I enjoyed this book. The dark academia aspect was right up my alley. I really liked Maren as a character. The twists and turns kept me guessing. My only qualm would be that I wish Polly had been explained a bit better. It just felt a little impersonal that we’re thrown into this story of a missing girl but we never really get to know her. But Overall, it’s a good story.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of They're Watching You
This novel kept me guessing the whole way through, never knowing who to trust or if any of it was really happening. Ichaso created a novel that keeps you wanting more, any time I had to put it down I was itching to pick it up again. The characters were infuriating in the most relatable ways and there was just enough of a love triangle to keep us on our toes questioning where the loyalties in this novel lie.

When Maren's friend Polly disappears from their high school everyone has ruled her a runaway. Maren refuses to believe that Polly would leave without telling her even if she has been distant recently. Set on finding the real reason behind Polly's disappearance, Maren sets out to infiltrate a secret society that dates back to before the elite Torrey Wells Academy was even built. With ties to seemingly every source of power in the country Maren doesn't know who she can trust, or if she can save Polly.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read They're Watching You by Chelsea Ichaso!

This is a book about secret societies. The main characters best friend is missing and was part of the secret society. Marin (the main character) is on the hunt to try to locate her by joining the same society. This is a dark academia, young adult book. The main character is slightly annoying at times (to me) and I took a little longer than usually to read the book because of this, but it’s overall a good read.

thank you to netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review!

this was a really fun dark academia thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat. though i found chelsea's debut (dead girls can't tell secrets) weak, this was a definite improvement. i did predict a few plot twists but the mystery was action-packed and thrilling until the end. maren was an interesting main character and i liked how she developed over the course of the book. my main complaint with they're watching you is that the ending seemed to contradict what i felt was the core theme of the book (which is all i can say without spoiling it!).

Secret societies, power, privilege, and you guessed it death. This book was a page-turner for sure. Polly St. James is labeled a runaway but her best friend Maren does not believe that. When Maren finds an invitation in Polly's things to the Gamemaster Society things take a turn. It was supposed to be a secret however Maren decides to join to private eye investigate. It was a thrilling and suspenseful book that I did not want to put down!

I won't lie, I wasn't expecting a lot going into this book - the summary made it sound like another Karen McManus type mystery: fast-paced and fun, but without much more to it. So I was pleasantly surprised to find I liked the characters, enjoyed the ominous atmosphere (which grew as the book progressed) and the plot. I did not see the twist coming and it was my favourite kind of twist!

My only comment would probably be that I felt some of the "bad" characters could have used some more characterisation. I felt their motivations were a little flat at times, though they certainly kept me on my toes.

I would absolutely recommend this to someone who enjoyed the Karen McManus trend in YA thrillers.

Definitely a young adult thriller but I did enjoy it. I found the first half quite slow to get through, but the second half really caught my attention. Definitely worth a read.

This book combines two of my favorite plot points, a secret society and deadly games. These elements make the story dangerous, thrilling, and kept me glued to the end. I thought this was fast paced, twisty, and a fun read!

Maren's former best friend is missing and no one but her seems concerned. Everyone thinks she just ran away, but Maren thinks there's more to it. When she investigates Polly's last few months, she stumbles upon an old secret society. As she's drawn further in, things start getting dangerous and Maren isn't sure who to trust. I went back and forth on who I thought was actually misleading Maren and who might be able to help her and it was a tough call. I liked that doubt is at every turn and I had to keep going to see if things were going to work out or end badly.

Maren can be impulsive and at times I thought she was making a mistake by trusting the wrong person. She's a loyal friend though and I admired how much she fought to make it through the games and figure out what happened to Polly. Some of the games sound like a lot of fun and I would play them in a non-deadly version.

The story is action-packed and a great ride. I'll be checking out more books from this author!

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for the copy.

It took me forever to get through this book because it just did not grip my attention. The main character is irritating and I just wanted to strangle her. She comes off as very immature. Her inner thoughts while interacting with the boys in the secret society were obnoxious. Overall the storyline moves pretty slowly. That being said, I love the idea and the general plot. The secret society at the prep school was intriguing. The games they played were fun. The title, cover, and summary will definitely pull YA readers in. I'm just not sure the story will keep them coming back for more.

I loved this book. It was interesting, and kept me guessing until the very end. I liked the concept of the book. I hadn’t guessed the mystery until the very end, which I like. Every time I thought I had it figured out, something would change, and I’d have a new guess or idea. I liked the characters and how they were presented in the book.
Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the opportunity to read this book. I really enjoyed it!

this was quite a fun YA thriller! It was definitely a little outlandish and unrealistic, but in a way that fits the genre, where you'd turn a blind eye to many aspects of the story and let it slide because it's entertaining. I'd say the book is fast paced but also keeps you on your toes, unsure of who's trustworthy and who isn't, even if most of the reveals were predictable.
I mean it's a generic YA thriller, but that doesn't have to be a bad thing. It's an engrossing page turner, as long as you don't expect more than what it offers, if that makes sense.
Also, I could totally see this being successful if adapted as a teen TV show à la pretty little liars, I think it would fit so much better that way

This book had me stressed and anxious in the best way! The book starts off seemingly innocent but takes dark twisty turns as Maren delves deeper trying to find her missing friends. Throughout the book you will question everyones intentions and never know who to really trust. I also really loved the incorporation of mythological elements.

Dark academia, a secret society, non-stop suspense - what more could you ask for! When Maren's boarding school roommate/best friend disappears, Maren is determined to find her. She soon finds herself embroiled in a wicked game with terrifying consequences. "They're Watching You" is the best YA book I've read this year.

I was incredibly excited to have received this book; it certainly didn't disappoint!

Truthfully, when I started reading the book it was so hard to break away from it, I did everything with the Kindle in my hand. I really seem to enjoy the dark academia, secret society type of stories. so this was right down my alley.

I liked the characters and how distinct they were each with flaws and imperfections and their motivations for doing what they have done.

I think the world created in the novel, and all the surroundings were written so well and described so skillfully, I had the Torrey-Wells academy imagined to the smallest detail.

It was also really entertaining to try to guess which students were in and which weren't a part of the Society and also what happened to Polly St. James, though it got messy at times. Personally, I wasn't the biggest fan of the temporal love triangle but it was quickly resolved in a way that I viewed satisfactory.

Such a good and enjoyable read, I have already recommended my friends to read it as soon as the book releases. Thank you so much SOURCEBOOKS Fire for providing me with this ARC!

I occasionally like to review a Teen/YA novel, so when the opportunity came to read They're Watching You I decided to give the book a try. This thriller is filled with everything you remember about high school and beyond--angst, peer pressure, self-doubt and achievement anxiety--multiplied by infinity when the frightening demands of a secret society are plunged into the mix. The characters face challenges of loyalty, betrayal, budding romance, survival and success or failure. The novel is fast paced and filled with twists and turns that keep the story moving until the last page.

Many thanks to Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for providing an ARC to read and review. *NetGalley Top Reviewer.* This review will be appear on Bayside Book Reviews at https://baysidebookreviews.com and its Instagram page on release day.

i think this was a pretty creative book (albeit a little too outlandish for my taste) but still an all around fun time
some bits did get confusing - the underground maze thing??? so complicated
and the romance bleh boooooo boring lame ended up with the lame dude who i didn't care about
also the final plot twist - pretty predictable
but ig i had fun

I absolutely loved this book. Some of the plot twists were a bit predictable but at around 60% you couldn’t pry this book from me.

I loved Maren, the mythological elements, the games, side characters, and most importantly the way that the danger felt real. I was terrified and curious the whole book.

Fast-paced with tons of twists and turns. This page turner kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time trying to guess what was going to happen next.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

This Young Adult read had my soul on fire!

Maren attends Torrey-wells academy where 2 weeks prior her best friend and roommate Polly goes missing. Maren has a feeling that Polly didn’t runaway like the police believe. She believes something bad happened and stops at nothing to find her.

Maren knows Polly had something urgent she wanted to tell her before she went missing so Maren goes searching for clues and stumbles upon the Torrey-wells academy Gamemaster society invitation. She somehow gets herself initiated into society, anything to help her find Polly. This society has games that are deadly. Each game won gets Maren closer and closer to Polly. Will she find her before it’s too late?

With so many twists and turns, it was hard to keep up at times. But so so good!

This book will be published January 3, 2023! Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and give my honest review

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ || i'm torn on this one! the plot and concept on this book was really solid but the pace felt a little jarring, the insta-love triangle wasn't my favorite, and it was hard to believe this was happening at a HIGH SCHOOL.

was it a quick read? yeah. did it keep me on my toes and wanting to finish? for sure. would i recommend? maybe. if you want to get lost in a wild ride, this is a good read.