done and kind of terrifying in how plausible it is. I would definitely recommend it to mystery/thriller fans. Just be prepared to be looking over your shoulder after you do.

Overall Rating (out of 5): 4 Stars

A book full of twists and turns, leaving the reader surprised until
the very last page.

There are suspense novels in which the type of crime can seem remote from the actual lives of readers. Then there are those like Clare MacKintosh’s “I See You,” in which the crime is alarmingly possible in the most normal and routine of lives. And it’s that routine that provides the premise for the plot. As a narrator in the book says “Routine is comforting to you. It’s familiar, reassuring. Routine makes you feel safe. Routine will kill you.”

Someone in London is watching women and carefully noting the details of their lives. And that watching is stunningly easy because of the routine the women follow and their presence on social media, either directly or through the posts of others. Who is watching and why? Discovering the answer to those questions as well as the fates of individual characters propelled me quickly through the book to the astonishing conclusion. Although the characters weren’t as well developed as I would have liked, Mackintosh’s years of service in policing added verisimilitude to an absorbing and extremely suspenseful plot.

My review was posted on Goodreads on 3/3/17