A fantastic page-turner of a thriller. I finished reading this book in a few hours.

a covert organization with the power to either grant you the life of your dreams or take it all away. Although things aren't always as they seem, one student intends to elude them in order to save her best buddy. Who, if anyone, can she rely on?

Only one of them can save the person they care about most because she is competing against another member. There can only be one victor after being taken through a series of risky games and challenges. And losing means death.

I really enjoyed reading this book because there were so many unexpected turns and questions. I suggest this book to fans of psychological suspense.

This was a such a ride. I was still guessing who the Game aster was until the big reveal, and talk about a surprise! I loved the relationship between the characters, as well as the rush of the games. At times, it pushed my level of belief, but it was still a fun read! I would put this one on the shelf for my students for sure!

This book was nothing short of what I expected. A great mystery/thriller novel that is sure to get you out of a reading slump. I truly enjoyed getting to know the characters & see how the mystery unfolds. I highly recommend this book to someone who enjoys mysteries/thrillers like I do,

Maren attends Torey-Wells academy, an elite boarding school where the stakes are higher than just trying to get into a good college. She finds herself wrapped up in the Gamemasters Society when her best friend, and roommate, Polly St. James goes missing. Before her disappearance Polly is acting strange and feverishly asks Maren to meet up with her, but she never shows. Maren is unable to let it rest and starts looking into her friends disappearance. She finds a mysterious letter addressed to Polly from the Gamemaster. Maren knows she must infiltrate the society to save her friends life.
These Deadly Games + Legendborn vibes!
The pacing in this novel is spectacular, if I had the ability to read this all in one sitting I know I would have. I was always on the edge of my seat and every time I thought I knew what was going on something completely different happened. I thought the dark academia vibes in this thriller were magnificent and Ichaso does a great job at creating an atmospheric read.

I really enjoyed They’re Watching You by Chelsea Ichaso. It was twisty and dark with a secret society in a academic setting, which I always love. You never really new who to trust throughout this whole book. I will say that the ending seemed very abrupt but it was in all a good book. 4 ⭐️

This book gave me a lot to think about, and that's not entirely a positive thing.

When Maren's best friend Polly disappears during the school year and no one seems to care, Maren takes matters into her own hands. When she stumbles into her school's secret society, she learns there was more behind Polly's disapperance than she originally thought.

The synopsis of this book had me--a mystery about a secret society at a prep school? I was sold. Admittedly, I was also a bit hesitant because I've read a previous book from Ichaso that also had an interesting premise but wasn't a particularly impressive book overall.

Unfortunately, I have to say this book fell into the same trap. Something I stand by that Ichaso does well is building tension--in both of her books that I read, you could really feel the tension and the stakes in the story, which was great. Also, the plot did keep me engaged because I was constantly coming up with new theories about who was really in the secret society, what really happened to Polly, who was behind it, etc. I did predict some plot twists, but the finale was a bit of a surprise to me.

However, the reason the finale was a surprise wasn't because it was built up so well that I didn't see it coming--it was because it came from so far out of left field that it seemingly came from nowhere at all. Learning that Polly willingly disappeared and put her best friend through the hell of joining this literal cult, putting Maren's life in danger, all while Maren was worried that Polly was being tortured or killed, was not consistent with the Polly that we, loosely, came to know through Maren's flashbacks. It wasn't at all consistent with her character, and I hated it.

The romance in this book didn't particularly impress me either. The love triangle felt very forced, and both of the boys involved felt underdeveloped as a result. Other than knowing what they were hoping to get from the secret society, we didn't really know anything about them. They seemed to mostly exist just to be potential love interests for Maren.

The ending felt very abrupt and rushed as well--I wish we had seen more resolution for the characters and, honestly, more consequences.

I do want to reiterate that this book was not terrible--I did enjoy the plot and following along with the mystery. If you shut your brain off and let yourself just enjoy the story, I think you could have a decent time with it. But when you're looking at this story from a reviewer's perspective, looking for things that are working and not working, that's when it starts to fall apart.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Chelsea Ichaso does it again! I can't get enough of her writing. From page one, she pulled me in with her compelling characters, and I had to see Maren's story through to the end. In fact, can I get more of Maren? Who can't relate to her, "I mean, I put jeans on today, damn it!" commentary as her world spins out of control and she figures out she has no idea who she can and can't trust. I'm a sucker for secret societies (thanks to Joshua Jackson and The Skulls), and this book did not disappoint! Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

An intriguing and thrilling mystery novel with some fantastic build up along the way to a shocking ending.

(3.5 stars)

This book is about Maren who is in a private highschool. With Polly, her best friend and roommate gone missing, she takes it as her responsibility to find her.


A secret society and ride-or-die games with a pinch of Pretty Little Liars vibes! If you're into dark academia you’ll love this!
The book started strong and the suspense along the journey will leave you wondering what will happen next.
Its the kind of read that captivates you and keeps you hooked till the last chapter. This book is hard to put down after the first half; especially with all the twists.
Maren is brave, I really admired her loyalty. I only loved Gavin, the rest of the characters were flat.
The only 2 negative things I can say about this book but theyre both subjective.
1. I hated the love triangle and everything that hinted at it (she didn't even end up with the guy I like ffs!)
2. I saw the twists coming before they happened, but it's not because they were obvious; I just tend to overthink what's happening in a book and guess what will happen later on.
This is my fav Chelsea Ichaso, her style really improved.

A chilling thriller set in the world of prep school academies with secret societies.

Maren’s best friend and roommate Polly has gone missing. Based on some clues discovered in their friends, Maren believes Polly has been kidnapped by a secret society up to no good. Enter Remington, a classmate and friend who is also missing a best friend and fears she has befallen a similar fate.

As Maren and Remington done deeper into the secret society, they find that their lives are at risk and not everything is as it seems.

Thanks to NetGalley for the digital advanced reader copy.

They're Watching You is a thriller that captivates you from beginning to end. There's so much to love about this book. Marin has one friend at Torrey-Wells Academy, her name is Polly. When Polly disappears Marian is determined to discover what has happened to her—taking the reader with her on an enthralling journey to save herself and Polly from the school's secret society and their games.

They're Watching You is a great read. That will keep readers on the edge of their seats.

3.25 Stars

They're Watching Us is written from the perspective of Maren Montgomery, a high school student whose best friend, Polly, has disappeared. Polly's parents and the authorities have concluded that she simply ran away, but Maren isn't convinced, especially after finding out that Polly was a member of a secret society known as "The Gamemaster's Society". Maren is determined to figure out what happened to Polly, so she decides to try and infiltrate this society. To rise through the ranks and get the information she needs, Maren needs to win challenges - but when the stakes turn out to be deadly, Maren is left questioning whether they know what happened to Polly or whether they are what happened to Polly.

In this regard, I found this book much more interesting than Ichaso's other novel. An elite school? A secret society? I couldn't ask for much more. That being said, one of the biggest issues I had to grapple with while reading this is that I didn't really believe how such a society that seems to be run primarily by high school students could have as much influence and reach as it does. I also don't understand why anyone in their right mind would join this society - and maybe that's the point, but I just couldn't rationalise why so many sensible seeming people would be a part of something so,,,strange. Even the "benefits" of membership just seemed too vague and convenient and did not really convince me of the society's appeal (but then, not seeing the appeal is probably not a bad thing...).

As for the characters, Maren was probably my favourite - but I did definitely question some a lot of the choices she made. She was indecisive and a little short-sighted, but I really respected her dedication to helping her friend. Apart from Remington and Gavin, who are our two points of a love triangle - which I did not enjoy, but especially because I chose the loser - the other characters aren't that incredibly well-developed. Since this is plot-driven book, I don't think this really matters - if anything, it helped to maintain that fast pace that made this book easy to read. While I did find the ending to be a little anti-climactic, there are enough twists and turns in this story to keep you intrigued.

Overall, I recommend this to anyone looking for a quick but entertaining read.

This teen mystery about a secret society could have been another average 3 star read but it steamed along at a great pace and kept me guessing which of the two main male characters should be trusted. The twists were believable and added to the complexity of the story. I appreciated that it was a clean read, making it suitable for younger teens. So often there is one unnecessary scene that means I am only able to recommend a book to older teens.

I received this arc from netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

dark-academia, spooky, mystery, YA type book. a combination of deadly games, suspicious characters, secret society. i like that this book has twist and turns, i like books that have an academy, school vibe. great thriller that has you guessing. would recommend to readers.

THANKS TO NETGALLEY AND THE PUBLISHER FOR THIS REVIEW COPY IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW.

Private Academy and Secret Society----It only took words to convince me. Maren's best friend, Polly, has been missing for two weeks and Maren can't get over it. Rumors say she ran away but Polly shared everything with Maren, does she? wasn't her behavior a bit odd from the last few months? Something strange happened to her but Maren needed a shred of evidence to convince others.

This book started really well, with dangling suspense, slow introduction, and character development along with a good amount of suspense. But as the story proceeded, this book wasn't much different from Dead Girl Can't Tell Secrets.

The concept had the potential but the execution was half-baked. The characters were so flat and dull. I couldn't think of anything else after reading Remington's name except hair straightener 😂. The force love triangle was one of the worst I've ever read, everything sounded so middle school so maybe the target was a young audience but I am not sure. The entire concept of secret society couldn't be executed more poorly. There were so many plot holes and loose strings that I stopped thinking about logic. The story was far from reality-I agree that it is fiction but the entire concept of running a secret society for centuries didn't sit well with me, I needed more background stories to believe that people were able to keep it secret for YEARS.

I don't think I'll read another book by this author, It was pure disappointment.

Thank you netgalley for the opportunity to read they're watching you.

Loved this book, missing people, lies, betrayals and games had no idea who to trust. Was a nice mix of one of us is lying and the inheritance games.
A must read

Rating : 4 out of 5
Blurbs :
It's been two weeks since Polly St. James went missing. The police, the headmistress of Torrey-Wells Academy, and even her parents have ruled her a runaway. But not Maren, her best friend and roommate. She knows Polly had a secret that she was about to share with Maren before she disappeared— something to do with the elite, ultra-rich crowd at Torrey-Wells.

Then Maren finds an envelope hidden among Polly's things: an invitation to the Gamemaster's Society. Do not tell anyone, it says. Maren is certain her classmates in the Society know the truth about what happened to Polly, though it's no easy feat to join. Once Maren's made it through the treacherous initiation, she discovers a world she never knew existed within her school, where Society members compete in high-stakes games for unheard-of rewards—Ivy League connections, privileges, favors.

But Maren's been drawn into a different game: for every win, she'll receive a clue about Polly. And as Maren keeps winning, she begins to see just how powerful the Society's game is—bigger and deadlier than she ever imagined. They see, they know, they control. And they kill.

Thoughts : This is a dark-academia / cult YA book full of games and riddles about Greek Myth because this 'secret society' is based on Greek Myth. I personally not a big fan of YA books, but I gave this book a try because I'm still craving some mystery-thriller books. 50% of the book is super fun and I can't stop reading this book. It just sucked me in. Sadly, after 60% of the book, I can't really say the same about the rest 40%. It's full of dangerous games, riddles, and twists. Unfortunately, the ending is the weakest point here (I think it always happens with any murder-mystery-thriller books). I thought the resolution and the ending are going to be epic and nail-biting. It's pretty anti-climatic to me. I don't even like the ending, I think it's too easy that way but it's been pretty fun and fast read to me so I don't really mind. I'm still team Gavin at the end of this book.

They're Watching You by Chelsea Ichaso follows Maren Montgomery as she finds herself involved in a twisted secret society following the disappearance of her best friend. As se delves further into the society, taking part in their secret 'games' in order to win back her friend, Maren finds that her entire school, as well as the wider community, has been run by the society, leaving her no where to turn.

This novel is a perfect mystery, with enough suspense and intrigue from page one to keep the reader hooked as they weave their way through the catacombs, finding clues and red herrings galore. While belief must be suspended when it comes to some of the more, shall we say, extravagant details, this is exactly what you want from a mystery about how the rich elite live.

Some characters may have needed some more development and the love triangle remained lacklustre, the final twists in this teen thriller are exactly what is needed to make this a 4-star novel!

Thank you to SOURCEBOOKS Fire, and NetGalley for providing me with a free e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

2 stars

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for gifting me an arc in exchange for my honest review.

This isn't a bad book, and the writing is good with moments of suspense, however, the actual story and characters fell flat to me. There were also some confusing bits and elements that I thought were incredibly far-fetched (even for this kind of a story). Another big turn-off for me was the love triangle when I think the plot could've moved forward without one or even the romance altogether. While I didn't see the plot twist coming, I also wasn't that invested in finding out. I'm glad I managed to finish this book, I will say, I might have enjoyed this much more if I had read it when I was still in high school, as it did feel a little young for me.

Overall, if you like twisty YA stories that focus on prep schools and secret societies, then I'm sure you'll like this book more than I did.

The Skulls meets Hunger Games. What an absolute thriller in this story!
How can Maren really figure out what happened to her roommate when she doesn’t know who to trust?
This book left me guessing the entire time and kept me up reading all night because I had to know what happened!